Newspapers / The Roxboro Courier (Roxboro, … / July 24, 1941, edition 1 / Page 2
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PERSON COUNTY TIMES "^■"i—i. ■ -Xkorth Carolma yA /mu associatkmji A PAPER FOR ALL THE PEOPLE J. S. MERRITT, EDITOR M. C. CLAYTON, MANAGER THOMAS J. SHAW, JR., City Editor. Published Every Thursday and Sunday. Entered As Second Class Matter At The Postoffice At Roxboro, N. C., Under The Act Os March 3rd,, 1879. —SUBSCRIPTION RATES— One Year sl-50 Six Months 13 , - ■ ■ ■ - ■■ ' » , National Advertising Representative Advertising Cut Sen ice At Disposal of Advertisers at al’ times. Rates furnished upon request. News from our correspondents should reach this not later than Tuesday to insure publication for Thursday edition and Thursday P. M. for Sunday edition. THURSDAY JULY 24, 1941. For The Duration, With Sanity .. More than any other recent statement, the Presi dent’s Monday message relative to necessity of reten tion of Selective Service men and reserve officers in military ranks is indicative of the seriousness of the war in which the United States is now engaged. There is now no longer any use for us to fool ourselves: We are at present moment spared the agony of daily cas ualty lists, but we are in every other respect as much at war with Germany as we ever were in 1917-1918, and we might as well accept the factual truth. We might as well accept it, while we wait for Con gress in democratic process to make legal that exten sion of military service which necessity demands. We might as well accept it, while we can still be grateful that the democratic process permits the delays of Con gressional disagreement as to the extent of the emergency. For months and weeks and days we have hoped that Selective Service men might not have to be kept in the Army beyond the originally specified period ot one year. That hope is now to all appearances to be blasted, and since it has to be, it may be just as well that we, as citizens, know at the last where we are standing. The hypocrisy is over. We will no longer have to fool either ourselves or the young men who have been, or will be called. A week or two ago we talked to a young man, a Person draftee, home from Fort Bragg for a week-end, who blindly placed his faith in the promised “one year.’’ We sat there and listened to him, and did not have the nerve to spoil his dream by telling him that he was un der an illusion. s Quietly, insidiously, this thing has come upon us and there is now no time left in which to speak of broken faith, because whatever of breaking of faith has occurred has been imposed by a time-spirit bigger and more powerful than any individual man, be he President or buck private. In a certain sense we must be glad that this point of decision has been reached. It is only too obvious that the nervous strain of pretend ing that a state of emergency does not exist is greater than the final recognition of its actuality. We have every reason to hope and to believe that military participation of the United States in this war will not have to be one of actual bloodshed. Beyond that hope we dare not go. All of the other accompaniments of war are with us now and we may as well be pre pared to accept them. Despite all government efforts to control economics we are in for a period of rising prices and higher wages, and unless we are sadly mistaken the proposed closebv military camp is this week much more of an actuality than it was last week. 'There is no escape, and the only safeguard against that hysteria which was pointedly mentioned in Sunday's limes lies within ourselves. And so, with great earnestness and with a serious ness never before invoked in this column, do we call upon our readers to preserve in this day what they can of courage and of sanity-because we know they and ah other Americans will have need of both before this business is finished, before educated tolerance can again be viewed without suspicion. We regret sincerely that this editorial had to be written. We wish we could contribute a little longer to the belief that this our war might be shortly ended, without further sacrifice of American freedoms. That we can no longer so believe only increases our anxiety that our people should today know where they are and that they will thus be prepared to salvage what they can by preservation of at least the appearance of sani ty and tolerance while they go about the necessary bus iness of being patriotic. The cloudburst through which we are now passing offers no excuse for loss of selfcontrol. o ft . Talmadgeism and John Doe Only last week citizens of Georgia submitted with some protests to the spectacle of a revival of their Gov ernor’s narrow and utterly dispicable intolerance, the stuffing of their University’s Board of Regents with persons who would for a civic price vote to discharge a faculty member not willing to comply with demands of Talmadgeism. Discreditabe as was this episode and its compan- PERSON COUNTY TIMES ROXBORO. ??. Q, ion episode at Georgia Teacher’s college, the second stage of the drama as revealed this week is even more suggestive of danger in Georgia, and danger by ex ample for whatever other centers df corruption there may be in these our United States. When the Governor of a State talks publicly of refusing to release to news papers Ttems pertaining to the affairs of government in that State suspicion, points strongly at an unspeak able corruption there, so that the ironic remark of Man aging Editor Frank Hawkins, of the Macon News (accused of being one of the few papers unwilling to bow to Talmadge): “We feel highly complimented,” stands out as a declaration of courage worthy of high est traditions of forthright and intelligent journalism. We would be perfectly willing to regard this con flict between right and wrong in Georgia with compla cency if we felt it to be a conflict confined to Georgia, but