The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, October 31, 1968, Image 10
10—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C„ October 31, 1968
'No' On Courthouse
We urge our readers to vote for
proposal No- 3 on the Laurens County
Courthouse referendum which will be
held Tuesday in conjunction with the
general election.
Laurens County voters will be giv
en three choices: (1) Construct a new
courthouse on the site of the old Lau
rens Elementary School at a cost not
to exceed $1.8 million; (2) Renovate
the current courthouse and construct
a county office building at a cost not
to exceed $2 million; (3) Neither of
these.
We oppose the first two proposi
tions for a variety of reasons but basi
cally because of the lacking of plan
ning and foresight which has gone
into this project. We do not feel that
the old Laurens Elementary School
site is a satisfactory location.
The 7Va-acre tract of land would
cost $75,000. It would cost an addi
tional $18,000 to $25,000 to demolish
the old school building on the prop
erty. That totals around $100,000
for 7 1 /j. acres in a fairly congested
part of town.
In the 1967 courthouse referen
dum, the Todd property near the fair
grounds was proposed as the court
house site. That property would have
cost $60,000 for 20 acres.
The county legislative delegation
went on the assumption that the vot
ers’ rejection of the 1967 proposal
was a rejection of the Todd property
as a potential site. We disagree with
that assumption. We believe the vot
ers rejected the 1967 proposal pri
marily because of the $3 million tag.
The Todd property (in front of the
Garlington Street School) would be a
good location. It is more accessible
to the Clinton-Joanna section of the
county.
In addition to offering too little
acreage, the Laurens Elementary
School property isn’t nearly as acces
sible.
Greenwood County’s Courthouse
was completed a little over a year
ago and already faces parking prob
lems. The Greenwood courthouse is
DIXIE CONTROVERSY
The controversy over the Stara-
and-Bars of the Confederate Flag and
the song "Dixie” has reached the lu
dicrous stage. The first press item
we noticed was a complaint by a US
Marine from Georgia on duty in Viet
nam- According to Rep. W. S. Stuck
ey, the Marine was ordered to remove
the Georgia State Flag from above his
bunk, following the assassination of
Martin Luther King. The reason
given was that Georgia’s Flag incorp
orates the symbol of the Confeder
acy in its design and some view it as
a ‘‘symbol of racism.” The State
Flag of Mississippi also uses the Stars-
and-Bars in its pattern.
The Pentagon, wisely, issued an
order rescinding the removal order,
but less than a month later the issue
of the flag came into the headlines
again, this time in Alexandria, Vir
ginia. The issue this time was the
flying of the Confederate Flag, along
with the Stars and Stripes, and the
flag of the City of Alexandria, on
Confederate Memorial Day. Once
again the flag’s right to exist prevail
ed, despite the attempts of a handful
of people to eliminate it.
Then, in Arlington, Texas, the flag
suffered a defeat when protestors, led
by a SNCC activist, influenced the
student government to vote to elimi
nate the ‘‘Rebel” theme entirely from
the University of Texas, at Arlington.
On June 30, while the Rebel Flag was
being lowered for the last time, the
radical student was under a peace
bond. He had threatened two fellow
students for refusing to join a ‘‘black
power” group.
Now the final blow comes from the
University of Miami, Florida. The
University’s president has banned the
playing of “Dixie” by the school band,
and all Confederate symbols are to be
discarded.
“Dixie” was written by an Ohioan,
Daniel Decatur Emmett, two years be
fore the Civil War.
Those who behold racism in the
sonf suffer a popular malady these
days: the racism is in the eyes of the
eyes of the beholders.
on a site estimated at between four
and six acres. The site is shared by
a Greenwood municipal building
The $1.5 million contract was let
on the Greenwood Courthouse in 1966
so it took about two years to build.
The architect for the Laurens
County Courthouse has estimated that
it would be at least five years before a
new courthouse could be completed
for Laurens County, considering draw
ing plans, taking bids and doing the
other necessary preparations. There
fore since the current courthouse is in
such a bad state of repair, some reno
vation is going to have to be done even
if voters agree to build a new court
house.
