The Alleghany Times
DEVOTED TO THE CIVIC, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF ALLEGHANY COUNTY
Volume No. 14. GALAX, VA. (Published for Sparta, N. C.) THURSDAY, JANUAP.Y 12, 1939. Number 34.
¥ ~
Im|
Hugo S. Sim*
Washington Correspondent
DIPLOMATIC IMPASSES
WAR NOT INEVITABLE
OUR INTEREST IN CHINA
TRADE PACT IN FRANCE
MUST BUY IF WE SELL
GERMANY’S AIR FORCE
WPA AND POLITICS
NO COALITION LIKELY
Diplomatic relations between j
the United States and Japan have j
reached the point where war is i
inevitable if both of these pow
ers insist upon what they con
sider their rights. The Japanese
proclaim a “New Order” in the
Far East, under which Japanese
have superior rights to other
powers, regardless of their trea
ties with China and Japan. The
United States rejects this thesis
and reserves all rights, refusing
assent to any impairment of
them. So far as the exchange of
notes is concerned, the clash
could not be more complete.
This does not mean, of course, j
that war is about to break out
between the United States and
Japan. It does mean very em
phatically, that if the United
States attempts to uphold its
rights in Ghina by force that
warfare will result unless Japan j
abandons the present course of
conquest.
If the United States, in sup-1
port of her diplomatic position, j
re sorts to other measures, such j
as extending financial aid to j
China, putting an embargo on
the shipment of goods to Japan,
or prohibiting the sale of Japa
nese goods in this country, war
might be averted, but only if the
Japanese accept the conditions
without resort to force. It may
be taken for granted, we think,
that if ,any measure of the Unit
ed States becomes effective
enough to impair the Japanese
campaign in China, the danger of
a conflict will be great.
While the United States has
not the commercial investment in
China that Great Britain has, it
is a mistake to assume that our
interests in the Far East are less
than that of the British. For
generations, the United States and
China, have been on extremely
friendly terms and missionary ac
tivity in China has given the peo
ple of this country great inter
est in the Chinese. Transcending
the material interests is the con
cern of the United States over
the continued successes of aggres
sor nations, which flout treaties
and the rights of other powers,
thus leading the world to a day
■when force, and force alone, will
become the arbiter of national de
velopments.
It is possible, of course, that
the United States may follow the
course adopted in 1932, when
Secretary of State Henry L. Stim
sen reserved American rights in
Manchuria after Japan had com
pleted her conquest of that area.
Diplomatically, we have refused
to recognize the new status in
Manchukuo and while Japan has
systematically interferred with
the commercial rights of Ameri
cans in the new state, the Amer
ican Government has permitted
the matter to rest. If this course
is followed in regard to the other
parts of China, the Japanese will
not be concerned with the Amer
ican attitude nor care much about
our “reservation” of rights in
China.
The Anglo-American trade
agreement, slashing tariffs in this
country, England and her crown
colonies, became effective on
January 1. As the New Year be
gan, warehouses in this country,
England and other parts of the
British Empire, were stocked with
merchandise shipped in under
bond to be held until the tariff
reductions provided for under the
Treaty became effective.
Undoubtedly, trade between the
English-speaking peoples will be
increased by the new pact. In
England, newspapers report large
quantities of electrical applian
ces, dental equipment, foodstuffs
of various kinds, lumber, silk hos
iery and other products from the
United States ready for distribu
tion there. In this country, at
the same time, English merchan
dise was similary in storage, the
largest quantities being in woolen
piece goods, cutlery, dinner-ware,
cotton cloth and leather products.
Of course, the cry will go up
in many sections that these Eng
lish goods are keeping- American
workmen from being employed.
* Those who raise this complaint
do not point out that the Ameri
can goods sold in England and
her colonies provided employ
ment for workers here. In Great
Britain, and the other parts of
the Empire affected by the new
.Treaty, the same cries will be
raised. It will be asserted that the
importation of American pro
ducts prevents British laborers
from being employed. Over there,
just as in this country, the pro
tests will say nothing about the
(turn to page four, please)
Measles is very
much a problem
at this time
—and some facts concern
ing I'he disease are brought
to the, attention of citizens
of Alleghany County by
Dr. Robert R. King, District
Health Officer.
A statement on “Measles,” by
Dr. King, follows:
“Measles is one of our most
highly contagious diseases and is
infections or ‘catching,’ several
days before the rash appears and
for some time afterwards. The
laws of North Carolina require
a quarantine period of 14 days
after the rash appears. .
