Newspapers / Jones County Journal (Trenton, … / April 16, 1970, edition 1 / Page 4
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tting on Any Election is Bnt Betting on local iMas is Worse by Jack Rider i V v, ' This is the campaigning seas on and a favorite American hob by is guessing who wiH be “it’ ■when file votes are counted and the hurrahing and wailing have come to an end. As a lot of experts found in 1948 it is dangerous to bet on any ldnd of an election, but if it is dangerous to bet on nation al and statewide/campaigns it is suicidal to \yager very much on local elections. Issues seldom cloud the pic ture at the local level, and more often than not the local election is a personality contest, with candidates trying to shake the most hands, avoid the most thorny issues and be all things to all people in order to hope fully wind up in the winner’s circle. This year Lenoir Countians have a number of races that they can easily lose their shirts on if they bet very heavily. The sheriff, the derk of court, the house of representatives and the county commissioner races are all hotly contested and it would take somethng close to a magician to pick the winners in all of these four contests. Compounding the confusion this season is the fact that one has to guess right in the Demo cratic Primary, whfch could pos sibly be primaries, as well as guessing right in the general ■election in the fall since all of these offices have additional competition in November from Republican and American Party candidates. In the sheriff contest there are five democrats who will be competing this spring. They in clude Magistrate Claude Davis, Deputy Sheriffs Raymond Eu banks and Leo Harper and form er Kinston policeman .Tames H. Griffin and James Lofton. And in the November general elec tion the winner of this Demo cratic competition will have to face Republican Candidate High way Patrolman James A. Crump ler. All of these sheriff candidates have at least one thing in com mon: Neither has ever run for office before. So. none of these would-be sheriffs having run before there is no track record upon which one can base even a semi-educat ed guess. Three of the five are Lenoir County natives, with large family connections both by birth and marriage. They are Davis, Harper, and Loftin. Davis and Harper will be draw ing water out of the political wells in the same end of the •county, since they are both na tives of the Deep Run commu nity. The other three candidates have lived for a considerable part of their adult life in Le noir County, but two are na tives of Jones County; Eubanks and Griffin, and Republican Can didate Crumpler is a native of Sampson County. Five of the six have had ex perience as law enforcement of ficers. Griffin for many years a member of the Kinston Police Department left to become Po lice Chief in Edenton, left Ed entoh to become Police Chief in Sanford and recently came back to Kinston to rejoin the local police department. Grif fin under city laws had to re sign from the police department in order to become a candidate for sheriff. Lofton also served on the Kinston Police Depart ment. Eubanks was for many years a Kinston policeman, but left to work for several years at the Du Pont Dacron plant, and re joined the ranks of law enforce ment in 1966 when Fred Boyd was elected sheriff and named Eubanks as his chief deputy, which he is still today. Harper has served twice as a member of the sheriff depart ment, of which he is a member at present, and served an inter im period as one of the Lenoir County ABC board enforcement officers. Crumpler has been a highway patroman for 16 years; 15 of which have been Spent in Le noir County. He is resigning from the patrol. on June 1st because of a pinched nerve which makes the constant driv ing of his patrol job difficult. Davis, who has had no ex perience as a law enforcement officer, has had experience as a justice of peace and more re cently as a magistrate of Lenoir County District Court, and prior to that he worked for many years as an assistant to long-time Le noir County Coroner Raymond Jarman. Those who are unhappy with the present levels of activity by the Lenoir County Sheriff De partment argue that Eubanks and Harper would do no better than the department is present ly doing, and that a new face is needed. Griffin has an excellent police record but has been gone from the county for about seven years so he has a lot of fence-mending to do if he expects to be in the running. Lofton is the only Negro in the race and is generally conceded that he might be one of the top men in the first primary with the usual big “if;’ if the nearly 5,000 registered Negroes go to the polls in large numbers. But 101 PROOF-8 YEARS OLD STRAIGHT BOURBON |u WHIBKBY such “experts” are quick to point out that Negro Governor Candidate Reginald Hawkins on ly got 1632 votes in 1968 and at that time there were about 4,000 registered Negro voters in Lenoir County. ’ ; However, it is generally ac cepted that even if Lofton were to be one of those sheriff can didates involved in that race, and if not then he would surely be knocked off in the general election in November. No one considers there is the reinotest chance of Lofton getting enough white votes to offset the 13$00 white registration over he 5,000 Negro registration. Among these five Democratic candidates Lofton, however, is considered to be the only can didate who will go to bat with a potentially large bloc of votes, pie four wliite candidates will just have to get their votes where they can find them, and all four are working hard and each carries with him at this juncture ... slightly less than three weeks from the election... an easy air of optimism. This sheriff’s race includes too many imponderables for ev en