The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, April 24, 1969, Image 10
BAND PROGRAM
^ Harry Bouknight leaves an envi
able record and solid program behind
at Clinton High School as he moves
toward a new challenge at Whitten
Village.
^ In 16 years, Bouknight has devel
oped outstanding band personnel and
* >ihtstanding bands at Clinton High
c School.
As the father of one bandsman
l commented, “I honestly think my boy
j: is tone deaf, but Harry made a mu-
:* skian out of thim.”
Bouknight works wonders with
;* young people. His dedication to young
•i people and to challenge was what lured
fdm to Whitten Village. He will be
j: teaching music at Whitten Village and
f : will attempt to develop an instru-
1 mental program there. Fortunately,
Clinton will not be losing the talents of
Harry Bouknight as he changes jobs.
His successor, Robert G. Smith,
J comes to Clinton High School with im-
opressive credentials. He is capable
c *of building upon the foundation laid
by Bouknight.
Clinton is currently in the midst
: : of a $9,000 fund-raising campaign to
■: buy new uniforms for the band. A
successful drive would be a wonderful
f; show of support to give Mr. Smith’s
S; : CHS band program a good boost to-
: ward greater things in the future.
PARDON, CN&L
Last week, w’e reported that Sea-
: board Coastline Railroad had leased
i to the City of Clinton, free of charge,
\. the lot at the comer of Broad Street
: ,and West Main Street.
We have since been informed that
• it is the CN&L Railroad which leased
: the property to the city, which will
use it as a free parking lot.
Getting more specific, Mr. J. H.
Eaton, CN&L Trainmaster, was in
strumental in the city receiving the
•: property so the city owes Mr. Eaton
> and CN&L a vote of thanks.
'HAUNTED' HOUSES
One thing which hasn’t changed
much with young people is their fas-
j: cination for "haunted houses.”
Any house which has been aban-
f doned for any length of time may be
I* >*haun4*d” as far as the youngsters
are concerned.
This may be part of youthful fun
but fun stops where vandalism begins.
There have been several instances
j of vandalism in abandoned houses in
; Clinton. Local police are keeping an
eye on some of these houses now be-
. cause they have been damaged by
: youngsters.
These young people apparently
^ don’t understand that although a
house may be abandoned it is owned
i by someone and they are invading pri-
< vate property when they enter such
l houses.
If you hear your youngster talking
^ about visiting "haunted” houses, you
^ should make sure he understands
r that abandoned houses belong to
3 someone and that any damage done
: in such houses may result in charges
: of vandalism.
I
WILL POWER
If folks who quit smoking have so x
•i* much will power, why can’t they re- §
frain from talking about it? 5
1
THE SAME OLD STORY
It was less than a year ago that a
Philadelphia man, free on bail after
being charged with the death of a po
lice officer, killed a second poliecman.
In Washington, D. C., the number
of crimes committeed by parolees, and
accused men set free on bail and
awaiting trial, has reached the danger
point.
The same problem faces every ma
jor city in the United States, and is
overflowing into suburban areas.
Many citizens were shocked a few
years ago when a plot was uncovered
to place bombs in three of our historic
shrines^ the Liberty Bell, the Wash
ington Monument and the Statue of
Liberty.
One of the same men who planned
that sabotage is again under arrest.
He had been found guilty in the bomb
ing plot and sentenced to a term of
five years. He had served less than
two years when someone decided that
he had either paid his debt to society,
or had been punished enough. Then,
last month, Manhattan Borough Pres
ident Percy Sutton named the recently
released convict to serve as an unpaid
adviser to a community planning
board. After all, he had shown some
flair for planning.
To most people, this would have
meant a chance, not only to clear his
anem, but to show that the parole
system can work. But this man did
not react as one might guess. It was
the same old story once again. He
has now been indicted for taking part
in another bomb plot. This time the
plot did not involve destruction of his
toric symbols. This time it involved
human beings.
Twenty-one members of the ex
tremist Black Panthers, including the
parolee, were a 11 e g e dly plotting to
bomb five New York City department
stores, a police station and a commuter
rail station. Snipers were to be in po
sition to gun down policemen as they
fled the stationhouse.
When will we learn?
Wish I’d Said
That
Everybody forgets his lucky
breaks or credits them to his
intellijirenee. N. DeVane Wil
liams, The Holmes County
(Fla.) Advertiser.
The most outstanding figure
in Washington, D.C., is the na
tional debt. Lee Call, The
Star Valley, Wyo.) Independ
ent.
Mao's Thought And His Successors Thought
Prospects Favorable
BY BABSON’S REPORTS INC.
