Volume No. 15. GALAX, VA. (Published for Sparta, N. C.) THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 1939. Number 16.
This Week
I • in
Washington
Washington, Aug. 30 (AS).—
When former President Hoover
took occasion to call Senator
Barkley to task for his statements
about the growth of the National
Debt during the last Republican
Administration, it was taken in
some quarters in Washington as
an intimation that Mr. Hoover
was setting the stage for his own
nomination for the Presidency
next year.
In all informed political quart
ers it was considered; as at least
notice to anybody concerned that
the former President is keeping
a vejry close eye on national po
litcal affairs, and may be expect
ed. to have a good deal to say
about the Republican candidate
for 1940.
Inquiring reporters who have
gone out from Washington to see
Mr. Hoover at his home in Palo
Alto, California, have come back
with reports indicating that they
believe the former President to be
a receptive but not so far an
active candidate.
The impression seems to be
that he definitely will take an
active hand in pre-convention
politics, at any rate, and unless
the probable nominee is someone
of whom he approves, he may
take advantage of his growth in
personal popularity in the past
seven years to throw his own hat
into the ring.
Coming from one observer who
has had exceptional opportunities
to talk with the former President
on the 1940 race, the belief is
put. forth that he does not want
to run, or serve again, though he
is physically active and mentally
fit as most men much younger
than hi- own 65 years.
This. same observer came back
from. Palo Alto with the belief
that Mr. Hoover is, to put it mild
ly, not enthusiastic over Senator
Vandenberg, of Michigan, as the
party’s choice for the head of
the ticket; that he likes and ad
mires Thomas E. Dewey, of New
York, very much indeed and wish
es he were a few years older
and had, a record of successful
administration as an executive
behind him; and that he has a
great deal of respect for the abil
ity of Senator Taft, of Ohio,
coupled with the belief that he
would command the respect of
the country at large once he got
into the campaign.
«A '
Hoover's Position
In short, the nearest to “feed
box information” about the form
er President’s position in respect
of 1940 is thaj he would, con
sider a ticket headed by Senator
Taft, with District Attorney Dew
ey as his running mate, as about
the best and most popular ticket
the Republicans have to offer,
and that while he would some
what reluctantly consent to be
drafted if such a ticket can
not be nominated, Mr. Hoover
doesn’t want the job of being
President again. He knows too
much ebout its difficulties.
In view of all the reports cited
here about Mr. Hoover’s position,
it seems clear to Washington poli
ticians that he will have a great
deal to say in Republican party
affairs. Contrary to a general
impression, he is not only on good
terms with Chairman John Ham
ilton of the Republican National
Crmnrttee but believes that Mr.
Hamilton is doing a very good
job of uniting conflicting elements
in the party, despite serious lack
of funds with which to work.
Dewey’* Candidacy
The Dewey candidacy is, thus
far, being promoted publicly
chiefly in hi* native state of
Michigan, by the people of his
old home town of Owosso, where
the family doctor who officiated
at his birth is honorary president
of the Dewey-fdr-President Club.
Whether Dewey heads the tick
et will depend largely upon the
impression he makes when he be
gins his speech-making campaign
in the course of the next month
or so. Dewey’s friends are con
fident that once he begins to talk
to the public, directly or on the
air, there will be a great popular
wave of enthusiasm for the hand
some, courageous and eloquent
young man who came so near
to being elected Governor of New
York * last year.
News out of Michigan does not
indicate any worry on the part
> of' that state’s other favorite son,
Senator Arthur Vandenberg. His
campaign if. well under way, with
headquarters in the leading hotel
of Mr. Vant’enberg’s home town
of Grand Rapids. Vandenberg
clubs are being organized all over
the state, to promote his re-eLec
tion to the Senate and at the
same time delegates are being
corralled for* his nomination for
the Presidency. As there is no
other Michigan Republican in the
field, the outlook is for a solid)
Vandenberg delegation.
With The Democrat*
On the Democratic side there
are only two active and avowed
Presidential candidates so far,
rrt one of them will withdraw
(tom to page five, piMb)
Thanksgiving in
North Carolina
is to remain
—the same as 'heretofore
and North Carolinians will
observe the annual day of
thanks for spiritual and
material blessings this year on
the same date they have done so
for 75 years—the last Thursday
in November.
Governor H o e y announced
Mond/ay in Raleigh that, after
“mature consideration,” he had
decided it would be “unwise” to
change the date, as President
Roosevelt suggested1, so that the
day would fall one week earlier.
