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ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK • • • MERCHANTS ONLY Merchants, circle Feb. 19 on your • calendar. That’s the day when a meeting : will be held to reorganize the Clinton Merchants and Businessmen’s Associ ation. This meeting is vitally important to the progress of business in the Clin ton area. The new association has much to offer and participating mer chants will receive full value for the money they invest in this organiza tion. This association has been months in the planning. A special study com mittee came up with the proposal. The board of directors of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce has gone over it and refined the idea. Now it swings into action. The primary purpose of the associ ation is to encourage more unified pro motions which will be designed to in- . crease trade-in the Clinton area. Don’t'forge! Feb. 19! ON MIDDLE CLASS MORALITY Repeatedly, in recent months, we have been coming across the phrase, “middle class morality.’’ Each time - we see it in print it is like a wet mop in the face. The hippies head for a Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco to - rid themselves of it; movie reviewers find enlightment in movies which por- l tray persons trying to escape it; even . book reviewers are given to hailing au- ‘ thors who create depraved demons j who deplore their middle class mo- \ rality upbringing and violate whatever they fancy middle class morality to be. It has come to be a standard phrase \ in the terminology of the literacy li- : cense takers who defend any behar *• vior as being simply a protest against t middle class morality. At least two j national magazines of recent date ; have devoted space and photographs ; to young people who represent to be : busily engaged in purging themselves $ of this middle class morality malady, ; in order to be useful spokesmen for and cohorts of the unorthodox and un- ? clean of our time. There must be about 150 million : people in this land who came out of ' middle class morality and that is three l out of every four living and breathing f Americans. The code did not differ greatly •: from one part of the country to anoth- I er, nor from one religion or color to another. In essence it has been: work a full day for a day’s wage, save for a rainy day, love God; defend the Flag, help the sick and the poor, pre serve the family, and do unto others as you’d like them to do unto you. It was never a complicated code, it was inbred, in every American 'immunity. It wasn’t imported from land; it wasn’t carried here by national or religious group. It part of the beginning and the of America. Each incoming p had to prove itself, to be sure, it took a little time. But the hated Irish did it; the Jews did ; the Chinese did it; the Negroes did They didn’t do it as a group, or a ; they did it as individual Ameri- who liked the code and adopted as a way of life and then stood as a peer of every other Ameri can who earnestly endeavored to pay his own way and held his God and his Country higher than himself. Middle class morality doesn’t tole rate either malingerers or maligners. Middle class morality isn’t a sick ness of our socity; it is the spine of it. DR. JACKSON, TEACHER The largest Negro organization in the United States is the National Bap tist Convention. It has six-and-a-half million members. The president of the organization for the past fifteen years has been Dr. J. H. Jackson. Dr. Jackson addressed the conven tion recently. His words bear repeat ing, and we shall hope that they will be heeded by our readers of every race. Here, in part, is what a wise teacher had to say: “While we have lost many of the white ‘liberals’ who have supported the cause of civil rights from an un selfish point of view . . . the Negro race has won as companions other white ‘ liberals’ who dfc detemined to use the Negro race to help them divide and destroy the unity, fellowship, and life of this nation. The purpose of these white ‘liberals’ is the complete regi mentation of 22 million Negroes as an army, to be marshaled under their leadership and direction and to be used by them at will. “. . . There is a way out. Negroes in the US must assume the same type of responsibility for saving this nation as any other group of American citi zens. x “I am still convinced that, in the long run, dedication to the laws of this land is better than any form of law lessness or any acts of civil disobedi ence. “Negroes must make it crystal clear that they will not be used or de ceived by politicians who make long and loud promises, but are exceedingly short of fulfillment. - “Any group of white Americans who condone us in any form of law breaking, and who encourage us to demonstrate in such a way that we hinder our own growth and develop ment—such leaders do not plan to give us first-class citizenship or to recog nize us as equals under the law. “Let us rise above all movements and all plots, and work as Americans to make America a free land of free people in which and by which the dem ocratic process can unfold in its full ness, and the rights of all can be pro tected without compromise.” The militants and the malcontents make headlines. Dr. Jackson makes sense. STRICTLY FRESH We don’t know how much money the office braggart really has, but we are sure he has a sizable bunk ac count. * • » Bad language is no sub stitute for an imaginative vocabulary. * * * The sin of gluttony is not only frowned upon, it’s almost impossible to conn mit