Population Greater Kings Mountain 10,320 City Limits 8,008 Thl» figure for Greater Kings Mountain is derived from the 1955 Kings Mountain city directory census. The city Units figure Is from the United States census of 1990. VOL 72 No. 17 Seventy-Second Year SECTION B Established 1889 Kings Mountain, N. C., Thursday, May 4, 1961 PRICE TEN CENTS FOR MAYOR FOR WARD 1 COMMISSIONER Glee A. Bridges Garland E, Still David 1. Saunders mm Kelly Dixon Brooks McAbee Ross F. Alexander ■ Roy W. Cline C. H. Houser Record Number Of Candidates Vying For Kings Mountain Elective Offices Boyce H. Gault Eugene Goforth John W. Gladden Politics Fast 40 Years Ago But Ground Rules Different City politics in 1921 Was fast and furious, as today, but the ground rules were different. Forty years ago there was no filing deadline and each "ticket” ordered the printing of its own ballots. It was customary for a ticket to enter the race on elec tion day. Eugene Matthews, veteran Her ald printer, remembers on one particular occasion being awak ened before dawn to print a bal lot for a last-minute "ticket.” Today, the city manages the election within rules prescribed by state statute. Wodld-foe can didates must pay a filing fee and Me 15 days preceding the elect ion. The city prints the ballots with the names of all candidates on the same single sheet The ballots are scrupulously counted and must be accounted for. Even the names are alternated so that one candidate is sometimes the first listed and sometimes the last listed—aM in the interest of fairness to all candidates. | .(Here is the Herald report of April 28, 1921: < t “Two tickets are out. Below we ' publish two tickets for mayor and aldermen. They were handed us by representative citizens. Look them over and vote as you please or go fishing, if you like—but vote before going. “Capt. F. Dilling asks to say [that he is not a candidate for jtown alderman and will not be. “Esquire W. A. Mauney told us Tuesday to strike his name from the list. We have under stood that Mr. H. T. Fulton Stat ed before leaving for Raleigh Tuesday that he was "out of it’ but did not ask us to take his name off the list. So we publish the tickets as they stand as we go to press. Candidates for elec tion May 3: “FOR MAYOR _ Wiley H. Mc Ginnis. FOR ALDERMEN — E. W. IBarnes, H. C. Dwelle, R. C. Gantt, J. C. Mason, M. A. Ware “FOR MAYOR — H. T. Fulton. FOR ALDERMEN — G. D. Ham bright, J. B. Thomasson, Harry Falls. And here is the somewhat uni que result under t)he headline ‘McGinnis Elected Mayor:” “In the town election Wiley McGinnis was elected mayor ov er C. E. Neisler by a vote of 322 to 182. The entire McGinnis tic ket was elected as follows: “Mayor, Wiley H. McGinnis 322; aldermen, E. W. Barnes 329, J. C. Mason 347, Moffatt A. Ware 336, H. C. Dwelle 333 and R. Co lumbus Gantt 324. “Following is the vote on the Neisler ticket: Miayor C. E. Neis ler 182. Aldermen, G. D. Ham bright 198; M. L. Harmon 182; G. T. King 169, W. K. Mauney 169, L. A. Kiser 142. “Out of a registration of 619, 504 votes were cast. 175 women were registered and all voted but five or six.” 23 Candidates Aie Seeking Six Positions Kings Mountain citizens will go to the polls next Tuesday to casl ballots for city officials. The citizens will choose frorr ' a record number of candidates, as 23 are vying for the six elective city positions. It’s the biggest candidate list since 1951 and, some think, will attract a record number of vo ters. Two years ago 2176 persons vo ted in the city election. Principal outward campaigning has been the province of the ma yoral candidates. Four citizens are challenging veteran Mayoi Glee A. Bridges, completing his fourth consecutive term and seek ing a fifth. Seeking to oust Mayor Bridges are Garland E. Still, an upset mayoral victor in 1951, David L. Saunders, onetime commissioner by appointment, Kelly Dixon, last fall a Republican candidate for United States Congressman, and Brooks McA'bee, a last-minute en trant into the race. In the Mayor’s race, and in most of the others run-offs are in prospect. No less than three can didates seek each position and, as in the mayoral race, Ben H. Bridges, incumbent Ward 4 com missioner and mayor pro tempore the past four years, faces four Challengers, Norman Kings, Paul W. Ledford, Willis (Bagwell and Clinton Wood. All incumbents are seeking re election. In Ward 1, Ross Alexander seeks re-election over two chal lengers, Ray W. Cline, a newcom er to city office-seeking, and C. H. (Cat) Houser, 'bowling center ! owner. j In Ward 2, Boyce Gault, ano j ther two term veteran, is being I challenged by Eugene Goforth ! and John W. Gladden. | In Ward 3, Luther T. Bennett faces three opponents, T. J. (Tommy) Ellison, former com missioner and veteran of many city political campaigns, Clavon Kelly and Corbet Nicholson, both newcomers to the political scene. In Ward 5, R. Coleman Stroupe, first elected in 1957 seeks to I withstand the challenge of J., E. I (Zip) .Rhea and Hazel Lee Gill. FOR WARD 3 COMMISSIONER Luther Bennett Corbett Nicholson Clavon Kelly Tommy f. Ellison School Board Voting Totals Will Decide Length Of Terms Williams, Harry j Only Candidates For Two Posts Kings Mountain school c|istrict citizens will elect two new trus tees to the board of education next Tuesday — the first to re present new citizens of the ex panded district which now in cludes all schools in Number 4 Township. H. O. (Toiby) Williams and Holmes Harry are the lone can didates and their election is vir tually assured, as opposition to their candidacies did not occur. This fact came as a surprise to some, as both were leaders in the movement to consolidate area schools, an issue fought with bit BOARD OF EDUCATION H. O. "Toby" Williams Holmes Harry temess and heat (both before and siince the May 1960 consolidation election. , • There is a semblance of a con test between the two candidates, though not involving a seat on the board. Under the statute recently e- ' nacted by the General Assembly which amended election rules to enfranchize the new citizens of the district, the candidate receiv ing the most votes will be elect ed to a six-year term and the candidate placing second will be elected to a four-year term- < The two new members will re place Trustees Arnold W. Kincaid and J. W. Webster, legislated from chance of re-election by the recent election law amendment and on their expressed desires. Both had planned to resign from the education board last year af ter the voters approved the con solidation to provide representa tion to the incoming citizens. Mr. Kincaid did, then was re-appoint ed when court action by the los ers delayed operational consoli dation of the systems, now sched uled for July 1, 1961. (Mr. Williams is a graduate of Kings Mountain high school and Wake Forest college. He is a farmer and sports enthusiast, handling the public address sys tem ai. high school football gam es. Mr. Harry, a textile executive of Mtinette Mills, is chairman of the Grover district school com mittee. FOR WARD 5 COMMISSIONER FOR WARD 4 COMMISSIONER mmmutam.mammmm mamm .. m mam .:.wmm . ■MMMW.' Ben H. Bridges Paul W. Ledford Willis B. Bagwell Norman King Clinton Wood R. Coleman S troupe J. E. "Zip" Rhea Hazel Lee G1U