Hence, the Governor said, No
vember 30, will be designated as
the official, Thanksgiving in this
state.
“The reasons for a change are
not impressive,” he continued in
a formal statement. “For 75
years the last Thursday in No
vember has been observed in
America as a day of Thanksgiv
ing, and is so well established in
the public mind/ and in the tra
ditions of the people that a
change is not desirable unless
there is some compelling reason.
“The suggestion that it is too
close to Christmas and too far
away from Labor Day overlooks
the fact that Armistice Day is
rather generally observed. Any
way, if Thanksgiving was to come
midway between Labor Day and
Christmas it would be fixed for
early in November.”
He said he understood orphan
ages had planned Thanksgiving
offerings and a change would dis
rupt their plans as well as “re
sult in much confusion as to many
other observances of the day.”
Wed In Knoxville
Mrs. E. William Powell
(above), who waa, before her
marriage on Sunday, August 18,
in Knoxville, Tenn,, Miss Mary
Virginia Wright, daughter of Mr.
and Mia. William Lee Wright, of
Independence. — Photo Courtesy,
The Roanoke Times.
Veterans of the
Grand Army of
the Rqf ic
—shined up their muskets
end dusted off boots Tues
day night in Pittsburgh, Pa.,
in preparation for a strict
military parade—without women
and automobiles.
Declaring they would have no
part of modem machines to carry
them over the mile long uphill
parade route Wednesday,'the 100
odd “boys in blue" insisted they
would march behind their state
department colors.
The veterans ruled out women
and auxiliary members in civilian
dress. Only themselves and veter
ans of other wars and other
military units were allowed'.
The decision to have “just
one more" strict military parade
coincided with the apparent key
note of the 73rd omn«l encamp
ment that this is the last gather
ing for many and perhaps the
last parade of the grand army.
The United Statee marine band)
was the leading musical organ
isation of the parade in which
nearly 1,500 national guardsmen,
three divisions of Veterans of
Foreign Wars, American Legion,
and U. S. reserve officers par
ticipated.
i Members of the
Sparta Methodist
Women’s Missionary
i —Society gathered at the home
of Mrs. Ed McMillan on Thurs
day night, August 17, when Mrs.
McMillan and Mrs. Harry Vaugh
an were joint hostesses to the
society. Mrs. J. T'. Inskeep pre
sided during the business session.
The program leader, Mrs. R.
E. Black, was assisted by Mrs.
R. T. Burchette, Mrs. Beal Poole,
Mrs. Granville Liles and Miss
Nina Gray Liles in presenting the
program of the month.
The hostesses served cake, ice
cream and iced tea to seventeen
members.
Dates for the
1939 “Tar Heel”
hunting seasons
j —together with changes
| made in these seasons by
the Board of Conservation
and Development, have just
been announced by the Game and
Inland Fishing division of the
department.
The deer and bear seasons open
i October 1 and extend , to January
1. Deer can be hunted in all
the counties with the exception of
Alleghany, Ashe, Surry, Wilkes
and* Yadkin, where the season is
closed this year, while in Samp
son county the season will be
only from November 1 through
November 30. There will be only
a 15 day deer hunting season,
from November 1 through No
vember 15 in Avery, Caldwell,
Cherokee, Clay, McDowell, Swain,
Watauga and Yancey counties,
and in Macon county north and
west of Highway No. 64. It is
unlawful to hunt deer with dogs
' at any time west of Person,
Orange, Chatham, Moore and
Richmond counties,
Bear can be hunted in most of
the counties during the general
season above except in Alleghany,
Wilkes, Caldwell, Burke, Ruther
ford and all counties west of
these, where the season will be
from October 20 to January 1.
The squirrel season for other
than Fox squirrel and Southern
Red squirrel (boomers) will be
from October 1 through January
15, with many exceptions, which
will be announced later.
The quail season will open
Thanksgiving Day, November 30
and extend through February 15
in most of the counties. One ex
ception is Union county, where
the season will be only 30 days,
from December 10 to January 10.
In six counties—Craven, Dup
lin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir and
Onslow—hunting for quail will
be pemnitted only three days a
week, or on Tuesdays, Thursdays
and - Saturdays, the other days
being “lay days’' as requested by
the sportsmen in these counties.
The rabbit reason will also be
from November 30 through Feb
ruary 15, with no bag limit. The
wild turkey and grouse seasons
also extend from November 30
through February 15, with the
exceptions that the season for
wild turkey will be closed in this
year in Alleghany, Wilkes, Cald
well, Burke and Rutherford coun
ties.
