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DEVOTED TO THE CIVIC, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF ALLEGHANY COUNTY
Volume 11.
(Published at Galax, Va.)
SPARTA, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1936.
-____:_
10 PAGES
Number 34.
seats, and in the House, 318 out
of 435- Nowhere does it face any
difficulty in accomplishing its will
except before Federal courts,
where the majority of judges
have been appointed in past years
by Republican presidents. While
our judiciary has been remark
ably free of politics, as well as
corrupt influence, it is but hu
man nature for a man to carry
on the bench the ideas and ideals
y, which he had when appointed.
Surveys have shown very conclus
jjpf ively that the legality of New
Deal legislation depends to a
large degree upon the former
political views of the judges who
pass upon them.
THE SESSION’S LENGTH
The Congress came together
with the President and the New
Deal suffering some loss of pres
tige which has encouraged criti
cism of his policies within the
party and stimulated his political
foes to greater activity than ever.
Despite much talk of an early
adjournment and a real desire
on the part of legislators to fin
ish their legislative duties in or
der to get into their election cam- j
paigns, there is no way of esti
mating the length of the present
session.
One of the grave decisions that
Congress must make relates to the
formulation of a permanent neu
trality policy to replace the tem
porary course now being follow
ed. The problem depends in part
upon the war situation abroad.
£ The possibility that some of the
six major New Deal measures
. will be thrown overboard by the
Supreme Court and that action
may be taken in an effort to meet
tha objections of the Court also
threaten to lengthen the session.
Swift action is expected on the
^oAus but no one can tell.
ELECTION FIREWORKS
Overshadowing other considera
tion's is the looming election next
Fall, with the halls of Congress
affording the best sounding-board
for propaganda in the country.
There will be many speeches to
support the Administration and
others attacking its policies. All
a will have copious replies,
cess will take time. Alto
the session will be strong
ical. In the background
a number of associations
byists attempting to cre
ic sentiment or. at least,
ranee of public senti
e way or the other.
LX’S CAMPAIGN
nt Roosevelt will - un
y make an intensive cam
or re-election, probably
as much as he did in
en he went into nearly
te and journeyed about
miles. His supporters be
at he is stronger than the
stration and the greatest
’ the party, which will have
smaller campaign fund
r opponents of the New
'he Democratic party defi
und $300,000, entirely a
m the unsuccessful 1928
of A1 Smith. The Re
are in much better
th more than $100,000 in
treasury.
evelt will make full
e radio and his appeals
d upon to have an ef
n the great mass of vot
uding the lowear half of
ation in point of wealth,
ers who have benefitted
e AAA and others who
ived aid from various
tal agencies. While his
are privately aware
a lost some ground,
his popularity is suf
insure his re-election,
ry Digest poll, showing
trend against the New
ken merely to show the
loss of Conservative
which the President’s
have discounted for
AH CAMPAIGN
not less than 208 first
out of a total of 997
the Republican na
the Borah sup
ed the new year with
f blocking any deci
r the convention until
delegates begin to
The Borah strength,
.j centered in the West
West but considerable
being taken in other
the country.
ACTIVE
before the
ponderous
on page «)
Roosevelt Hits
Big Business Foes
In Annual Message
Brands Them “Cowards’*
And Challenges Them Tc
Propose That Congress
Repeal New Deal Law*
SPEAKS FRIDAY NIGHT
I Appears Before Joint
Assemblage Of Senate
And House For Occasion.
Is Given Big Ovation
Washington, Jan. 7.—Big busi
ness foes of President Roosevelt
were branded Friday night by the
chief executive as -‘cowards’’ and
were accused of spreading false
and poisonous fears. At the same
time the occupant of the White
House challenged thorn to propose
that Congress repeal all new deal
reform and .recovery laws.
•Frock-coated and grim, the
President told a joint session of
the 74th Congress in his annual
message on the state of the union
that recovery was continuing. No
new or higher taxes are advisable
or necessary, the national income
and employment is increasing and
a reduction in relief costs may
be anticipated, he said.
Under the new deal the country
is headed toward a balanced bud
get, Mr. Roosevelt continued, but
he didn’t indicate when it could
be expected. He pleaded with
Congress to advance the broad
domestic program and not retreat
under the fire of minorities de
manding a return to the old order.
The international situation, the
President said, is gloomy- Power
seeking minorities are menacing
a world tired of war. The United
States, he pledged, will continue
to seek the ways of peace, but
will maintain an adequate defense
against attack.
Attempts to reduce world ar
maments have broken down, Mr.
Roosevelt continued, and peace
and good will toward men have
faded in Europe and Asia. He
mentioned no country by name as
he condemned those seeking “auto,
cratic powers” and recognized that
his vigorous* criticism would not
prove popular with any nation
that "chooses to fit this shoe to
its foot.”
