THE ELKIN TRIBUNE
/ - '
Published Every Thursday by
ELK PRINTING COMPANY, Inc.^
Elkin, N. Q.
Thursday, July 7, 1938
Entered at the post office at Elkin, N. C., as
second-cl&ss matter.
C. 8. FOSTER. -President
H. F. LAFFOON Secretary-Treasurer
SUBSCRIPTION RATES, PER YEAR
In the State, 9150 Out of the State, S2.M
AtTlV^
When this was written, Governor Hoey
had not been officially advised of election
frauds. But we reckon he'd heard about
'em.
Ought to arrange to have an anti-lynch
bill introduced at every session of Congress.
Haven't had a lynching since that "rebel
yell."
The scientists have invented about ev
erything there is to invent except a dinkus
that will automatically relieve the taxpayer
of his toll.
One thing those fish-picturqs demon
strate very clearly: There_ still are those
who seek the waters to wet a line instead
of a whistle. .
Trouble is that some nations, like some
haven't realized that going on the
war path is synonymous with taking the
path to the poorhouse.
A 50-bushel crop of corn, they say, takes
75 pounds of nitrogen out of the soil, but
an acre of good sweet clover puts almost
100 pounds of nitrogen back.
Picture of Paul Green's theater down at
Manteo looks mighty interesting, but to
make it more realistic the photographer
should have worked in a. swarm of mos
quitoes.
In trying to establish the principle that
it is an act of kindness to put out of his
city, for their own safety, persons regarded
as "undesirable", he may be digging a hole
for his own self.
No Dangerous Doctrine Here
Addressing members of the National
Education Association in New York, Presi
dent Roosevelt said:.
"If the fires of freedom and civil liberties
burn low in other lands, they must be made
brighter in pur own.
"If in other lands the press is censored,
we must redouble our efforts to keep it free.
"If in other lands the eternal truths of the
past are threatened by intolerance, we must
provide a safe place here for their perpetua
tion.
"There may be times when men and wom
en in the turmoil of change lose touch with
the civilized gains of centuries of education,
but the gains of education are never really
lost.
"Books may be burned and cities sacked,
but truth, like the yearning for freedom lives
in the hearts of humble men and women.
"The ultimate victory of tomorrow is with
democracy, and through democracy with ed
ucation, for no people can be kept eternally
ignorant or eternally enslaved."
Those are words that hit out in several
directions, and obviously they land with a
thud. Hitler must have winced when he
remembered the books he has ordered burn
ed, in his purpose to blind his people to
everything but German supremacy. Thick
skinned Frank Hague, who doesn't know
the full meaning of education, must have
dodged behind one of his broad-shouldered
underlings who help to keep Jersey City
under the thong.
But the most significant thing about the
President's utterance is the broad viewpoint
that evidences. Nothing in those paragraphs
to reflect the attitude of a dictator} nothing
to bolster the claim that he seeks a sub
servient press. Like the program from
which he has never swerved, the President
is pleading for the uplift of the common
herd, pleading for the very things his
hearers, the educators, are supposed to be
dedicated to.
Encouraging Signs
Along with the stock market graphs that
keep the newspaper make-up man hard put
to it to keep follow line from running out
at the top, there are other indications that
things are beginning to hum again.
Textile mills are starting up after shut
downs or curtailed operation, and there is
general expectancy in this "industry that
there will be a period of stocking up that
will keep employment at a high level in tne
immediate months ahead. The furniture
industry, always slow to feel a favorable
reaction, is keeping its ear to the ground
for the go-ahead signal, and general busi
ness already is feeling or anticipating the
effects of federal pump-priming.
We predicted in these coltimns that as
soon as Congress adjourned and when ev
erything had been wrung from it that could
be in the way of concessions, there
would be a noticeable picking up." So we
are concluding that not all of this evidence
of advancement is due to federal dollars.
Here is another barometer, more de
pendable than the stock market, that reg-
isters general improvement: Right now
the sandhill section of North Carolina is a
busy place. Peach trees are loaded with
fruit and prices on the New York market
are good. Already Tar Heel growers have
shipped away 53 carloads of peaches,
against the 15 carloads shipped to the cor
responding date last year. True the season
is earlier and there is a bigger crop, but the
fact remains that peaches are being sold,
and folks don't buy peaches when they are
broke and discouraged.
