University of South Carolina Libraries
Pa*e Four uJhr CEUntnn (E^ronirU 19H WILSON W HARRIS, Editor and PutoLiher" - HARRY C. LAYTON, A«ktont PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY THE CHRONICLE PUBLISHING COMPANY Subscription Rate (Payable In Advance) One Year $2.50, Six Months $1.50 Entered as Second Class Mail Matter at the Port Office at Clinton, S. C., under Act of Congress March 3, 1079 The Chronicle seeks the cooperation of its aubacribers and readers—the publisher will at all times appreciate wise suggestions and kindly advice. The Chronicle will publish letters of general interest when they are not of a defamatory nature. Anonymous communications will not be noticed. This paper is not responsible for the views or opinions of its correspondents. Member: South Carolina Press Association, National Editorial Association National Advertising Representative: AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION New York, Chicago, Detroit. Philadelphia I , CLINTON, S. C., THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1955 Time for Sober Thinking In looking over the state compromise money bill of more than $129 million dol lars, increases in many places are noted with thirteen milliop dollars in new taxes without the people being allowed to be heard. We were gagged by “Free Con ference” which means that after weeks of hearings and discussion six men sat down and wrote the state money bill. With the added tax burden the people back home are told that we are facing an “emergen cy.” If the state would live within its in come and learn to say “no,” there would be no emergency. The several state institutions as the tabulation shows, are receiving appropria tions amounting to more than eight million dollars. This means that church and pri vate colleges are being driven harder to the wall and called upon to confront a competition they cannot meet. This should cause all of us who appreciate the impor tance of church institutions to do some so thinking. Half of the nation’s private ly supported colleges are reported running at a deficit, 200 or more are reported in real trouble. While tax-supported institutions of learning are doing a commendable job, yet we must not underestimate the value and importance of our independent private colleges now making an outstanding and indispensable contribution to the church, state and nation. It will be a sad day if our church and private schools are ever swallowed up by the state institutions which taxpayers must support. It would be a blow to American tradition and phil osophy to turn higher education over to the state. tating the increase claim they are under paid for their work. The fact that there was no roll call shows that sentiment is predominantly in favor of the pay in crease. Sponsors for the increase stated in their arguments that membership in the general assembly is a year round job. I so, it is because its members have disre garded the constitutional requirement for a forty-day session. Payments by the month of $200 last year were declared un constitutional by Governor Byrnes. If being members of the legislature is a year-round job it is because its house members and senators have usurped to themselves continuing control over admin istrative affairs despite the constitutional injunction that the legislative and execu tive branches of the Government be for ever separate and distinct. Many dele gations have made themselves county busi ness managers and hold monthly meetings to transact county business. In some coun ties this has reached a dictatorial stage in recent years. We heard of several counties (not including Laurens) where an elected court house official by the people cannot purchase a filing cabinet, desk or other items needed in the dispatch of his office work without the approval of a majority of the respective delegations. The mem,- ber or members who say they make finan cial sacrifices to hold office can remedy that injustice for themselves. If they feel they caqnot serve for the remuneration they receive, certainly they can resign and in retiring to private life increase their earning capacity. Opinions of the worth of legislator! vary. The recent handling of the free con ference report, written in the final hours by one man, is sufficient proof. Agitation To Go On As a member of the denomination in question we expressed our approval in February over the decision of the Southern Presbyterian Church in refusing to unite with the two Northern branches of the church. There are thousands of members in churches all over the Southland who have the same feeling that we should re tain our identity rather than be swallowed up by an overwhelming majority of the Northern branches. The agitation in re cent years has caused bitterness in some sections, hard fellings and further division in an already badly divided church. There was no need of such a merger to start with, and so long as the agitation of organic un ion is kept alive it will further disrupt the church. The majority of the presbyteries on a divided vote, voted against the union pro posal. It was hoped by thousands that the question for the good of the church would be dropped, the union leaders fail ing to receive the required vote to bring about the merger. But that has