we know, that there is abroad in the land a spirit of suppression and that in many instances this sup presion is cloaked with patriotism and nourished by bigotry in the name of religion. There was this week shown in Roxboro a motion picture built around the mythical character of “John Doe”, a 1941 Everyman, whose blundering righteousness is very nearly wrecked by a political boss whose name could be Gene Talmadge. By every intention “Meet John Doe” is meant to be a saga of faith in the little man, an exemplification, of the great American tradition of the average man’s influence, but only the hope that its obvious moral lesson will not be missed keeps us from condemning in strongest terms the romantic fiction of a happy end ing for any John Doe movement. Men like “Boss” Nor ton” of the film and Gene Talmadge of Georgia cannot be so quickly disposed of, once they have risen to pow er. The time to stop them is in the beginning, before their power is capable of crushing the meak John and Jane Doe whose votes for them make them what they are. If the people *of the State of Georgia, having had sufficient warning in the late Huey Long of Louisiana, have been foolish enough to reelect their own little "Huey” Talmadge the citizens have only themselves to blame, but triteness of the remark does not cover up the shamefulness of their present position. And despite its weakness. a$ drama, we would suggest that showing in their State of a film such as “Meet John Doe” would amount to public benefaction. We cannot, however, point fingers of scorn at our neighbors 'to the South unless we are in our own terri tory’ watchful to see that similar intolerances in lesser lorm do not spring up. Just Like Hitler Fayetteville Observer Business of the City of Atlanta denying Senator Burton K. W'heeler the use of its auditorium because it disagrees with his stand and on the Nation’s policy, is not a healthy symptom. If America is to stay strong it will do so through the ability of its citizens to hear out both sides of any question and then make their own decisions. Denial of a usual public place to a partisan speaker is a kind of regrettable censorship that has no place in a free country. One can contrast the Atlanta attitude w'ith the at titude of the citizens of Fayetteville where the Kiwanis Club invited Congresman Ham Fish to speak before it. Members of the Kiwanis Club were more than 90 per cent diametrically opposed to Congressman Fish’s ideas, but they gave him a hearing and then thanked him for the interesting'presentation of his views. That is the way of free people. The way Atlanta is taking smacks more of Nazi dom than Senator Wheeler. *- -* Liability \ Charlotte News Lindbergh has every right to demand that Secre retary Harold lekes apologize for implying that the ex- Colonel is connected with “interests of a foreign power.” Mr. lekes specifically critized Lindbergh l'or accepting that now-infamous German medal way back in 1938. Lindbergh’s reply, airtight and documented, was that, to have refused the Nazi decoration would have been to insult Germany in the name of the American Am bassador who was on hand at the presentation. It is nothing new for lekes to make a bitter and unsubstantiated attack on any person who happens to cross his path. He is a man who breathes hatred, who apparently is unable to exercise the self-control that should qualify a Cabinet member. He is a man who possesses such a lack of restraint that he is dangerous not only to his enemies, but also to his friends. This newspaper sees no merit in the political views of Lindgergh. We disagree with virtually everything he says: we deplore his attitude in this world crisis. It is because of this position that we and all 'who disagree with Lindgergh would regret seeing him martyrized. Yet the blundering, extremist Mr. lekes has dofte more to help Lindbergh than all the Nazi sympathizers in America. By shooting off his mouth, Mr. lekes has given Lindbergh the opportunity to demand an apology. The fair-minded American public will see justification in these demands. If Mr. lekes were a baseball player instead of a cabinet member, his manager would have sent him back to the bush leagues long ago. NYA Has VitaJ Defense Role Says State Director Lang Center In Roxboro Under Mrs. Beth Brewer Pridgen Is Among Those Perform ing Service. Raleigh July 24 —file Nation al Youth Administration for North Carolina has a vital role in the nation’s program of de fense through its wide-scale na tional defense work experience program designed to fit young people, America’s greatest natur al resource, for jobs in vital de fense industries, State NYA Ad ministrator, John A. Lang, an - nounced yesterday. Gearing its activities into the nation’s program, the NYA has been designated as a national de fense agency and is playing an important part in the defense program in this state through 29 major projects employing more than 1600 youths and providing training in aviation nryfcchianics, shipbuilding, auto mechanics, machine shop, welding, cooking, forging, woodwork, electricity, and others which lead to- employ ment in critical defense indus tries. In addition to the training pro vided these youths, the NYA for North Carolina is producing gun racks, metal gun sights, metal supplies, office equipment and forms, surgical dressings, and other necessary equipment and supplies fer military and defense posts and hospitals: Describing the National Youth Administration’s participation in the national defense program in North Carolina, State NYA Ad ministrator, John A. Lang de clared, “In this period of nation al emergency and as the United States prepares for any eventual ity, the NYA affords young peo ple with an opportunity to pre pare themselves to meet these new and urgent demands through' the extension of its program of work experience, related train ing, and health improvement.” “The NYA