It was one of the most sharply
worded messages ever delivered
to Congress by a President. He
advocated only one specific piece
of legislation—the permanent neu.
trality act introduced in both
houses today. It gives Mr. Roose
velt added discretionary powers
to keep this nation out of war.
The Chief Magistrate entered
the House chamber on the arm
of his personal bodyguard, <S£us
Generich.
He walked to a place below
the speaker’s chair as congress
men. senators and the packed
galleries rose and gave him a
three-minute ovation. The * old
rebel yell crashed out from the
Democratic side. A few Repub
licans applauded politely.
Above him sat Vice President
John N. Garner and Speaker
Joseph W. Byms in high-backed,
leather chairs- Mi'. Roosevelt
shook hands with each of his
(continued on page 6)
Whitehead Farmer
Found Dead Jan. 1
In Field Near Home
J. S. Wagoner, 66, highly re
spected citiaen of the Whitehead
community, was found dead in a
field near his home, on the after
noon of January 1 by his wife.
Mr. Wagoner, who had been in
poor health for a few weeks,
had gone out to feed some cattle
and in perhaps half an hour his
wife, noticing unusual actions of
the dog, went to- investigate and
found the lifeless body of her
husband. His death was attribut
ed to either heart failure or apo
plexy. . .
Funeral services were conduct
ed Friday at 12 o'clock at the
Whitehead Union church by Eld
ers C. B. Kilby and Johnny Wil
liams.
Interment was in the church
cemetery. _
Surviving Mr. Wagoner are the
widow, one daughter, Mrs, W. E.
Bowen, Winston-Salem, Shd two
sons, Cary Wagoner, Piney Creek,
and Willie Wagoner, Washing
ton, D. C.
^Putting on the,Soldier Bonus Pressure
WASHINGTON . . . Above are the three men who are in command in
putting the soldier bonus pressure on congress. Left to right, John Thomas
Taylor, director of the American Legion Legislative Committee; Bay
Murphy, National Commander of the American Legion; and, Wm. 0.
Barnes, executive secretary of the Legislative Committee.
Escaped Convict
Is Slain Dec. 31
In Virginia Town
Was Wanted tor Robbery
Of Belk’s Dept. Store
In Sparta Several Weeks
Ago. Buried In Virginia
Leo Wyatt. 35, bandit and
escaped convict, wanted for half
a dozen hold-ups and robberies,
including the robbery of Belk’s
Department store in Sparta sev
eral months ago, was shot and
killed early in the morning of
Tuesday, December 31, in Mar
tinsville, Va.
A Danville undertaker saved
Wyatt’s body from the medical
dissecting table by burying it
free of cost, in view of the fact
that the slain man’s mother, who
lives on, the River road, near
Danville, Va., was found without
funds and on relief.
The bandit’s body was taken to
Danville f r o m Martinsville
after it had been identified. His
mother, Mrs. Nomie Wyatt, could
not pay for a funeral. The only
alternative was what is done in
similar cases—to send the bullet
ridden body to a medical college.
Therefore, the Danville undertaker
agreed to spare the mother this
and buried the body in a Martins
ville-provided casket free of cost
in Schoolfield cemetery.
Wyatt is believed by officers
not to have been shot by Jim
Turner, his confederate, by mis
take but by bullets from the rifle
of a Virginia state traffic officer
The damage done by the bullet,
one of which ranged from the
shoulder through the abdomen,
indicated he was shot while lying
(continued on page 6)
Expect House To
Vote Friday On
Bonus Measure
Washington, Jan. 7.—A veter
ans organization bonus biU.
slightly amended as to its financ
ing features, tonight was steered
toward a House vote on Friday
which Democratic leaders conced
ed -would approve it by "an
overwhelming majority.”
Speaker Byms said there was
no disposition among the leader
ship to postpone action on the
bonus until next week unless its
backers wanted that. Members
of the appropriations committee
said they had no objection to
laying aside the independent of
fices appropriation bill, which is
to come up tomorrow for general
debate.
That opened the door for the
ways and means committee to
ask for a rule on the bonus to
morrow, bring it up for House
discussions Thursday and a vote
Friday.
tRo bill would authorize im
mediate cash payment of the
bonus, but offer a 3 per cent
interest inducement to veterans
not to cash their adjusted service
certicates until 1945, the ma
turity date under existing law. It
would provide no specific method
of payment.
Itei
(Hauptmann Given
| A Few More Days
Before Execution
Prison Officials Will
Not Electrocute German
Until Late Next Week.
Board To Hear Plea Sat.
LATEST NEWS
State Prison, Trenton, N. J.,
Jan. 7-The execution of Bruno
Richard Hauptmann, convicted
murderer of the Lindbergh baby,
lhai been set for around eight
o clock on the night of Eriday,
January 17. Hauptmann was sit
ting :in Cell No. 9, a towel around
i-iis neck and his faue smothered
in lather, when through the bars
came a voice telling him of the
fixing of the time. Hauptmann
merely turned his -head toward
the corridor of like death house.
