Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / Oct. 21, 1954, edition 1 / Page 10
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A weekly newspaper devoted to the promotion of the general welfare and published (or the enlightenment, entertainment and benefit of the citizens o t Kings Mountain and its, vicinity, published every Thursday by the Herald Publishing House. Entered as second class matter at the postofflee at Kings Mountain, N. O, under Act . - of Congress of March 3, 1873 V V EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Martin Harmon Editor-Publisher diaries T. Carpenter, Jr. Sports, Circulation, News Miss Elizabeth Stewart Society Mro. Tbcmss M.achani Booking. New. MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT Eugene Matthews Horace Walker Dawld Weather* Ivan Weaver* Charles Miller Paul Jackson (?Member of Armed Forces) TELEPHONE NUMBERS? 167 or 283 SUBSCRIPTION RATES PAYABLE IN ADVANCE ONE YEAR? $2.50 SIX MONTHS? $1.40 THREE MONTHS? 75c BY MAIL ANYWHERE TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. Proverbs t9:Z9. Political Notes In two occurrences, the Republican party, fighting hard to Tetain control of the United States Congress and in dan ger of losing both branches, had hard sailing during the past week. ? Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson, , with a major political appeal scheduled for Chicago, found himself in the role of apologist for his own inadvertent re marks comparing habits of bird dogs and kennel fed dogs. Then over the weekend Congressman Stringfellow, of Utah, admitted he had traveled under false colors for several years. He had sustained permanent in juries when hit by an exploding land mine, not as a cloak-and-dagger, behind the-enemy lines operator. This develop ment must have caused embarrassment in many quarters, including the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce, which last year named Stringfellow one of the nation's ten young men of the' year. Secretary Wilson did apologize, and profusely, for his politically inept re marks, and Congressman Stringfellow, after a temporary attempt to run out his bluff, went on the radio and confessed all. That both incidents will have material effect on the campaign at hand can hardly be denied, with the effect in fa vor of the Democrat "outs". As happens in situations of the kind, both incidents, by the nature of the political situation and the time of their occurrence, were played out of proportion to their normal importance. Secretary Wilson, who worked his way to the top as president of General Motors, is naturally a man of consider able self-reliance, and though h? has yet to learn that running a politically Involved job is quite different from run ning a private business, even one as big as General Motors, he remains still an able and hard working Secretary of De fense, who has not allowed the Pentagon brass to have a field day in the depart ment. And the plight of Congressman String fellow has elicited the sympathy of many people over the nation. While none will condone the subterfuge, all will re cognize the human weaknesses involved in the paraplegic's willingness to be a little more than what he actually was. To err is human, to forgive divine. Absentees No Good North Carolina would do well to fake the absentee voting privilege off its law books. Recent revelations of skullduggery in Graham county, where absentees were reported being sold as high as $85 each, is another sample in a continuing dos sier of evidence that the bad features of absentee' vote and its concurrent temp tations outweigh the good aims of al lowing the ill and the away-'rom-home the privilege of the ballot. One newspaper remarked that paying $85 for one vote sounded pretty exag gerated, and all will be quick to agree, but the fact of sale doe.<j most likely exist, and not only in Graham county. There are other abuses, too, where the party in control of the election machin ery practices chicanery; It may be possible for the General As sembly to enaet a law sufficiently tight to eliminate the malpractices, but the odds are against it. It you haven't cleaned out your attic yet, do it. and give the used clothing to the Lions club committee which is get ting ready for the 1954 sale of used wearables to be conducted jointly with the Y\ oman's Club. Hurricane -Hazel wreaked terrible damage. Already the weather experts, whose service saved untold lives in the terriirle blow, have tagged the next one with t .e name "Irene". All hope she will be 1 >n;; in coming and less lusty in her actions. ? . f Auditor Cooke's Letter The letter of summation R. H. Cooke, Shelby certified public accountant, wrote on the City of Kings Mountain's audit report for the 1953-54 fiscal year did not make good reading. Salient bad points included 1) over spending of the budget by $109,418.18; 2) the quashing of parking tickets; 3) poor internal control on purchasing and paying for goods; 4) absence of records to verify Certain accounts and receipts; 5) poor bookkeeping procedures in vir tually all departments. Auditor Cooke indicated that a con siderable portion of the overspending re sulted from commingling of unbudgetcd bond monies with other funds, spending them without prior revision of the bud get, plus other over-spending due to last year's