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2-B—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C., July 10, 1969 The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, city council recently passed a resolu- .• tion calling for a legal holiday to com memorate the birthday of John F. Kennedy. We recognize the proposal for the fine gesture it is, but it raises some questions which should be considered. It is our opinion that national holi days are too special an honor to be be stowed on purely emotional grounds. Down through our history only Abra ham Lincoln and George Washington have been so honored. The tragic murder of President Kennedy does not, of itself, justify the proposed honor. Presidents Gar field and McKinley also died at the hands of assassins. In fact, Garfield lived 84 days before dying, and Mc Kinley lingered for eight days follow ing the fatal attack by an anarchist in 1901. Mr. Kennedy’s term of office was not history-making, even in light of our sympathy, which forgives some flaws. There is evidence that future genera tions may be even more critical of the Kennedy administration than were any of his opponents in his cam paigns. Washington led the nation in its conception, birth and early days of formation. Lincoln guided it through its most trying period of all and help ed bring the nation together again. Others have held the reins of govern ment in time of great stress and war. None of these has been similarly rec ognized. Where can the line be drawn ? What about Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, the Roosevelts, Eisenhower? And non-presidents like Hamilton, Franklin, Webster, Gay and McAr thur? The present proposal should be carefully thought through. ON LEGAL HOLIDAYS WHAT IS WELFARE? Throughout the years since the very beginning of the exploration of the New World, this has been the land of opportunity. Early history is fill ed with early explorer s’ tales of streets paved with gold and the wealth that would reward any daring adven turer willing to migrate to the virgin land. Over the decades since, millions of people have followed the ocean paths in search of the fulfillment of the promised dream. Some have made it, more in fact than ever before in the history of man. Others have not. The American is, despite many shortcomings, a generous individual. He has learned that he has an unwrit ten obligation to his neighbor to help when needed. If another man is un able to care for himself why shouldn’t he share in the abundance? If a man is unable temporarily to provide for his family’s needs others will help him with the necessities until he’s able to return to the work force. This is as it should be. We are a capitalist so ciety. Each of us profits by the labor of others. What one produces another consumes. What is consumed is paid for with earnings received from pro ductivity. The more men employed, the larger the market. Aid to the in capacitated is welfare. It is not de meaning. It is our way of proving to the world that we take care of our own. Aid. to the temporarily unem ployed is welfare. It, too, is not of it self degrading but a way of showing confidence in our system. It is an investment in the recipient’s future, and should provide enough to prevent hunger or misery, without encourag ing permanent unemployment. When welfare provides a means of remaining unemployed, the time has come for Americans to have a careful look at exactly how much welfare can be dispensed without threatening their future. A TURNED-ON SCHOOL Some folks say you can find just about every kind of foolishness in Washington, D. C. After noting a story in the magazine section of one of that city’s papers we are inclined to agree. The story deals with a community- type high school in the District. The "school” contains about twenty young sters, most between 15 and 17 years of age. They are the pupils of four young “teachers” in their early twen ties and thirties. The school does not grade the students. The courses are not prescribed. There are no required courses and there is no ranking as to year of study. Students can skip any classes they desire. There are no freshmen, sophomores, juniors or sen iors. There is u formal class center in a nearby church, but most of the study appears to be carried on in the school center, known as "The House”. This is a three-story row house in a predominantly Negro section of the city where, according to one student, “I’m sure they think of us as the freaks in the corner house.” Most of the students come from middle and upper-middle income fam ilies in the suburbs of Virginia and Maryland. They pay a tuition of $275 and an additional $70 per month "if they wdsh to live in the House”, which is run in the form of a commune. Some of the photos that accompanied the article showed housing conditions significantly less than clean. There was a picture of the group at dinner with silverware and note pa per on the floor. Another showed a group of youngsters in a discussion in what appeared also served as a bed room. The teen-agers, male and fe male, were lying and sitting on mat tresses on the floor, with lighted cig arettes. Clothing was strewn about and the only window covering consist ed of a blanket hung over a curtain rod. The puzzling aspect of this experi ment is the parents* part in it. We can understand young people caught up in the fantasy of being part of the turned-on generation, but we cannot comprehend the immaturity of the adult delinquents who allow it. It seems to us that they are doing their children no favor in delaying their en try into what is still essentially a dis ciplined world. Farm Land Values Are Still Rising BY HASSON’S REPORTS INC. WELLESLEY HILLS, MASS.