Another factor to be considered is
that the current courthouse is in such
a bad state of repair, Apparently the
building has not been been properly
maintained. It may be old and out
moded but there is no excuse for al
lowing it to fall into such a poor stat
us. We’d hate to think that we would
pay $1.8 million for a new courthouse
without any kind of maintenance pro
gram.
We realize that the legislative dele
gation will never come up with a pro
posal which will satisfy everyone.
Each person has his own ideas about
posible sites, type of building, etc.
However, we believe voters in this
section might look more favorably to
ward a new courthouse constructed on
property which would be more acces
sible and which would allow room for
future expansion. The 1967 referen
dum gave the voters little choice. The
1968 referendum does not give the
proper choices and does not offer
enough planning for the future.
ONE VOTE
In a nation as large as the United
States, we often feel insignificant
when we go to the polls. Sometimes
we feel our vote only gives us personal
satisfaction and does little to alter
the course of an election.
However, the enormous power of
just one single vote has been demon-
started often through history- The
course of nations has been changed
because one important vote was cast
—or not cast.
One vote elected Adolph Hitler. On
Nov. 8, 1923, at a beer hall in Munich,
a new German political group chose
Adolph Hitler as its leader—a ma
jority of just one vote.
One vote made France a republic.
In 1897, after the loss to Germany of
Alsace and Lorraine, France deposed
its emperor, Napoleon III, and formed
a provisional government. A conven
tion of 706 French deputies met to de
cide whether the country would form
a democratic republic or return to a *
monarchy. Jules Laureant, a mon
archist deputy, became violently ill
and left the convention before the bal
loting. His uncast vote decided
France’s future—the Republic won by
a vote of 363-362, just one vote.
One vote elected the 19th Presi
dent of the U. S. In 1876, Rutherford
B. Hayes won the Electoral College
ballot by 185-184—a margin of one
vote.
One vote brought us our largest
state. The Alaska Purchase was rati
fied in the Senate by just one vote, in
1867.
One vote declared the Mexican
War. In May, 1946, President Polk
asked Congress to declare war against
Mexico- His request passed the Sen
ate by just one vote. That vote for
the Mexican War brought us, after
the treaty was signed, the states of
Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah,
and California.
One vote in 1824 elected John
Quincy Adams as our sixth President.
One vote kept our language. In
the bitterness against England fol
lowing the American Revolution, a
bill was presented to Congress to
make German the official language
of our newly independent nation. It
met with a tie vote. The deadlock
was finally broken by a single vote
cast against the bill. (The man whose
vote kept English as the official lang
uage of the U. S. was the son of a
German immigrant)
On the local level, in 1964 Billy
McMillan was elected alderman by one
vote. He defeated Harry Layton who
is now mayor of Clinton.
Your one vote may swing your en
tire precinct' into your candidate’s col
umn and it is at the precinct level that
elections are won—or lost.
The Nation's Fate
Rides On Your Vote
WELLESLEY HILLS, MASS.-
F ive days from now, the popular
balloting for President of the
United States will take place in
every corner of the nation. But,
conceivably, we may not know un
til some time in January who the
next Chief Executive will be. It
could be that close!
FORMING A CONSENSUS
Following the party convent
ions this summer, disaffection
and dissatisfaction with the nomi
nees was widespread among Re
publicans, Democrats, and others
not normally hard-and-fast ad
herents of either party. Differ
ences of opinion within the ranks
of Democrats were more notice
able than among Republicans,
though many staunch Republicans
were dismayed at the choice of
Governor Agnew for second spot
on that ticket. And literally mil
lions of Americans, of differ
ing political persuasions, have
been unhappy because they could
detect little distinction in what
they regarded as the “hawkish”
views of Messrs. Humphrey,
Nixon, and Wallace on the Viet
nam issue.
Many citizens are reported
ly so wrought up that they may
not vote at all. But as each day
passes, more and more unde
cided voters are reaching a de
cision. The spread between the
two leading candidates has ap
parently narrowed and there is
some reason to believe the third
candidate reached a popularity
peak some time ago. Right now,
additional millions of voters are
swinging toward a choice.
