ew* - journal w ^lyatei rMfit/i Qmo&hu Zm~vZ~*. ^?uiUiW? PRESS NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ~^w association ASSOCIATION Published h>er> Thursday al Raeford. N.C. 28376 I i? V* . Klwood Avenue Subscription Rales In Advance Per > ear? S*. 00 6 Months ? $4.25 3 Months? S2. 25 I.OLISH. HK.LEMAV JR Publisher PAUl. DICKSON Editor HKNR\ L. BLLE Production Supervisor BILL I.INDAl Associate Editor MRS. PALL DICKSON Society Editor SAM C . MORRIS Contributing Editor Second C lass Postage al Raeford, N.C". (LSPS 388-260) THURSDAY, JULY 8. 1982 Off-year turnout The turnout of Democratic voters of Hoke County in the June 29 primaries was huge for an off-year election. It amounted to 51.4 per cent of the 8,260 registered Democrats. The Republican turnout totaled 71 of the 407 Hoke County members of the party registered. This amounted to 15 per cent of the total number registered. The reason for the difference, however, is understandable: the Hoke Republicans were eligible to vote in only one contest that day, and in a districtwide contest in which both candidates live outside Hoke County, were strangers to most Hoke Republicans and didn't campaign, at least publicly, in Hoke County. TTiis was in the Harris Blake-Jake Presson primary to pick the GOP nominee to face Democratic Congressman Bill Hefner in the November 2 general election. The only other issues open to the Republicans for voting were the five proposed amendments to the State Constitution. The Democrats, on the other hand, had crucial decisions to help make not only in the 8th Congressional District Hefner-Ellison contest to choose the Republican's November opponent but locally to nominate a candidate for sheriff three of the 10 candidates for county commissioners, candidates for the General Assembly, Court of Appeals, and District Court judgeships. The huge Democratic turnout was caused by the contests for the sheriff s nomination and the county commissioners' positions. The winner of the sheriff s nomination (David Barrington) is certain of election in November for lack of Republican or other opposition. It is conceivable that a write-in vote would beat the Democrat but it is a very remote possibility. The turnout of voters in Hoke and other counties in an off-year election averages about 30 per cent or less and brings forth the customary editorial complaints about "voter apathy." The turnout in Hoke June 29 demonstrates once more that most will take the trouble to vote if they feel it's extremely important that particular candidates win. Another large Democratic turnout can be expected in the July 27 runofif primary to nominate two of the four candidates for county commissioners' seats. Commissioner Mabel Riley, who finished fourth, and Tom Howell, fifth, in the June 29 primary, have called for the runoff. Cleo Bratcher and Commissioner James A. Hunt, who finished second and third respectively June 29 but didn't get majorities, are the others in the runoff. -BL Phillips's role State Sen. Sam Noble's loss to David Parnell in the June 29 Democratic primary to nominate the 30th District's state senator can be attributed to Noble's effort to eliminate the eight state school regional centers in the 1982 General Assembly session, a Raleigh newspaper says. Noble's effort. The News and Observer explains, was aimed at a pet project of State Schools Supt. Craig Phillips. It was State Rep. David Parnell who defeated Noble. 14,192 to 10.510 votes, in the Robeson-Hoke counties State Senate District. Since Parnell is unopposed in the November 2 General Election, his victory assured him of being the district's new senator. Phillips said later this was the first time he had campaigned on behalf of a candidate. Phillips also did his campaigning by sending letters to "members of the education family in Hoke and Robeson counties," but on his personal stationary and at his personal expense, on June 23. the newspaper says. Phillips didn't mention Noble's name in the letter, it adds, but his letter said Phillips was "very anxious" for the district's voters to choose Parnell "an established strong advocate and friend of public education and educators." Noble after the primary called Phillips's conduct "very unethical," the newspaper says. Hoke County's Democrats gave Parnell 2,748 votes and Noble 1.750. Noble and Parnell also took opposite positions on the General Assembly's ratification of the women's rights ERA amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Noble helped defeat it by supporting the tabling motion, and Parnell voted against tabling. But whether the pro-or anti-hRA positions cost or gained many votes in the district is a question, though the defeat of State Sen. Jim McDuffie was caused at least partly by his vote against ERA ratification (Charlotte feminists worked against him through a political action committee called Fair And Informed Representa tion). In the Hoke-Robeson district, however, Noble might have gained more than he lost by voting against ERA. and Parnell might have gained more by voting for ERA. but lost as many or more votes by his stand. Noble's loss was interesting also in view of the fact that an incumbent has the advantage over a challenger if the voters see no serious reason for