“Measles, as well as other con
tagious diseases, is to be report
ed to the Health Department by
the attending physcian if there is
one, if not by the parents or
householder, school teachers or
others knowing of the disease.
“Only through good reporting
can good control be maintained.
“Measles is particularly dang
erous to the young child up to
three or four years of age. These
frequently have complications in
the form of enlarged glands, in
fected ears and mastoid trouble
and most often of all complica
tions is pneumonia,
“Don’t expose children wilfully
to measles; for the later in life
they have it the'less likely they
are to have complications.
“Keep your children at home
for two weeks if they have been
exposed, for they may scatter the
disease and bring severe sickness
or even death to others.”
Circle No. 1 of the
Baptist W. M. U.
will meet today
—(Thursday), at 2:00 p. m., at
the home of Mrs. A. O. Joines,
for the regular monthly meeting
of tbe organization.
All members are urged to at
tend, as the year books are ex
pected to be ready for distribu
tion.
Mrs. Amos Wagoner is program
leader for the meeting, and the
topic is “The ^reat Commission
—Our Mission,” based on Mat
thew 19, 20.
Sparta High School
girls’ basketball
team wop Tuesday
—night over the Mountain Park
girls by a score of 12-10. The
game was played in the Sparta
gymnasium.
The Mountain Pa.rk boys’ team
won from the Sparta boys’ team
by a score of 12-22, in a game
that was dubbed the “Rose
Bowl” game. The Sparta team,
however, played an excellent
game, it wag gaid.
MRS. L. F. STRADER WILL
BE HOSTESS TOMORROW
— (Friday) afternoon, at two
o’clock, at the Methodist parson
age, to members of the Women’s
Missionary Society of the Metho
dist Church.
Congress Opens
i
I
I
WASHINGTON, D. C. — Speaker
of the House, William B. Bank- j
head, calls to order the opening
session of the Seventy-sixth Con- '
gross which opened on January
third.
The figfiHo save
White Tollett
from electrocution
—appeared practically lost
Tuesday night, although
close relatives and friends;
continued the fight. The
tall, 28-year old Tennesseean, j
convicted in the dynamite deaths!
of three small daughters of Har- j
mon Gouge, near Elizabethton,!
Tenn., last January, was schedul-j
led to die at dawn Wednesday. j
I Attorney Roy C. Nelson, ofj
Elizabethton, whose wife is the,
former Miss Alene Cornett, of I
Spring Valley, in Grayson Coun- j
jty, Virginia, assisted in the prose-1
I cution in the trials held in con- !
nection with the dynamiting cases.
Sources close, to Governor Gor
don Browning said that despite
renewed appeals for executive
clemency he was firm in his re
fusal to rescind his former de
cision not to interfere with the
I sentence.
j A delegation of. 34 persons
j pleaded that Tollett’s sentence be
[Commuted to life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, Warden Joe Pope
| of state peniteniary said he was
I making preparations to remove
I Tollett from solitary confinement |
I to the death house.
Two others, Ulysses Walling
and Lee Walker, confessed they
participated unwittingly in the
dynamiting which the state con
tended1 was an abortive plot to
kill Gouge, who admitted he shot i
and killed White Tollett’s brother, j
Arnold.
Gouge, not at home when the |
blast snuffed out the lives of his I
daughters and injured his wife, I
later was acquitted of the charge -
that he shot the condemned man’s
kinsman.
Another defendant, Church Les
ter, also sentenced to die, hanged
himself in jail a few weeks after
the trial.
Gov. A. B. Chandler, of Kentucky, was
the nrincinal sneaker Saturday night
—in Raleigh at the Democratic Jackson Day
banquet. The Kentucky executive was 'heard by
a group of Democrats who paid $25 each to at
tend. Governor Chandler urged President Roosevelt
and members of Congress to reorganize the government
“along sensible business lines” and to return to the
Slates mose essential state rignts (
that never should have been tak-'
en away.”
The stocky Kentuckian, who re
cently was defeated in a race for
nomination to the U. S. Senate,
also called on federal leaders to
balance the budget and decrease
the national debt.
“As speedily as possible, the
President and members of Con-,
gress must arrange to stop the
increase of the national debt,”
he said, “because it is perfectly
obvious that a $9,000,000,000
budget with a $5,000,000,000 in
come cannot be continued.
“It is the belief of many,” he
added, “that the public is desir
ous now for leveling off, and
that our gains should be consoli
dated, and that Congress should
reassert its constitutional obliga
tions to supervise more carefully
he finances of the country.”
