Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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MAYOR HARRY LAYTON Congrwtkxial Coniv^pHoit Aft a youngster, Harry Carson Juftyton came to Clinton’s Thomwell v Orphanage where he was reared. He y died last Thursday as Clinton’s may- or. His life was a wonderful American / story; df participation, contribution X:suk1 love for a community and its peo- !*»■ He worked hard until he was ..stricken by the brief illness which led fito his death. At the time of his death, ~*Jhe owned his own business and was jmayor of the town he loved. To the vend, he had many responsibilities and those that knew him best knew that’s •^the way he would have wanted it. x For over 40 years, he worked fur ;:jThe Chronicle. He operated the ma- >:chines which set type. He put the jjitype in forms from which the news- : :paper pages were printed. He wrote -iinews articles. He stamped the ad- •dresses on the newspapers which were ^mailed out to subscribers. He was part Tof the production of the newspaper ;^from the start to the delivery. After ;ithe death of Publisher W. W Harris, :’he became general manager of The ■Chronide and took on additional re- .* sponsibilitiee. Throughout the world there are former editors of the Presbyterian .^College “Blue Stocking” newspaper and the Clinton High “Sentinel” who were assisted by Mr. Layton and be came his friends. It is believed that, until his retirement, he had worked with every editor of these two publi cations. To most of them, he was their introduction to journalism. He was patient, understanding, and a good teacher. He retired from The Chronide in 1967 and opened his own printing company. Starting a new company after one retirement might have been enough for most people. But Mr. Lay- ton had a strong sense of civic re sponsibility and involvement He had served 10 years on dty council. He became a candidate for mayor and he was elected. So, after his “retire ment” he took on two new careers. Mr. Layton was not cast in the the mold of the stereotype politician. He would do those things which need ed to be done but he wasn’t afraid to say no if he thought a proposal would threaten the fiscal status of the city. He wasn’t one to make a k>t of political promises which he might not be able to honor. In the jargon of today, he would tell it like it is. Harry Layton was a fine man, a warm friend and a dedicated leader. He deeply loved Clinton and its people and left his mark on both. CLEMSONS FRANK HOWARD •*; On a Saturday in Spetember of .1940, the careers of two outstanding .. football coaches overlapped in Clinton. Presbyterian College played host to Clemson and PC Coach Walter ^Johnson was paid tribute on his 26th anniversary as head football coach at PC. The coach of the Clemson team was Frank Howard. It was his first game as head coach and it was the only time the Clemson varsity ever played in Clinton. Clemson came to Clinton because it was Coach John son’s 25th anniversary and they, too, recognized the contributions he had made to South) Carolina intercollegiate . athletics- It was Coach Johnson’s last ^season as head coach. La#'week, Frank Howard stepped ^aside as head football coach at Clem son and, like Coach Johnson, leaves behind a record of building pride in a school and its football representative. We regret to see Coach Howard leave the coaching scene. Maybe it was time for him to step aside and de vote more of his time to the athletic director’s job. But we hate that he had to leave active coaching at the end of a season that was not indica tive of Frank Howard football. Apparently the die was cast before his final season began and it was to be his last as head coach, win or lose. As it turned out, the timing was un just and unsatisfying. We would have preferred that he step aside amid the cheers of victory. That would have been more indicative of ”th»* Howard years." CHRISTMAS LIGHTS w Our congratulations to Mrs. Per ry Moore and her committee on se lection of the new Christmas lights for downtown Clinton. The lights are attractive and they add the proper festive touch to the downtown area Also, since the lights aren’t strung across the street, they don’t create the traffic hazard of driv ers confusing Christmas lights with traffic signals. Mrs. Moore is chairman of the Street Decorations Committee of the Clinton Businessmen’s and Merchants Association. The association and the Clinton Chamber of Commerce spon sor the Christmas decorations. g THE USC STADIUM We hope that the University of South Carolina can find some private way of financing the proposed *8 5 g million expansion of its football stadi- um. We don’t believe the state can -i ; afford to finance it with tax money. 