The opossum and raccoon sea
sons, for hunting with gun or
dogs only, is from October 1
through February 1, while the
trapping season is from Novem
ber 1 through February 15, with
numerous exceptions. Trapping
of opossum and, raccoon will be
permitted in Dare county from
December 1 to March 1, only and
is prohibited entirely in the fol
lowing counties: Bladen, Colum
bus, Craven, Duplin, Graham,
(turn to page six, please/
Contract for the
construction of
a water tank
—for the town of Sparta, by the
Cale Construction Company, has
been released by the WPA office
in Atlanta, Ga., and it is expected
that work on the tank will begin
immediately.
The contract (for the construc
tion of the water mains is ex
pected to be released within the
next few days. The deadline for
the completion of this project
is set for December 10.
The water supply from the
wells has been, approved both as
to quantity and as to quality.
The delay in starting the work
has been brought about by the
necessity of having to give to the
Government an analysis of the
water showing that then wen no
contents requiring a filtering pro
cess before it could be uaed.
< Sample Census To Guide 1940 Count . .
SOUTH BEND, Ind.—Typical of enumeration in rural com
munities is this scene in the Center Township; St. Joseph County,
-Ind., where Joe Raderstorf, a truck farmer, pauses in his plowing
| to give vital data to the special census enumerator.
jWith many prominent leaders to speak—
| The Alleghany Baptist Association is
to meet at Chestnut Grove on Friday
—Saturday and Sunday, September 8, 9 and 10.
This will be the 42nd annual meeting of the
Association. The newly-constructed brick Chest
I nut Grove Church, where the three-day meeting is to
; be held, is located one-half mile east of Sparta, just off
; the highway. The first session will begin Friday morning,
National And World
NEWS
At A Glance
[ JOHNSON NOMINATED
; Jackson, Miss., Aug. 29.—Paul
|B. Johnson, running with the
'political blessing5,1 of Senator
j Theodore G. (The Man) Bilbo,
i today was elected governor of
| Mississippi on the basis of un
1 official returns from nearly three
j quarters of the state’s voting pre
j cincts.
Johnson held a majority of
14,000 votes over his rival Martin
Sennett (Mike) Conner with re
turns tabulated from 1194 of the
j State’s 1660 voting precincts.
DUCE’S AID SOUGHT
Rome, Aug. 29.—A British ef
| fort to influence Adoljf Hitler
| further toward a peaceable set
jtlement of the European crisis
j through the good offices of Prem
| ier Mussolini was reported in
I diplomatic circles tonight.
Sir Percy Loraine, British am
{bassador, had a half-hour talk
with Italian Foreign Minister
Count Galeazzo Ciano this after
noon. Neitheir the British nor
the Italians would say what was
discussed, but both indicated that
Mussolini was acting as an active
go-between.
AMERICANS HURRY HOME
London, Aug. 29.—Americans
warned by consulates and em
bassies to go home spent their
time today waiting for their ships
to come in.
With about 4,000 Americans
registered with the embassy in
London, Ambassador Joseph P.
Kennedy put the finishing touches
to evacuation plans if the con
fusion of war suddenly breaks
upon England.
SQUALUS SINKS AGAIN
Portsmouth, N. H., Aug. 28_
For the second time in three
months the bow of the ill-fated
submarine Squalus thrust itself
above the surface of the Atlantic
in a wild smother of foam today,
but once again the craft and her
26 djead settled back to the bot
tom.
Within a hair’s breadth of com
pleting probably the most remark,
able salvage job in naval history,
the crew that has labored above
the Squalus since May 23 left
the bow of the craft embedded in
a mud bank tonight.
YARNELL GIVEN MEDAL
Washington, Aug. 28.—Presi
dent Roosevelt presented the Dis
tinguished Service medal to Ad
miral Harry E. Yarnell, retiring
commander-in-chief of the Asiatic
fleet, today and cited him for his
skillful handling of "the many
delioate situations that arose dur
ing the continued emergency in
China.’’ ;
Yarnell, a native of Iowa, is
scheduled) to retire November 1,
after reaching the
of 64.
a.\j ten v anu uic kjatuxua^
morning and Sunday morning
sessions will also open at ten
o’clock.
A. 0. Joines, Moderator of the
Association, will preside at the
sessions.
The Friday morning session
theme will be “Magnifying Christ
as Savior and Lord.”
Friday morning, the devotional
service will be conducted by W.
