The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, July 10, 1969, Image 10
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.
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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.