Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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/ 2-B—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C., Oct. 30, 1969 Electoral College Change Dangerous TIME TO CUT DOWN ARROWS INDICATE CN&L TRACKS WHICH MAY BE REMOVED . . At South Broad Street Intersection in Down town Clinton PREPARE FOR OPPORTUNITY BY THURMAN SENSING Executive Vice President Southern States Industrial Council In voting to junk the Electoral College and to choose presidents by direct popular balloting, the U.S. House of Representatives struck a blow at the republican system of government created by the Founding Fathers — a sys tem that has brought the blessing of liberty to generations of Ame ricans. The action of the House was not a reform but a step back ward. The Foundling Fathers, who wrote the U.S. Constitution, were wise men mindful of the dangers of tyranny in earlier so cieties. They build elaborate safeguards into the U.S. consti tutional system, and the Elec toral College was one of them. The Founding Fathers knew that tyranny may be imposed by an autocrat or dictator. Thay also recognized that unlimited demo cracy could become totalitarian democracy. John Randolph of Roanoke, the early Virginia sta- We have a feeling that eventually Clintonians are going to have to make a decision as to just how badly they want a set of railroad tracks removed from the downtown area. Now is the time to be thinking about it and making the necessary plans. Sealxmrd Coastline Railroad Co. Florence Superintendent J. L. Wil liams has conn* up with a proposal which would remove the CN&L tracks from three key downtown intersect ions. Under his proposal, the CN&L rail traffic would be routed over the existing Seaboard track. This, of course, would mean there would be more rail traffic on the Seaboard line. However, there wmuld not be nearly 4Uu c h downtown shifting which Moses so much traffic conges tion. Williams’ proposal must first l»e approved by Seaboard management. It has been estimated it will cost Sea board about $100,000 to make the necessary changes. Management will look at the proposal from the business point of view but undoubtedly also will keep the public relations aspect in mind. We hope the two aspects can mesh. Even with management opproval, the proposal probably will be contin gent upon the City of Clinton pur chasing the downtown area which will be available after the tracks are re moved. That strip of land is the most important aspect of the proposal, as far as Clinton is concerned. W r e assume that if Seaboard makes the land available, it will be on a fair and reasonable basis. However, don’t expect them to offer it to the city for '‘$1 and love and affection.” There was a time when railroads weren’t particularly interested in their real estate which wasn't directly involved in their operation and they would prac tically give it away to municipalities. That day has passed. Today’s rail road management is more business like when it comes to real estate. The question is, if the land is made available, can the city afford it? The City of Clinton is operating on a close margin these days and, under the present circumstances, will be lor some time. Such worthwhile projects as the new city hall and revamping of the electrical system represent finan cial obligations. For the 19th straight year, Clin ton City Council this year did not in crease the municipal tax rate. Reve nues have grown because of the growth of the city but so have ex penditures. However, there must be some way the city can obtain that badly needed downtown land if it is offered. If the money is not available, could a lease arrangement be worked out? Could it be turned into a cooperative venture with a private investor? We hope our city leaders will give all of the potentialities much consid eration and will be prepared to give some answers if the opportunity pre sents itself. The future of the downtown area could well depend upon their abilities to come up with some acceptable pro posals. SUPPORT JA Junior Achievement of Clinton has begun its second year of opera tion. The efforts of the young achievers are a superb example of the interest which can be generated in our free enterprise system. By their partici pation, they discover that a business career is creative and exciting. It will take time to evaluate the success of the J. A. program. It is difficult to assess the educational value of the program and its impact upon the minds of the young par ticipants. This impression will be invaluable as the achievers assume their future roles as employees, em ployers, community leaders and intel ligent voters. “Learning-by-doing” is what Jun ior Achievement hopes to accomplish. Very few of us can disagree with the philosophy. Clinton Mills and Torrington have demonstrated their interest in this economic educational program through their sponsorship of Clintex and Torr- oc Junior Achievement Companies. What other program offers to day’s youth “first hand” information on our free enterprise system ? THE WEAKER