:lii: The ^n9s Mountain Herald
'S®*' Established 1889
A weekly newspaper devoted to the promotion of the general welfare and published
for the enlightenment, entertainment and benefit of the citizens of Kings Mountain
and its vicinity, published every Thursday by the Herald Publishing House.
Entered as second class matter at the .postoffice at Kings Mountain, N. C., under Act
of Congress of March 3,1873.
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Martin Harmon . Editor-Publisher
■Robert L. Hoffman.Sports Editor and Reporter
Miss Elizabeth Stewart.Circulation Manager and Society Editor
Mrs. La Faye Meadham.Advertising Salesman and Bookkeeper
MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT
Eugene Matthews Horace Walker Jack Heavener Bill Myers
Charles Miller Paul Jackson
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TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE
Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne; mercy and truth shall go before thy face,
Psalm 89: H.
Assignment Plan
As of last Saturday, city school offi
cials had received only a small number
of inquiries concerning possible change
of school assignment for their children,
following announcement of the tenta
cials had received only a small number
five school assignment plan for the com
ing year.
Whether there would be an additional
spate of requests could only be guessed,
but the small number received through
Saturday indicated majority of school
patrons feel the school trustees did a
country fair job of carving out the areas
for attending particular schools.
The plan, of course, is tentative. Ac
tual enrollments may require some
changes to smoothe teaching loads and
room populations.
Generally, Superintendent B. N.
Barnes says, he feels the board will be
as liberal as possible in satisfying the
wishes of all its school patrons and it
is possible no exceptions will be made
until after school opening on September
4—to enable the school officials to de
termine what must be done in balancing
the school population to desk space and
teaching complement available.
“There have always been changes af
ter opening day,” Mr. Barnes noted. He
said many of the changes in the past
have been made on a call-for-volunteers
basis. Whether this method would be
feasible for the coming year—in view
of the large number of pupil shifts ne
cessitated by the opening of the new
North school—Mr. Barnes did not at
tempt to guess.
Meantime, workmen are underway
restoring auditorium space at city
schools which had been temporarily
carved into classrooms, and school tea
chers and pupils could look forward to
study during 1956-1957 in much less
cramped quarters than they have en
joyed the past few seasons.
Voting Machines Needed
Over in Shelby precincts, during the
forthcoming September 8 general elec
tion, the election officials will be con
ducting an experiment with a new bal
lot box, especially designed to keep the
tickets in order as they are dropped in
to the box. Theoretically, the election
officials will have an easier task sepa
rating and placing in topside-up order
the ballots, which customarily are fold
ed, jumbled, canted and otherwise a
time-costing problem.
The Herald would like to see the elec
tions board experimenting with voting
machines, both in the Shelby precincts
and the two Kings Mountain precincts,
which seven are the county’s largest.
Most officials using voting machines
acknowledge that voting is slowed
slightly by use of voting machines, par
ticularly when a voter wants to split
his ticket. However, when the polls
close the work of tabulating can be done
in the time it requires to unlock the
machine and to read and record the to
tals.
Voting machines, of course, enhance
as well as speed the accuracy of the
counting.
It would appear that Cleveland Coun
ty, the City of Shelby and City of Kings
Mountain could work a cooperative ar
rangement to buy enough machines to
service the seven largest voting pre
cincts.
The resignation of Dr. W. P. Gerberding
from the recreation commission points
up the difficulties facing this commis
sion, which has limited facilities and
limited funds with which to operate—
facts pointed out by Dr. Gerberding in
his reluctant resignation. Many folk feel
that Kings Mountain can hope for little
more than a summer program of recre
ation until the time more funds and fa
cilities are available. This awaits large
donations from individuals (as has been
done in some communities), or large in
vestments by the taxpayers via bond
issues and more taxes, or both.
Repeat Ticket
The Republican party had a lot of
hoopla at the Cow Palace for four days,
though the work accomplished could
have been managed in one or two.
However, in spite of the fact the pro
ceedings were a cut-and-dried proposi
tion (minus Joe Smith and the rough
licks to Harold Stassen), the party na
turally had to go through the conven
tion motions, as much for publicity
purposes as for any other reason.
Again, as was expected and is tradi
tional, the incumbents were renomina
ted for a second run for a second term.
The ticket again is Ike and Dick, more
formally known as President Eisenho
wer and Vice-President Nixon.