This means that landowners in Eastern
Carolina will have need for less red ink
when they go to footing up their ledgers.
And by the same token farmers specializing
in other lines will not feel the pinch of con
tinued depression. Evidently the country
has not gone to the demnition bow-wows —
not yet.
Is the Gas House About to Pass?
Those who observed the execution of
Payne and Turner at State prison last Fri
day say that Payne, at least, tried to help
the gas do its deadly work—quickly. At the
click of the little dinkus that set the fumes
in operation, Payne was seen to lean for
ward for a deep breath, reasoning, we reck
on, that it would save him pain that a
struggle would bring.
The observers declare, though, that more
than a minute after, Payne was heard to
mumble, "God have mercy." Evidently it
was something over a minute before con
sciousness left him. He was pronounced
dead a little over ten minutes after the
ceremony began.
Friday's experience and others like it
has started talk about abolishing the gas
house method of execution and the return
of the electric chair. The impression gain
ed, when the legislature was arguing about
it before, that killing by gas was the easy
way; that the victim simply shuffled off
this mortal coil among dreams made sweet
by immediate unconsciousness, has been
dispelled. It is agreed that the suffering
is even greater than when the victim is fried,
to death in the electric chair.
And so no less authority than Governor
Hoey himself declares that the State should
abandon this method of killing. He prob
ably will recommend to the next legislature
that the gas house be abolished and that
the old electric chair be brought in, dusted
off and put back into use.
Funny, isn't it, that we should be dis
cusing the best method of killing human be
ings. Especially when there are so many
reasons why we should not kill at all.
Bill Payne and Wash Turner are dead,
the State has its revenge, but that doesn't
bring life back to Patrolman Penn. The
State has taken "an eye for an eye", and
will continue so to take in spite of the
biblical injunction: "Vengeance is mine,
saith the Lx>rd."
It is not popular now to talk about
abolishing capital punishment, but some day
"we will get around to that.
Not Optimistic About It
Paul Leonard, executive secretary of the
North Carolina Fair Tax Association, back
ed by a number of outstanding merchants
of the State and ably advised by competent
legal counsel, opened a store in Winston-
Salem for the avowed purpose of testing the
legality of the sales tax.
Merchandise of various kinds usually
bought across the counter were stocked, and
customers were not charged the sales tax
as required by State law. The original pur
pose was to make payment of the tax upon
demand by the State, but under written
protest. However, when State authorities
came to collect, Mr. Leonard, following the
advice of his attorneys, refused to pay out
that which he had not collected. Yet he was
not pitched in jail, nor was his store closed
up. Presumably the issue- will be carried
promptly to the courts and an interested
public will be watching eagerly for the re
sult.
Most of the newspapers of the State
have had only sarcasm for Mr. Leonard's
plan. For our own self, we hold little op
timism that, under the circumstances, he
will be able to shelve the sales tax. But
we are crediting him with honest purpose,
and refraining from joining in the chant of
scorn. Evidently the State revenue depart
ment is not as sure of its ground as its
whistle would indicate. Else why hasn't
the challenge been accepted promptly and
finally. And why have other merchants,
behind in their payments in tremendous
amounts, been allowed to settle on a com
promise basis, when others have been com
pelled to pay?
Tom Bost says of Mr. Leonard's efforts:
"Here is real fighting by the only organiza
tion which ever has fought the sales tax
intelligently. These fair tax and merchants'
associations answer all arguments as to
what will take the place of the sales tax as
a revenue raiser, by using just two words:
'Economical government'."
r But fche Leonard plan is to test the con
stitutionality of the tax. It is a little late to
approach the problem from this angle. One
would think that if there were plausible
grounds for this issue it would have been
presented to the courts long ago. But it
must be remembered that the merchants,
the unpaid collectors for the State, contin
ued to hope that the promise that it was an
emergency measure would be kept, and were
reluctant to pool their dollars in an expen
sive trip through the courts. They may
get nowhere now, but their courage in try
ing is to be commended—not censured.