Chandler received long ap
plause every time he mentioned
the riorne of "our leader,, Frank
(Turn to page eight, please)
Rep. S. W. Brown
was given committee
assignments
—Monday in Raleigh, on which
he will serve during the session
of the North Carolina General
Assembly which convened there
this week.
Representative Brown was
elected in November to represent
Alleghany County in the House
of Representatives.
Representative Brown was ap
pointed by Speaker Ward, of the
House, to serve on the following
committees: Congressional Dis
tricts; Elections and Election
Laws; Roads; Appropriations;
Agriculture, and Public Buildings
and Grounds.
REV. L F. STRADER WILL
PREACH HERE SUNDAY
—morning, January 15, at eleven
.o’clock, in the Methodist .Church,
of which he is pastor. The pub
lic is urgently invited to attend.
A record budget
was given to the
N. C. legislature
—Monday night, calling tor
state expenditures of $154,
514,899 during the 1939-40
biennium. The legislature
received the budget with Gover
nor Hoey’s recommendations that
very few changes in the state’s
tax laws be made.
1'he budget compared with a
recommended $140,419,146 two
years ago, when the legislature
voted to appropriate $146,985,302.
Four years ago the recommend
ed budget for the 1935-37 bien
nium was only $114,428,523, but
many changes were made, result
ing in actual expenditures in
1935-36 of nearly $11,000,000
more than the •'budget recommen
dations had been. The budget
statement set forth that a bal
anced financial sheet was ex
pected on the basis of recom
mendations, but it showed that
the general fund would end« the
1939-41 biennium with only $39,
693 in surplus■ while it was fig
ured it would start the period
with $2,200,000 carried over next
June 30.
Tax revenue estimates were
based on the assumption that
business during the entire bien
nium will be at the levels of
1937-38, when the state got the
greatest receipts in its history.
Principal tax changes were
proposals to increase the beer
tax by 50 per cent., making it
one and a half cents a bottle in
stead of one cent, and the liquor
tax by nearly as much, raising
the rate from 7 per cent, of the
retail price to 10 per cent.
The use tax on building mate
rials, automobiles and the like
would be extended to cover “tan
gible personal property . . for
storage, use or consumption in
this state” at the 3 per cent, sales
tax rate, with a top limit of a
$15 tax on any single purchase.
Ice and medicines would be
exempted from the general sales
tax, in addition to bread, sugar,
coffee, flour, meal, meat, lard,
milk, molasses and rolls, which
were exempted in 1937.
The entire section on intangi
bles was rewritten by the budget
commission, and other minor
changes were made, including re
visions of top rates for inheri
tance taxes, but they were term
ed negligible changes by the
Governor.
Improvement work
at Sparta H. S.
is suspended
—temporarily, although it
is hoped that this work can
be resumed early in the
spring. Work on both the
beautification project, under the
supervision of Cary Brown, and
the general school grounds im
provement project, under the sup
ervision of George Edwards, have
been suspended.
In addition to a great deal of
grading, the beautification pro
ject has included the planting
of 21 white pines, 569 mountain
laurels, 4 hemlocks, 40 bunches
of purple rhododendrons, 10,987
feet of sod, and 27 1-2 pounds
of grass seed.
The general school grounds im
provement project included the
removal of approximately 8000
yards of dirt in grading for the
baseball diamond, the building of
325 square yards of concrete
walks and 750 linear feet of stone
walls. These walls vary in height
from twelve inches to five feet.
In addition to these outstanding
changes, many minor improve
ments have been made.
To date, these projects have
cost the school §417.26, a. large
per centage of which has already
been paid.
The money for these projects
has been made through programs
sponsored by the school officials
and faculty of the school. The
school is grateful to the patrons
and friends of the school for
their splendid cooperation in all
of this work, is has been said.
Most of the work done on
these projects, or only the un
skilled labor, was furnished by
the WPA. Various features of
the work that required labor of
a more skilled nature were paid
for out of the funds referred to.
J
Denied New Trial
Howard Dilp (above)., who was
ienied a new trial in a decision
handed down Monday by the Vir
ginia Supreme Court in. Richmond.
[ Hb was sentenced, to die early in
!!)3o for the murder of Chief of
Police Posey Martin, of Galax.
A date for his execution will be
set soon.—Photo Courtesy The
Roanoke (Va.) Times.
“Bolts and Nuts”
is to be given . ]
by the Junior |
—Class of Sparta High j
School, in the school audi-.
torium, on Saturday night,!