At this writing, no man knows
how close this election will actu
ally turn out to be. But we do
know that the cleavages over law
and order, Vietnam, foreign aid,
civil rights, and the war on pover
ty will cause more cross-switch
ing by voters than normally
occurs. We also know that ex-
Gov. Wallace has attracted more
voter interest and support than
any third-party candidate within
memory.
The Wallace strength and these
cross-trends within the major
parties could make for a dead
lock in the electoral college,
even if one of the three candi
dates should attain a majority of
the popular vote. For it is in
the electoral college that the final
decision will be made.
ELECTORAL PROCEDURE
When we make our ballot choice
for President and Vice Presi
dent, we are actually selecting a
slate of electors who will pre
sumably favor our chosen candi
dates. The electors from each
state equal in number the Sena
tors and Representatives from
that state. Puerto Rico, the Vir
gin Islands, the Canal Zone, and
Guam have no electoral vote;
but the District of Columbia does
have 3 votes. Hence, the full
complement of the electoral col
lege is 538, with 270 votes need
ed to elect.
The electors cast their votes
in their respective states on the
Monday following the second
Wednesday in December (Dec.
16 this year). If no presidential
candidate receives 270 votes
when the ballots are opened by the
President of the Senate on Jan
uary 6, 1969 and tallied. . .
in the presence of the Senate
and the House ofRepresentatives
. . .the House then chooses a
President from among the three
candidates having the greatest
number of electoral votes, with
each state having but one vote
and with 26 needed to elect. The
Senate picks the Vice President
from among the two candidates
having the greatest number of
electoral votes, with each Sena
tor having one vote and with 51
needed to elect.
IMPORTANCE OF VOTE
Voter disagreement with this
year’s presidential candidates on
particular issues is loud and
sharp. Hence, it is feared that
many voters may stay away from
the polls to avoid having to make
a decision. Such a course, how
ever, would be hypocritical and
cowardly. We contribute to the
welfare of the nation by our vote.
We do not deserve our rights
and privileges --our freedoms
-- as American citizens unless
we are willing to use that fran
chise. The importance of our
vote, in fact, cannot be over-
stressed. The life of our Repub
lic depends upon it.
* * *
TELEPHONE 833-0541
OFFICE SUPPLIES
THE CHRONICLE
"TH’ NEXT ADMlVilSTRAVIOVl MAV INHERIT TH’
WAR.—AND TU' PARIS PEACE TALKS..."
mam
Protect Yourself
The Editor:
The Clinton Jaycees are very
concerned about the American
way of government. Our found
ing fathers established a coun
try with a democratic form of
government. This means that the
government was to be “of the
people, by the people and for the
people”. However; we, the peo
ple, are letting this form of gov
ernment decay.
This constitution, along with
it’s various amendments, has
given every adult citizen(in most
states this means 21 and over,
but in several states the age is
18) the right to vote. This is
not only a right, but responsi
bility. Each and every citizen has
a responsibility to himself and
his family to support the ideals,
the candidates supporting these
ideals and various other laws
etc. which, he feels will best
serve his needs and interests.
However, many of us in Clin
ton are dodging this responsi
bility. There are 7,346 (1960 fig
ure) adults in the Clinton area
who have the right and respon
sibility to vote. Yet less than
4,300 (this figure includes the
registered employees of both
Clinton and Lydia Mills; all of
whom do not live in the Clin
ton area) are registered to vote.
However, not all of these take
the trouble to vote. In the last
National Election (1964) only
2,642 people bothered to express
an opinion in their own behalf.
And in something as current as
our Mayor’s election only 882
people voted. This is by no means
rule of the majority, but rather
rule of the majority voting.
All of us have opinions and do
not hesitate to express them,
yet when less than 30^ of the
people in Clinton voted when it
counted, not many of us really
have the right to complain.
So protect yourself and your
family. Express an opinion vote.
Urge your friends to vote.
The Clinton Jaycees do not at
tempt to tell you how to vote.
We are a club of individuals and
each of us has his own opinion
and ideals. Our intent is to in
form you and urge you to vote
on November 5, 1968. We will be.