Trenton, N. J., Jan. 7.—Of
ficials of Trenton state, prison de
cided yesterday that they would
not execute Bruno Richard Haupt
mann on the night of Tuesday,
January 14, but would postpone
the execution until' later in the
week. Thus, the condemned man
—convicted of the Lindbergh
baby kldnap-murder—was given
a few more, days of life.
It is customary in New Jersey
to execute prisoners on Tuesday
night, but January 14 coincides
with the opening of the legis
lature, and for that reason Prin
cipal Keeper Mark Kimberling
decided on a postponement. Kim
berling declined to reveal the new
date set for the execution, but
most persons believe it will be,
Friday, January 17.
It was announced last night
that the New Jersey court of par
dons would meet at 10:30 a. m.,
Saturday to hear Hauptmann’s
appeal for commutation of sen
tence.
At that session of the eight
men, including Governor Harold
G. Hoffman, Hauptmann’s law
yers will present the mysterious
“new evidence” about which they
have been talking for a fort
night.
The power "of the pardons court
is unlimited. They can, if they
choose, free Hauptmann of the
charge of murder, or they can
commute his death sentence to
[life imprisonment.
Should the pardons court re
ject Hauptmann’s plea, he will
have only two chances to prolong
his Jife. One will be a plea to
the' trial judge, Justice Thomas
W. Trenchard, to grant a new
trial. The other will be to ob
tain three reprieves of 30 days
(continued on page 6)
Stockholders And
Directors Of Local
Bank Hold Meeting
The stockholders and directors
of the Bank of Sparta held their
regular annual meeting at the of
fice of the bank on January 1. j
A dividend of six per cent was
declared in favor of the stock
holders of record.
The following officers were
elected for the ensuing year: R.
A. Doughton, president; M. A.
Higgins, vice president; Edwin
Duncan, cashier, and M. A. Hig
gins, M. E. Reeves, D. C, Dun
can, C. W. Edwards and R. A.
Doughton, directors.
Annual Message
Of Roosevelt Is
Hit By Hoover
Says Powers Vested
In Administration
Should Not Be Possessed
By Anybody In The U. S.
Ogden, Utah, Jan. 7.—Vigor
ously attacking President Roose
velt’s Friday night message to
Congress, former President Her
bert Hoover Sunday night said new
powers that have been vested in
the administration “never tould
be possessed by anybody in these
United States.”
In ,a statement bristling with
sarcasm, Mr. Hoove -. termed his
successor’s message on the state
of the, nation “a good example
of the political method of accus
ing everyone as being terribly
wicked and corrupt who objects
to the many departures of the
New Deal,” from “proper national
objectives and ideals.”
Mr. Hoover, who recently de
parted from a policy of silence
on public matteirs and began a
series of speeches highly critical
of the New Deal, passed through
here en route to New York to
attend a directors’ meeting of
the New York Life Insurance
company
"The most ominous note” of
the message, he said in a prepared
statement^ “was the president’s
warning that the power he has
assumed would be dangerous in
other hands.
"It just happens that the ideal
upon which our government was
founded and hitherto conducted, is
that it is dangerous to the people j
to have any man possess such
powers or to allow any man to
thus aspire to personal govern
ment instead of a government
of laws. The question6 is, not that
these powers, having been cre
ated and now in the hands of the
good, might be transferred to the
hands of the wicked, if the New
Deal is not continued. It is
that they never should be pos
sessed by anybody in these United
States.”
After attending the board
meeting in New York, Mr. Hoov
er will go to Lincoln, Neb., to
deliver an address on January
16 on “agriculture.” He declined
to indicate its nature but said,
“that’s the fourth, you know.”
He has previously made three
speeches criticizing the Demo
cratic administration.
Jesse H. Jones, chairman of the
Reconstruction Finance corpora
tion, boarded Mr. Hoover’s train
here Sun. night enroute to Wash
ington from California, and invit
ed the former president to have
dinner with him. The former
president said he had accepted
the invitation.
U. S. Leaders View
Present Conditions
With Much Optimism
Washington, Jan. 7.—Spokes
men for government, business and
organized labor—speaking gener
ally in optimistic terms—recently
welcomed the, New Year with
suggestions for carrying forward
in 1936 the recovery gains in
1936.
The expressions of optimism,
however, were not unqualified.
One business leader saw obstacles
should government impose “bur
dens” on employers.
Secretary Roper summarized the
government outlook as follows:
“On the basis of the broad
gains recorded in the. economic
and social life of the nation in
1936 and in view of the cumu
lative strength o.f the recovery
forces, business and industry
should now move forward cour
ageously in the New Year with
long term programs, looking for
ward to sound and stable pro
gress.”