January 14. This production
is a comedy in three acts.
Miss Rebecca Bolt, played by
Miss Helen Truitt, inherits a
spooky old tavern and turns it
into a sanitarium for nervous |
patients. Many “nuts’* come to
the sanitarium and are a source!
of much fun. Each patient is j
portrayed as having a peculiar
characteristic of his own, creating
hilarious situations during the en- j
tire pi ay.
Complications multiply as Re-1
beeca searches for her deceased!
brother’s money, which is hidden!
i about the house.
The cast of characters follows:;
Benila Bo|t—Rebecca’s niece,
| Miss Marjorie Halsey; Luita!
! Spinks—-the maid who winks, Miss !
Marjorie McMillan; Rebecca Bolt, j
Miss Helen Truitt; Martha Grubb!
---the cook, Mios Nella Goodman; j
Twink Starr —- Benita’s fiance, ]
John Pugh; Dr. Hippocrates Joy |
—psychiatrist, Guy McCann;
Henry Goober—porter afraid Of !
lunatics; Page Andrews; Phineas
Plunkett—-a lawyer, Roy Choate; j
Miss Prunella Figg—patient with j
claustrophobia, Miss Elvira Wago
ner; Cadwalleder Clippy—patient
j afraid of cats, James Caudill;
I Mrs. Gertie Glossop — another
patient, Miss Louise Edwards;
Wilbur Glossop—her darling child,
Raymond Royal, and Jack Gor-;
don—young interne, Guy Woo'd-j
ruff.
Sentiment for
changes in the
NLR act seems
—to be gaining in W,ashing
! ton, D. C., although no
i fundamental revision is pre
i dieted. There were unmis
| takable signs that the American
Federation of Labor had muster
i ed strong support for its demand
I that the labor board "be deprived
I of discretionary power to desig
I nate craft or industrial unions
j as bargaining agents. A. F. of L.
leaders said they expected legis
lation covering this demand would
be introduced' this week, but de
clined to say who would sponsor
it.
Proposals that the law be
amended to permit employers to
submit labor disputes to the
board, a practice now prohibited
by administrative ruling, also re
ceived support in expressions from
some members.
Congress is assured, however,
of getting one major new issue
this week. That is the national
defense program which President
Roosevelt will outline in a special
message, probably on Thursday.
Governor Clyde Hoey gave
the N. C. General Assembly
a list of 19 "assignments"
—i.n. his legislative message to the law-makers,
touching on almost every phase of the state’s life.
Heard in silence but thunderously applauded as
lie finished the' biennial message, the Chief Executive
warned that there could be no reductions in taxes,
including the sales levy, without similar reductions in
Howard Delp was
denied a new
trial Monday
—in a decision of the Vir
ginia Sufpreme Court in
Richmond, a sentence pass
ed in the Grayson County
(Va.) Circuit Court wa< affirmed.
D dp. Was; sentenced to die in.
April, 1935,;. for the stabbing and
killing.; of Chief of Police Posey
Martin,'in Galax, on February 21,
of that year. I
The crime for Which Delp Was j
sentenced to electrocution was
committed when Chief Martin was;
trying to prevent him (Delp) ;
from escaping for the Galax jail.1
Delp was captured a few. days
later near North Wilkesboro, af-|
ter an extensive man-hunt.
In the opinion handed down
Monday in Virginia’s high court,;
by Chief Justice Preston W.;
Campbell, of Abingdon, the. court j
held that Delp had an impartial!
trial; that there was no conflict j
in evidence and no error in the j
trial record. His attorney argued j
at the Supreme Court hearing in i
November that the Grayson court j
erre.d in refusing to allow a cer
tain instruction which would have
given the jury more latitude in
returning a verdict.
Official consideration of the j
case was'prolonged by the matter I
of Delp’s sanity. In March, 1935, j
a sanity jury in Grayson Circuit |
Court, in Independence, adjudged |
Delp to be. sane, after a hearing, j
and his trial for murder was j
ordered and held immediately, j
However, after his conviction, j
Celp was taken to the Roanoke I
JUDGE DRAPER TO SET
EXECUTION DATE SOON
_ I
Judge John S. Draper -said
Tuesday in Pulaski, Va.,
where he resides, that he
would shortly set a date for
the execution of Howard
Delp, convicted in Grayson
County in 1935 of stabbing i
and killing Chief of Police
Posey Martin, of Galax. j
The State Supreme Court :
of Appeals Monday upheld
the trial jury's verdict.