SEX? Dne of the most inexplicable acts we have heard of in a long time was described the other day in a brief dis patch from Ithaca, New York. The item told of four girls hurling paint at a three-man team of Marine Corps re cruiters in Cornell University’s Bar ton Hall. One girl was identilied and arrested on a charge of harassment. We don’t know why the charge wasn’t for as sault, with some other charges thrown in for good measure. What posseses a tweny-one year old girl to throw paint at anyone? We fail to comprehend what moves a fe male member of society to violence against any representative of the arm ed forces. If a woman is opposed to the draft and speaks out against it. or peacefully demonstrates against it, that is her business. But the Marines in this case were not on the Cornell campus to focus at- tent ; on on the Selective Service Sys tem. They were there only to give in formation to those who might be con sidering voluntary enlistment in the Corps. And they had every legal right to be there. It is ironic that those who so often choose violence in seek ing what they regard as their rights are so willing to deny the rights of others. iUHUIUI SENATOR STROM THURMOND REPORTS TO THE PEOPLE mm RESPECT OUR FLAG "The Fla*? of the United States is universally representa live of the principles of the justice, liberty, and de nocracy enjoyed by the people of the United States.” So stars a Presidential proclamation. Rut no proclamation is necessary to make such sentiments evident, for every loyal citizen feels these words in his heart. In recent months, there has been a prowinK tendency amonp some sectors of the population to cast disrespect upon ihe Flajr. and to vent their disagreements with national policies by com mitting shameful acts against it. Such people proclaim theii loyalty to so-called “hia'lmr prin ciples”, or they say that the Flatr is bein*r used to support actions which displease them. N'o citizen can divide his loyalties for lonjr without falling on one side or the other. What ever the immediate cause of di respect to the Flap—whether thoughtlessness or emotional hostility—such a person will eventually transfer his attitude from the Flap to his Country. WHAT IS THE FLAG? For, after all, is it the Flap itself that we honor? What is this piece ot cloth, not quite twice as lonp as wide, seven red and six white stripes, and a blue field of white stars? The Flap is the physical symbol of our Country. It is not simply the emblem of our lands and rivers, our cities and towns. It is the tanpible evidence of our pledpe to the traditions and history from which we have sprunp. The Flap is the symbol of our pledpe to the Constitution, and the restraints upon Federal power. The Flap is the symbol of our dedication to personal freedom and representative povernment. The Flap is the symbol of law and order, and such basic human riphts as property, social inde pendence, and the ripht to work for our families. Finally, the Flap is a symbol of the courape, strenpth, and steadfastness of the men who have rallied around its standard in war and peace. Whether they wish to do so or i< , m . live by their symbols, burinp the so-called “Vietnam Moratorium”, the collepe news paper of a famous Northeastern university printed the Viet Conp flap in full display on the front pape. This adoption of the flag of the enemy cannot be counte nanced. On the other hand, the Bir- minpham News pave its whole front pape to a full color de piction of the Stars and Stripes, in a kind of counter-demonstra tion. As a result, the Armed Forces recruitinp officers in that city reported a preat leap in the number of enlistments on that day NATURAL ORDER Our respect for the Flap is part of the natural order of our loyalties- to our family, to our community, to our State, to our repion, and to the Nation. It is for this reason that the Flap Code pives the United States Flap precedence over every other flap displayed on our territory. By law, no flap can be above or to the ripht of the United States Flap. The United Nations dap or any other international flap is forbidden to be flown equal to, above, or in a position of superior prominence to the United States Flap. Such reputations are care fully considered and appropri ate. The code requires that the Flap fly only from sunrise to sunset. It should be hoisted briskly, and lowered ceremoni ously. The law requires that it should fly near the administra tion buildinp of every public institution, near every pollinp place on election days, and near every school on schooldays. Such ceremonies are essential to the buildinp of proper patriotism. Last year, the law was chanped to prescribe a penalty of $1,000 or one year in jail, or both, for anyone who knowinply multilates, defaces, defiles, burns or tramples upon the Flag. That penalty is small enough. Who ever casts disrespect upon the Flag, casts disrespect upon his country. (not preparrd or printed at government expenie) 'Our Heritage* (Reprinted fronUThornwellLife’’) The practical thing we can do if we really want to make the world over