The acceptance speeches of the two
were interesting. President Eisenhower,
appearing quite vigorous in spite of his
ill health of the past year, made a good
, party speech and still left the door open
for the independents and “discerning”
Democrats to join in support. His princi
pal inconsistency appeared in his brag
gadocio on restoring state’s rights, fol
lowed by more bragging on the federal
highway building program and the pro
mise that the federal government would
go into the school-building business.
But the science of politics being what
it is, it’s pretty hard to avoid the pitfalls
of promising both lower taxes and more
services. The Democrats had done their
share the week previously.
Mr. Nixon’s speech was a bit of a new
role for him. It sounded as hollow as the
usual Nixon speech, though he deserted
the role of GOP “hatchetman”, this po
litical season reputed to be the particu
lar domain of Tom Dewey, the two-time
loser for the Presidency.
From the grass-roots standpoint, Ha
rold Stassen, who now must lose the
election regardless of the outcome, was
right. The QOP would have strength
ened their ticket with a new face in
the No. 2 spot.
Both parties have presented their
strongest men for the Presidency, and
if thei'e were no question about the
health of Mr. Eisenhower and/or the
unpopularity of Mr. Nixon, the Repub
lican party should have an easy time of
it winning again.
But those “if’s” are present, plus the
several soft spots in the economy
among farmers, home builders, and
auto workers. A neck-and-neck finish,
if not a photo finish, seems a safe pre
diction for November.
New Postmaster
Kings Mountain has a new postmaster
in the person of Charles L. Alexander,
who took the oath of office last Friday
after obtaining the credentials through
civil service examination and via poli
tical preferment of the township Repub
lican executive committee, and, subse
quently, of President Eisenhower.
Mr. Alexander should make a good
postmaster, and he will, if he remem
bers the cardinal word in “postal ser
vice” is “service”. There are two impor
tant functions of the postal service. One
is fast dispatch of outgoing mail. The
other is quick delivery of incoming mail
to the postoffice patrons.
Mr. Alexander, with a long back
ground in a service business (Elmer
Lumber Company), understands the es
sential requirements of the postoffice
and intends to see that they are met.
It would be amiss to fail to commend
W. T. Weir, retiring as acting postmas
ter after a tenure of 17 months, for a
well-done job. Many citizens have com
mented favorably on the excellent pos
tal service during this period.
Friday is the final day to pre-pay city
and county tax bills at the full two per
cent discount.
YEARS AGO Items of news about Kings Mountain area people and events
THIS WEEK taken from the 1946 files of the Kings Mountain Herald.
Schools of Kings Mountain were
quite crowded yesterday as a to
tal of 1,611 children marked the
end of summer vacation and en
rolled for the 1946-47 term.
To the delight of all Kings
Mountain Lions, spectators, and
exhibitors. Labor Day was bright
and sunny, and an estimated to
tal of 2,500 persons were presenl
for the civic club’s third annual
Labor Day horse show.
Social and Personal
Donald Crawford spent Iasi
week at Ridgecrest Camp where
he was water instructor.
Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Hughes
and family, of Waukegan, 111.,
have been visiting relatives here.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Warren
and daughters have arrived from
National City, Calif., to visit here.
MARTIN’S
MEDICINE
By Martin Hannon
Ingredients: bits of news,
wisdom, humor, and comment.
Directions: Take weekly, if
possible, but avoid
overdosage.
The Shelby Star reported ov
er the weekend the trials and
tribulations of a couple of Shel
by ladyfolk who had run afoul
the parking meter restrictions
in Charlotte. One had been tax
ed $1 for parking at a meter
past the deadline (Charlotte al
lows do parking on N. Tryon
during afternoon rush hours),
though there was 30 minutes
remaining in bought time. The
other lady had the unpleasant
experience of having her car
towed in to the police station
due to an over-parking infrac
tion.
m-m
It reminds of William Plonk’s
recent unpleasant and humiliat
ing (experience at the hands of
the Charlotte constabularly.
m-m
Last week William remark
ed when I was making my usual
advertising call, “You want
some big headlines? I can give
’em to you.” Herewith the sad
tale:
m-m
Two moving trains had block
ed the Trade street crossing at
the Southern Depot, and cars
were jammed close together a
waiting the tracks to clear.
Both trains were at good speed
and, William notes, the vibra
tion made him feel hls'car was
moving, though it actually
wasn’t. In front of William was
a lady who must have had the
same feeling because she look
ed in distress at William and in
dicated she wanted to back up.
