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NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ? A^soafr^N
ASSOCIATION
Published Every Tbanday al Raeford, N.C. 2*376
119 W. Ehttod Avnk
Sabscriptioa Ham la Advance
Per Year ? $8.00 6 Months- $4.25 3 Moafhs? $2.25
LOUIS H. FOGLEMAN, JR Publisher
PAUL DICKSON Editor
HENRY L. BLUE Production Supervisor
BILL LIN DAL Associate Editor
MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor
SAM C. MORRIS Contributing Editor
Second Class Postage al Raeford, N.C.
(USPS 3**- 260)
THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1982
It's 'Harold' here
If you see the name "Herman Gillis" in this paper in regard to a
Democratic function, just change the name mentally to "Harold
Gillis."
It almost happened again this week. Herman Gillis showed up in a
news story as chairman of the Hoke County Democratic Party. It was
corrected in time to read "Harold Gillis," thanks to a sharp-eyed
member of the composing room staff who is familiar with local
names.
There ;.s a Herman Gillis. In fact, Herman Gillis used to live here.
Now he is manager of Belk's in Wadesboro and has been serving
as a member of the Anson County Board of Education.
The confusion of names arises from the fact that the local general
news reporter worked in Wadesboro before moving to the Raeford
paper.
Just goes to show: to much knowledge can be hazardous to the
readers.
--BL
Time to readjust
The federal government with the Reagan administration's
dedicated pursuit of reducing government spending must face an
ancient fact of life: you can't have your cake and eat it, too.
We are referring to the reduction in financial assistance to local
governments -- city and county -- but at the same time the federal
and, consequently, state governments demand that the local govern
ments build expensive antipollution and other systems, at the locals'
own expense.
The fact is, however, that many counties and towns, such as
Raeford and Hoke County, do not have the resources to afford
wonderful things and provide the regular services at the same time,
for their people, without federal and/or state help.
The matter is clear: either the federal government puts up the
financial help for carrying out the programs it demands, or it tells
the locals they don't have to if they can't afford to pay the whole bill.
The same goes for the states, which administer the federal
assistance, and, naturally, cut back when the federal government
cuts back.
The federal and state bureaucrats will have to recognize that they
can't get blood out of a turnip, a fact which was known even to the
Neanderthals, in their unenlightened societies. Or, to put It another
way, the turnip still can't give blood no matter how much the
bureaucrats demand it.
--BL
LAW For Laypersons
Although many laypersons think
of lawyers and judges as bound by
the past because they rely on old
cases to decide new law, judges and
lawyers are actually not as bound as
they might seem. The theory of
precedent, by which judges and
lawyers look to previous cases to
decide new controversies, is
balanced by many factors which
allow the law to grow and change
without taking away the stability of
law which we need as much as the
growth and change.
For example, let's say that you
are a lawyer. Your client has run a
stop light at an intersection and
crashed into a car which was going
through the same intersection with
a green light. Naturally, your client
is sued for the personal injury of the
other driver which resulted from
the crash. The lawyer on the other
side cites a case in his client's favor
in which an automobile driver went
through a red light at an intersec
tion and crashed into a car going
through the same intersection with
a green light. The judge in that
previous case held that the driver
who went through the red light was
liable in damages for his negligence
to the other driver who was
proceeding with due care.
If the theory of precedent held
true in this example, then the judge
in this present controversy should
hold that your client was negligent
on the theory that his case should
be decided like the previous case.
[>f
Your client would then be liable for
his negligence to the other driver.
Suppose, however that you are
able to show that your client had
not intentionally gone through the
red light but that he had been stung
by a bee just as he reached the
intersection. You maintain that he
went inadvertently through the
intersection and the red light
because of the pain and terror
which came over him as the bee
attacked him. In other words, you
are arguing that the previous case is
not a good precedent for the
present case because there are
additional facts, and the rule in the
previous case, should not apply
with the same result to your client's
case. If the judge indeed feels that
the facts in your client's case are
different enough from the previous
case, then he can feel free to decide
the case differently without being
bound by the precedent set by the
older case.
The rule of precedent is that like
cases should be decided alike. To
the extent that cases differ in facts,
and very few cases are identical on
the facts, the theory of precedent
will not bind a court.
"This article is written as a
matter of general interest only. It is
not to be construed as legal advice,
and you should not rely on the
statements made in the article to
govern your actions in any specific
case. If you have a particular
question or problem, you should
contact an attorney. "
Give a
hoot!
Don't
pollute!
'We'd Hke a window seat and the roast chicken*
It's a Small W orld
by Bill Lindau
One of the pretttest streets I've
seen outside of Raeford consists of
a few blocks of South Main in
Laurinburg.
What makes the beauty is the
combination of old homes, from
one-family frame, topillored white
mansion, and the huge, ancient
willow oak and post oak trees lin
ing the curbsides and stretching
their limbs in arcs to meet from
either side of the street. The trees
make a green canopy of their
leaves that give the street stretches
of deep cool shade with bright pat
ches where the limbs don't meet.