again, is to try out the word “old” for a while. There are some “old” things that made this country. There is the “old" virtue of religious faith. There are the “old” virtues of complete integrity, loyalty, and truthfulness. There is the “old” virtue of incorruptible service and honor in public office. There are the “old" virtues of economy in government, of self- reliance, thrift, and individual liberty. There are the “old” virtues of patriotism, real love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it. These “old” ideas are very ex pensive. They even help win hot and cold wars. Some of these "old" things are slipping badly in American life. And if they slip too far, the lights will go out of America, even if we win the hot and cold wars. Think about it. -Herbert Hoover tesman and one-time Speaker of the House, referred to totali tarian democracy as “KingNum- bers". The American political system is a federal union, or federa tive republic. It is a represen tative system of government. Its design is not one of participa tory politics, to use the favorite phrase of the New Left. The qua lified voters in a state choose men to manage the affairs of government. The system works well, as the endurance of the Republic for almost 200 years makes very clear. The House of Representatives would discard a key part of the plan devised for the operation of the Republic. It would break with the wisdom of the Founding Fath ers, and grave peril will result if the direct election plan is not rejected. Fortunately, the Constitution continues to provide safeguards against intellectual confusion. For the direct election bill to become the law of the land, two- thirds of the Senate and three- fourths of the states will have to give their assent. No doubt the idea of direct elections has a superficial ap peal to persons who have not ex amined the machinery of presi dential elections and considered the theory behind it. Direct elec tion would have severely hurtful consequences, as close examina tion of the proposal reveals. The chief dam.ige done by direct election would be to down grade, if not almost eliminate, the role of the states. One of the purposes of the states is to function in the choice of a Pre sident. In so doing, our consti tutional system provides for a seperation of powers and a bar rier to the political power of the presidency over other branches of government and the people themselves. The states, after all, represent a protective line be tween the mammouth power of the federal government and the in dividual citizens. The states con stitute a hedge against tyranny. The Electoral College system means that an incumtient Presi dent has to consult with Congress and its individual members, for he has to carry states -- not win mere numbers -- if he wants to be reelected. If the Electoral College is placed on the ash heap, the President will not have to be so considerate of Congress or consult with its members. He can attempt to reach over the heads of Congress to get the number total that he needs in a presi dential election. The modern history of our country shows that the Executive already is the strongest branch of government and the least res trained. Therefore, it is the branch that must be watched most closely if the American people are to retain their liberties. But the House of Representatives has acted to add immensely to the power of the Executive Branch, thereby upsetting a careful con stitutional balance. This is not to say that some reform of the Electoral College is not in order. Strict constitu tionalists in Congress have fa vored moderate change such as embodied in the so-called Dis trict Plan. Under the District Plan, a candidate would get one electoral vote for each congres sional district he carries and two for carrying the state. The ef fect of this plan would be to break up the large blocs of ele ctoral votes that now go to can didates carrying the big states. Unfortunately, the House turned down the District Plan before opting for direct election. Tampering with the electoral system so as to upset the con stitutional balance is an exercise in irresponsibility. Thoughtful citizens cannot ignore the danger of a power-hungry demagogue riding into office on the votes of unqualified voters who in big cities are herded to the polls like sheep to cast ballots on the orders of the managers of con flict organizations. Dear Sir: I am in the process of collect ing information pertaining to the derivation, origin, meaning, etc. of the names of the towns and cities in our great state. If suc cessful, I hope it can be a small contribution toward the coming Tricentennial Celebration. If any of your readers have any in formation concerning the nam ing of any towns in the state, especially in Laurens County, particularly interesting or un usual facts, oddities, stories, etc., I would certainly appreciate receiving the same. Thank you. Rev. Phil Clarke P. O. Box 307 Clearwater, S. C. 29822. Water Pollution Control Market Tops $26 Million BY BABSON’S REPORTS, INC. Wellesley Hills, Mass. The market for water