Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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WEATHER (Week df Dec. 10-17) High: 62 Low: 22 (Dec. 14) (Dec. 16) Rainfall: 1.44 ins. (Dec. 10-11) Soil Temp. Range: 42-46 Clinton Chronicle Vol. 70 - No. 50 Clinton, S. C.. Dec. 18. 1969 INDEX Three Sections, 22 Pages Classified 6-A Deaths Editorials 2-B Hospital News 8-A Society 2-A, 3-A Sports 7-A Ring-Road, Zoning, Reorganization Prize-Winning Letter Touches Many Points Mayor Layton, 68 Dies; Rites Held Below is a list of Clinton)? most pressing needs in my opinion: (1) Clintons most pressing need is a ring road around our city. Much work has been done to ob tain such a road and we all see how much more work will have to be done by all to obtain such a project. This project would be a benefit to every citizen of our city and would aid in the orderly growth of this city. - A must in this project would be a orver- head bridge which would span our two railroads. This would serve also as a emergency bridge for fire and other emergency units in case of a train blocking all R.R. Crossings in our city. This ring road needs to be near to the city as possible on all four sides. (2) A zoning ordinance is a must for Clinton if our city is to grow and keep its beauty. A zoning or dinance is not designed to “re strict people.* It is designed to protect each citizen’s home and property. This protection is due each citizen now. (3) A study now would show that our city can now, by moving into our new city hall next year, pro vide an insurance rating of “6* in lieu of our present “7" rat ing. This would provide insurance rate reductions for every pro perty owner. It also would pro vide more and better fire and emergency protection for every citizen of Clinton. This study would show that the total amount of dollars paid for city taxes and property insurance by a tax payer would be reduced. (4) Clinton Fire Dept, should ‘ discontinue the practice of the $200 per call out of town fire protection and provide a service contract for out of the city pro perty protection. Proceeds from Clinton, Today And Tomorrow this annual service contract would provide additional fire and emergency equipment for use both in and out of the city, thus providing better protection for all. In lieu of the insurance com panies enjoying the additional premiums now paid, the fire de partment could use this money for the benefit ofall-city citizens and all out of the city property own ers who would desire to purchase this service contract. (5) Clinton needs a modern “downtown” shopping center. With additional “major stores” and a upgrading of our present downtown business area, (which a shopping center would pro mote) our city merchants would enjoy many more of our citizens shopping dollars which are now going to other cities. This would promote city growth in every way. (bj Our recreation program needs will continue to grow each year. The past couple of years has proven that our city is re ceiving more recreation for its tax dollar than ever before through its contract with the Y.M.C.A. We should continue to obtain the services of the “Y” to provide our city recreation program each year. (7) Through the years profits from the utility system have pro vided most of the city’s revenue each year. The custom has been to use all profits each year for other city departments and ser vices and let the electrical sys tem rundown. Then at the point of electrical and water system breakdown due to wear and over loads, the city issues utility bonds and rebuilds the system. This is false economy. Look at the audit for the total utility bonds outstanding now. A system should be started at once to place in reserve each year a percentage of our utility profits earmarked to be used to keep our water, sewer and electrical system in top shape and to provide extentions when needed. If city council cannot do this - then much study and con sideration should be given to turning all utilities over to a elected Utility Commission, their job being to control, operate and maintain system. (8) Utility rates on water or electricity should not be increas ed in the forseen future to pro vide additional revenue for city operation. If additional revenue for our city operation is needed, other ways to provide this re venue must be found in lieu of water and electricity rate in creases. Methods must be found to let each taxpayer in our city carry his fair share of the re venue load. At present approxi mate one-fourth (1/4) of our city taxpayers do not use city water and electricity, with the addi- (Cont. on page 4-A) k *i. _ -J ,».— - - - "'-VVijH Funeral services for Clinton Mayor Harry Carson Layton were held Sunday at F irst Presbyterian Church with burial in Rosemont Cemetery. Mr. Layton, 68, died Thursday, Dec. 11, at Bailey Memorial Hos pital after a brief illness. He suffered a heart attack at his home on the morning of Nov. 13. Born in Folkston, Ga., he was reared at Thornwell Orphanage and graduated from Thornwell College, later combined with Presbyterian College. Mr. Layton came to Clinton in January, 1907, when he and his twin brother entered Thornwell, joining three older brothers who already were enrolled. They both entered the printshop at Thornwell as they entered the sixth grade. After the late W. W. Harris bought The Chronicle, the twins worked for the firm after school and on Saturday. Mr. Harry Layton was graduat ed from Thornwell High School in 1916, winning the medal for the “Best Printer" in the class. He was graduated from Thorn well College in 1920. He worked continuously for The Chronicle except for oneyear--- 1924---when he was employed by a book publishing company in Mil waukee, Wise. He and the former Clara Henry of