water shortage. The revelation that only slightly more than 16 percent of parking meter tickets , issued had been paid was especially galling to the few citizens who complied with the law and paid the dollar fines, and the reference to loose handling of the meter take has rough inferences. The criticism on ?oor internal control on purchasing, paying for goods and ab sence of verifying records of receipts is probably the worse segment of the re port, particularly since these categories have come in for criticism at least twice previously, both in 1952-53 and 1951-52. The fact that the auditor reported the tax accounts and utilities accounts in ?balance minimizes these complaints, for, in the long run, the point is to balance, which means the monies involved are accounted for. From the standpoint of the public, two side matters should stand out as para mount. One is the obvious cover-up ef fort by the administration, the letter of comment having been written by the au ditor on September 14, exactly one month before this newspaper was able to obtain and publish the report. The other is the fact that the board honored the request of the auditor for additional money for the tedious extra work involved in conducting the audit. Undoubtedly Mr. Cooke deserved the money, but he had received the auditing contract on bid. Should a Contractor on any one of the numerous city construc tion projects now underway come to the board with a plea for more money, we presume that the contractor would find at best a "that's tough" attitude. Most probably the contractor would get a big horse laugh. But Mr. Cooke got $200 more than his bid, an unusual and ir regular payment of questionable wisdom and intent. The persons with immediate respon sibility are the city clerk and, very closely, the mayor, who is the city's chief executive officer. In turn, members of the board of commissioners must share responsibility, though they have much lesS to do with direct operations of the city than the clerk' and mayor. The auditor's letter indicates the businessman's administration hasn't been very businesslike. Recommendations and comments among bankers on Richard S. Lennon, indicate the Rowland, N. C., native will be a worthy successor to L. E. Abbott as the First National bank's vice-presi dent and cashier. Mr. Lennon has been working just a bit south of the North Carolina border at Kullins, S. C? for the past decade, where he has made a good record, both at Mullins and in South Carolina banking circles. The city tax report, showing more than 44 percent of 1954 city tax bills paid, indicates Kings Mountain people are anxious to get this annual chord ac complished. All people can't arrange to , discount their hills by early payment, but all should work at getting them paid in time to prevent extra penalties for late payment. A best bow to Mrs. Edgar Sellers, who has assumed the presidency of the Kings Mountain Council of Churchw<jmen. 1/"V YEARS AGO Items of news about Kings Mountain area people and events * W THIS WEEK taken from the 1944 files of the Kings Mountain Herald. Members of the Kings Moun tain Kiwanis club will be hosts B. to the city school teachers this , evening at 7 o'clock at the Wo man's club. Stockholders of the Kings Mountain Cbuntry club mot last Friday night at City Hall and elected cUib directors for the Com-1 ing year. Captain P. G. Padgett was re cently awarded the SilVer Star, third highest of Army battle a wards for gallantry in action. Capt. Padgett is a battalion sur geon serving with an Infantry regiment of thte 36th "Texas" dl 'vision fighting In France. Social and Personal Mrs. Ben Phifer has returned from a visit with her /daughter in New York City. . Byron Keeter returned Satur day from a business trip to Balti more. Maryland. v MARTIN'S MEDICINE By Martin Harmon Ingredients: bits of news, wisdom, humor , and comment. Directions: Take weekly, if p^Mible, but avoid overdosage. It might be stated that Kings Mountain evened the score with Rutherford County last Friday ; night, footballastically speak ing, as the high school gridmen put a one-touchdown loss, on powerful Rutherfordton - Spin dale, pre-gamte favorite. m-m The victory momentarily knocked the losers out of a sure tie for the conference division championship and materially enhanced the Mountaineer chanctes of firih'r^ in the top echelon. However, two great big tests remain . in what is turning out to be one of Kings Mountain's toughest schedules in years. These are Belmont; two-touchdown victor over the aforementioned Rutherford team, and, ahem, the ever-pre sent and looming Shelby. m-m But winning Friday night was a measure of revenge for the forest City, loss, only ble mish on the Mountaineer re cord to date. As it happens in sports, the record books mean little, for Rutherf-"-dton-Spln dale had walloped Forest City earlier in the season. m-m Among last Friday night's interested spectators were Bill Dole and Chuck Clements, the Davidson College coaches, tak ing advantage of an open date for a busman's holiday and al so a looksee at some youngs ters who might help the Wild cat victory count in 1956 and subsequent years. m-m Coach Dole wanted to know how much Moarle Valentine weighed, both on the scales and bookwise. I asked if Davidsorf still is tough on the boys about their scholastic