11 *» We enjoy football as much as any- one (more than most, according to the > wife) and we want the state to be J well-represented on the athletic fields. ^But we also want to keep our needs in proper perspective. This state needs a kindergarten system as part of its public school sys tem- It also needs mfcre emphasis on vocational training in the public school system. The system is now geared primarily for preparing students for college. All graduates don’t go on to college. Many students are mechani cally gifted but lose interest in schools designed for college preparatory They often fall behind and drop out because courses aren’t geared to en hance their talents. And if state money is used to fi nance the USC stadium expansion, we won’t get by with $8.5 million. If USC uses state money to finance its stadium expansion, what do you suppose those folks up at Clemson are going to do? TO BE ENJOYED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ■ ■■ ."V? V. ♦. H. < ill ' ft'- V- 'V % » 1 '& Trucking Industry Grows BY BABSON’S REPORTS, INC. WELLESLEY HILLS, MASS. - Excellent long-term growth has been enjoyed by the motor car rier industry. Meeting the de mand from shippers for speed, convenience, and flexibility, motor carriers have achieved one of the best earnings records in the entire transportation field. As high borrowing costs have made large inventories almost prohibi tive, trucks have become “ware houses on wheels* to many com panies providing fast, depend able, and frequent service. PROFITABLE LTL Small shipments known as LTL (less-than-truckload) provide between 65% and 75% of revenues for most truckers, and this type of service brings freight rates in the top category. We expect that LTL shipments will continue their long-term expansion, meaning extensive future benefits for the trucking industry. The interstate highway system has also contributed to this growth. Overnight deliveries and frequency of service are truck ing’s prime advantages for its customers, and the burgeoning highway system has greatly ex tended the geographical bounda ries. Greater uniformity and lib eralization of size and weight laws in the individual states have been beneficial. These revisions have permitted the motor car riers to achieve earnings gains through the use of more efficient equipment and cheaper operat ing procedures. ECONOMICAL MERGERS In recent years there has been a sharpening trend toward mer gers. Trucking is a highly frac tionalized industry involving more than 15,000 carriers, with SENATOR STROM THURMOND REPORTS TO THE PEOPLE TEXTILE PROTECTION llilr Significant progress is being made in the continuing effort to secure protection for the textile industry, both in the Congress and at the White House. First, on Wednesday, Decem ber 10, the Senate adopted the Import Amendment by the im pressive vote of 66 to 30. I was pleased to co-sponsor this along with Senator Cotton and others. The essence of this legislation is that when the President finds that a foreign country is im porting any commodity in such quantity so as to disrupt the domestic market or to cause in jury to industries or workers in the United States, and the for eign country also has restric tions against our imports, then the President can impose re strictions to curb the flow of these goods into the United States. SIGNIFICANT ACTION The tax bill containing this import provision which was passed by the Senate will be considered by the joint Senate- House Conferees, and the con ferees will be urged to retain it in the bill. This constitutes a most signi- **,?.“* • ctlo,, hy ^ Senate which will strengthen the hand of oar negotiators in Geneva and will •■power the President to take corrective action. Secondly, the Nixon Adminis tration is making progress in its efforts to negotiate an interna tional agreement restricting the now of textile imports into the country. A conference is being held in Geneva, Switserland, by U.S. representatives with those of other nations and they are studying the various proposals for a world wide trade agree ment involving man-made fibers ■nd woolen goods. Cotton prod- oeta art already regulated under IMPORTS INCREASE Statistics show imports of man-mmle fibers increased last JW 66 percent over the pre- vtoy, year, and they are ex- Heted to rise this year to M psMSover the ISfif level. The Mgotiatort agree that some con trol b necessary, but the for- ooda forlhTSgnri is a a»t£ The Japanese, who are taking part in the discussion, say that the American textile industry is healthy and growing. However, they are using misleading ata- tistirs in their arguments. The Far East is also claiming that this move on the part of the Nixon Administration is politi cally designed. They say that the President promised the tex tile industry solutions to the im port problems during the Presi dential campaign last year. They apparently believe that it is “wrong” for the President to keep his promise, as he is doing. TEXTILES IMPORTANT A need for the solution of the textile problem rests on the fact that this is a vitally important industry in this country. There are some 35,000 separate textile establishments and almost 2W million workers employed in the textile and apparel industry. This is one-eighth of the total manufacturing employment in this country. The American in dustry cannot compete with the virtual slave labor which ia em- ploved in certain parts of the world. During the fiscal year 1969 imports of cotton, wool and man-made fibers reached an all time high. Daring the last eight C an woolen textile imports ve doubled, cotton product im ports have more than donbled, and man-made fiber products im ports are more than four times what they were in 1961. Foreign trade should be en