Jacksonville, Fla., were married in Chicago in January, 1924. After that year in Milwaukee, they returned to Clin ton and he rejoined The Chronicle. During his career with the newspaper, he advised and en couraged the editors of the Clin ton High School newspaper, “The Sentinel", and the Presbyterian College newspaper, “The Blue Stocking”. Several of them went on to follow careers as jour nalists or authors, including: Hugh Helman at the University of North Carolina; Jake Penland, sports columnist for The State; Charles Mcdonald, World War II historian; Paul League, editor of the Seneca Journal; Ben Hay Hammett, alumni director of Presbyterian College; Douglas Kiker, Rome correspondent for NBC. Other former school edi tors who were guided by Mr. Layton include Harry Dent, as- Community Chorus To Give Program At County Home The Clinton Community Cho rus will present a program of Christmas carols, plus selec tions of religious and secular music, this Sunday, Dec. 21st, at the Laurens County Home. The choral group, which has been rehearsing for a number of weeks, will assemble at Belk Auditorium at 4:15, and from there they will precede to the County Home to present the pro gram. There they will be joined in the singing of Christmas carols by the patients and their visitors. The Chronicle To Publish Early The Clinton Chronicle will be published on Tuesday next week. Advertisers are requested to have their copy in by 5 p.m. Monday. Correspondents and others wishing to have news arti cles published in next week's Chronicle also are requested to have their articles and pictures in by 5 p.m. Monday. sistant to President Nixon; Clin ton City Attorney Cecil White; and Donny Wilder, editor and pub lisher of The Chronicle. Mr. and Mrs. Layton’s daugh ter, Jean, is women’s editor of The Greenville News and has won numerous awards. A charter member of the Clin ton Lions Club, Mr. Layton served for eight years on the Board of Directors of the Clin- ton-Newberry Gas Authority. He was a member of the First Pres byterian Church. He was associated with the Clinton Chronicle from boyhood until he retired in 1967 when he formed Layton Company- Printers. He was Clinton city councilman for 10 years and had served as mayor of Clinton since September, 1968. He was a son of the late D. C. and Mary Braddock Lavton of Folkston. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Clara Henry Layton; a daughter, Mrs. Norwood Cleve land of Marietta; three brothers, his twin, Harvey W. Layton of Ormond Beach, Fla., Charles E. Layton of Waycross, Ga., and Ro ger W. Layton of Atlanta, Ga. Special Election Slated Feb. 10 To Complete Term A primary will be held Jan. 13, 1970, and a special general election on Feb. 10, 1970 to fill the balance of term of Harry C. Layton, mayor of Clinton, who died last Thursday. Clinton City Council set the dates at a special meeting Monday night. Mr. Layton had served as mayor since September, 1968, and the two-year term expires September, 1970. According to state law, if a vacancy occurs over 60 days prior to the next election, a special election must be called to elect someone to fill the balance of the term. The primary will be held on Jan. 13, 1970. If a second primary is necessary, it will be held on Jan. 20. The general election is set for Feb. 10, 1970. The new mayor is to take office on Feb. 16 and serve until Sept ember, 1970. The regular primary will be held in the spring and the general election next August for the full two-year term which will com mence in September, 1970. / THE CLINTON CITY HALL * PRIZE WINNER — Noland Suddeth, third from left, receives check for $100 as first prize in the ‘Clinton, Today and Tomorrow’ contest. Present ing the check is J. C. Thomas, chairman of the Clinton Planning Commission which sponsored the contest. Also shown are representatives of the or ganizations which contributed the prize money: left to right: Ratchford Boland of the Kiwanis Club; Donny Wilder of The Chronicle; Suddeth and Thomas; Talmadge Sanders, mayor pro tern rep resenting Clinton City Council; and Francis Bla lock of the Lions Club.— (Yarborough Photo) Suddeth Wins Planning Contest McCaslan Named PC Development Director Dr. Robert O. McCaslin, a pro fessional fund-raiser now resid ing in Charlotte, will join the Presbyterian College staff as di rector of development next month, President Marc C. Weer- sing announced today. In 11 years with Ketchum, Inc., McCaslin has conducted cam paigns which raised approxi mately $25 million for 15 non profit institutions. He spent the past year as resident director of PC’s EXCEL campaign, which already has secured more than $2 million from the South Carolina Synod. President Weersingpointedout the new staff member has other sound qualifications for the job. He is an ordained Presbyterian minister who has strengthened his church ties as a fund-raiser by directing campaigns for the Presbyterian Church US, Union Theological Seminary in Vir ginia, a number of local Pres byterian churches and various church agencies. A native of Butler, Pa., Mc Caslin received his BA degree from Geneva College in 1934, his DR. McCASI ThB from Pittsburgh-Zenia Seminary in 1938. After serving as minister to United Presbyter ian churches in Zelienople, Pa. (1938-41) and Irwin, Pa. (1941- 43), he spent three years as an Army chaplain in World War II, including the Normandy Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. He assumed the pulpit of the Tor- rington (Wyo.) United Presby terian Church in 1946 and served there until he joined Ketchum in 1958. Sterling College awarded him an honorary doctor of divi nity degree in 1956. Dr. McCaslin is married to the former Donna Lathrop, a Colo rado native who attended the Uni versity of Wyoming and