WELLESLEY HILLS, MASS.,-
Although uncertainties abound
and there is no lack of unsolved
problems, the U.S. economy is
still pointing to the upside. Ad
mittedly some segments of busi
ness are not showing as much
vigor as previously, yet relative
ly few really serious setbacks
have occurred. Thus far, the Ad
ministration and Federal Re
serve fiscal and monetary control
actions -- designed to bring about
disinflation of the overheated
economy -- have had only a token
impact.
CAPSULE FORECAST
As things now shape up, the
One of the most important
promises of Richard Nixon when
he was a candidate for President
was the promise to reverse the
flow of power which has been
running away from the States.
President Nixon’s projected do
mestic program redeems that
promise.
The President laid down his
principles as follows:
NIXON’S PRINCIPLES
First, to supplement Federal
funds with private funds,
through the use of “seed money”
devices such as tax credits and
loan guarantees.
Second, to enlist the great,
voluntary sector more fully,
using the energies of those mil
lions of Americans who are sble
and eager to help in combating
the nation’s ills.
Third, to help rebuild state
and local institutions, so that
they merit and gain a greater
measure of confidence on the
part of their own citizens.
Fourth, to streamline the ad
ministration of Federal pro
grams, not only for efficiency
and economy, but to improve the
certainty of delivery and to cut
away the clouds of confusion
that now surround not only then-
operation, but often their pur
poses.
Fifth, to make maximum use
of the knowledge constantly be
ing gained, as for example, in
our commitment to the first five
years of a child’s life.
CREATIVE BASE
In all of these principles, we
see an attempt to get back to
the creative base of our Ameri
can life. This country did not get
to be great by depending upon
the organizational powers of
government. Our greatness came
from individuals recognizing the
potential of local situationa, and
having the faith to act upon that
potential. The distant hand cf
a government far away cannot
detect the needs of every citizen.
There are some problems that
are national In origin, such aa
the soaring inflation that has
dally rubbed oar thrifty citizens
of their savings, and diminiabed
the dollar's ability to bay the
social improvements oar nation
inflation have hit hardest at the
staff of Babson’s Reports ex
pects final compilations to show
Gross National Product for the
first quarter of 1969 approaching
the $905-billion mark. . .a gain
of 2^ over the 1968 fourth quar
ter. Despite the heavy restric
tive influence of large spring tax
payments and government credit
curbs, we feel there is enough
forward business momentum to
carry the GNP to the $918-920-
blllion level in the second quar
ter. With perhaps half of this
additional 2$ increase coming
from higher price tags, the real
expansion will be only fractional.
Yet the trend will still be up
and new highs will be reached
in the April-June period.
The rate of gain posted by the
elderly living on fixed incomes
and at the hard-working middle
clam who pay the burden of our
taxes. To help these groups es
pecially, the President proposed
measures to raise social security
benefits by seven percent while
decreasing other government ex
penditures and introducing fiscal
reforms to save the dollar.
For too long, our government
has ignored those who are the
real producers in our economy,
or who have spent their lives in
productive pursuits. The pro
grams of the past have been
geared to the “have-nots” with
out taking into consideration the
fact that, ultimately, the pru
dent and hard-working taxpayer
is the one who has to pay.
SPECIFIC PROGRAMS
For this reason, the specific
programs outlined by the Pres
ident are those mainly designed
to allow the individual to func
tion freely. He called for a
crack-down on organized crime,
racketeers, and narcotics ped
dlers—all of them parasites on
a healthy society, eating up
hard-earned wages and profits.
He also called for new laws to
combat the rapid spread of ob
scenity. The chief cause of the
growth of pornography is the
recent string of decisions by the
Supreme Court knocking down
local standards and local de
terminations of obscenity. Any
new legislation most inevitably
cope with these decisions.
Other programs proposed by
the President would give tax
credits to enlist private re
sources to meet our urgent so
cial needs. The Federal poverty
programs have proved that a
large central government simply
can’t manage local welfare solu
tions,. much less respond to
widely varying needs. In the
same vein, the President called
for programs of job training and
placement. It is only by employ
ing trained and capable people
in the private sector that sig
nificant advances can be made in
raising the standard of living
and assuring stability.
It has been a long time since
a President of the United States
presented a program based upon
common sense and practicality.
Federal Reserve Index of Indus
trial Production thus far in 1969
has been lagging the 1968 pace.
Preliminary figures suggest a
first-quarter average for the in
dex of about 169.5. We are look
ing for a second-quarter average
near 171, with the high mark
probably occurring in May. But
beyond midyear, production in
creases may be harder to come
by.
REE IN CONSTRUCTION
ACTIVITY
Our studies indicate that dollar
volume of construction will in
crease substantially compared
with the 1969 first quarter.