not happened, to the dis appointment of many. Just the opposite is the case. It is announced that the Com mittee on Cooperation and Union will car- ry recommendations to the coming General Assembly concerning the future status of its work, and ask to be continued as a per manent standing committee. There are two opponents of the plan on the commit tee which disapproved of the elaborate plan and filed a notice of dissent, one of these being a South Carolina layman. The unfavorable signers see in the move a con tinued program of promotion and propa ganda, and the continuing of discussion and agitation that in many ways will be harmful to the work of the denomination. It will make for discord rather than har mony and cooperation within the church. The majority of the Presbyteries have spoken. Why keep up the fight. In our opinion there are fifteen or twenty promi nent ministers in the church, who as lead ers, want to keep the proposal alive. If they would drop the agitation, the ques tion would die in short order in the South. Legislotors Raise Their Pay A few months ago Congress voted to substantially raise the pay of its members in the face of an unbalanced budget and public debt of multiplied billions of dol lars. They asked for $25,000 and almost got it Members of our state legislature, fol lowing the Washington example, recently without a record vote, raised their pay from $1,000 to $1,800 annually. Taxpay ers will be forced to pay the bill regardless of the deficit in this year's money bill and an increase of thirteen million dollars sad dled upon taxpayers. Those openly agi- BABSON . . . Discusses Planning For Tomorrow By ROGER W. BABSON Babson Park Mass., May 12 — If you should lose your job tomorrow, how much of a financial hardship would you and your family suffer? Are you up to your neck in installment payments? Have you borrowed too heavily on your insur ance? What if serious illness should strike your family? Many Are Getting Overextended A thirty-year-old worker of a small New Eng land machine-tool producer was laid off the oth er day. He had been making $96.00 a week. That is $416.00 a month before taxes.' He has fixed monthly installment commitments: $68.00 (inter est and mortgage) on his new house; $61.25 on a 1953 automo bile; $13.00 on a set of encyclo pedias; $18.75 on a TV; $32.00 on a trip to Bermuda for his wife; $19.90 on a food freezer, that I know about. In addition, he has several hundred dollars outstanding with department stores. He owes a winter fuel bill of $135.00. He is behinj) in his telephone and light pay ments. The local grocer, dry cleaner, milkman, and other merchants whom he owes have put him on a cash basis. He has bor rowed $250.00 on an insurance policy, and now finds he cannot pay the quarterly premium due. Perhaps this young man is an exception and not typical of most young workers. But I believe he is more typical than many of us want to be lieve. He could get along, and might even work himself out of his financial difficulties if he could keep fully employed and not get involved in strikes. But he has seriously overextended him self. What if he could not quickly get back to work? Wageworkerte' Debts May Prevent Strikes This man is a product of our poet-war wave of prosperity. In a way I cannot blame him. He has been encouraged—yes, even bullied — by radio, magazine, and TV salesmen, to overload. This young man had more money to spend than ever before. What has happened to him might happen to you. Here is why. Right after the war, in 1946, people were spending only about 45 per cent of their incomes for life’s necessities, leaving about 55 per cent for whatever took their fancy. Since 1946, fixed chargea-etich as rent, food, and installment com mitments have been taking a larger share of the income. Last year, 53 per cent of the average consumer’s income was spent for fixed charges, leaving 47 per cent for discretionary buying—8 per cent less than in 1946. As long as business booms, there is little need to worry. But should strikes this summer, or over-production or lay offs, catch rip with us, the heavy load of fixed charges which many consumers are carrying ould be serious. When labor leaders realize this situation, they may not call strikes this summer. Savings Accounts Good Insurance I am concerned about this because I know that major cycles of prosperity and depression will al ways be with us as a result of the unfoneeable and inevitable vagaries of human judgment. I am concerned about the present degree of installment buying. For example, on February 28 total con sumer credit outstanding was $29.5 billion — the highest February on record, and almost $1.5 bil lion higher than in February, 1954. Most people are unable to spend their money wisely; many undervalue it and spend it carelessly. In times of prosperity, just as a matter of good financial com mon sense, one ought to take advantage of the times and increase financial reserves. Savings ac counts should be built up, careful investments made. This period of prosperity is by all means the time to build protection for future unemployment. Certainly in a period of great prosperity one ought no to go into needless debt I will be the first to admit that money in the bank is not doing. THE CLINTON CHRONICLE