THE EI KIN TRIBUNE. ELKIN. NORTH CAROLINA
NEWS FROM THE
s
The Tennessee Ramblers, of
"Grand Ole Opry" fame, gave a
program at the school building
Friday evening, proceeds to go for
benefit of the school.
Mrs. Edwin Sexton, of Mocks
ville, spent last week with the
family of her brother, Rev. C. W.
Russell. Miss Lillian Russell, of
Asheboro, another sister of Mr.
Russell, arrived Sunday to spend
some days with the Russell fam
ily.
Mr. and Mrs. Ivey Rogers and
Mrs. Mary Folger are visiting Mr.
Rogers' family at Samora.
Eugenia Reid and Marianne
Mock returned home Sunday af
ter spending a week at Camp
Dor-ker, near Winston-Salem.
The girls report a very fine week
of camp sports.
Mrs. Emma Hampton and Mrs.
W. L. Reece and Henry Hampton
attended the burial service of
Mrs. Mattie Benbow Jones, wid
ow of the late Winfield Jones, at
the cemetery in Boonville Sun
day afternoon. Mrs. Jones resid
ed in Boonville several years dur
ing her husband's life, afterward
going to Winston-Salem where
she lived for several years and
where she died suddenly Satur
day morning.
Rev. C. W. Russell, assisted by
Rev. Miller, of the Central Meth
odist church/ of Mt. Airy, has
just closed a most successful
series of meetings at the Siloam
Methodist church.
Mrs. Sam Poole and children,
of Greensboro, are spending some
time with her mother, Mrs. Sallie
Folger.
Miss Edythe Reece, who at
tends the smmuer session at the
Appalachian Training school at
Boone, spent the week-end with
her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Llew
ellyn Reece.
Miss Julia Comer, who attends
summer school at Chapel Hill,
spent the week-end with homej
people here.
Freddie Best retruned to Dob
son Sunday after spending a week
at Camp Dor-ker.
Spencer Norman, of Boone
Training school, spent the week
end in Dobson with home people.
Roby Marion weresß shandr ad
Miss Maud Marion and Mr.
Roby Marion were married at
Galax, Va., Sunday, and went
immediately to Blowing Rock and
other mountain resorts for a
short honeymoon vacation.
Mr. Woodhouse, an officer at
the CCC camp near Dobson, has
gone to Currituck County to visit
his mother.
Mrs. J. W. Comer was hostess
at two tables of contract Satur
day evening, honoring her house
guest, Miss Nettie Gibson, of Gib
son, N. C. Miss Eva Hancock
was winner of high score prize
and Mrs. Emma Mock received
a prize as "runner up." Miss
Gibson was presented a guest gift
by the hostess. Ices and • sand
wiches were served at the con
clusion of the games.
Mrs. W. B. Norman and daugh
ters, Misses Elizabeth and Mary
Betty, have gone to Carthage
where they will spend several
weeks with Mrs. Louise Norman
McNeil and Mr. McNeil.
Mrs. Mock and Marianne spent
the Fourth with Mr. and Mrs. A.
D. Folger, at Mt. Airy.
PLEASANT HILL
Miss Venious Lyons has re
turned home from Virginia, where
she spent the past three weeks
with her brother. She was ac
companied home by her brother
and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Edward
Lyons and their daughters, and
Mr. and Mrs. Joyce Transou.
Mrs. Lyons is spending some time
in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jo
nah Lyons.,
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Darnell and
daughters and Mrs. Zora Couch
and David Couch spent the week
end visiting relatives in Leaks
vllle.
J. T. Cockerham and family
spent Sunday night and Monday
with the formers sister, Mrs. T.
F. Handy, near Dehart, N. C.
Mrs. Curtis eouch returned
Saturday from a visit to relatives
in West Virginia.
Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery
Hinshaw of Winston-Salem, were
the week-end guests pf Mr. and
Mrs. Eugene Couch. Mr. and
Mrs. Couch and son, Robert, vis
ited in Winston-Salem Saturday.
Several from Pleasant Hill at
tended the revival at Cool Springs
church last week.
Several also attended the sing
ing at Wilkesboro Monday.
Too Late
"Where's Bill?"
"In the hospital."
"What happened?"
"He came down a ladder ten
minutes after it was taken away."
