t*rp by Carnegie Library 4-73
p#chtree Street
H<pby. N.C., 28906
f
f The Cherokee Scout
Copy and Clay County Progress
12 t" Va y ? a Volume 81 ? Number 8 ? Murphy, North Carolina, 28906 ? Second Class Postage Paid At Murphy, North Carolina - Thursday, September 17,1970
Scalp the Braves!!!
Registration
Fight Settled
By Wally Avett
Staff Writer
Glenn Stalcup, chairman of the
Cherokee County Board of Elections,
cooled down a hot political struggle
Tuesday by agreeing to register
Republicans as well as Democrats who
can't make the trip to the Courthouse.
Republican leaders last week charged
that Stalcup had been seen at several
places out in the county, in the company
of Blain Stalcup, Democratic candidate
for sheriff, registering Democratic voters
at their homes and businesses.
Stalcup is a Democrat and the
three-man board of elections is
dominated by the two Democrats,
Stalcup and Fred McDonald. The
Republican member, Robert Hartness,
Tuesday threatened to resign unless the
complaints of his party were answered in
an open meeting of the board of
elections and the registration of
Democrats outside the Courthouse office
is stopped.
- Cherokee County is now on a
loose-leaf registration system, with
voters registering only at the elections
office in the Courthouse on Tuesdays,
Thursdays and until noon on Saturdays.
The Republicans had asked that the
registration books be returned to the
precinct polling places as in the past but
Stalcup had refused.
Armed with several affadavits from
people who said they saw the chairman
registering Democrats at stores and
homes in the county, accompanied by
the Democratic candidate for sheriff, a
Republican delegation last Friday
afternoon met with two FBI agents at
the Cherokee County Sheriff's office and
filed a formal complaint, charging
discrimination in registration of voters.
On Tuesday morning, however, the
matter was apparently settled, with Alex
Brock, executive secretary of the State
Board of Elections, being the key figure.
Brock was contacted first by The
Scout. "The chairman of a board of
elections is not precluded by law from
registering persons," he said. But he
added that the question would be
"Whether or not the state board would
look approvingly on any election official
using his position to favor any individual
over another."
As for the matter of an election
official being seen with a candidate,
Brock said the regulations prohibit an
election official from being an active
campaign manager but do not specify
what else an election official can or
cannot do in campaigning.
He added that the state board has
been discussing for some time the
possibility of recommending to the
General Assembly that a more specific
law be passed concerning the conduct of
election board members.
"In the absence of law, we appeal to
members of both parties to abide by the
principles of fair play"Brock said.
Later in the morning he had a
telephone conversation with Stalcup and
the matter was straightened out.
"I've just talked to Mr. Brock,"
Stalcup said about noon Tuesday. "He
said as long as I registered Democrats
and Republicans it would be all right. So
I'm going to go down in the lower end of
the county on Thursday and register
some Republicans."
Chairman Stalcup said the
Republicans would provide him with a
list of people who would have trouble
getting to the Courthouse elections
office and he will register them. "These
people that can't get in, I'm going to go
out and register them," he siad.
Stalcup also said he would not ride
around again with a candidate. "I'm not
going out with Blain any more," he said.
1 own Council Accepts
Survey Of Boundaries
In its meeting Monday night
the Murphy Town Council
cleared the way for extending
the town limits by accepting a
survey of the limits as they
stand now. ^$3*
Felix Palmer is the surveyor
who has been charting the
town limits over the past year.
Town Clerk Charlie Johnson
explained that Palmer has been
following lines which were
actually in effect when a
survey of the town limits was
made back in 1927.
Unfortunately, Johnson
said, that 1927 survey was
never recorded and made
official. The Town Council has
discussed extension of the
town limits but the Planning
Board had advised that the
survey should be completed
and accepted before extension
is seriously considered.
The survey was accepted on
motion of Francis Bourne Jr.,
seconded by John Carringer,
the vote of members present
being unanimous. Councilmen
Ken Godfrey and Bud Brown
were not present for the
meeting.
The council also named
Edwin Cook as chief of the
Murphy Volunteer Fire
Department. Cook has been
assistant chief for a number of
years; the chief, Bob White,
died recently.
Council members also
agreed to ask Cook to come to
a meeting in the future and
discuss who should be named
as his assistant and how the
department can be reorganized
and made stronger.
The council members were
especially concerned over the
poor attendance at firemen's
schools held here in the past
and discussed the possibility of
making such training
compulsory.
In other action, Weaver &
Schaeffer, an accounting firm
from Asheville, was named to
do the audit of the town
books.
The councilmen voted to
sell Hilliard Lanning an old
rock crusher part for $30 and a
broken-down road grader for
$90.
Mrs. Francis Bourne Jr. and
Mrs. Don Witherspoon were
named to the board of trustees
of the Murphy library.
Grape Creek Home Bums
. An 9tilo<$er watches as a Grape
Creek l^ouse burns to the ground. It
happened last Friday morning, cause of
tt? blaae unknown. The six-room
Jkame house was owned by the Rev.