While the rise in bank lending
rates and higher building costs
are dampening earlier forecasts
of a 10% rise in housing starts
this year, the recent brisk
housing stajts should bolster re
sidential construction.
Heavy construction -- high
ways, bridges, dams, and the like
-- will show good gains from
first-quarter levels. And com
mercial and industrial building
promises to lend support to the
industry’s total activity. Hence,
the economy should benefit from
a decidedly higher level of pend
ing for construction in the current
quarter. Accordingly, the Re
search Staff of Babson’s Reports
favors such building materials
stocks as Lone Star Cement, Me
dusa Portland Cement, and Nat
ional Gypsum.
PLUSES AND MINUSES
Babson’s Reports staff men are
forecasting that the following
other industries will show the
best gains during the second
quarter: Airlines, aluminum,
chemicals, copper, electric utili
ties, life insurance, and railroads
and transportation generally.
This augurs well for stocks such
as EMC Corp., Reynolds Metals,
and Republic National Life In
surance, currently favored by
Bkbson’s. Tending up also,
though at a slower pace, will
likely be: Auto accessories, elec
tronics, machinery, metal fabri
cating, and rubber.
Autos and steel will probably
be the major laggards. Auto pros
pects are rather drab, and total
output in the second quarter now
promises to be down from the
somewhat disappointing results
of the January-March period.
Steel (still going great guns af
ter a far better-than - expected
first quarter) will do better than
autos. Yet we feel steel is rid
ing for a setback. While ship
ments should hold qp well, auto’s
doldrums and resumption of for
eign steel inflow may slow or
ders and lead to a flattening out
of production before midyear.
SUMMARY
The bulk of the factors suggest
that business will chalk up far
ther over-all gains in this se
cond quarter — in both volume
and profits. Inflationary pres
sures must still be reckoned with,
however, and as we come closer
to midyear we look for increases
in profits to taper off. The high
cost of carrying inventories and
the Impact of fiscal and mone
tary controls may restrain for
ward buying.
NMM
SENATOR STROM
THURMOND
REPORTS TO THE
PEOPLE
REVERSING THE FLOW
(N*
2-B—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C., April 24, 1969
Hunger and Defense
The poor are like the man
injured in a wreck. He has
multiple injuries: a fractured
leg, broken arm, contusions
of the body. The poor are also
multiply "injured.” They need
food, housing, training in
personal hygiene, schooling,
health care, job training, job
opportunities. The poverty
cycle begins with hunger.
Children, left without food,
are not read bedtime stories
either. Usually they enter
school without ever having
turned the page of a book.
The classroom appears
strange, sometimes hostile.
They drop behind, take the
first grade twice, probably re
peat another, and before long,
discouraged, they drop out.
Back to the slum they go.
Later, it is not unusual for
this dropout to be picked up
on the health, welfare, or
penal rolls.
When should government
enter the picture? Should it
wait for the poor to be sick
ened by hunger and then ad
mit them to the hospital. It
costs $65 a day in the hospi
tal—enough to feed a family
of five for two weeks. Should
it wait for the poor child to
hit teen age, be«>me a juve
nile delinquent, and then
spend a fortune on child
guidance counsellors, truancy
officers, and juvenile courts?
Should it wait until the poor,
with no training, steals? It
costs $10 a day to care for an
inmate in the penitentiary,
and this is enough to buy $360
in food stamps for the hungry.
I believe that it is cheaper to
feed the child than jail the
man. If we only would face up
to the problem of hunger, we
not only could save lives, but
ultimately we could save
money. If the child was
brought in early years to a
kindergarten and fed a hot
breakfast, he would learn good
habits. He would develop in
centive. The hungry children
that I’ve seen in my tours of
South Carolina—both white
and black—would fight to get
to school if they knew break
fast was waiting. And swollen
welfare costs would begin to
shrink.
Initially, however, this pro
gram will cost more. This ad
ditional cost—about a billion
dollars more than we are now
spending—can be raised easi
ly. But some make it hard.
This is the group that advo
cates withdrawal from Viet
nam and opposes defense
appropriations. They speak of
hunger and caterwaul “mili
tary industrial complex" in
the same breath. Eternal vigi
lance used to be the price
of liberty, but to some, ap
parently this is the price to
eliminate hunger. To get a
hot breakfast, they say we
must cut back on the bomb
ing attacks that protect our
troops; we must continue to
let our navy slip; air power
is imperialistic and ineffective
both; and the only way to
get a hunger program through
the Congress is to vote
against the ABM. In short,
some think money for hunger
must come from the defense
budget. I think not. Undoubt
edly there is some water in
our $80 billion defense budget,
and it should be reviewed
for cuts. But I don’t believe
in cutting back on bombing
or anything else to protect
our boys in Vietnam. And
the deprecation of our mili
tary is disastrous. The recent
assault on our ROTC presents
a real danger. It’s getting to
be un-American to wear the
uniform. This is all wrong.