' Anxious Moment " "
p iAißi j
TOBACCO TOPICS
"A World of News from the Tobacco World"
By R. H. WYATT
The stage is set—the curtain is
(about to rise upon another act in
jthe great southern drama "Lady
j Nicotine" Smoke belches from
I thousands of tobacco barn flues in
I the Bright belts of Northern Flor
j ida, Southern Georgia, North and
I South Carolina—lt won't be long
| now until the cheerful chant of
J the auctioneer is once more heard.
jThe Florida and Georgia markets
I will open on July 28, the South
j Carolina markets on August 2; the
I Eastern North Carolina markets
on August 25; the Middle Belt on
September 13; the Old Belt on
September 27 and the Dark Fired
Virginia markets on November 28.
Already there is feverish activi
ty in northern Florida and south
ern Georgia as warehousemen pre
pare for the reception of the crop
which promises to be a most ex
cellent one . . . from the time
these markets open on the last
Thursday in this month there will
not be a dull moment in the mar
keting drama until after the close
of the dark fired markets in
Tennessee and Kentucky next
summer.
Concerning the Georgia-Florida
crop, J. M. Purdom, assistant ag
ricultural agent of the Atlantic
Coast Line Railroad company and
tobacco specialist, says: "The crop
this year could be called a dry
weather crop—while some of the
earlier crops have been picked,
curing became general ten days
ago and the tobacco that has been
cured looks good and bright and
is very sweet." . . . Throughout
the tobacco producing states of
the south farmers will await with
great interest the news from the
north Florida and Georgia "open
ing" . . . Prices paid on those
markets during the early days of
the marketing season will more
than likely be reflected upon the
other belts of the south as the
marketing is extended.
The editor of the South Hill
(Va.) Enterprise gives some sound
advice with reference to the mar
keting of tobacco. In part he says
"Tobacco publications all over the
Old and Middle Belts advise sell
ing good tobacco first as soon as
the marjtet opens. It is pointed
out that tobacco growers are
given* an average allotment and
a poundage quota. If tobacco has
been planted in excess the al
lotment, deductions from the
growers' agricultural conservation
payment will be made at the rate
of 10 cents a pound on the av
erage production of the excess
acreage.
v "Tobacco sold in excess of the
poundage quota is subject to a
penalty of one-half the gross val
ue of the leaf or three cents a
pound, whichever is greater.
"If a grower keeps within his
acreage allotment, but produces
more than his poundage quota, he
will still have to pay the penalty
if he sells more than his quota.
"Therefore, if there is any pos
sibility at all of a grower having
more tobacco than he can market
without penalty he certainly
should see to it that his best and
most profitable leaf is sold before
his quota limit is reached."
The Bufeau of Agricultural Ec
onomics has just released statis
tics on the sales of all typcj of
fire-cured tobacco during the
1937-1938 season which amounted
to 116,658,064 pounds averaging
$10.61 per hundred. This com
pared to $94,062,436 pounds sold
in the 1936-37 season at an av
erage of $12.38. The past season
showed an increase in total sales
over the 1936-37 season of ap
proximately 21 1-2 million pounds
an increase in value of $619,601,
but a decrease in average price
of $1.77 per hundred pounds.
The U S. Department of Com
merce reports the tobacco import
and export trade of the Union of
Soutn Africa during the year 1937
to have registered a substantial
increase over that of 1936 . . . The
strong demand for Virginia-type
of tobacco in the Union of South
Africa has risen from the great
increase in the sale of cigarettes
in the last few years from about
250,000,000 a month five years
ago to 400,000,000 a month now.
Production in the Union did not
increase materially during this
period. During the past two
years the crop has actually been
somewhat below normal but the
quality of Union Flue-Cured to
bacco has improved each year . . .
The consumption of Cuban cig
arettes has shown a substantial
increase during the past five
years, advancing 77 per cent, since
1933 . . . Harvesting of the 1938
crop of tobacco in Sumatra is
practically completed . . . the crop
is poor, due to lack of rain . . .
The German demand for cig
arettes is growing slowly.
South Boston, Virginia, is pre
paring for its fourth great annual
National Tobacco festival on Sep
tember 8 and 9 , . . Th? best
method of controlling the tobacco
budworm is to apply poisoned
corn meal to the buds attacked.