- Prices for farm land rose 6% last year, on average, reaching another new all-time peak. Sharpest gains were concentrat ed in the southeastern states, Georgia heading the list with a spectacular advance of 14%. Question now is: Will the value of farm land keep going up? If so, at what pace? And for how long? ON THE BULLISH SIDE As of now, the staff of Bab- A citiren’s revolt is growing against the torrent of obscene materials pouring into every area of the country. Pornog raphy has become a multimillion dollar racket, invading the homes of many, unasked and unwanted. The community standards of our people are affronted by an ag gressive campaign of commer cial exploitation, conducted from a few well-identified production centers. A particularly vicious aspect of this racket is that it preys upon inexperienced young people at the very time of their char acter formation. By invading the home, it attacks the family bond, subverting the principles of morality that .L' / ' r, . "j are trying to in children. Pornograpn ■ to leave impressionable young sters scarred with a distorted system of values. GALLUP POLL It is not surprising, then, that a Gallup poll last month shows that 86 percent of the people favor tougher laws dealing with obscene matter sent through the mails. The poll also shows that 76 percent of the people favor tougher laws dealing with ob scene material displayed on newsstands. These statistics in dicate that the American people do not accept the degraded standards of a corrupt fringe element in society. In large part, the onrush of pornography has been released by a long series of U. S. Su preme Court decisions that have overturned local determinations of obscenity, and have made use less much of the prevailing legis lation against obscenity. By turning pornographers loose, the Supreme Court has given them Heense to impose their degrada tion upon the rest of the com munity. There was no need for the Supreme Court to enter this difficult area. Until recent years, the determination of whether any particular materials were obscene was generally set by a local jury. Thus, the standards of the local community pre vailed, under the common law doctrine traceable back to the Anglo-Saxon concept of juris prudence. Recent Supreme Court decisions have had the practical effect of abolishing common law doctrine in obscenity cases. NEW BILLS A number of bills have been son’s Reports looks for further gains in the value of farm land, at least for the years immediate ly ahead. The price climb may be less drastic over the next year or so than it was during the course of 1968, but it will still be note worthy. Strong demand for such property is assured as long as there is a steadily expanding need for food both here and abroad and a continuing powerful trend toward ever-larger, highly mechanized farms. As far as return on invest ment in agricultural property is introduced to reassert traditional American standards over the shambles left by the Court. A key bill is S.1077, which would limit the appellate juris diction of the Supreme Court in obncenity determinations. This bill would assure that a local jury would determine whether any particular item involved in a Federal criminal court action is in fact obscene. In addition, when an obscenity determination has been made in any Federal or State court, no Federal ap pellate court would have the power to reverse or set aside that determination. The bill would not eliminate the right of a convicted pornojrrapher to ap- pet.l f(. *he Supreme Court on '* .!■> on obscenity fiom being over turned. Another bill, S.1706, would make it a crime to send obscene materials to minors through the mails or through interstate commerce. The bill covers not only pictures, film, books and pamphlets which might be sent to minors, but also forbids the making of obscene motion pic tures and their exhibition to minors. Penalties would range as high as $10,000 for a second offense, or ten years in jail, or both. HIGH PENALTIES In two other bills, S.2073 and S.2074, the Nixon Administra tion has proposed significantly higher penalties for the trans port of certain obscene ma terials by mail or interstate commerce. Under S.2073, any person who knowingly sent ob scene materials to minors would be fined $60,000 for a first of fense, and $100,000 for a second offense. Prison terms would range up to ten years. The other bill, S.2074, would prohibit the use of interstate facilities, including the mails, for the transportation of sala cious advertising. This prohibi tion would apply to advertising sent to both minors and adults. These penalties would also range from $50,000 to $100,000, with prison terms up to ten years. The size of these penalties la more commensurate with the enormous profits obtained by those pandering to depravity. Any of these bills would help to restore a sense of decency to American community life. concerned, prices in some sec tions of the nation have risen above the point of economic justi- ficatn.i. Basically, the value of farm land should he determined by the possible profitability of the acreage. But some land will con tinue to rise in price in the years just ahead simply because there '’•? people who have a lot more confidence inpliysical assets than they have in the dollar. WHERE COSTS ARE HIGHEST Farm real estate prices now average some 175% higher than they did in 1950, representing an average annual compound rate of 5.4%. This compares with a rate of only 2.2% in the level of general prices. Hence, it may be seen how great has been the reliance on the future of farm land over recent years. The average dollar value per acre is highest in New Jersey ($832), Connecticut($718), Rhode Island ($616), Maryland ($565), and California ($528). Not including Alaska and Hawaii, lowest per-acre value exists in the states devoted for the most part to ranching: Wyom ing ($33), New Mexico ($41), Ne vada ($42), and Montana ($51). Where demand for agricultural property is sharpest, there is usually considerable density in population coupled with small farms close to markets. EFFECTS OF POPULATION GROWTH The climb in population totals has a tremendous impact on farm land requirements. The decline seen in the national birth rate during recent years appears to be reversing itself, and more young people are reaching the age of consent. Even the earlier move toward planned parenthood and a to ndencv toward gradually turning around. All of which will, of course, mean more mouths to feed. Keep in mind, too that there is only so much land adaptable to farming needs. Over the past 20 years, people have flocked from cities to the outer suburbs and beyond. Manufacturing and ser vice establishments have also migrated similarly into localities once chiefly occupied with farm ing. This away-from-the-cities surge will continue to absorb still more agricultural acreage. The encroachment of highways will c«ily become more widespreadfas the population (and its