at today’s food prices.) * * * 2-B—THE CHRONICLE, CUnton, S. C., February 6, 1969 Powder Kegs And Barrels Judge Suggests Laws To Fight Murder By Motor BY JOHN A. MASON Judge Richland County Court Last year the traffic toll in South Carolina approached the frightening mark of 1,000 deaths. This slaughter on our highways should compel all of us to move toward new approaches and con cepts in our thinking to master this problem--so stop the hor rors of murder by motor. Improper driving of one kind or another contributes to most accidents. Among the leading dri ver faults are driving too fast for conditions, tail-gating, fail ure to yield the right of way, and drinking. The drinking dri ver, the young, and the aged have a higher proportion of accidents than other groups. Drinking, how ever, has been shown to be a factor in over 55% of all fatal traffic accidents. What do we know about drink ing and accidents? Without ques tion, the drinking of alcohol in creases reaction time and im pairs visual and perceptive a- bilities. Drinking affects com prehension, judgment, and, in general, fogs the ability to drive. All of these factors determine driving skill and are the under lying reasons why we have laws pertaining to driving under the influence. If we are to meet the prob lem of murder by motor in South Carolina, then we must re cognize the deficiencies in our present laws and in our enforce ment of them. The responsibi lity for enforcing drunk driving statutes lies with the arresting officer, the prosecutor, and the court. Their hands are often tied when there is no positive chemi cal test to prove the extent of intoxication and the impairment of the driver’s faculties, which are the essential elements to be proven in order to convict one charged with driving under the influence. port of the Attorney General of South Carolina reveals that only 920 of the approximately 8,150 drunk driving cases are sen tenced by either the county courts or the courts of General Sessions in this state. The other 7,200 cases are sentenced by the var ious magistrates and city re corders. Those drunk-driving cases which are processed in magis trate or recorder courts are frequently disposed of by allowing the defendant to forfeit the bond which has been posted. Such handling of these cases fails to impress upon the offender the seriousness of his behavior. A mandatory court appearance should be required, and, upon conviction, the driver’s license should be surrendered immed iately to the trial judge, who in turn should forward the license to the Highway Department. It is the writer’s judgment that at least twenty to thirty percent of those charged and processed in the magistrate and recorder courts in this state are not first offense cases; this improper pro cedure involves approximately 2,000 cases each year. These offenders, therefore, are let off with $50 and $100 fines in lieu of being bound over to the proper court, where they would face more severe penalties. The penalties for drunk-dri ving in this state are too len ient by law and by custom. In order to maintain a proper balance between effectiveness and fairness, new laws should be enacted by our legislature to increase the penalties for the first and for each subsequent offense of driving under the in fluence. In addition, a subse quent conviction for drunk-dri ving during the time the driver’s license is revoked (if it was pre viously revoked for drunk dri ving) should require a mandatory jail sentence. Questions, Answers About Income Tax (Editor's Note: This column of questions and answers on federal tax matters is provided by the local office of the U. S. Internal Revenue Service and is published as a public service to taxpayers. The column answers questions most frequently asked by taxpayers.) Q. Where can I get copies of the new tax forms? A. Most taxpayers should re ceive their income tax forms in the mail early in January. Forms will also be available at local IRS offices as well as in many post offices and banks. Q. Do I have to include So cial Security benefits when I add up my income for the year? A. Social Security benefits are not taxable. However, they do have to be included when determ ining if the support test has been met for a dependent. For example, if a widow had no other income but Social Se curity benefits of $1,200 dur ing 1968 and she spent it for her own support, it will be necessary for anyone claiming her as a de pendent to provide more than $1,200 towards her support for the year. Mutual Funds Are Discussed BY RICHARD GANTT Attorney Presbyterian College Many people have invested in mutual fund securities. The va riety of funds is numerous. Some funds pay the owner a high in come with little capital gam while many pay little income with em phasis on growth and accumula tion. In any given year the fund will distribute its funds in several ways. You may receive regular dividends. These are included as ordinary income. One point to remember here is that the first $100 of this type return may be Since driving skill (or impair ment) cannot be measured direct ly, the ratio of a person’s blood- alcohol level is the only accurate test that can be used as an in dicator to determine his capa bility to operate an automobile. Unfortunately, in South Carolina very few agencies have the use of breathalyzers or other blood- alcohol testing mechanisms. This should be remedied--suchequip ment should be available to all traffic enforcement agencies. Then the Implied Consent Law, under which a driver’s license is automatically revoked if he re fuses to submit to a chemical test when arrested on a drunk- driving charge, could be enacted. With chemical tests as evidence, the arresting officers would then be in a position to more pro perly present each case in court. The annual reports of the South Carolina Highway Department reflect that the number of per sons convicted of driving under the influence in South Carolina each year to be as follows: 1965-66 - 8,376; 1966-67 - 7,888; 1967-68 - 8,221. The annual re- Today, only heart disease, can cer, and strokes are more fre quent killers than automobiles. In the past, we have given slight attention to the death and de struction on our highways. We need to act now, for only by action can we gain control of MURDER BY MOTOR. * * * Behold, now is the accept able time.