couraged and fostered but not at the expense of American jobs or at the expense of U.S. in dustry. It is considered good to be charitable to our neighbors throughout the world, but ehar- ity must begin at home and our first obligation b to American wap earners and job holders. A negotiated solution to the taxtib problem b desirable If a equ itable one can be obtained. While a healthy world toado-ntograin will aasiat in ra- storing our balance of trade and market* for American produced goods, the solution reached must protect American John and AnmriSnindurtry 2-B—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C., Dec. 18, 1969 PjnkviHe Incident Is Prejudged only 50 publicly held. As more truckers follow the merger or acquisition route, they will be in a better position to achieve im portant economies. For example, Consolidated Freightways during one six-year period made a total of 52 acquisitions to become a nationwide carrier from coast to coast and border to border. While long-range prospects are bright, the near-term outlook is cloudy. In 1970 the trucking industry will be facing a trio of difficult problems involving the possibility of an economic slow down, sharply higher wage levels, and repeal of the investment tax credit These could restrict the industry’s progress, but there are probable compensations. During any economic slowdown, freight that had been ordered by the truckload during more pros perous times would doubtless be reduced to LTL shipments carry ing more profitable rates. Also, the labor force of the truckers could be reduced. The ICC has allowed truckers in New England and the Middle Atlantic states to up rates an average of 10% on shipments un der 500 pounds to most other parts of the country. This is the first time large increases have been permitted on this type of shipment and may lead to a re structuring of the nation’s freight rates. More importantly, this new rate will more realistically re flect the truckers’ high cost of handling these smaller ship ments. There may be some com panies under pressure during 1970, but well-managed truckers should continue to make healthy progress--especially over the longer term. CONSOLIDATED FREIGHTWAYS The research staff of Babson’s Reports at this time recommends purchase of the speculative grade stock of Consolidated Freight- ways for appreciation over the intermediate to longer term. CF is primarily a holding company with subsidiaries engaged in var ious forms of trucking (two- third of revenues). Its operations include not only motor transpor tation services but also manu facturing of trucks, parts, and al lied transportation equipment. The carrier division is the larg est domestic trucking company in terms of both route miles and revenues. Last year. Consolidated’s sales rose 24% net income 2S%- the most successful year in the firm’s history. We look for a continuation of CF’s above- industry growth rate, with good results from air freight forward ing and 51% ownership of Paci fic Far East Lines. BY THURMAN SENSING Executive Vice President Southern States Industrial Council The global publicity given to the “massacre" at Song My, South Vietnam — or Pinkville,asithas been dubbed — proved effective counter for the communists to A- merica’s second extraordinary space voyage to the moon. While the people of the world should have had their attention focused on the remarkable feat of the U- nited States in sending a second team of astronauts to the moon, much of the attention was di rected to a story of atrocities allegedly committed at “Pink- ville." Now, unquestionably, the A- merican people deeply disap prove of cruel treatment of civi lians in warfare. The United States Army, in the conduct of the war in Vietaam, has bent over backwards to prevent harsh treatment of the civilian popu lation -- even in areas where “civilians" almost certainly serve as auxiliaries to the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese re gular units. This remarkable re cord of U. S. restraint has not been respected or even noted by the leftwing commentators a- round the world who have sought to use the alleged incidents at “Pinkville" as a means of de stroying the reputation of the United States. It may be that certain indivi duals at Song My are responsi ble for atrocities. Under the A- merican system, however, a man is presumed innocent until proved guilty. The television networks, however, have done everything possible to prejudge the case the Army has been developing a- gainst individuals allegedly re sponsible for civilian deaths at “Pinkville." The power of pub licity has been used to under mine the cause of justice. It is very questionable, therefore, whether a fair trial can be ob tained for the accused. If individuals are guilty, the American people will want them punished to the full extent of the law. However, the American people certainly do not want any special “war crime tribunal,"as has been suggested. Such a tri bunal would constitute ex post facto law, which is contrary to everything in the constitution of the United States. Distinguished students of the law, such as the late Senator Robert A. Taft, years ago ex posed the extra-legal charac ter of the Nuremberg trials. It would be shocking and