pollu tion control has been estimated at $26 billion to $29 billion over a five-year period. However, present appropriations for the war on pollution are but a trickle because of the enormous spending on Vietnam, and there is no as surance that the cessation of hos tilities would mean that water pollution control would be the first order of business for the government. Also, technology in this area is by no means per fected, and further developments seem to be awaited despite the pollution “crisis." THE CULPRITS The three major sources of water pollution are agriculture, industry, and municipalities. Anywhere from SO 0 ! to 90% of the water for irrigation is con sumed. The remainder is pollu ted by irrigation return and by fertilizers, herbicides, pest icides, and soil erosion. Over 40% of the country’s total water use is accounted for by farm ing. Industry accounts for 50% of the total water usage, but by 1980 this may rise to 65%. Of the water used by industry, 47% to 48% is returned to the water supply and used again. Two- thirds or more is used for cool ing. Industry, it is estimated, discharges twice as much orga- Now, more than ever, the Uni ted States needs an electoral sys tem that preserves the vital, pro tective role of the states in choosing a President i/je Old 1<ym&L BASIC CAUSES -“Our gov ernment today is following the same path toward national in solvency that over the past years was followed by Great Britain, a policy which last year resulted in the devalua tion of the pound,” said Sen. John J. Williams (R.-Del.). "The basic cause of the under mining of confidence in the American dollar is not the shortage of gold but concern over the fiscally-irresponsible policies of living beyond our income without at the same time demonstrating that we have the courage either to re duce expenditures or to raise taxes. Congress must attack the basic cause of inflation and the threat to the American dol lar, and that can only be done by a realistic reduction in ex penditures and a sound tax policy.” Wish I’d Said] That going than a dollar.’ “A person who appears dig nified and serious—may just have a stiff neck!”—G. W. Hubin, The Buffalo Lake (Minn.) News. A chrysanthemum by any other name would be easier to spell.—Dale Holdridge, The Langford (S. Dak.) Bugle. nic waste into water courses as municipalities. Municipalities are discharging raw, untreated sewage into wa ter courses at an incredible rate per year. Usage of water by tlie nation’s communities accounts for a mere 7% to 8% of total water use, but contributes heav ily to the overall water pollu tion problem. CLEANING UP THE MESS In order to control or reverse water pollution, three processes can be utilized: (!) Settling, screening, and straining pollu tants; (2) coagulation, precipi tation, and other chemical pro cesses to remove 90% of the organic compounds; (3) distilla tion, reverse osmosis, electro- dialyUls, and coagulation to fer ret out the inorganic materials. Boiling these technicalities down to size, companies involved in water treatment through special ty chemicals, water servicing, and processes of desalination (desalting) should be the most immediate beneficiaries of the water pollution programs when spending is accelerated, particu larly those in the industrial waste field. At least 200 companies are in the water pollution control busi ness of these, only a small num ber are publicly owned. More over, an even smaller number are immersed in water pollution control to any significant extent. The majority of the 200 compa nies are well diversified in other activities, and many of these are subject to the cyclical influences of their respective business sec tors. PRIME PARTICIPANTS The Research Staff of Babson's Reports has concluded that the industrial waste water treatment and household conditioning seg ments of this fragmented field offer the largest market and growth potential. Thus, we would focus upon specialty chemical companies with large research and development emphasis and a high degree of consultation and technical service. Chemical use in water is expected to double in five years and double again in the following five years, pro viding a 15% annual growth rate. ATTRACTIVE INVESTMENTS The leaders in the field, fa vored by the Research Staif of Babson’s Reports are Nalco, Culligan, and Betz Laboratories. In the fast-breaking technoligi- cal field of desalting, Aqua- Chem -- the largest factor in water purification -- is an in teresting investment. Although these companies concentrate mainly in the high-potential wa ter treatment business, they are risk situations, selling at rela tively high price/earnings ratios, reflecting their leadership in the field, popularity, and growth po tential. We, therefor, advise pur chasing a package of two or more companies. f In our judgment, near-term op portunities for investment pur poses are limited. We believe that investors should see only long-term capital gains -- two or more years — in select com panies, with in-depth capabilities in the water-treatment sector of this emerging field.