voting him out even if the challenger looks better to many. In Noble's case, the Phillips campaign apparently gave many voters enough reason to give Parnell Noble's job. -BL Give a hoot! Don't Rush hour uye> wmmmmmm. It's a Small W orld by Bill Lindau Every election brings its rumors, and the June 29 primaries were no exception. For example, one was the official canvass showed Cleo Bratcher. Jr., got his one vote majority in the commissioner's contest. The un official tally showed him one vote short of the majority necessary to send him onto the board immune from having to go into a runoff. Hoke election supervisor Rose Siurgeon reported this wasn't true. She said this after the county elections board made its official canvass of the returns Thursday. Then there was one that more ballots were voted in one precinct than there were registered voters. That also was not true. Back in the old days, one story goes, when Madison County was totally Democratic, the workers at one precinct were counting the ballots case in a general election. "Democrat. Democrat. Demo crat." a tallyman called, counting the ballots. Then he took the next one: "Republican...." he stopped, frowned. "Republican? Might be something wrong here. Better lay that aside." He did this and continued: "Democrat. Democrat. Democrat... Republican... Re publican?" he looked at the Re publican - marked ballot. "Son of a gun niusta voted twice." he de cided. "Throw them both out." Somebody said that the Hoke board probably wouldn't get through canvassing till about 2 o'clock. The canvass had been started at 1 1 a.m. That's along time in this part of the country. But the Madison County board once took three days to canvass the vote. That was the 1952 general election. I think. Things were pretty tense in the courtroon in Marshall. Prac tically every vote and voter was challenged by one party or the other. Early in the meeting. I heard a loud thump on the other side of the room. Then I looked around and not a head was in sight, though the courtroom was crowded: every scat taken and people standing three deep in the rear and standing along the side aisles. The man next to me explained as he arose from the floor and sat down in his chair again." (Blank) dropped his pistol." "Everybody in this courtroom is carrying a pistol but you and me." he said. 1 saw the butt of a pistol sticking out of one of his back pockets. 1 wasn't carrying one. Covering an elections canvass made an unarmed man watchful, and a little lonely. Madison wasn't the only county where things got that tense sometimes; it's just the county 1 happened to become familiar with in those times. Then there was the ballot found in Buncombe County at a precinct following a Democratic primary for nominating a congressman. The voter didn't mark the ballot for any of the candidates named on it. In a blank space, he wrote a womanly name. It was the name of the elephant at the Asheville Municipal Zoo. That was one way of saying the voter didn't like any of the candidates. Puppy Creek Philosopher Dear editor: One of the first principles a politician anywhere in the world learns is that people have short memories. To stay in power any length of time however the trick is to not miscalculate how short that memory is. For example, take the politicians in Argentina. A couple of weeks before they lost the Falkland Islands war. and in order to pep the people up. they announced their forces had gloriously sunk the big British ship Canberra. Half the front page of news papers was used to carry the news in big block letters: WE DE STROYED THE CANBERRA. Television and radio stations blared the news and the people were whooping and hollering in the streets. Three weeks later, the war miserably lost, here came the Canberra steaming toward Argen tina carrying 4,000 Argentine prisoners of war back home. The Argentine people stopped their whooping and hollering and started hissing their leaders, who now have been replaced. You'd think those Agrentine politicians would have known that people can remember longer than three weeks. You've got to give them about a year at least it you want to get away with something. Speaking of memory, you reckon the defense lawyers who hired some psychiatrists to testify John Hinck ley was insane and therefore not guilty when he opened fire on the President, will remember the names of the prosecution's psy chiatrists who testified Hinckley was sane, and hire them when later on they try to prove that he's no longer unbalanced and therefore should go scot-free? Yours faithfully. J. A. The Upper Room The Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on hi* countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appear ance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. ?I Samuel 16:7 (KJV) The x-ray hanging on the viewing screen gave me an eerie feeling. That's me, I thought. The doctor can see right through me I'm completely vulnerable. There's no way to hide anything. In his presence I felt a vague discomfort, realizing that he knew what was inside mv body. Just as the X-ray machine ig nores the clothing and the flesh, going straight through to reveal the bones, so the Lord's eyes ignore the outward trappings to look only on my heart. All