eligibility re quirements and the grimacing grunt of a reply indicated that the crip courses are somewhat limited at the Presbyterian in stitution. Coach Dole thought both teams looked good, watch ed Ken Cook, the tackle with the talented place-kicking toe, and was surprised to leam Geiorge Harris was only a high school Junior. He also kept his eyes on Arnold Issaac, a Ruth erfordton halfback. m-m Grandstand quarte rbackp Paul McGinnis, HUion Ruth, and Carl Mauney were 1ft the Dole Clements vicinity and matched play .. calling wits. When Gteorge Harris kicked out on the two-yard line late In the fourth quarter, Dole had said he would use a fourth down pass. The ball was on the 28-yard line, and Dole reasoned that the kick would probably hit the end zone, for a mfere eight-yard Improvement In real estate. But the Harris kick eyes on Arnold Isaac, a Ruth ing look as good as Marilyn Monroe. m-m Athletic ability has been the mteans of many a youngster's acquiring a college diploma, the national mania for sports com petition of- all kinds making it Imperative that colleges field good teams. Davidson, of course, is right In pnaklng the athletes get their proper share of book-learning, for a 35-year old athlete is an old man, from the standpoint of future great deeds in the nation's stadia. There will probably be con tinuous and continuing anti subsidization movements through the years, but as long as Americans love a winner thfere will continue to be scho larship programs, college Touchdown clubs. Educational Foundations, and other organic zations devoted to helping sleek backs and rugged tackles work their way through col lege. And work it is. m-m Dotted notes: From the hand of Mrs. Baxter Payseur comes thb note that Dr. Henry C. Sprinkle, Jr., the former pastor of Central Methodist church and editor of "World Outlook", is on a four-month trip to India and other points in the Far East. Mrs. Sprinkle and Mrs. Charlie Jordan, wife of the Duke university ' public rela tions director, are accompany ing the minister-editor. It re minds that I last saw Dr. Sprinkle in a navy chow line, Norfolk. Va? 1942, while Dr. Sprinkle was a navy chaplain. P. C. Cochrane, the con tractor, says road-building con tracts are being bid at unusual ly low figures. Some, hie thinks, are sufficiently low to endan ger the financial standing of some of the successful bid ders June Cloninger. a dyed-in- the wool baseball fan, remarked on leaving the foot ball field larft Friday night, "These boys are gonna make a football fan of me yet"...... Toby Williams, the vleteran mike man at the football games, didn't sound like him self Friday night and I was about to conclude that the weather Hurricane Haas} \ '? son now rlnrlt y un til I learned the r. aplifters had been re-worked . ? > . . .Speaking ot H*M, shewa* quite i aevor it local people vntm concerned about friends and properties in the area 1,1 Among Rutherford fan* tat IDCALS TO Oil? X[ %?%/ 31 y/mW~ life m mm 7#^, * J<r^ c lw S n " HOMES-SCHOOLS-CHURCHES . . , must jo in hands to give life its direction. Visit your schools. AMERICA N?V Eolj C ATI O N WEEK Viewpoints of Other Editors THE MESS IN I GRAHAM COUNTY Our reaction to the Graham County mess can be stated in a short exclamatory sentence: Re peal the absentee ballot law!. Secretary of State Thad Eure charged that absentee ballots were selling in Graham County as high as $85 a ballot. The sale of ballots was set in motion by the heat of a sheriff contest, we are told. The Immediate step that ought to be taken is full investigation of the charge and punishment of any persons found guilty of traf ficking in ballots, lite State's at torney general already has mov ed. He has orderted the State Bu reau of Investigation todig to the bottom of the Graham County mess. Well and good. But North Carolina shouldn't stop with an SBI investigation even ^f it is followed by convic tions of guilty persons. The State Legislature, to preserve the in tegrity of elections, needs to car ry the election reform of 1939 a step further. That is, the abolition of absentee voting in primaries ought to hte extended to general elections. "Repeal the absentee ballot law!" we" exclaimed at the begin ning of this piece. Well, we're willing to settle for something like the system that applies to primaries. Under the 1939 law, no absentee voting is permitted in a primary except by men and wo men in the armed stervices. Per haps a bed-ridden sick person should have the right to vote ab sentee provided the "bed-ridden ness" is certified by a physician. But. in general what the State needs Is repeal of the absentee voting. And let there be no exception to the state-wide rule. Graham County holds elections under a special act which permits anyone who may be unable to vote at the polls on election day to cast an absentee ballot. The Charlotte News made an interesting littlte study of the ef fect of the special act for Graham County. The News noted that through October 7 the Graham elections board had delivered 342 ballots to civilians and 84 to mem bers of the armed stervices. Gra ham County is a small mountain county (the 1950.pop??