Norval Feet; Etowah, Tenn. and
occupied by Frank and Helen Greene.
The Murphy volunteers had the fire
under control at one time but ran out
of water and house was consumed
befase they could replenish their supply
(Photo by Carringer)
Water Power At Marble, Big Feed At Texana
In the photo at left, James Johnson., state FHA
director, left, and Kermit Kilpatrick of the Marble
community water system display an abundance of good
water with the help of the Valley town Fire Department
pumper truck in the background. At right, Frank
Sudderth of the Texana water corporation speaks during
the dedication of that community's new water system.
About 90 people enjoyed a supper together in the
Texana schoolhouse preceding the speeches.
NEWSPAPER
197q^0UNDAtVO^ri71
Scout Wins National
Blue Ribbon Award
The Cherokee Scout and Clay County Progress
has been designated a "National Blue Ribbon
Newspaper" for 1970 and 1971 by the National
Editorial Foundation of Washington, D.C.
The announcement was made this week in a
letter to Scout Publisher Jack Owens fromGecxgp
Wortley III of Fayetteville, N.Y., president of the
foundation. He noted that The Scout was one of
only 168 newspapers in the United States to earn
this designation.
"This award indicates that you conduct an alert
and progressive community-minded newspaper
operation," Wortley's letter states.
A total of 25 criteria, comparing the
newspaper's service to its community against a
national standard, were employed in the judging.
The foundation was founded in 1957 by the
National Newspaper Association to further
newspaper journalism and improve journalism
education.
There are more than 150 non-daily newspapers
in North Carolina and with a. circulation in excess
of 4,600, The Scout ranks in size in the top 15
weeklies. There are more than 9,000 non-daily
newspapers in the nation.
Public Housing Bids
Climb Even Higher
The Murphy Housing
Authority opened bids again
an its planned low-rent housing
projects last week and found
the price of construction has
ioared even higher.
When the bids were opened
Dedication
Is Set At
Hayesville
North Carolina Attorney
General Robert Morgan will be
the speaker Friday night at
Hayesville as the high school
football field there is dedicated
to the memory of Frank R.
Long.
It is a Yellow Jacket Club
project and Wally Moore, club
chairman for the program, this
week announced that Morgan
lad accepted the invitation and
?rill speak at the halftime
ceremony of the Hayesville -
Robbinsville game.
Long had taught school at
Hayesville for more than 30
fears at the time of his sudden
leath last March. He had also
coached football at Hayesville
High School for 18 years.
Moore said a memorial
monument has been installed
it the playing field and the
ridow, Mrs. Frank Long, will
inveil it as part of the
ledication ceremonies Friday
light.
Hie Yellow Jacket dub has
itso done a general facelifting
ob at the Hayesville field,
minting the fencas and putting
n new bleachers which will
wet more than 370 on the
rWtors' side.
the first time, back in July, the
low bids totaled $699,069.
Last Thursday at the Power
Board Building the bids were
opened and low bids amounted
to $729,419.
The federal Department of
Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) had
originally planned on building
the two projects for $600,000
and the second bidding has
been scheduled by that agency
in hopes that the prices would
come closer to the alloted
figure.
Ben Palmer, executive
director of the housing
authority, said on Tuesday of
this week that he has not yet
heard from HUD as to whether
it will accept the higher bids or
ask for a third bidding.
The increase was due to a
jump in the bid of Smith &
Jones, Inc. They were low in
July and were again low last
Thursday but their general
contractor bid had increased
from $594,000 to $625,000.
John Smith said the increase
was due to rapidly rising costs
of building materials and
sub-contiacting.
Hughes Electric stuck with
its bid of $48,769 and was still
low on the electrical work.
Wells 6 West cut its July bid of
$56,300 to $55,650 and was
the lowest of three bidders on
the plumbing work.
The planned projects are 10
units for the elderly on
Hlawaasee Street and 30 units
of low-income bousing new the
Rtaico Plant. Aleo included is
the addition of a 24 by 40 Coot
community building to the
authority's offices, which will
sane as a small day csi
far fit ml las living in
Tri-Tech
Enrollment
Up To 165
Enrollment of fulltime
students at Tri-County
Technical Institute has
increased by a whopping 81
percent in the past year.
Tri-Tech began its Fall
quarter last week, according to
President Holland McSwain,
with an enrollment in its
fulltime courses of 165
students. There were only 91
students at the beginning of
the Fall quarter last year.
McSwain said all these
students take fulltime courses
at the school such as masonary,
carpentry, welding,
cosmetology, etc. The greatest
increase has been in the
cosmetology section, he noted,
where young women learn to
be beauticians.
The fulltime student
enrollment, McSwain said gives
Tri-Tech the biggest increase,
percentage-wise of any
education institution in the
state. He pointed out that
Tri-Tech started four years ago
with only masonary and
carpentry classes, a total of 17
students enrolled.