Judge Horace Sutherland,
Galax, presided at the Delp
trial, but has since retired
from the bench. He was suc
ceeded by Judge Draper.
jail. Later, it was said, he be
came violent, and was taken to
Southwestern State Hospital, in
Marion, for observation and safe
keeping.
Dr. Joseph R. Blalock, super
intendent of the Marion insti
tution, said that a group of psych
iatrists reported to the Grayson
court within the past three months
that Delp is sane.
The tragedy occurred on the
night of Thursday, February 21,
1935. Delp and another man had
been arrested in Galax on the
afternoon of the 21st, on a minor
charge. Bail was arranged by
friends of the second prisoner,
and Chief Martin was summoned
from the nearby Bluemont Hotel,
where he was attending a supper,
to release the man for whom bail
had been provided.
When the officer opened the
cell door to call out the bailed
man, Delp attempted to force his
way out, also, and in the struggle
that followed, Chief Martin was
fatally stabbed in the neck with
a knife or screwdriver. Frank
Dotson, who was then a Galax
town officer, was also seriously
cut about the face and head, but
recovered.
Delp was arrested while walk
ing along a highway near North
Wilkesboro, on Monday night,
February 25—four days after the
tragedy—by Marvin Evans, then
a member of the Galax Police
Department; Deputy Sheriff Earl
Lawson, Galax, and Bill Poe,
Galax, who was serving as a
special officer.
expenditures, anu expressed op
position to a constitutional
amendment to prevent diversion
of highway funds.
He recommended revision oi
the state’s absentee ballot - and
election laws, a §5,000,000 bond
issue for highways, a balanced
budget and “permanent” revenue
act. addition of a 12th grade to
the public school system, and
hours laws for industry nearer to
* ‘ prese nt standards.”
Also suggested was the. use of.
electricity instead of lethal gas
as a mode of execution at cen
tral prison.
In a 20th item covering miscel
laneous recommendations, the
Governor urged “earnest consid
eration” of enlarged programs in
public health, vocational educa
tion, library work and education;
retirement plans for the state’s;
employees'; a permanent state ex
position; laws for roadside im
provement and beautification; a
-tronger anti-lynching law; and
"evision of judical procedure re
ating to the selection of magis
rates and rule-making for courst
The Governor- presented his
egislative message to the entire
General Assembly shortly after
;he house and senate had adopt
ed a resolution presented by Re
presentative Vogler of Mecklen
rurg providing that the legisla
te hold a one-day session in
tiy county to commemorate the
signing of the Mecklenburg de
claration of independence.
Representative Robinson of Mc
Dowell introduced a bill to re
quire the dimming of automobile
lights when vehicles meet on the
Highways.
Both senators and representa
tives praised the Governor’s mes
sage, though some disagreed with
Him on his highway fund diver
sion and election law recommen
dations.
In voicing his opposition to an
amendment to prohibit highway
fund diversion, the Chief Exe
cutive spoke emphatically, and he
devoted a good part of his mes
sage to this subject.
He reasoned that such a mat
ter would be out of place in the
state constitution and that “the
effort is to regulate a temporary
matter by provisions of the fun
damental law.” He cautioned the
legislators against “legislating by
petition,” warning that pressure
probably would be exerted for
a diversion amendment.
Turning to financial matters,
the Governor pointed out that
through normal expansion and
growth, public schools would re
quire an additional §3,000,000
during the next biennium if in
crements for teachers are allow
ed on a 10-year basis, instead of
eight as now.
Premier Daladier
returned to
Paris Sunday
—from his tour of France’s
Mediterranean possessions
with the warning jof “great
tasks” ahead if her empire
is to be kept intact.
His arrival marked the begin
ning of what may be a momen
tous week in the budding contro
versy with Italy raised by fascist
press tumult for Corsica, Tunisia
and other French territories.
A cabinet meeting with Presi
dent Albert Lebrun presiding was
called for Tuesday when,
also, British Prime Minister
Chamberlain and his foreign sec
retary, Viscount Halifax, wiE stop
in Paris for a conference on their
way to Rome for appeasement
talks with Premier Mussolini.
The French parliament will
reconvene the same day with a
full dress debate on foreign af
fairs as its first business.
The return of Daladier ended
brief country sojourns of Foreign •
Minister Georges Bonnet and
other other cabinet members.
The premier, who left Paris
New Year’s day, had toured Cor
sica and Tunisia, prime objects 'of |H
the Italian press clamor, as
as Alegria.