The Clinton Jaycees
POST OFFICE POLITICS—
Recognizing that mail delivery
is important to people. Rep.
William Scott (R.-Va.) said.
“The Administration exerted
pressure upon the Congress to
exempt the Post Office Depart
ment from reducing employees.
Congress had little choice and
did agree. However, it does
seem ironic to talk about re
stricting such vital activities
while at the same time urging
full funding of the Office of
Economic Opportunity which
operates questionable pro
grams in our big cities and
foreign aid. It seems time to
take the Post Office Depart
ment out of politics and not
use it as a lever to thwart con
gressional efforts to reduce
spending and balance the
budget.”
Some Guns
Must Be
Registered
The Gun Control Act of 1968,
just passed by Congress and
signed into law by the presi
dent, grants possessors of ma
chine guns, sawed-off shotguns,
sawed-off rifles, bazookas,
rockets, mortars, bombs, mines,
grenades, and similar destruc
tive devices, 30 days grace to
register these weapons.
Weapons previously registered
with the director, Alcohol and To
bacco Tax Division, need not be
re-registered. The definition of
machine gun was revised to in
clude the frame or receiver of
any such weapon, therefore all
firearms which were rendered
into a dewat and removed from
the classification of firearm un
der the former dewat program
must be registered. Information
furnished to effect proper regis
tration within the specified per
iod cannot be used against the
registrant in any criminal pro
ceeding for a prior or concur
rent violation of the law.
Old
*/(
“You can tell a company by
the men it keeps.”
To avoid criminal prosecution
for unlawful possession of these
weapons and destructive devices,
they must be registered with the
director, Alcohol and Tobacco
Tax Division, Washington, D.C.,
during the period November 2
through December l, 1968. Fail
ure to comply could result in
criminal prosecution punishable
by a fine of up to $10,000 and/
or imprisonment of up to ten
years.
I
| Everyday
BY DR. HERBERT SPAUGH
While we live in a society
where the mode of travel and
transport is largely dominated by
the automobile, the bus, the truck,
and the airplane, we should not
forget the railroad to which we
owe a tremendous debt Without
the 'Iron Horse’ and its suc
cessor, the diesel and electric
locomotive, the industrial
achievements in this nation would
not have been possible.
The railroad has by no means
been superceeded by other forms
of travel and transportation.
The great Southern Railway
System, one of the most modern
and up-to-date in the country,
has kept pace with the demands
of modern business. Some (A
their specially designed cars for
transporting bulk freight and the
automobile are wonders to be
hold.
We discarded the electric trol
ley car as a means of trans
portation more than a generation
ago, and we’ve been forsak
ing passenger trains on our rail
roads. We’re doing this at our
peril. If we let all the passen
ger trains go, what’s going to
happen when the planes are
grounded? As our cities become
one continuous traffic jam, ex
perts are beginning to study the
return to some forms of trans
portation which do not pollute the
air.
I am now reading a fascina-
f
Counselor I
A
ting book, *My Iron Journey -
A Life With Steam and Steel*
the autobiography of OttoKuhler.
He literally grew up in iron and
steel factories, forges, and with
locomotives. In addition to his
mechanical skill and ability, he
was also equally skilled with the
pencil and brush of the artist
He designed many of the beau
tiful stream-lined locomotives of
the late steam age.
Born in Germany of a family
which for generations had been
engaged in the iron and steel
manufacturing business, he
served during World War I in
the railroad section of the Ger
man army. It was while he was
m duty in occupied Belgium that
le met the girl who was later
to become his Hie-long com
panion and who now lives with
him on their scenic ally - rich
Colorado ranch.
There is a growing number of
railroad historical societies
which are dedicated to the pre
servation of the artifacts of the
era of steam. The number of
rail fans is growing, and I free
ly admit that I am one of them.
Don’t sell the railroads short
We owe them a tremendous debt
of gratitude.
If you want to get a copy of the
magnificent book, “My Journey,”
by Otto Kohler, write the Inter-
Mountain Chapter National Rail
way Historical Society, Inc., P.O.
Box 5181, Denver, Colorado 80217.
The book is profusely and mag-
nificantly illustrated by the au
thor.