for North Carolina is coordinating its efforts-flexi ble and easily adjustable as they are-in the interest of the defense program in addition to carrying out its regular program of work 1 activities.” Recognized as natonal defense training projects are 15 major projects, located at Asheville, Greenville, Greensboro,"'"kinston, Raleigh, Wilmington, Durham, and Rocky Mount. These consists of projects providing health im provement and training and ex-, perience in machine'shops, wood-j working shops, forging, welding,: sheet metal, radio, and other, industrial fields. In addition, at Fort Bragg is, located the State’s largest NYA project, with approximately 225 j boys and girls employed as switchboard operators, clerks, j secretaries, automobile mechan ics, cooks, bakers and ordinance shop workers. At Camp Davir and the Charlotte air base, 40 and 10 yoi(ths respectively are employed. At the United Slates Coast Guard air base and shipyard at Elizabeth City, 40 boys are em- 1 ployed in training and work ex perience leading to positions as shipyard workers and aviatii n | mechanics. Every youth employ ed on one of these projects w ill rot become a shipbuilder or au airplane mechanic, but those who (j Its aV. Mm shame if it wasn't insured Jby THOMPSON INSURANCE AGENCY Roxboro, N. C. show natural aptitude and abil ity are given every opportunity | to receive experience leading to private and defense employment' in these industries. Every boy or girl employed al Fort Bragg, Camp Davis, the Charlotte air base, or the Coast Guard air base and shipyard re-1 lieves a soldier for active mill- tary duty and training and at the same time gives the youth leading to defense employment. | In addition to these projects, at Henderson, Durham, Hickory Grove, and Fayetteville automo bile mechanics are being trained in a field which is expected to j become recognized as outright defense work in the immediate future due to the present mech anization if the armed forces of the nation. Trained mechanics are quickly being recognized as being as important to defense as actual military service be cause of the tremendous need for repairs and servicing of rriech— nized equipment. Machine shops are being es tablished at Charlotte, Winstcr.- Salem, and Elizabeth City in the immediate future, all of which will become defense projects as soon as operators are inauger a ted. Girls also play a major roie in national defense. At Greensborc and Sanford, power sewing pro jects are turning out uniform shirts for members of the state home guard and work clothing for defense shep employees. In addition, switchboard op erators, clerks, and secretaries ere essential defense employees on military posts. At Durham, the National Youth Administration is operating a i.ew resident health and work center for men rejected by the selective service boards due to remedial physical defects and other sub-par youths. These youths are given an opportunity to physically improve themselves «hile receiving training in wood working, machine shop, radio, photography, and other fields important to defense and defense industries. Through the cooperation of Wake Forest, University o f North Carolina, Duke University, the Rockfellow Foundation, and the State Board of Health, com plete medical, dental, and sur gical facilities are available to the rejectees and others enrolled in the Durham Resident Center. The center is the first of its kind in the entire nation and is being operated on an experimental basis, which is expected to lead to the establishment of such centers throughout the nation should he need arise. In every defene post in North Carolina, equipment produced by the National Youth Administra- Your Watch is worth repair ing IVe will give you free estimate of cost before work is done. GREEN’S Main Street — r . -- I I We sell the Best Meats that can be ; ; bought. Every sale is Guaranteed to ! j be Fresh and Pure. When you buy the ' > test you buy the cheapest. j ; A complete assortment of cold meats I | for picnics and sandwiches. ! Carl Winstead Court Street THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1941. j tion is being used. Desks, tables, chairs, anp other offiqe equip ment is being manufactured for the United States Army and the Office of Production Manager, while 1,300 gun racks have been produced for Camp Davis in the Raleigh Resident Center alone. I Twenty thousand guns will be I stored in the racks thus provided. Further participating in the national defense program, the N YA fer North Carolina inaugura ted in December, 1940, a state. I wide health program for all its ‘workers. The critical need for the physical improvement of ' youth is shown by selective scr | vice statistics indicating that ov ler 40 per cent of all drafted youths are rejected for physical, defects. This health program has three 1 major objectives: 1. A physical appraisal, by means of a thorough health ex amination of every youth as signed to the NYA out-of-school work program. 2. Corrfection of health defects through the utilization of all community resources, through the use cf supplementary medical and dental services provided where possible by the NYA, and through developing in youth an interest in improving heaith through his own personal efforts. 3. Improved technical advice and asistance with respect to al! NYA efforts having a direct and immediate bearing on the health of youth workers, such as nu trition, sanitation, physcial de velopment and recreation. ! When You're ! I I Good and i Beat that thirst with another rtrtger ... a cool, sparkling drink of 7-UP! It s flavored with the essence cf those natural refreshers . . . sun-ripened lemons and limes. You like 7-UP. . . it likes you l g poesis Os 1 1fttn7 U P
The Roxboro Courier (Roxboro, N.C.)
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July 24, 1941, edition 1
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