Rider Suffers
Broken Leg
A nine-year-old Murphy boy
suffered a broken leg Tuesday
afternoon when the bicycle he
was riding was hit by a car.
Murphy Policeman C.C.
Howard Jr., investigating
officer, said the boy, Tim
Hughes of'205 Hiawassee St.,
apparently rode out in front of
the car and termed the
accident unavoidable.
No charges were made
against the driver of the car,
Howard Bryson, 28, of Unaka.
The accident occurred at the
intersection Qf Church and
Hiawassee streets at 1:30 p.m.
Water Systems Dedicated
At Marble And Texana
James T. Johnson, state
director of the Farmers Home
Administration, was the
featured speaker Saturday
afternoon as community water
systems at Marble and Texana
were dedicated.
Johnson arrived a few
minutes late for the 3 p.m.
ceremonies at Marble, having
driven all the way across the
state from his home near
Wilmington. About 40 were on
hand at the Marble Community
building for the event.
Johnson commended the
people of Marble for their
efforts in obtaining the new
water system and pointed out
the advantages of a good water
supply in attracting industry
and in providing fire
protection.
He also put in a plug for the
FHA and had a kind word or
two for Luke Atkinson of
Asheville, Republican
candidate for the U.S. House,
who attended the dedication.
After the speech the
Andrews Rescue Squad put on
a display of fire-fighting
equipment, their Valleytown
Fire Department pumper truck
connected to a hydrant on the
new Marble water system, and
there were refreshments
prepared by the ladies of the
Marble Community
Development Club.
The Marble system utilizes
wells on Forest Service land
which provide a gravity flow of
water down to Marble, serving
135 families, a school and
several businesses. The system
was built with a grant of
$100,500 from the Economic
Development Asministration
and a loan of the same amount
from the Farmers Home
Administration, which will be
repaid from the fees charged
water customers.
At Texana the festivities
began with a supper prepared
by the Texana Community
Development Club, served in
the old schoolhouse. Hie
school building is the
community clubhouse now and
its well provides the water for
the system, serving 55 families
and two churches.
There were about 90
attending the dedication at
Texana and they ate a hearty
meal of ham and fried chicken
and all the trimmings before
the speeches began. Murphy's
Mayor Cloe Moore and Town
Councilman John Carringer
were there, as was Cherokee
School Superintendent John
Jordan, representatives of Four
Square, the Asheville
Agricultural Council, the
Southwest Planning and
Development Commission and
others.
Johnson congratulated the
leaders of the Tex ana
community for their hard work
in getting the water systenanost
families living there formerly
forced to carry water.
He noted that Atkinson was
in the crowd and quoted the
GOP candidate as feeling that
Western North CaroDaa has
been leftout...we need to bring
attention to the valuable
resources in this put of the
state."
Mayor Moore, Jordan and
others then stood hi torn to
make brief statements,
congratulating the' Texana
citizens on the new water
system.
The Texana system was
built with a loan of $20,800
from the FHA and a grant of
$45,200 from the Economic
Development Administration.
Registration Totals Given
Republicans Hear Atkinson
"We need a Congressman
who will make things happen
rather than running in and
trying to announce them."
So spoke Luke Atkinson of
Asheville Saturday night at a
Republican rally at the Rock
Gym here in Murphy, referring
to his opponent, incumbent
Democratic Congressman Roy
Taylor. Atkinson, GOP
candidate for the House seat
held by Taylor, told the crowd
of about 200 Republicans that
he is "agin the Gun Control
Act."
He said "What they want to
do is take the guns away from
the people and leave them in
the hands of the outlaws."
Atkinson, an Asheville City
councilman, also hit hard at
the rising national crime rate
and said "the foot-dragging
Congress could curb crime" if
it would pass some of the
Nixon bills.
Atkinson was introduced by
Republican State Senator
Herman (Bull)West, running
for re-election this year. West
emphasized that more
Republican Congressman are
needed in Washington give the
Nixon administration the
strength it needs to paas its
bills.
Attorney Lonnie Hoover
acted as a master of
ceremonies, introducing the
various Republican candidate*
for county office-Jack
Simonds, Maurice Wert and
Jack Lovingood for
commissioners, Don Ramsey
for clerk of court, Ed Graves
for register of deeds, Ralph
Rayfieid for coroner and
Charles White for sheriff.
Also introduced as
Republicans were three
candidates running for the
county school board, wMch h
to be a non-pertiaan ballot.
They were Dr. WA Hoover,
Johnny Wilson hid Doyle
BUTCH.
State Farmers Home
Administration Director <
Johnston, who had juat i
at water systems dedicatkme St
Marble and Texana, was in
introduced to the crowd.
Graves spoke briefly, |
a _
M
rally that as of last i
Democrats hav
Meeting The Voters
Luke Atkinson, standing,
Republican candidate for the
U.S.House, is shown greeting voters at
the OOP rally held Saturday night at
the Rock 6ym. At left it P.O.
Christopher and State Senator Herman
(Bull) West, running for reflection
(Staff Photo)