*tfnlR wi* less than 7,000). The total vote In Graham County in 1952 was 2,970. The Newa constrasted Graham with populous Mecklenburg, which cast 77,388 votes in the 1952 general election. Through October 7, thte Mecklenburg Board of Elections had Issued on ly 40 absentee ballots including those issued to persons in the armed forces. The relatively high number of absentee ballots lssuted in Graham County isn't conclu sive evidence of election abuse, but It's suggestive. Doubtless there would be less chance of abuste in Graham Coun ty if that county were not per mitted to hold elections under a special act which Isn't as tlghtly Swn as the state-wide law. But experience of North Carolina has shown that the surest way to safeguard the state's elections ? general as well as primary ~ would be to abolish absentee vot ing, except by service men and women and perhaps by the bed ridden. ? 8mithfielA Herald. THOUGHT FOB TODXf What is a totalitarian state* A totalitarian state is one where everything Is compulsory "that Is not forbidden. ? Pari s ' PourquoiPa*. tor last Friday's football game was Tom Wlngate, editor of tbo Rutherford County News, who converted his auto into a virttal bus for the trip heite Tom's passenger count was eight youngsters, plus himself ? a? ch 4 u ? Htayir.'JK ; , iS.'i : 'r"t '??!? ? ? 7* , * ? . *, * t. "* '? ;'J. 'V ?$' V TODAY'S SCHOOL TEACHER What teachers neea to make a success of their efforts is skill and enthusiasm in selling their product: Education. That's what new recruits to the teaching corps of New' Orleans public schools were told in an orientation con ference. Today's successful pedagogue is many persons: A super-salesman who can con vince that school work Is worth while, absorbing fun. A cowboy who can lasso pupils' wandering thoughts and get them back inside the classroom corral. A soldier who can repulse ag gressions of space men and 'comic books. An athlete fast enough to be several hops, skips and jumps ahead of agile Juvenile minds. All of these plus a modern job, , a diplomat, a scientist and, of| course, a scholar. And a banker, too, for entrust ed to them is the community's J prized possession, its youth. ? blew Orleans State. MUD FLATS XN . GREENSBORO The Greensboro Dally News on Friday published a big, impres sive and disturbing picture of the mud flats left by low water in Brandt Lake, a thief source of it* water supply. Last year Raleigh reservoirs | were in a similar, alarming con ditio^.: Undoubtedly these recurring problems of cities short of water are local conditions. They empha size, howevter, that North Caro lina as a developing State has no greater business than the careful development of all its water re sources. Shortages in city after city and year after year emphasize the need for effective State leader ship hi the development of ade quate water supply throughout the State. No one other resource today is so important in the con tinuing development of the State. ? Raleigh News and Observer. IT'S A CRIME Most married men, we suppose, shared our Interest in a news Item which appeared a few days ago and told how a judge had ruled that it is a crime tot a wife to sneak ("steal") money out of her husband's pockets, j' We're Just curious. What UttJs money there is around our house seems to be under the wife's con trol. The same appears to be true in moet of the households we fre quent This must have been a strong man who haled his wife into court . The unspoken (and unques tioned) agreement about money in our home was dramatized one Sunday morning recently when we noticed spmc currency scatter ed around on a dresser topi. "Su gar," we Inquired politely. "Is this your, money ? or ours?" Other arrangements seem to lead to litigation. ? - Sam ford Herald . . ? ? ' PROOF OF . the drought I A' couple of Oxford men wen* having lunch In a Georgia cafe last Friday after visiting the to- J bar co market in the town. One inquired of a patrolman, \ seated at the counter next to him, | how low in Georgia the drought stricken area went. "Al the way to Florida," the of ficer replied, "It has really been dry down here." To clinch his claim, he said a friend had the fiaif! before caught a four-pound bass which had rever learned \o swim. "Not enough water," - " * - ' LOANS FOB HOMES FHA ? GI ? Elmer Lumber Company can arrange your FHA or Gi Loan * ? DCWN PAYMENT AS LOW AS FIVE PERCENT OF YOUR CONSTRUCTION COSTS. rfcllWfc,,T ,# IN SOME INSTANCES. YOUR LOT MAY BE YOUR DOWN PAYMENT. E ? INTEREST ONLY 4ya%. for full information see ELMER LUMBER COMPANY. Inc. 25 PHONES 54 c. E. WARUCK INSURANCE AGENCY PHONE 9 203 W. MOUNTAIN ST. KINGS MOUNTAIN. N. C. Insurance - CLEAN AUTOMATIC PERSONAL F> ' ' - ??&?' r *< ; " Jrk ? ? *? ? * ? V,, ? '?? JL-V/rmTi-.' >i' ->V* .. ?? ?r THRIFTY y . ' * * - ? '. , - . ? * SAFE INDEPENDENT ; A:/ * ? *?? vf / : vj " No dirt, no dust No work, no Worry ^ Always a healthy, comfort able temperature Supplied by your local fuel dealer, personally^ Interested In your satisfaction. Gives you most for your money- .V J ; : - /x I A^j t" i 'J- &4. '? ?, \ *> Plentiful supply and reliable deliveries Free from danger of serious accident Storage on your property protects against emergen cies > ; Your choice of brr.nd and dealer ? a vital guarantee of satisfaction CLEVELAND DEALERS AS8*W
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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Oct. 21, 1954, edition 1
10
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