What helps make the beauty, too,
are the green lawns that stretch
toward the sidewalks in front of
the homes.
There are other beautiful streets
there, I'm sure, but 1 just haven't
been on them yet.
That stretch of shaded beauty
runs a couple of blocks south of
the central business district to the
beginning of the next commercial
district of shops and restaurants.
That short drive, though, brings
a few moments of serenity to the
soul, pushing deep into the white
shroud of time whatever worries
might be nagging you at the mo
ment. jr
? ? *
Someone asked a newspaperman
about the financial rewards of
working on small papers, and he
replied this way.
A burglar broke into the home
of a country newspaper editor one
night, and after a terrific struggle,
the editor succeeded in robbing
him.
? * ?
Up in Mitchell County, a deputy
told us this story which illustrates a
point: just because a guy is crazy
doesn't mean he's stupid.
A man named Burleson had to
be committed to Broughton State
Hospital in Morganton, about 65
miles from Bakersville, the county
seat of Mitchell. Burlington had
been to college, and he'd been
taken learnin' too fast, as the
deputy explained the cause of his
condition.
So the big day came, and they
put Burleson in a sheriff's cruiser
and assigned a deputy to drive him
to Morganton.
The only trouble was the deputy
couldn't read or write.
Hours after they left, the sheriff
started wondering what had
become of them. The trip to
Morganton shouldn't have taken
more than two hours, and the
deputy was to call when the
business was finished.
Just as the sheriff was about to
send out an all-points bulletin to
watch for Burleson and the depu
ty, a long-distance call came to
him. It was from the hospital, and
the caller identified himself as the
staff admissions officer. Also he
soundedverjr exasperated.
"What's the problem?" the
sheriff asked.
"Which of these guys is the pa
tient?" the hospital man asked.
The sheriff identified Burleson,
and then the hospital man explain
ed what happened.
When they got .to the hospital, a
form had to be filled out bearing
the names of the deputy and the
patient. Since the deputy couldn't
read or write, Burleson
volunteered to sign for both of
them.
And he did. In the blank reserv
ed for the name of the deputy
Burleson wrote his own name; and
in the blank reserved for the name
of the patient, he wrote the
deputy's name. Then, he started
walking out of the hospital. He
was foiled only because the deputy
started hollering when two men in
white coats started to lead him
away.
The Burleson in this story,
which was told to me a long time
ago, is not the Bozo Burleson, the
ex-professional wrestler from Mit
chell County who ran for governor
back in the 1950s.
"Things That Matter"
by Lucien Coleman
EXCUSES, EXCUSES, EXCUSES
Too bad students can't get credit
for the excuses they invent. Really
good excuses call for creative
thought of the highest order.
Recently a distraught student
reported that he had been carrying
his course project report around on
the back seat of his car for about a
week. And, would you believe, the
night before the report was due. his
car was stolen!
Then there was that fellow who
couldn't do a report on a TV
documentary because he didn't
own a television. (Wonder what he
did when the Super Bowl was on?).
A little more subtle, but equally
ingenious, was the excuse offered
by another student. "I like to do
quality work, and I decided not to
turn in my term paper because I
wasn't satisfied with it."
As good as these excuses are,
they don't hold a candle to some of
the explanations parents can come
up with when their kids miss
school. Here are some collected by
a friend of mine who works in
public school education:
?Please excuse Joey Friday. He
has loose vowels.
?My son is under the doctor's
care and should not take P.E.
Please execute him.
Dear School: Please exkuse John
for been absent January 28, 29, 30,
32. and 33.
*1 kape Billie home because she
had to to Christmas shopping
because I didn't know what size she
wear.
?Please excuse Blanch from P.E.
for a few days. Yesterday she fell
out of a tree and misplaced her hip.
?Chris have an acre in his side.
?Lillie was absent from school
yesterday as she had a gang over.
?John has been absent because
he had two teeth taken out of his
face.
?Carlos was absent yesterday
because he was playing football; he
was hurt in the growing part.
?Please excuse Johnny for being.
It was his father's fault.
Then, there was that 'friend of
mine, a minister, who was trying
hard to get out of a committee
assignment. July 18, almost a
month away, was proposed at an
initial meeting date. "July 18?", he
said, looking through his pocket
calendar, "I think I have a funeral
scheduled for that date."
CLIFF BLUE .. .
People & Issues
itiiinnmiiimmmiiiiimimniinii 1
REAGAN AND COOLIDGE ...
President Reagan, recently say
ing the railroad is vital to na
tional defense and the coal and
farm industries, used his ex
ecutive powers to delay the
walk-out for at least 60 days.
Reagan's action reminds me
of the action the late Calvin
Coolidge took in 1919 while he
was governor of Massachu
setts. In defiance of the police
department rules, a group of
Boston policemen had obtained a
union charter from the American
Federation of Labor. Police Com
missioner, Edwin U. Curtis
suspended 19 of the union's leaders,
and the next day almost three
fourths of Boston's more than
1 .500 policemen went on strike.
Bands of hoodlums roamed
Boston for two nights,
smashing windows and looting
stores. Coolidge mobilized the
state guard, and order was
restored.