William, trying to accommodate
her, let his foot slip off the
brake and moved the wrong
way, gently tapping the lady’s
bumper. This excited him a bit
and he then moved rearward
a little too far and too fast,
tapping the front of the car be
hind, driven as it turned out, by
Bodie Logan, a onetime Kings
Mountain Negro citizen. Dam
age was limited to some not
too- major dents, but by this
time the lady had become ex
cited and accused William of
trying to knock her car into the
side of the moving No. 38.
Meantime, a young policeman
had come over, and William de
nied the lady’s accusation, but
admitted the error of his foot.
He volunteered to defray all
damage costs to both fore and
aft vehicle.
Folk who have traveled with
William know that he never
carries a wallet and only a to
ken amount of cash. He doesn’t
want to invite robbers. On this
occasion, William had about
eight bucks, quite sufficient for
a bit of gas and bite to eat any
where. But the policeman de-.
dined to honor William’s con
tention that he was fully in
sured via Arthur Hay Insurance
Agency, Kings Mountain, N. C.,
and barked, “I’m takin’ you in.”
He did—even had William’s
car chauffered by another cop.
m-m
William says the movie and
TV versions of police station
routine were followed, and he
was the recipient of a thrown
“book.” The cop charged him
with reckless driving and driv
ing out of traffic line. The desk
Sergeant notified him bond
would be $50, in hard cash, no
checks. But William had only
$8 and suggested the desk ser
geant call Frank Summers, the
bank president, to check the
worthiness of William’s voch
er.
m-m
Naw,” barked the officers,
“empty your pockets.” William
then suggested his cousin Mot
ley Plonk, with Internal Reve
nue, lived in Charlotte and to
please let him be summoned.
This the officers grudgingly al
lowed. The shocked Motley said
he’d be there in ten minutes,
m-m
William was then taken up
stairs, the officer picked an
unoccupied cell, put William in
and turned the lock. William
was in the hoosegow. but good,
m-m
Motley made good on his ten
minute promise and bailed Wil
liam out.
m-m
So, if you’ve been wondering
about William’s plan to boycott
Charlotte, with his presence, his
business and in every other de
tail, that’s the reason. William
charged Chief of Police Hugh
Logan with the hope Kings
Mountain officers don’t treat
people like Charlotte’s do, and
Hugh called Chief Frank Little
john. The Charlotte chief wrote
a letter of apology, stating the
officer was a rookie, recently
out of the Marines, and further
noted his greatest problem was
getting officers to be neither
too hard nor too lenient,
m-m
But the letter hasn’t salved
William's wounds from that
ten-minute stint in the Char
lote calaboose.
m-m
The Shelby women’s experi
ence and William’s should be
sufficient warning to folk to be
on their “p’s and “p’s” in Char
lotte. Come to think about it,
it’s a pretty good reminder to
follow the old dictum to “trade
at home.”
Affair of Honor
Viewpoints of Other Editors
i wa
ADVANTAGES OF
PEARSALL PLAN
OUTWEIGH ITS
DISADVANTAGES
The date is fast approaching—
September 8—when citizens will
be called upon to vote on the con
stitutional amendments which are
needed to put the Pearsall Plan
into effect.
The amendment, which actually
is only one amendment divided
in two parts, are: 1. To authorize
education expense grants for pri
vate education; and 2. To autho
rize local vote to suspend local
schools.
Should these amendments be
approved in the September 8 elec
tion, the Constitution of North
Carolina would thus provide that
a local school unit could be clo
sed in an “intolerable situation”
by the majority vote of the citi
zens in the local school unit.
The constitution would further
provide that after a school unit
is closed, and children are thus
without a public school to attend,
education expense grants will be
provided for their education in
private schools.
Immediately the question ari
ses: Where will the private
schools be found to take care of
students in such a situation? Gov
ernor Hodges has answered this
question by saying that where a
need arises, a way will be found
to provide these private schools.
Critics of the plan have pointed
out this is one of the greatest
weakness of the Pearsall Plan.
To counter this criticism let us
say that it is hoped that the pro
visions under the Pearsall Plan
will never be used. Certainly in
stances where the provisions will
be needed will be few. In these
few instances, if and when they
arise, private schools can and
must be provided.
Let’s take a look at some of
the advantages of the Pearsall
Plan.
First, it should be remembered
that North Carolina is a large
state with varying conditions
from West to East. The Pearsall
Plan provides that each school
situation be handled separately
on the local level. A plan that
might be effective in the East
might not suit the Piedmont or
the Wesern sections of the State.
Certainly there is no need for
disrupting schools in all sections
of the state when one “intolerable
situation” arises.