PAYROLL ROBBERY SUSPECTS
CAPTURED IN McDOWELL CO.
Marion, Jan. 7.—"Wiree young
men, suspected of being implicat
ed in the hold-up of the Leward
Cotton Mills office at Worth
ville, near Asheboro, this morning,
were captured after a wild auto
mobile chase in the Nebo section
of McDowell county this after
noon about 3 o’clock.
Sheriff Adkins is holding the
young men in jail here pending
the arrival of officers from Ashe
boro.
^^ ^-nt/sSbn
/5r^ OF W*' Br r-« &
/ CvN^-' u.. A °~ q^STion *
fc- aSS?*-** r. ’ ,Rb^'" “taV*
/''•M83/",7esler(j'°“'J spi/nte° j°rnPVete/J, ,j, .
"°! °nly i»%efjl'?oaeiihat.pr,viousl/dI)'?'”istJ-at,w Ported
Jm,Z % r-5^ ad'>H' °f
S =!■::£ S*“rs *
The administration, obviously'
taken aback by the sweeping
charactar of the Supreme Court’s
invalidation of the AAA, las^
night sought grimly but without
immediate answer for some sub
stitute farm plan.
From a hurriedly-summoned
Brown Killed In
Winston-Salem;
Was Wanted Here
_«_
Is Second Man To Be
Killed Last Week For
, Whom Sheriff Irwin Had
Issued Warrants
A second man for whom Sheriff
Walter M. Irwin had recently
issued an arrest warrant was kill
ed last week in Winston-Salem.
Both men have been shot since
January 1. The first man killed
was Leo Wyatt, of Martinsville,
Va., who, in company with
“Frank Stone’’ (real name, not
known) broke into and robbed
Belk’s store in Sparta a few
weeks ago. Sheriff Irwin had
sent the warrants to Virginia
and, in an attempt <fo;,take Wyatt,
officers shot and killed him. Both
Wyatt and Stone, were escaped
convicts and tjie latter has been
apprehended and is now being
held in Martinsville, Va., for the
murder of a Ailing station opera
tor near Martinsville. It is said
that Stone has confessed the
(continued on page six)
Bailey’s Senate
Seat Is Sought
By Durham Man
Durham, Jan. 7.—David L.
Strain, of Durham, made his for-’
mal announcement today as a
Democratic candidate for the
Uriited States Senate in oppo
sition to Josiah W. Bailey, incum.
bent.
“For two months I have been
urged to oppose Mr. Bailey.
Friends everywhere in the state
have promised their support. It
is patent that a change is de
sired, \nd I intend to wage an
aggressive campaign for the nomi
nation,” said Mr. Strain, who is
47 years of age and a war veter
an widely known in North Caro
lina.
“It is clearly apparent,” he add
ed, "that the people in the com
mon walks of life iti this state
want representation in the Senate
by a man whose interests rest
with their own, a man with
whom they can maintain the con
tact to which they are justly en
titled.” _
Mr. Strain announced that cam
paign headquarters will be opened
in the near future in Durham,
where friends and supporters have
volunteered to carry on while
the candidate himself makes a
personal tour of the state in a
sound truck.
3
White House conference came a
report that President Roosevelt
hopes to pay farmers complying
with existing of op control con
tracts up to today. But even
the method for doing this was
not clear.
So sweeping was the court’s
decision in knocking down all
existing parts of the AAA that
in one informed official quarter,
it was said such payments, if
made, ■ might have to be direct
grants without any obligation on
the part of the farmer attacked.
That is, it was explained, the pay
ment might have to be made
without reference to what it was
paid for.
While hurriedly seeking some
substitute, the administration last
night moved to halt virtually all
AAA operations. The Treasury
announced formally, long after
nightfall, that no further process
ing taxes would be collected, and
that “for the present” no checks
would be issued either for benefit
payments or for AAA administra
tive expenses.
Informed AAA sources indicat
ed an order would go out to
morrow halting all activities in
the field.
Far into the night, AAA lead
ers gathered in conference to
canvas what might be done.
Three possibilities—and they
were, tentative possibilities only—
were reported under consideration
at the AAA. They were:
1. Organization of 48 state
AAA’s, financed by federal
grants.
2. Payment of subsidies to
farmers for “proper use" of land
and not for crop reduction.
3. Adoption of some form of
the old domestic allotment plan
as a temporary measure.
There was a strong indication
that some of the nation's leading
farmers and farm organization
officials would be called to Wash
ington for conferences within a
few days. This would be done
before any proposed program
would be announced.
In a vehement dissent, Justices
Stone, Brandeis and Cardozo de
clared that “courts are not the
(continued on page 6)
’Ludt w always against a man u>h®
depends too much on ft."
JANUARY