F. Doughton. This will be fol
lowed by prayers, hymns, etc.,
and the roll call of churches, as
well as election of officers and
appointment of committees. Re
ports of churches, showing
achievements of the past year
■ and outlining objectives for the
coming year, will also be heard1.
A report on “Magnifying Christ
jin Our Reading” will be given by
| Mrs. W. B. Estep, and the subject
will be discussed by Rev. R. F.
Terrell.
A sermon will be delivered, also
on Friday morning, by Rev. J.
M. Hayes.
The afternoon session Friday
will begin at 1:30 o’clock.
The session theme for Friday
afternoon will be “The Church
and Its World1 Program,” and
the devotions are to be ledt by
Rev. Willie Hamm.
“Mission Opportunities Here and
Abroad—State, Home and For
eign Missions’’ will be reported
on and discussed by Rev. Howard
J. Ford, pastor of the Sparta
church. M. A. Huggins, secre
tary of the. State Board, will de
liver an address on “The Work
in General,” to be followed by a
report of the Baptist World Alli
ance, by Mrs. B. E. Reeves, West
Jefferson.
"ihe Church m Its Ministry to
Human Needs” will be the theme
for the session to be held Satur
day morning, when devotions are
to be in charge of Rev. C. G.
Andrews.
Reports will be given Saturday
moaiung as follows: “Aged, Minis
ters,” Rev. A. F. Absher; “Hos
pitals,” Mrs. W. P. Maxwell;
“Orphanage,” Mrs. Alice Caudill;
“Discussion,” J. A. McMillan, and
“Temperance,” Mrs. J. T. Fender.
A report of the Resolutions
Committee will be made, followed
by an address by Dr. Smith Hagp
man, superintendent of the Bap
tist Orphanage of North Carolina.
The theme for the Saturday
afternoon session will be “The
Church in Its Ministry of Teach
ing,’* with devotions to be led| by
Mrs. George Crutchfield.
Reports will be given Satur
day afternoon as follows: “Sum
day Schools,” Mrs. R. E. Rich
ardson; “Woman’s Missionary
Union,” Mrs. A. O. Joines;
“Christian Education,’’ J. M.
Cheek, former superintendent of
Alleghany County Public Schools,
and “Parsonages,” Duke Bledsoe
and J. T. Fencer.
An address is to be delivered
during the afternoon session, by
Rev. Eph Whisenhunt, pastor of
the First Baptist Church in Elkin.
“The Church in Its Ministry of
Teaching” will be the theme for
the Saturday night session, also.
A program of Baptist Training
Union work, under the direction
of Tom Green, Rev. Howard /J.
Ford and Rev. A. F. Absher, will
be presented as the outstanding
(turn to page 6, please)
Primitive Baptists
of the Mountain
District will meet
—for their 141st annual session,
at Zion Church, Edward- Cross
Roads, six miles east of Sparta,
tomorrow (Friday), Saturday and i
Sunday.
Elders C. B. Kilby and S. G.
Caudill, Sparta, are pastors. Eld
er J. D. Vass, Fancy Gap, Va.,
will preside, and J. M. Rector,
Galax, will serve as clerk.
The pastors, deacons, clerks and j
messengers are urged to make a
special effort to attend these |
meetings. A cordial invitation is i
also extended' the public to at- !
tend.
Sparta High
| School opened
for the 1939-40
—term, Monday, with every
i indication of a successful
school year. A number of
patrons and friends of the
school were present for the open
ing exercises.
j Rev. C- W. Ervin conducted
the deVotionals, afterwards mak
ing a brief, witty talk. Walter
Osborne, chairman of the local
school committee, spoke briefly,
pointing out the need for more
school buses. The buses are over
crowded, he said;, and it is neces
sary for some of them to make
two trips, which means that the
students who have a distance to
I walk to meet the bus must leave
home before daylight during the
'winter months, and return after
|dark.
! C. R. Roe, principal of the
j school, outlined the major aims
; of the school for the year, which
will be the seven cardinal prin
I ciples of secondary education. He
I added that more emphasis will be
i placed on teaching the children
how to study.
Miss Imogene Choate sang
“Living for Jesus,” accompanied
by Miss Edna Poole at the piano.
It was with real regret that
the community learned of the
resignation of several of last
1 year’s faculty members, and the
school feels their loss keenly, it
has been said. However, it is
| felt that the new teachers select
jedi will be valuable additions to
• the teaching staff, and the school
and entire community extends bo
them a cordial welcome.
| A complete list of the teachers
follows:
C. R. Roe, principal.
High School: Mirs. Dalton War
ren, Miss Nina Gray Liles, Miss
Aileen Perry, W. B. Taylor,
! Thomas Haigwood, B. F. McCann,
; Miss Mary Faulk, Home Eco
nomics, and H. H. Higgins, Agri
| culture.
