«• The Kings Mountain Heiald _w. ' Established 1889 A weekly newspaper devoted to the promotion of the general welfare and publish, * 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 st Kings Mountain, N. C-, under Act of Congress of March 3,1873 EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT T~ Martin Hannon ... Editor-Publisher David Baity.Advertising Salesman and Bookeeper mim Elizabeth Stewart.Circulation Manager and Society Editor Neale Patrick..Sports Editor MKCHAlfICAL DEPARTMENT Eugene Matthews Horace Walker Wade Hartaoe, Jr. Paul Jackson Monte Hunter “ TELEPHONE NUMBER — 739-5441 7 SUBSCRIP nON RATES PAYABLE IN ADVANCE ONE YEAR-43.50 SIX MONTHS-e2.00 THREE MONTHS- 41-25 BY MAH, ANYWHERE TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. Titus 2:1. New School Problems Seeming settlement of the Number 4 Township school consolidation ctmtro versy poses some additional problems, particularly the one effecting Number 3 high school. Here the patrons want a larger, im proved high school, too, and the Number 4 Township merger tends to leave Num ber 3 rather isolated. This apparent fact was a factor in some of the continuing opposition to the Number 4 Township situation. At a meeting at Number 3 school Monday night, the patrons were told there seemed to be two alternatives: 1) consolidation of the Number 3 area with Shelby, or 2) a county-wide consolida tion, which would find Shelby and Kings Mountain districts merging with the county. Though it hasn’t been fully spelled out, the county-wide consolidation seems to be the principal aim of the leadership of the county’s Citizens Com mittee for Better Schools. Many side issues are involved. The issue of taxes is one. As Kings Mountain was willing to accept the in coming patrons, on their agreement to pay the 20 cents per $100 supplemental tax, so the Shelby district would be will ing for a county-wide consolidation, but only on agreement of other county citi zens to pay the 40 cents per $100 supple mental tax the Shelby district citizens have levied on themselves. A more minor issue is a rather human one. Some members of the county board of education, quite humanly, hate to superintend the liquidation of the coun ty school system. The matter of political or area repre sentation is still another question. Some Number 4 Township citizens felt they were losing a voice in their school man agement by merging with the Kings Mountain district. Similarly, this feeling will affect the thinking of some citizens on a county-wide merger. For quickly better schooling, it would appear the Number 3 folk would do well to merge with the Shelby district, where a new high school plant is to be opened next fall. There is a definite possibility that, at some future time, a county-wide school consolidation will occur. But fact that the Number 4 Township merger will oc cur some eight or more years after the idea was first broached shows well that such departures in governmental arran gements do not occur overnight. Indeed, it required a considerable change in the county’s farming business from cot ton growing to dairying and other pur suits _to make number 4 Township merger palatable. But the Number 3-Shelby merger makes good sense in all directions. The geography is particularly suitable, the plant is built, and Number 3 needs the benefits of a broader curriculum. We Can Spell One of the chief charges sometimes leveled at modern schools and school teachers is that their products can’t spell. The old “blue-back” speller is re called, and protestations against modern teaching methods voiced. Editors are particularly critical in this department. It would appear, if the charges are generally true, that Kings Mountain can be excepted. Glynda Lynn becomes the third Kings Mountain elementary student to win the area spelling bee sponsored for the past several years by the Charlotte Observer. It’s the second year in succession a Kings Mountain entrant will represent the area at the national contests in Washington, D. C. The teachers are proud, the schools are proud, and the community, is, too. Our best wishes to Miss Glynda in Washington. Congratulations to Don Parker, who has been elected a life member in the National Education association by his fellow teachers. Glamour o! City Hall If evidence is needed that there’s something glamorous about City Hall, this year’s candidate list, a record, should supply it. Part of it lies in the pseudo-science of politics, in which one man seeks to ob tain the endorsement of a majority of his fellowmen, on basis of personality, policy, business experience, or other wise. It’s human nature to appreciate the approbation of one’s fellowmen and of tentimes he who denies this truism seeks it the most. Anyone with experience in public of fice has some disbenefits, too. As an elected manager of the people’s business, it is incumbent on the office holder to provide his citizen-stockhold er service he requires. And there’s nev er enough money to provide the require ments, much less the many desires. Thus, the office-holder is relegated to a percentage success from the start. On the darker side, the office-holder is also likely to find little thanks for the ayes he gives the deserving citizen stockholder. In turn, he is sure to be damned when some unscrupulous citizen gets a “no” on his scheme to rob the public treasury. These facts of political and office holding life, however, do not eliminate the basic satisfaction, first of election success and, second, of having a hand in building a community more pleasant i ■» which to live. That’s the reason the candidate list almost always numbers several incumbents. This year, in Kings Mountain, all the incumbents at City Hall like their chores sufficiently to seek re-election. In contrast to some neighboring news papers, the Herald will not endorse any of the candidates for city office for the good and sufficient reason that the read ers feel they know the candidates as well as does the Herald_and may be right. Several issues have been projected in the campaign which will be partially culminated on Tuesday, ranging from utility rates, both inside and outside the city limits, to future needs. The incum bents, by seeking re-election, are saying in effect that they did a good, workman like job, expended the city monies well, and did a progressive job, which they want to see continued. Most folk, considering the crowded candidate list, anticipate that Tuesday’s voting will be in the nature of a warm up, or primary, with several races likely to await settlement by a May 23 