Secondly, the Pearsall Plan aL
lows people on the local level to
decide whether a situation has be
come intolerable enough to war
rant the closing of a school.
These people themselves should
know better than any other
group whether or not the com
munity will be better off with a
particular school closed.
Thirdly, the Pearsall Plan is
“safety valve” legislation, which
is to be used only in last ditch
moves. It could, however, prevent
violence in a particular trouble
spot.
r ounruy, 11 me rcarsan nan
is legal (and only the courts caw
decide this issue) it is a middle of
the road plan -that does »ot defy
either the Supreme Court or the
laws of custom that are prevalent
in North Carolina. The. plan does
not prevent communities from
trying experiments in integration
when thle community itself feels
that it is ready.
As William D. Snider, Associate
Editor of the Greensboro Daily
News, told members of the Liber
ty Rotary Club last Thursday
night: The Pearsall Plan "rep
resents an honest and painstaking
effort to walk a narrow path be
tween outright defiance of the
Supreme Court mandate and out
right defiance of Southern folk
ways and custom.”
Members of the Governor’s
Advisory Committee on Educa
tion, who drew up the Pearsall
Plan, are cotnizant of the fact that
the plan is not perfect, nor is it
the final answer.
It is, however, a plan that
can be put into effect now to pre
vent any possible violence, and at
the same time prevent any mass
closing of the public schools of
North Carolina.
The people of North Carolina
will, of course, have the final say
. on the constitutional amendments
i when they vote in the September
PLANNING FOR OLD AGE
It has become rather common
to hear that the United States
population is aging, and that we
had better do something about it.
When a thing is said so often,
there is danger that it will be
come tiresome, even that it may
be ignored.
But this is a changfe that must
not be ignored. The change in
the 'nature of our population will
require corresponding changes in
our social fabric, and it is not
too early to be thinking about
the matter.
Renfewed attention was recent
ly called to the subject in the
bulletin that is published month
ly by Health Information Founda
tion. Since 1900, the bulletin says,
the number of Americans 65
years and older has increased
from three million to more than
14 million. This has been brought
about by a lower birth rate, low
er mortality rates, restrictive im
migation and other factors.
It is estimated that by 1975
there will be some 21 million
Americans aged 65 or older. Such
a prospect demands careful
thought and eventual planning
to fit older citizens happily into
the scheme of things. We already
have made progress. Programs
of recreation and training are
under way here and there; the
concept of old-age security has
taken hold; the idea of compul
sory retirement at 65 has begun
to be questioned.
These are only the starting
points, however. If society con
tinues along those lines, there is
a good chance that a happy, pro
ductive and reasonably secure
old age can become the rule rath
er than the widespread discontent
and even suffering.—Northamp
ton County News,.
WHERE ARE THE
PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN !
THIS STATE?
Now that the Pearsall Plan has
been overwhelmingly adopted by
thfe North Carolina Legislature
and now that the question of a
mending the State Constitution
will be put to the people on Sep
tember 8, the people are begin
ning to look around for these pri
vate schools for which tuition -
grants are to be given if parents
do not wish to send'their children
to school with children of another
race.
Where are the private schools
in North Carolina? How much
do they cost? Why will they be
available if public schools are
closed?
These are serious questions that
thoughtful parents will want ans
wered before they decide to vote
for amendments making possible
the closing of public schools.
The Charlotte Observer sent
Reporter Bunny Harris out to in
vestigate the Country Day school,
a private, nonsectarian school in
the Charlotte suburbs. It is hous
ed in an abandoned county school
building and takes care of 100
pupils.
But the cost to the parents is
estimated at $485 a year for thfe
five-year-olds in the pre-school
classes up to $735 a year for ninth,
grade pupils. If the State of North
Carolina provides tuition grants
of $135, there would still remain
from $350 to $600 a year for each
child attending such a school as
the Country Day School in Char
lotte. Would this be provided by
the local community? Or would
the children of poorer parents
simply stay out of school because
their parents could not afford the
additional cost? — Greensboro
Daily News. %
8 election. In approving or disap
proving the amendments the peo
ple will place a stamp of approval
or rejection on the Pearsall Plan.
If the amendments are approv
ed, and we hope that they will be.
it is our opinion that again the
people of North Carolina will
have the final say in whether or
not the plan will work. Extreme
levelheadedness and wisdom on
the part of the people of this
State will insure the effectiveness
of the Pearsall Plan, without any
marked damage to the public i
school system as we know it.— I
Liberty News.
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