—(II Cor. 6:2). Let us not dwell in the past by comparing the occurrences of today with the events of yesterday. To live successfully in the present is our prepara tion for tomorrow. God has ac companied us to this state of our unfoldment, and He will be with us forever. Let us give thanks that we are led into paths of peace, righteousness and success. I^et us rejoice in the blessings of today. If you received a form in the mail, please use it when you file your tax return. It contains i- dentifying information to help avoid mistakes that delay pro cessing and refunds. The Form 1040 tax package that you received in the mail has a two-part preaddressed label that shows the taxpayer’s name, ad dress and Social Security num ber. If you do not use the form sent you, peel off the top label and put it on the form you file. The card Form 1040A is pre printed with the taxpayer’s name, address and Social Security num ber. Q. Were there any changes in the tax law last year I should know about when I file my 1968 return? A. Adoption of a surtax in 1968 was the major change. This sur tax will increase the amount of income tax most individuals will pay for 1968 by 7-1/2 percent. A line has been added to the tax form to help taxpayers make this calculation and it is explained in the instructions that come with the tax form. Q. Where can I get a copy of the new Farmer’s Tax Guide, Publication 225? A. Contact your local IRS of fice or county extension agent for a free copy. Q. I want to get my return in as soon as possible so I can get my refund. Do I have to wait until my boss gives me my W-2? I have my own record of wages and tax withheld. A. A copy of your W-2 form must be attached to your tax return. Many taxpayers had their refunds delayed Last year be cause they forgot to do this. The law requires employers to issue W-2 statements to their employees by January 31. Many issue them sooner so you should have your W-2 Form shortly. Q. I don’t think my medical ex penses were more than 3 percent of my income in 1968. Does that mean I can’t deduct my Blue Cross payments? A. One-half of your medical in surance premiums up to a maxi mum of $150 may be deducted even though your total medical expenses do not exceed 3 per cent of your income. Therefore, you may deduct part of your Blue Cross premium if you i- temize. You may receive a capital dis tribution. This would not be taxed until your basis or what you paid 0 t a .. i . v' RICHARD GANT’i for the shares is returned to you in this manner. When these dis tributions accumulate and ex ceeds your cost basis, any ex cess would be included in your income tax return as a capi tal gain. Finally, capital gain dividends are included as long-term capi tal gain, regardless of how long you owned the stock. You may be required to include capital gain dividends, even though you did not receive them. Normally, the company or fund will inform you as to what you should include on your returns. If you have any questions the person you deal with concern ing your investment will inform you of your responsibilities. * * * Information to help you figure out your medical expense deduct ion is given on page 7 of the 1040 instructions. Mistakes in handling medical insurance pre miums occurred frequently on tax returns last year. To avoid mis takes, read the instructions care fully. U. S. Savings Bonds and Free dom Shares account for approxi mately 23 per cent of the pri vately-held portion of the Gov ernment’s debt. They are de scribed by Treasury officials as the keystone of the national debt structure. Property Re-Evaluation Field Work i F ield work has begun in Lau rens County’s property re- evaluation program. Bobby Sanders of Clinton, county tax assessor, has em ployed five other people for the staff and field work has started in the western part of the coun ty, the Tumbling Shoals section. Working with Sanders on the project are three field men, John Henderson, Wallace Thompson and Ken Andrews. Secretaries are Mrs. R. B. Satterfield and Mrs. Floyd H. Nabors. Joe Mitchell, reassessment a- gent with the S. C. Tax Com mission, also is assisting the county staff. He said he or ano ther member of the state tax com- Has Begun mission staff will remain with the local personnel until the re-eval uation project is completed. The initial work involves i- dentifying the owner of each par cel of property, talking with the owners to determine the acre age and from whom it was ac quired and securing permission to measure the buildings on the tract. Sanders said the entire county will be covered, parcel by par cel. Sanders said that the project could take as long as three years, based on the time needed by other counties in which property eval uations have been completed.