run-off. As is customary in politics, there has been some campaigning extremism, but, generally speaking, the politicking has been much milder in tone than in some past years and thus far devoid of bla tant mud-slinging. ' The Herald hopes the candidates will continue this policy. Only six candidates will prove victorious and the defeated will have to continue to live with the victorious, and vice versa. Ector Harrill Though his health hadn’t been of the best recently, the many friends of Ector A. Harrill, Kings Mountain citizen, schoolman and lawyer, were shocked at his sudden passing. Mr. Harrill was an affable man who made his imprint here over many years. His public contributions, in addition to his school work many years ago, in cluded a stint as city attorney and an other as judge of recorder’s court, in addition to loyal work in First Presby tgrian church. It was Mr. Harrill who drafted legis lation in 1947 which supplied the city’s political system largely in vogue since. This legislation provided for at large voting for all city commissioners, re placing the strict ward system, and for election of a mayor, who had previously been appointed by the commission, after hjs election as a commissioner. The Herald and the community con vey sympathy to his family. MARTIN'S MEDICINE By Martin Houm Ingredients: bite of news, I wisdom, humor, and comment. : Directions: Take weekly, if possible, but avoid overdosage. What started as an outward ly dull city political campaign — in spite of a large and long candidate list — suddenly be gan brightening (or warming) as the candidates entered the final two weeks before election day. As anyone ’ who has ever sought public office of any kind can and will report in short order, political season is a straining one for the candi dates. The candidates are at the mercy of the voters, some thing like a youngster going out to dinner and under the strain of parental warning of mayhem to come if his table manners are errant or if hfe up sets the iced tea as he some times does at home. mm A slip of the lip can prove costly in votes, sometimes even determining the difference be tween winning and losing. It’s the season for taking state ments out of context. Often times the same words which have been spoken look and sound quite different whfen re peated in part or without the tone of voice which the candi date himself used. I must tease iBoyce Gault a hit. He called the office last week and in hurried voice he spoke to Elizabeth Stewart, whb answered the telephone, 't\frs. Herndon, can you print me some cards right quick?" Mrs. P. D. Herndon, onetime Herald society editor, hasn't 'been associated with us in sev eral years. j i m-m A paper salesman in the offi ce last week asked about Gene Goforth’s campaign. It turned out that he and Gene had done World War H duty in the same army infantry company. It al so developed that Steve Delling er, seeking re-election to the Charlotte city council., was a member of the same company. m-m Old-timers in Kings Moun tain will tell the younger folk that this year’s campaign does not match in intensity Kings (Mountain’s hottest election, the county line election of 1915. At the time, there were two towns, Kings 'Mountain (Cleveland County) and East Kings Moun tain (Gaston County). The vo ting was to determine that all of Kings Mountain would be in one or the other of the neigh boring counties. A good deal of county pride was involved and, generally, the folk living in Gaston coun ty preferred Gaston,, while the folk living in Cleveland prefer red Cleveland. The Cleveland folk proved slightly more nu merous when the ballots were counted. i t ' m-m Much of the community’s po litical history subsequent to 1915 was colored by overtones from that hard-fought election. For several seasons, thereafter, there was usually a Cleveland county-flavored ticket for town offices opposed by a Gaston flavored ticket, though natural ly there were some cross-overs on the candidate list to pick up support on personalities. m-m Some folk think today’s elec tions, nearly a half-century la ter, still reflect that rough one of 1915. Some folk think today that Kings Mountain might i have made a better decision to have chosen Gaston county, i particularly since highway changes have made Gastonia geographically closer and for real or alleged red-headed step- j child treatment from the Cleve land capitol. i The 1915 fight, like most ci vil war, found friends split on ' the issue. IMy father recalls he i worked for and was kinfolk to , some of the leaders for Gaston I county where he lived at the time. But his personal friends , and social buddies were on the . Cleveland side of the argument. :, He says, "It got so bitter I just quit going up town at night.’’ m-xn Representative J. R. Davis obtained passage of a bill at the 1923 legislature to unineor porate the town of East Kings J1 Mountain and merge it with Kings Mountain. He remem- j< bers, “I thought they were go- i ing to lynch me. There wasn’t 1 use for me to run again, and I ? didn’t.’* He still thinks he did ! the right thing. m-m u I am aged enough to remem- |< ber the one-man East Kings !< Mountain calaboose, which was ] still used for a few after the ] two Kings Mountains were . merged toy legislative act j THE AMERICAN WAY WHY IS IT THAT YESTERDAY'S CAMMUSM PROMISES ALWAYS TURN INTO TODAY'S TAXES? Sad, But Oh So True! Viewpoints of Other Editors COSMONAUT For tiie first time in human 'history a man lias briefly ceased 'being earthbound. That man, Yuri Gagarin, peep ed momentarily 'beyond the gar ments of our planet into the un known where other men will some day explore, making the terms “world” and “earth” no longer synonymous. Although this is not, as Sir Bernard Lovell admiringly pro claimed, “the greatest scientific acfirievemenit in the history of M|an,” it is certainly one of the greatest. And the many Soviet physical scientists and technici ans Who devised the catapult for Major Gagarin's fame deserve the accolade of their fellow men everywhere. Theirs was a mas terpiece of cooperative achieve ment. No one knows what the histo ry books of the future will say about the events of today. But it is to be hoped that they will| credit the mental explorers, the. basic theorists upon whose think ing such achievements are based,' as fully as they will doubtless credit the engineers who carry them out. I IProhaibly the historians will subordinate today's news to the actual accomplishment of a round-trip by man to the moon— the Everest for which Gagarin’s orbitihg is but the first base camp. 1