a semi-educated guess. Any one of the five Democrats may run high and by the same hedg ing kind of logic anyone of the five may run lpw . . . and if that’s not straddling the politi cal fence, I’ll hush.. .but' not for long. Next week a look at the clerk of court race and the week be fore the primary a last guess ing look at the commissioner and house ^aces. SENATOR SAM ERVIN * SAYS * Last week I introduced in the Senate a compromise proposal to reform the Electoral College. Simply put, my proposal would eliminate the “faithless elector,”-but would insure that a state’s electoral votes would be cast for the Presidential plu rality winner in the state. Also, it would provide that if no nom inee had an electoral vote ma jority, the deadlock would be broken by a vote taken at a Joint Session of Congress with each Member of the House and Senate having one vote. While I have introduced for many years a proposal which would provide for a proportion al counting of each state’s elec toral vote, I have offered this modified plan because the Sen ate will soon consider the direct election proposal along with oth er electoral reform proposals with the prospect that only two alternatives may have substan tial support. These alternatives are “to adopt the direct election plan” or “to do nothing” about electoral reform at this session. These courses are unacceptable to ine. .. Moreover, I have reached the conclusion that two fundamen tal considerations should gov ern our deliberations on tins matter, first, there are certain ilM'-i "SOUPER” SAUCING SAVES YOU PENMES mm If you’re having a difficult time balancing the budget after taxes, chances are you need ideas on how to cot the cost of eating. Here’s a recipe that’s heaven sent. Deviled Meatballs not only save you pennies, but are a great way to usher in the spring season with a deliciously different meal. Treat your family to the taste sensations of tender meatballs sauced' with a tangy condensed tomato soup sauce. This double rich, double-thick “souper” sauce becomes extra flavorful when you spark its rich tomato flavor with horseradish, mustard, and Worcestershire. Serve this good concoction on a bed of fluffy rice and you’ve got a delightful looking and tasting meal. A refreshing molded vegetable salad and chewy fudge brownies are all you need to complete a great meal. For those who are always on the lock out for a "good buy”, reach for all the condensed cooking soups. Soups such as cream of chicken, cream of celery, cream of mushroom, Cheddar cheese, and tomato are great for saucing leftovers, and making budget meats taste like gourmet fare. Deviled Meatballs 1 can (10% ounces) condensed tomato soup 1 pound ground beef 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion 1 egg, slightly beaten 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish 1% teaspoons prepared mustard 1% teaspoons Worcestershire 2 tablespoons shortening % cup water Mix % cup soup with beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, horseradish, mustard, and Worcestershire. Shape into 18 meatballs. In skillet, brown meatballs in shortening; pour off fat. Stir in remaining soup and water. Cover: cook over low heat 20 minutes. Stir now and then. Makes 4 servings. These defects can be corrected easily under my plan without the danger of effecting a radical change in the Nation’s political institutions. The second fundamental con sideration is that despite its de fects, the electoral college sys tem has unquestionably provid ed this Nation with the most successful method for electing national leaders known in mod ern history. It has brought to Presidency those cf uncommon talent and wisdom. It has been instrumental in creating a sta ble, progressive and responsible national leadership. In spite of all that can be said about its faults, the system has seen us through crisis after crisis. To abolish the electoral sys tem and to substitute one form of election for another, bdt to affect in unforeseen ways all those other political processes and institutions, at federal, state and local levels, which have de veloped over the years in re sponse to the present system for Presidential elections. Any alteration in the institutions and processes of electing the Pres ident must be considered with a view as to its possible impact on our two-p^rty system which has made for stability in our na tion’s government. Harvard Law School Professor Ernest Brown puts this problem simply when he says: “At a time when the country suffers from sharp di visions, wo should be cautious lest, through the best of inten tions, we encourage further di vision and discourage coalition.” Finally, the direct election roposal raises would proceed in the name of “fairness” to all voters, it would also vest control over such elec tions in Washington rather than in the states. The danger of such concentrated power in a new Federal bureaucracy is ob vious. There are many other reasons why my proposal for reform of the Electoral College is prefer able to the direct election pro posal. I intend to elaborate on these as the Senate proceeds with this debate. Julian Smith Gets Promotion to Spec-5 in Germany Julian W. Smith, son of Mrs. Barbara Smith, Route 4, Kins ton, was promoted to Army specialist five while serving with the 3d Infantry Division near Kitzingen, Germany. A chaplain’s assistant with Headquarters of the division’s 10th Engineer Battalion, he en tered the Army in April 1967 and completed basic training at Fort Bragg, N. C. The 22-year-old soldier is a 1966 graduate of South Lenoir High School, Deep Run. The promotion was made Feb. 'V*
Jones County Journal (Trenton, N.C.)
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April 16, 1970, edition 1
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