who has been teaching oil painting in Charlotte. The four children are: daughter Barbara, now Mrs. Floyd Dermer of Charlotte; son Tom, now an Army lieutenant after graduating from the United State Military Academy last June; and younger sons Shawn and Ian. In becoming development di rector at Presbyterian College, McCaslin succeeds Powell A. Fraser, who left last May after five years here to become pre sident of King College. Lutheran Church To Again Feature Chrismon Tree SL John’s Lutheran Church, Greenwood Highway, in its cele bration of the Christmas event, will feature again this year the Chrismon tree. The church sanctuary will be open each Sunday afternoon, Dec. 21, 28, and Jan. 4, from 2:30 - 8 p.m. to display the tree. Ladies of the congregation will be pre sent to explain the symbolism in volved both of some of the older Chrismons and also some made recently. Governor Names Claude Crocker To Manpower Group COLUMBIA - Claude A. Crock er, Clinton Textile Executive, has been named to the Governor’s State Manpower Advisory Com mittee by Governor Robert E. MoNair. The Committee also serves in an advisory capacity to the Gov ernor on the Cooperative Area Manpower Planning System (CAMPS). CAMPS is a system of coopera tive planning and action on man power. It encompasses the man power and related programs of eight Federal agencies. B. Noland Suddeth, former mayor of Clinton, is the winner of the $100 first prize in the “Clinton Today and Tomorrow" contest. Mrs. D.O. Rhame was second in the contest sponsored by the Clinton Planning Commission. There was a three-way tie for third place between Jack Fergu son, a Clinton native who is a student at Duke University; Mrs. Nancy Phillips of 1108 Elizabeth Street; and Mr. and Mrs. Tony L. Benson of Clinton. Suddeth’s prize winning letter is published intoday’sChronicle. The other top letters will be pub lished in future editions of The Chronicle. In presenting the prize check to Suddeth, J.C, Thomas, chair man of the Planning Commission said, “The judges found your letter to be concise and it in cluded many suggestions which the Planning Commission might be able to do something about." The contest was sponsored by the Planning Commission in an effort to get the opinions of Clintonians abut the town. The commission asked residents to submit letters in which they lis ted Clinton’s immediate needs and ideas abut what they would like Clinton to l>e in the future. Some of the ideas and sugges tions will be used by the com mission in drawing up plans and priorities for the city. Most often mentioned in the contest letters were the need for a “ring-road” bypass around Clinton and a city-wide clean-up campaign. Following closely were the needs for zoning; "paint, repair and improve downtown buildings"; and more recreation for young people. Also receiving considerable support were minimum housing restrictions (building codes); so cial organizations for elderly; restrictions on mobile homes; industrial expansions; and shop ping centers. Also mentioned several times were the needs for new housing; removal of railroad tracks, sur face treatment for dirt roads; traffic study; cooperation among citizens; department stores and clothing stores. Four Fire Calls Clinton firemen were called to extinguish four fires during the past week. There were three calls Sunday, two to grass fires and one to an autom bile fire. On Tuesday m >rning, firemen extinguished a blaze in a house at 190 Cypress St., Lydia Mill. The fire which is believed to have started in a closet, did con siderable damage to the kitchen and left of the house before it was contained. fr Columbia Mayor Bates To Address Kiwanians CL I NT0N- s. c. President Gets Clinton Petition Congressman James R. Mann (D-SC), left, and Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC), right, last week, presented to President Nixon a petition supporting the President's position In Vietnam. During a White House cere mony IntheCabinetRoom.thetwo South Carolina legislators pre sented a petition containing over 2,000 names to the Chief Execu tive. The petition was the result of a week-long campaign by the Clinton Rotary Club. Congressman Mann was ask ed to make the presentation by William M. Shields, President of the Clinton civic organization. In a joint statement, Mann and Thurmond said: “There are no more patriotic people to be found anywhere in the United States than in South Carolina. We are honored to be able to present these petitions and letters to the President. We hope all citizens will join in letting our leaders know that we support their efforts to bring about a just and lasting peace in Vietnam.* Columbia Mayor Lester Bates will be guest speaker Thursday night, Dec. 18, at the regular meeting of the Clinton Kiwanis Club. The dinner meeting is to start at 7 p.m. at Mary Musgrove Ho tel. Mr. Bates, who has served for 11 years as mayor of Columbia, is considered a candidate for the Democratic nomination for gov ernor of South Carolina. He was first elected mayor of the capital city in 1958 and was re-elected in 1962 and 1966 with out opposition. On Dec. 11, he received the Brotherhood Award of the National Council of Christ ians and Jews for distinguished service in the field of human relations. This is the first award to be given in South Carolina. He is chairman of the board and secretary-treasurer of the New South Life Insurance Com pany which has home offices in Columbia. A prominent Baptist layman, he recently was elected to the board of trustees of Baptist Col lege at Charleston. LESTER BATES Courthouse To Be Closed The Laurens County Court house offices will be closed from noon Dec. 24 until 9 a.m. Dec. 27 for the Christmas holidays, according to County Supervisor Furman Thomason.