For one, the military are far
more educated than many
realize. Next to Harvard,
Princeton, and Yale, West
Point stands fourth among
educational institutions in
America with Rhodes schol
ars. And until the fighting
started in 1965, 75 r /c of West
Point graduates in the 10
years prior thereto received
their master’s degrees. More
importantly, the assault on
the military completely ig
nores what Russia and -China
are doing. Russia deployed
their ABM around Moscow in
1962, and apparently are
spending billions at the mo
ment to beef it up. While
opponents of the military in
one breath are saying we
have enough ICBMs to de
fend us and in the next
breath that the ICBMs won’t
work, we know what Russia
thinks—that it will work 1
We cannot delay any longer.
As South Carolina Senator
John C. Calhoun said: “Those
who would enjoy the blessings
of liberty must be willing to
undergo the hardships of sus
taining it.” National defense
must be sustained and hunger
must be eliminated. Money
for hunger can be raised by
retumhig' thf^' titWp^"‘ffom ^
some of the 420 bases we
have overseas—by eliminat
ing the 7% investment credit
—by withholding action for a
year on the Mars space pro
gram or public works proj
ects like the Central Arizona
Dam costing $1.3 billion.
Now is not the time to con
fuse hunger with defense—or
refuse either. The poor have
waited long enough and our
soldiers in Vietnam have sac
rificed more than enough.
.i-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-: Sensing The News
( ABM
BY THURMAN SENSING
Executive Vice President
Southern States Industrial
Council
When Senate * liberals,* led by
Senator J. William Fulbright (D-
Ark) began their battle against
an anti-ballistic missile system,
the operation seemed to be just
another emotional protest by the
defense-abolitionist element in
the Senate. The fight against the
ABM has taken on a new char
acter in recent weeks, however.
It apparently represents a bold
bid by Senator Edward Kennedy
(D-Mass) and Kennedy faithful
to defeat and humiliate Presi
dent Nixon In the early months
of his presidency, thereby turning
him into a virtual lameduck pre
sident from the start
Members of the Kennedy fami
ly and former Kennedy adminis
tration officials are in the key
positions of the anti-ABM move
ment* Dr. Jerome Wiesner, chief
scientific adviser to the Kennedy
administration and a fervant ad
vocate of quick disarmament is
masterminding efforts among
'liberals* in the scientific com
munity to discredit defense a-
gainst Soviet ballistic missiles.
In New York State, Stephen
Smith, a Kennedy brother-in-
law, and Roswell Gilpatrlc, a
former high official under the
New Frontier are leaders in a
so-called ‘ad hoc Committee A-
gainst ABM.* Abraham Chayes,
a Harvard professor and former
State Department official in the
Kennedy administration, also is
deeply involved. The depth and
scope of the anti-ABM effort is
Indicated by the fact, that it eveh
indofes massive telephone-call-
ing operations snch asartused
fa presidential elections. Com
mittees art being formed to write
tetters to appear fansvqpapers
across tin coontry.
This power drive by New Fron-
Stakes!
• •
tiersmen, who would like to mark
Richard M. Nixon as a one-term
President, cannot be regarded,
however, as an ordinary exer
cise of politics. The defense of
the United States should not be
involved in the political game.
In the past, both major parties
have closed ranks on national de
fense. Even when a President
lacked a majority in Congress,
the majority accepted his lead
ership on vital defense decisions,
holding that the U.S. can have only
one Commander-in-Chief at a
time.
The foes of ballistic missile
defense are throwing overboard
all the precedents insofar as de
fense leadership is concerned.
President Nixon has said that.the
Safeguard ABM system isessfen-
tial tc the security of the Ameri
can people and to the protec
tion of the nation’s nuclear de
terrent force. Mr. Nixon has the
constitutional responsibility for
the defense of the United States,
but the anti-ABM lobby clearly
intends to usurp his constitution
al authority.
In trying to justify their ruth
less opposition, * liberals* in the
Senate say that the ABM would
endanger peace. But Senator
Richard Russell (D-Ga) rightly
has characterized this argument
as absurd. In a recent talk in
Atlanta, Senator Russell pointed
out that the ABM is a defensive
system. He asked bow the Rus
sians could possibly be angered
by an American defensive sys
tem. The absurdity is all the
greater inasmuch as the Soviets
already have an ABM system de
ployed around Moscow and Lenin
grad.
As for the need of the ABM,
the President fa fa a better po
sition than anyone to know the
fall extent of the Soviet missile
menace today.
* * •