outrageous beyond words for the United States to create — because of worldwide publicity — a synthe tic court aimed at punishing a small number of selected defen dants. Such a creation would be a violation of every tradition of Anglo-Saxon jurisprudence. It should be recognized, how ever, that the leftwingers regard the “Pinkville" accusations as a marvelous opportunity to attack and down grade the United States for its defense of freedom in Southeast Asia. Though the alle gations of atrocities in Song My really pertain to the reported act ions of individual soldiers in Vietnam, the leftists have worked hard to link the alleged killings to the overall American po licy and involvement in Vietnam. Left-oriented newspapers in Great Britain, for instance, have said that the United States is duty bound to reexamine its com mitment in Vietnam because of the “Pinkville" incidents. That’s an absurd argument If atro cities took place at Song My, or “Pinkville* as the hamlet is re ferred to, these are the work of individual wrong-doers, not the work of the United States or the U. S. Army. Americans don’t recognize the alien, barbaric concept of col lective guilt Wrong-doers can be tried by court martial or in es tablished civil courts. But the nation at large is not collective ly responsible for evil deeds committed by individuals who happen to wear its uniform. In fact, it is important to note that higher U. S. headquarters didn’t have information on the events at Song My until months after the alleged offenses took place. And as soon as allegations were made, the U. S. Army ordered a major investigation, which is still con tinuing. The U. S. public has to re cognize that leftists are using the Song My “atrocity" story as an excuse for a lynching party. The leftists aren’t interested in bringing individuals to justice. Their real interest is in “string ing up" the reputation of the U- nited States. And they are find ing plenty of propagandists who' are eager to describe Ameri cans as “fascists" and “Nazis" and who are ready to cultivate hatred of the United States by the promotion of charges that have not been proved in court. The leftists aren’t interested in the trial of accused individuals. They want a political trial of the United States or, better yet— from their viewpoint -- a*neck tie party" in which the United States is the victim. PARSON JONES SAYS Locks Are Too Important Now Wish I’d Said That^H It is pnttr easy to be mis- guided, especially if you are swayed by your own argu ment*.—A. J. Hudson, The Oluatee (Olds.) Chieftain. Marriage waa the first un ion to defjr management— Jack Moffitt, The Laurens County (Oa.) Nows. Dear Mr. Publisher: My youngest boy is in mourning this week. Somebody stole his bicycle. The thing that really made it rough on him was that he bought it with his own money. What made it even rougher is that somebody stole his skates last week. It looks to me like society has completed the full cycle. We started off with the old morality, then moved to the new morality, and now we have arrived at no morality. I noticed in the paper the ti the other day where somebody stole a man’s false teeth while he was sleeping on a park bench. They would have taken his tongue but it was fastened on the other end. It dawned on me that the only safe business to be in now-a- days is the lock business. When I was a youngun we never lock ed anything. Now I lock the door when I go to the mailbox. Yes Sir, I’ve been thinking very seriously about going into the lock business. I would make locks for houses, cars, refrigerator doors, dresser drawers, medicine cabi nets, and toy boxes. I would also sell locks for pockets, pocket- books, dogs, cats, false-teeth, and gold fish bowls. One thing about all these locks, Mr. Publisher, is that they would remind everybody that there Is such a thing u sin on earth. A lock always reminds me of sin. It used to ’be that folks only stole from another tribe or soother country. Now-a-days we steal from ooa another. Ona of my neighbors allowed asbowhi stole eo’s he eofiUptbtckwtatr are getting pretty bad when steal ing becomes a way of life. The only alternative I see to the lock business taking over our so ciety is changing peoples’ hearts - so they won’t steal. I reckon when you take a long so ber look at our people, the only sensible answer to any of our problems is changing peoples’ hearts. Some how or other, we either haven’t taken a long look, or else we ain’t been sober when we did look. Anyway, it shore would be nice if the day would come when we could let everything go unlocked, and not be afraid that our pos sessions would be stolen. Sound like a dream? Well, at least I like it better than the present night-mare. Good night! Parson Jones * * * tgiuT Do not neglect the gift you have. (I Tim. 4:14). Some people discover they have gifts that lead them to be artists, musicians, writers, scientists, inventors, states men. Some of us are not blessed with these particular ones, but in us there is a guiding Spirit that makes each one of us spe cial in our own right. When we recognize that we have God’s Spirit as our special gift, we will be cheerful and pleasant in order to bring happiness to all and be our own God-gifted self. ms®.