use of autos and trucks) grows. So as farm property is further com pressed, there is no place for farm prices to go but up. SOME SOFT SPOTS There are, however, some pos sibilities that are not all rosy. If inflationary forces are defi nitely cooled, farm land value will probably give ground to some degree. Then, rising taxes and other operational costs over the next year or two may slow the uptrend in farm land prices, es pecially in view of the fact that crop yields will not be able to continue their increase at recent rates. But, all considered, agricul tural property still makes a good holding, whether for tilling, leas ing, or retaining for the future. Occasional distress sales of farm property may offer buying oppor tunities. Be sure, however, that purchased ground is not in an ec onomically bad area or of funda mentally poor quality. fnet mr pHmttd •< SENATOR STROM THURMOND REPORTS TO THE PEOPLE AN ATTACK ON THE FAMILY Progressive Policy Towards Rhodesia BY THURMAN SENSING Executive Vice President Southern States Industrial Council The spirit that animated the American colonists 193 years ago this July Fourth, is rare in the contemporary world. The colonists on the At- tantic seaboard, when they de cided in 1776 to declare their independence of Great Britain and form a republic, wanted to stand on their own feet. The major ity of new nations, formed in the post-World War II years, have n’t had this desire. On the con trary, they expected other nations to bear their burdens and pro vide them with the financial means of development. The most notable exception to this post-war pattern has been Rhodesia, which on June 20 held a constitutional referendum and voted to become a republic. Three and a half years ago, the Rhodesians declared their in dependence of Great Britain. They did not break their ties with the British Crown, however. Because the vast majority of educated Rhodesians are of Bri tish origin, and many of their leaders -- including Prime Min ister Ian Smith — fought brave ly for Britain in World War II, they sought to retain ties to the motherland. Repeatedly, the Rhodesian lea dership met with Prime Minis ter Har >ld Wilson of Britain and other officials in London, trying to agree on constitutional arrang- ments satisfactory to both peo ples and government. The Roh- desian good will mattered for nothing, however, inasmuch as the socialist governments. The the socialist government of Great Britain was bent on appeasing the Afro-Asian extremists in the Commonwealth. These people would be satisfied with nothing less that the liquidation of in dependent Rhodesia. Finally, the Rhodesians lost patience, and decided their only alternative was to form a republic. The British government in its haste to bring down the Rhode sian government, imposed econ omic sanctions and enlisted other governments, including the John son administration, in resorting to means of injuring Rhodesia’s economy. The Rhodesians, like the A- merican colonists after July 4, 1776, refused to bend their necks or abandon their fight for inde pendence. The Americans of almost two centuries ago found a good friend in France. The Rhodesians, in their struggle for economic sur vival, learned that several Euro pean nations were eager to par ticipate in the country's econo mic growth. Thus Rhodesia has continued to receive foreign in vestment and has found markets for its goods. Because of Ex ecutive Orders issued by Pres ident Johnson, American free in- terprise has not been permitted to participate in the economy of one of the few African countries with a stable and substantial e- conomic future. Ironically, the ban on trade with Rhodesia has caused the U.S. to import chrome ore -- one of Rhodesia’s resources - from So viet Russia, a major enemy of freedom. In the eyes of Wash ington officialdom, it is better to deal with communist Russia than with anti-communist Rhodesia. Many thoughtful British parlia mentarians realize the folly of British policy towards Rhodesia. If the Conservative Party were returned to power tomorrow, sensible diplomatic and trade re lations with Rhodesia would be established. But Prime Minis ter Wilson and the Labor Par ty are the victims of their so cialist dogmas which deem it intolerable for educated men to direct the governmental affairs of an Afircan nation with a large, underdeveloped popu lation. It is time, however, that the United States government stop catering to the prejucices of the British Labor government. The Rhodesians are no different than the millions of Americans who want law and order in their communities. The Rhodesians, who have built up their country and government and financed it since 1923, cannot accept their land’s reversion to savegery. Since they declared their inde pendence in 1965, the Rhodesians have seen the tragic example of mis-rule in Nigeria and the re sulting outbreak of black against black in the Nigerian-Biafran war. Understandably, they will not accept a form of government that could lead to tribal strife in their own happy land. The Nixon administration, which is alert to the need for a greater degree of order at home, whould be sympathetic to the Rhodesians’ wish for pro gress and stability. For the last decade, U.S. policy toward Africa has involved catering to irresponsible new regimes. It is time that U.S. policy in this area be re-oriented, with special attention to those countries that have the quality leadership to raise the living standards of all the people. President Nixon could open a new era of constructive policy towards Africa by grant ing diplomatic recognition -to Rhodesia and by permitting re sumption of normal trade. SEEDS OF SLUMS A COMMUNITY CHALLENGE What makes a slum? That first broken window? Or the door off its hinges? The gutter that was to be repaired tomorrow, or the other little fix-up, clean-up jobs that were never done? When pride gives way to neglect—when homes become just houses, when people become careless and let litter accumulate, the seeds of slums are being sown. The dividing line between a thriving community and a deteriorating one is a matter of pride. Slum development is a local problem. It is up to each one of us to have sufficient pride in our neigh borhood to keep up each piece of property, and en courage the refurbishing of those areas suffering from man-made neglect.