When Curtis fired the 19
suspended policemen, Samuel
Gompers, president of the AFL
protested to Coolidge. In reply,
Coolidge made his famous
declaration: "There is no right
to strike against the public
safety by anybody, anywhere,
anytime."
Coolidge won re-election in
1919 by a record vote. In 1920 he
received some votes for the
presidential nomination at the
national convention that chose
U.S. Senator Warren G. Har
ding of Ohio. The delegates
then gave Coolidge the vice
presidential nomination of the
first ballot.
Early on the morning of Aug.
3, 1923, while vacationing on
his father's farm, Coolidge was
awakened with the startling
news of President Harding's death.
He dressed and knelt in prayer,
then walked downstairs to the
dining room. There, by the light in
a kerosene lamp, his father ad
ministered the presidential oath at
2:46 a.m.
After that, President
Coolidge went back to bed and
slept!
'FLAT' TAX. ..Recently we
have been reading in the
newspapers about changing
the income tax. Senator Jesse
Helms is sponsoring a bill that
would do just that.
So are Senator Bill Bradley
and Rep. Leon E. Panetta, both
liberal Democrats.
The U.S. Chamber of Com
merce and several liberal study
groups are attempting to And
an alternative to President ]
Reagan's proposal. Barron's
magazine approves the idea,
and so does the Washington Post
and the New York Times.
However, few give it a chance
to become law.
The idea would be to slash
the Federal income tax with its
12 brackets and high rates to a
new low rate schedule.
Although the proposals vary,
all call for tax rates of 10 to 20% ]
on incomes from $17,500 to
$50,000 in one version and a
25% tax on income above
$50,000 in another.
All would permit a deduction
from income for family and
dependents, including the tax
payer, so that those earning
below a certain level would pay
no tax.
Part of the reason for the pro- I
posal's support is the intricacy
of the current sytem of itemized
deductions. As the tax code
has evolved a bewildering
number of opportunities to
shield income from taxation
have been created ? mostly in
the name of fairness. Interest
expenses are deductible, as are
business expenses.
Something new from the na
tion's capital. It may be just '
talk like the balanced budget!
Lots of people talk about it but
nothing seems to come from
talk.
ILLICIT SEX. ..House
Speaker, O'Neal last week de
nounced new calls for a special
prosecutor .to investigate
allegations of congressional
drug use and illicit sex. The v
Massachusetts Democrat said
if the House Ethics panel can't
"work with honesty and
fairness, then we shouldn't be
making laws for this country."
SURPLUS... It could be that
the U.S. Government could sell
off enough government owned
land to pay off the national
debt if it decided to do so. Just
a fleeting thought!
[Browsing in the files
of The News-Journal]
25 years ago
Thursday, July 18, 1957
President John F. Campbell of
the Raeford Chamber of Com
merce. Inc., announced Tuesday
that the board of directors of the
Chamber had agreed on a contract
with Phil B. Rieg, of Fayetteville, to
be the first full-time professional
manager of the Chamber, and had
made plans with him to open an
office here on September 1 .
? ? *
The gas war which has been
raging through Piedmont North
Carolina for the past few days
spread into Moore County on
Monday and reached Raeford
about midday Wednesday. Most
major company stations here were
advertising regular grades at 23.9
today.
* ? ?
County Agent W.C. Williford
said today that while the swarms of
new and hardier species of boll
weevils which were reported this
week in Scotland, Marlboro and
Dillon Counties had not been
detected in Hoke County as yet, but
he warned local farmers to keep
close watch for them.
* * *
The marketing quota penalty
rate on "excess" cotton of the 1957
crop will be 18.5 cents per pound,
according to Hoke County ASC
office.
? ? *
Four Hoke County 4-H Club
girls, Jenny Jones, Annie Marie
Autry, Louise Parker and
Catherine Hair, accompanied by
Miss Josephine Hall, home agent,
will attend the annual 4-H Club
week at State College in Raleigh
next week.
15 years ago
Thursday, July 20, 1967
Members of Parker's Methodist
Church in Wayside Community are
up in arms over a proposal to build
a drag strip across Highway 401
from the rural church.
? * *
The most sought out persor. )
among the hundreds of people
attending the McPhaul family re
union at Antioch each year is a
lively lady who just celebrated her
95th birthday. She is Mrs. Evaline
Walters, of Cole Avenue, wife of
the late Thomas Edwin Walters.
* * *
Raeford merchants, business
men and others strongly favor the
"Uniform Monday Holiday" pro
posals now before Congress, a
survey shows.
? * *
Personalized license plates are
being offered to automobile owners
in Hoke County and other North)
Carolina communities on a first
come, first-served basis.
? ? ?
Hoke County farmers voted over
whelmingly in favor of tobacco
quotas which would control acreage
and poundage for the next three
years in a referendum held across
the state.
? ? ?
Raeford Presbyterians, who won
the regular season slow pitch
softball league title, scored a dozen
runs Tuesday night to stay alive in
the post-season church league tour
nament, stopping the Methodists
12-6.
* ;