One pound of arsenate of lead
thoroughly mixed with 75 pounds
of corn meal or six heaping tea
spoonfuls of arsenate of lead to
one peck or twelve pounds of corn
meal is very effective. The effi
ciency of this mixture is due to
the attractiveness of the corn
meal to the budworm. Apply a
pinch of the mixture to the center
of each bud. Applications at
weekly intervals will usually suf
fice.
Addressing the Tobacco Asso
ciation of the United States,
j meeting in annual session at
White Sulphur Springs, West Vir
| ginia, E. J. O'Brien, the retiring
i president, expressed the belief
j that the tobacco industry would
be hard hit by the twenty-five
cent an hour minimum wage. He
said it would abnormally increase
the cost of hand stemming and
redrying.
Prom Fairmont, N. C., comes
the feport that tobacco has suf
fered Considerably during the past
ten days as the result of- contin
ued rains. Tobacco that has been
cured is of good color, but is said
to be of light weight . . . White
ville, N. C., is preparing for a
Border Tobacco Belt Fair, spon
sored by the Whiteville Merchants
Association, to be held on August
10, 11, and 12. A dispatch from
Whiteville says "The main pur
pose of the fair is to encourage
better grading and handling of
tobacco as well as more scientific
culture" . . . From Wilson, N. C.,
Thursday, July 7, 1938
jit is reported that approximately
: 1,000 acres of fine tobacco in
Wilson, Green, and Wayne coun
ties have been completely destroy
ed by hail . . . Oxford, N. C., re
ports considerable damage to the
crop as the result of heavy rains
. . . Somewhat similar reports
come from Henderson, N. C. . . .
Lumberton, N. C., reports the be
ginning of construction on a large
tobacco storage warehouse for the
Interstate Tobacco Company.
R. H. Milton, tobacco specialist
of the Tennessee Division of Ex
tension has expressed belief thaS
blue mold may continue to infest
tobacco plants after they have
been transplanted to the field. In
Montgomery county, Tenn., Mr.
Milton and county agent H. W.
Shore discovered diseased plants
in the fields of W. E. Wilson at
St. Bethlehem and N. E. Hewell of
Oakwood. It was said that the
plants were thought to have been
infested with blue mold when set
in the field and the spread of the
disease has continued. Plants
have been sent to laboratories in
Washington, D. C., Greenville,
Tenn., and the University of Ken
tucky at Lexington for examina
tion .. . The Austin Company
estimates that the tobacco acre
age of East Tennessee this year is
ten per cent, under that produced
around ten days earlier this year
in 1937 . . . Planting has been
and plants are looking fine . . .
During the first quarter of this
year Ireland imported 2,897,000
pounds of leaf tobacco compared
to 1,910,000 pounds during the
first quarter of last year . . . Lake
City, S. C., reports a fine crop
growing and being harvested un
der ideal conditions , . . George
Wainwrightf supervisor of the
Wilson, N. C., market, says, "Ex
periencing an unusually wet June,
eastern Carolina's tobacco crop,
as a whole, is poor at this time.
There are countless acres of yel
low, peaked tobacco of small size
and carrying no weight. Rains
have fallen almost every day. To
bacco on light land has suffered
terribly. It is estimated that the
crop has been cut from 15 to 20
per cent. . . . Damage to the crop
at Henderson is reported even
more severe, the loss being esti- -
mated at 25 per cent.
At Winston-Salem, N. C., the
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
announced the company has clos
ed a contract for the construction
of another large rehandling plant
at Springfield, Ky.
AUTO ACCESSORY STORE
OPENS HERE SATURDAY
A new Western Auto Associate
Store, owned and operated by J.
P. Curtis, will open for business
here Saturday in the new 6tore
building at the corner of East
Main and Court streets.
Mr. Curtis will make Elkin his
permanent home, and States that
the new store will offer the larg
est and most complete stock of
ante supplies and accessories in
this city. Every item is said to
be of selected quality and guar
anteed.
Although the store is to open
Saturday, the official opening day
will be staged on Saturday, July
16, at which time special prices
will be in effect on a number of
popular items.
A benevolent officer—one who
will give a criminal a "tip" so that
the criminal may get away and
thereby avoid the necessity of an
arrest and trial.