the cover-ups. all the right motions, all the fancy decorations on my soul are nothing in God's sight. They may impress people around me, even my fellow believers, but God's divine X-ray strips me of all pretense and deception, leaving only the real me. God, my Creator, sees my naked heart, my deepest secrets, my trembling suspicion of being noth ing. And God loves me. CLIFF BLUE . . . People ft Issues TUESDAY S PRIMARY... The Tuesday, June 29, primary brought some interesting results. In Lee County for instance, former Sheriff, Harold R. Thomas, who resigned under pressure some weeks ago, regard ing lady deputies or clerks, led by a substantial majority, but a second primary has been called by his runner-up, James S. Holt who received 2,461 votes to 3,220 votes for Thomas. Another interesting race was the one by Rep. G. Bladen Taylor, of Bladen County, who recently charged in connection with the il legal burning of three warehouses belonging to a state senator. He was renominated by voters in his district over another incumbent. Some political observers had an ticipated that Rep. Taylor would go down to defeat, but he held his own and won renomination, which will hardly hurt him when he comes to trial. He squeaked past his former seatmate in the House, Rep. Edd Nye, a fellow Democrat of Bladen, by getting the second highest total of votes in the House 12th distrist . Edward C. BrOwn of Sampson County was the leading vote-getter with 8,137 onofficial voles, com pared to Taylor's 7,565 votes. Nye received 7,331 unofficial voles. What effect this will have on Taylor, who has pled innocent after being indicted in May for allegedly paying two men to torch three warehouses in April belong ing to Senator J.J. "Monk" Har rington of Bertie County, only time can tell. 8th DISTRICT. ..With Harris Blake of Moore County having made a good showing in winning the Republican nomination in the 8th Congressional District, having received 9,412 in the district to 4.690 for James Presson, it is suspected that Blake and his followers will make an all-out cam paign to defeat Cong. William (Bill) Hefner, who defeated Republican Congressman Earl Ruth in 1974, and has served the district ever since. A native of Tennessee, Hefner is a popular gospel singer and has had little trouble being reelected during succeeding elections. However, Blake is preparing an all-out campaign against Hefner and is said to have good financial backing. It will be a campaign to watch. Hefner's home county is Cabarrus. MacNEIL-LEHRER REPORT. ..In following the ac- 1 tions of government and Finance, ' we feel that the MacNeil-Lehrer Report on Television is educa tional as well as making an honest effort to analyze what's going on in Washington as well as other parts of the world. It can be seen on Channel 4 at 7 p.m. SENATOR SAM NUNN ... Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia has served in the U.S. Senate since 1972. when he was appointed to fill ] out the term of the late Senator Richard B. Russell. He has re ceived the "Watchdog of the Treasury Award" on three occa sions. Georgia has been noted for its U.S. Senators. The late Senator Walter George was an outstanding statesman and a favorite-son can didate tor President of the United States. He was chairman of the T Senate Foreign Relations Commit tee. In 1936 the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a speech in Georgia with Senator George on the platform, called for the defeat of Senator George because the Senator was opposing Roosevelt's Court-Packing bill. The Court Packing bill was killed and George was re-elected U.S. Senator! TOBACCO TAX... The U.S. Senate Committee hit hard at the . tobacco growers last week when it proposed doubjing the exice tax on cigarettes from 8 to 16 cents a pack. Tobacco seems to be having a hard time in Congress this year, which is a major concern to Tar Heel tobacco growers. DEGRADING. ..The recent reports in the newspapers and over the air regarding illicit sex between members of Congress and their ^ teen-age pages is shameful, and most degrading to say the least. Letter To The Editor Editor, The News-Journal The primary elections are a thing of the past, and I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to those who voted for me, even though I did no outright cam paigning. This was my first time at bat in the political league, and 1 know that I have learned a few more things in life. I will do my utmost to see that my/your views are seen/ heard at the upcoming Commis sioners' monthly meetings, so don't count me out, and let me know if I can help. Again, thank you until we meet again. Ed Lumbley Browsing in the files of The News-Journal 25 years ago 15 years ago Ihursday, July 4, 1957 At their regular monthly meeting at the town hall Monday night the Raeford board of commissioners set the town's tax sale for 1957 at SI. 05 per $100 on a total valuation of Sb.018,685. as compared to last year's rate of SI. 50 on a valuation of $4 million. * * ' * New pastor of the Raeford Methodist Church is to be the Rev. Kermit R. Wheeler from the Durham Church, and the Rev. J. Herbert Miller is to go from Raetord to Durham. * * ? Dr. William Barry became as sociated with Dr. Riley M. Jordan in the general practice