Ur 1 ; Thursday* May 12, 1955 Segregation Ruling Tops Court Issue Washington — The Supreme Court moved into the final month of its 1954-55 term today with school segregation topping its list of issues still to be de- much good, except as insurance; but this kind of insurance is as important as any other. Pride of ownership in a house, the sat isfaction of a new car, the com fort of air conditioning the joy of TV—all of these bring satisfac tion and contentment But what will happen to contentment if tomorrow the pawnbroker moves in? It takes intelligence, cour age, and will power to plan for tomorrow as well as to spend for today; but every reader—wheth er landlord, employer, or wage worker, should plan now for to morrow. cided. Before it adjourns for the sum mer, the court, which meets only three more times after today, will also rule on a number of other important cases. One of these goes to the heart of the government’s loyalty security program. But it is the school segregation ruling that is most widely await- od. The high tribunal is to issue ordan for carrying out its ban of last May on separate schools for Whit# and Negro children. Negro parents have demanded that the court order integration the next school year in Septem- “forthwith”—by the beginning of her, or by September, 1956, at the latest But MMkesmen for southern states which practice segregation have insisted that federal district courts be given a free hand in de ciding how and when integration should be carried out The government has adopted the middle ground between these two extremes. It has suggested that the court not set any dead line on integration but required that plans for desegregating the schools be filed within 90 days. The central figure in the loyal ty-eecurtty case is Dr. John. P. Peters of Ya}*, who was ousted as a public health consultant by the government’s loyalty review board. He charges that the board il legally based Hs finding on secret information which he never wae told about nor had a chance to refute. The government contends it has every right to accept the tes timony of secret informers and to deny federal employees the right to face their accusers in loyalty cases. Mrs. Ledford Mrs. Vaahti 11 Ledford, 70, widow of William L. Ledford, died Friday afternoon at her home following several knonths of declining health. Surviving are one daughter, Miss Daisy Irtdford of this city; one son, J. W. Ledford Orange burg; two sisters Mrs. 6. C. Neal, Blacksburg; Mrs. Daisy Mobley, Nesmith; one brother, J. C. Ram- pey, Lowndesville; three grand children and two great-grand children. Funeral services were conduct ed Sunday afternoon at Bailey Memorial Methodist church by THE VICIOUS CIRCLE Te get his weeUfc he spent his health. And then with might and main He turned aroand and spent his wealth Ta get hit health again. Health Is the beet asset yea have. Wltheut nermal health, life is empty. Many persons have aecamslited large fertanes, only to And that in the process they have lost their saost cher ished psssnslsn If year health is net what yen weald Uke it te be, nuke an appointment with Dr. Jones. Let him explain the merito of Chiropractic te yea. DR. J. W. JONES, JR. Chiropractor 702 Prather Circle Clinton, S. C. Phone 1023 the Rev. W. R. Quinn. Burial fol lowed in Calvary a* 1 Stumped for ideas? Variety is the spice of any meal and spice adds variety to tasty Soup Matas. 1b round out a luncheon or start a dinner, mix two soups to make a new soup. Chicken with rice and pepper pot soups mixed with two soup cans topped with ptnect Need a pretty dessert with Hi* tie cost end effort? Place fluffy tapioca pudding, made by direc tions on quick-cooking package, in sherbert glasses. Top with orange segments and with coconttt. ^ “ Haviland China rtf* < for the Graduation it a new step into the future. Make your graduation gift one that will be appreciated and remembered foc^ver. Of the many fine gifta we offer for your eelec- tion-Haviland China, the first name in Fine China, will alwaya be cherished. Let us help you select your gift for the graduate yon wish to honor France J. C. THOMAS, “It’s Time That Counts” CLINTON JOANNA COOK UNDER 7H£ HOOD/ • 1 Be alert 1 Look for tho greatest truck economy advoncement in years— short-stroke engine design. ONLY FORD gives you Short Stroke power in every truck I —— Oil) lONG-S'ROfU fNGiNt «q aOi NkW SHOP! STP( ENG.M A modern short-strok• cute internal friction se much as 36%. Piston riags feat im^e * 63% longer. You save up to 1 gallon of gae m 7. * And Ford’s got a Short Strok* enens in ovary- truck. No wonder Ford was the ontyieadiaar truck ~ manufacturer to show in 1964! New 90td F-lOO 6H-ft. Pickup, GVW Short Stroke 132-h.p. V-8-or 118-h.p. t •hortest-ttroke Six of any Itartiag Lowest priced y I £ auoijo moi! c M V-8 r >• * N#w shnrt-strok* V*S’s are revolutionizing truck per formance! ONLY FORD offers Short Stroke V-8’s with all the engineering refinements resulting from over three years and five billkm miles of experience! And only Ford offers a Short Stroke V-8 Pickup for so little money! Get better value now, better value kter when you trade-go modem-go Short Stroke! Cotoe. ft toot Ford Tiipje Economy Trucks QQ//l&ftxfyt// TH£ MQNgr FO*'S£ BALDWIN North Breed St. — CHnton, 8. C. f-r