Elementary Department: Miss
; Gertrude Andrews, Arnold Jones,
Mrs. Vance Choate, Miss Donna
Jones, Miss Annie Sue McMillan,
Mrs. A. C. McMillan, Mrs. W. C.
Thompson, Mrs. Sam Richardson,
Mrs. Haswell Rector and Miss
Edna Poole.
Automobile races
will feature the
Great Galax Fair
—closing day, Saturday,
September 2, at 2:30 o’clock
in the afternoon, according
to information given out
'by fair officials. “Thrills,
chills, and spills” are promised
those who witness these exciting
races.
Another thrilling feature of
the fair, on the midway, is the
exciting “Hell Drivers” motor
drome, where daring motorcy
clists do death-defying stunts.
The Art Shows are on the
midway. This large carnival
(Monday). This large carnival
aggregation has all the old pop
ular riding devices and shows, as
well as several brand new ones
that have never been here be
fore. These include three large
ferris wheels, the Whip, the
Merry-go-round, the Octopus, the
Tilt-a-whirl, the Chair-plane, an
unusually large and exciting
RoU-o-plane, the well-k n o w n
riding device that furnishes all
kinds of humpty-bumps for the
riders in a large number of small
cars on a platform, a large Pun
House, the usual array of . side
shows, etc., and other thrilling
features.
A number of shows are booked
for added free grandstand at
tractions tonight (Thursday) and.
(tom to oam* 6. ' I
HHler seemed
ready to consider
peace proposals
—as judged by what infor
mation was available in
Berlin and the rest of Eur
ope concerning the contents
of the German fuehrer’s reply to
a “final” British warning and
peace appeal. The reply was
handed; to British Ambassador Sir
Neville Henderson in the reich’s
chancellery Tuesday night. The
ambassador, who carried the Brit
ish proposals to Berlin from Lon
don Monday by air, remained
with Hitler 25 minutes.
Hitler is ready to examine
“even half-way sensible propos
als” for solving his quarrel; with
Poland, the German people were
told early yesterday (Wednesday)
after the reply to the British
communications was sent off. The
statement was made by the per
sonal organ of Field Marshal
Hermann W. Goering, the Na
tional Zeitung of Essen.
The assertion by the newspaper
of Germany’s No. 2 Nazi was
taken as a clear indication that
Hitler is prepared to continue
diplomatic discussions and that
his message to the British gov
ernment probably, contained such
an announcement.
Nazis believed that Hitler had
revived Europe’s hopes of avert
ing war.
“The fuehrer’s readiness to ex
amine even halfway bearable and
sensible proposals and make an
effort by these proposals to get
nearer an eventual and necessairy
solution is exemplary in every
statesman,’’ today’s National Zeit
ung said editorially.
“Even if the diplomatic con
versations of Berlin and London
are continued the situation still
is serious, even extremely ser
ious.” .!
This last statement was taken
by many Nazi observers to indi
cate that Hitler was ready to
continue diplomatic exchanges
with the British government in
efforts to find a pacific solution
of the crisis that has put 12,
000,000 or more men under arms
along Europe’s frontiers.
Hitler’s reply to Britain’s “fin
al answer’’ was landed to British
Ambassador Sir Neville Hender
son at 7:15 p. m. (2:15 p. m.
e.d.t.) Tuesday in the fuehrer's
vast study at the Reich chancel
lery, to be communicated; to Lon
don without delay.
Optimism developed in Nazi
political quarters, after 48 hours
of increasing despair, in a belief
that Hitler might have left open
the door to peaceful negotiation.
Hitler, it was said, found
enough in Britain’s “final answer”
to regard’ it as worth his while to
continue diplomatic handling of
his demands on Poland without
immediately sending his armies
smashing eastward.
Is Named Princess
Miss La Von Osborne (above),
of near Independence who waa
recently selected as the princess
to represent Grayson County at
the Rockingham Turkey Festival
bo be held at Harrisonburg, Va.,
Monday and Tuesday, September
4 and 5.—Photo Courtesy The
Roanoke Times.
Circle No. 2 of
the Baptist Women’s
Missionary Union
—met at the home at Mrs. Ed
Lundy Tuesday night, August IS.
The leader, Mrs. R. L. Hicker
son, presented an interesting pro
gram.
Visitors were Mrs.