Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

I 2-R—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C., Oct 29, 1970 LAURENS SCHOOLS, HOSPITAL Laurens school and hospital of ficials will be looking to the Clinton area for assistance when voters go to the polls Tuesday, Nov 3. In last week’s editorial columns, we explained that Laurens District Hospital proposes to raise its bonded indebtedness limit to 36 per cent of assessed property valuation. This is needed to help finance a $1.4 million expansion of the Laurens Hospital. This will not affect Clinton area tax payers. It will affect only those liv ing in the Laurens Hospital District (School District 56 plus Cross Hill). However, it must be voted on county- wide. Also, there will be a constitution al amendment on a proposal by School District 56 Trustees asking for au thority to issue bonds for up to 35 per cent of the assessed evaluation of all property in the district. Again this will not affect School District 50 taxpayers but it, too, must be approv ed in a countywide vote. rather than waiting until the need is desperate. We think it should be rais ed as a matter of good business.” However, the Laurens school dis trict has immediate need for the limi tation increase. It’s needed to finance construction of a new consolidated high school on property west of Lau rens on the Princeton Road. The proposed school is to cost an estimated $3.5 million. The Laurens Advertiser edito rialized recently, ‘‘Without the new- building, it will be next to impossible for our high schools to keep their ac creditation. As of this year, schools are being required to offer as many as 40 courses, eight of which must be in the vocational area, in order to main tain their accreditation. This total will be revised upward from yea) to year.” The proposal is to consolidate Laurens High School, Hickory Tav ern, Ford and Gray Court-Owings. This would put 1,700 students in the A Magna Carta for Smut The report of the Presi dent’s Commission on Ob scenity and Pornography is in—and the news is bad. The Commission recommends the repeal of all federal, slate and local laws against the showing and selling of por nographic films, books, and other materials to adults. It argues that the distribution of obscene materials neither increases crime nor weakens society. For a model society, the Commission points to Denmark, the smut capital of the world. All sorts of statis tics are cited to prove that sex crimes have actually de clined in Denmark since the repeal of laws against por nography. But what statistic. I’d like to know, can possibly measure the psychological impact of obscene trash on the young generation of Danes now growing to matur ity? Denmark has been ex perimenting with legal per missiveness for just a very few years, and it is far too early to tell what the long term effects will be. When sex is portrayed apart from enduring love, it be comes anti-social rather than social, disruptive rather than creative. If the merchants of smut get the green light, as the Commission proposes, our society will only be tom fur ther apart. To protect our ideals, it is necessary to be realistic. In theory, maybe adults should be free to see and read what they want. But theory has to be adapted to reality. That is what our system of govern ment is all about harmoniz ing theory with reality. To protect our young, to pre serve our civilization, we often have to sacrifice. One sacrifice we are now called upon to make is disciplining ourselves to safeguard those who come after us We can best protect our freedom by curbing licence. On the bright side,• most of my colleagues in Congress are up in arms over the Commis sion's recommendations. Yes terday the Senate passed a Another amendment to be voted on would permit School District 5f» (the Clinon area) also to increase its bonded indebtedness limit to 35 per cent. There is no desperate immediate need for this amendment change in District 56 but there undoubtedly will be in the future. School Board Chair man James Von Hollen said, “We ' don’t anticipate that we would use the new limit in the immediate future but we would like to have it changed now WHY DO Why do Clinton area voters have to vote on issues—such as schools and hospitals—which affect only the Lau rens area? It’s because of the way the South Carolina Constitution is written. The constitution has not made it easy for public institutions to obtain additional n^fecy. //V• m Until 1969, voters throughout the state had to approve before any one section of the state could have more money for schools, hospitals and other such public institutions. This was changed in 1969, re quiring that citizens of the county in which the institution operates vote on the referendum. The thinking undoubtedly is that the financial situation of one part of a county will affect another part. If the Laurens school district gets into financial trouble, it undoubtedly would have to look to the legislative delegation or county council for some sort of assistance. That would then involve county finances and thusly would involve all of the people of the county. new comprehensive high school and would free desperately needed space to properly handle the remainder of the 6,000 district students. The consolidated high school would allow the district to obtain more specialists, in addition to alleviating crowded conditions. We suggest Clinton area voters look favorably upon this proposal. The day undoubtedly will come when we will be looking to Laurens area voters to help us with needed projects. WE VOTE? Although the procedure has been somewhat simplified by the 1969 change, it didn’t go quite far enough. Sen. Richard Riley of Greenville, considered an authority on the S.C. Constitution, suggests that changes are needed in the financial article in the constitution to put reasonable, bor rowing limitations on publje institu tions. He told the Chronicle recently. “There should be a formula establish ed which would allow institutions to Ihjitow according to income. For ex ample, tax income could be averaged over a three-year period and the in stitution would be able to borrow, say, up to one-third of that amount. , “That’s the way businesses and , banks operate. They figure the in come, what the money is to be used ; for, how long it will take to pay it back, etc. Some reasonable limita tions should be set in the constitution. This is going to be discussed over the next two years and I hope we will see some change made to put these mat ters on a more business-like basis.” The r Sum ’ Of America ON THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU, Tennessee--In this region of flat-topped mountains and V-shaped valleys, the traveler discovers anew the magnificent land that lured early settlers from the eastern seaboard. It is a refreshing land, not only in terms of cli mate but intellectually. Nowadays, the headlines tell of urban and environmental “crises.* The public is bom barded with messages concern ing the population “explosion.* The beautiful open lands of eastern and middle Tennessee are a reminder that much of America is still unspoiled and SENSING THE NEWS By Anthony Harrigan (XfCUTIVI VICI HIJIDfNT Southern States Industrial Council uncrowded. Any American who truly longs for natural beauty and privacy can find it in these hills and valleys. This Tenn essee region constitutes a re- SENATOR STROM THURMOND REPORTS TO THE PEOPLE LICENSE FOR FILTH In 1967, Congress passed a law setting up a special Commis sion On Obscenity and Pornog raphy for the study of this threat to American life. In 1968, President Johnson named Wil liam B. Lockhart as chairman, and appointed 17 commission members. Last week, the Senate, by a vote of 60-5, overwhelmingly re pudiated the report produced bv this Commission with so much fanfare. This revulsion against the official report was created by the Commission’s shocking perversion of Its own mandate. The Commission’s report amounted to nothing more than a license for filth. Its main rec ommendation was that all laws suppressing pornography for adults, and some or those for children, be abolished. LEGALIZING TRAFFIC Thus the Commission spent $1.7 million to say that the best way to get rid of the illegal traffic in pornography was to make it legal. The Commission asserted—contrary to prevailing ethical, religious, and psychiatric opinion—that pornography had no effect upon adults, and war not a matter of social concern. At the very moment when we have reached a crisis of permis siveness and pornography in oar civilisation, this Commissior nrged us to rush headlong into the mire which has swallowed up all the decadent and corrupt civilizations of history. The reason that the Commis sion was established was pre cisely because the American peo ple were concerned about the dangers of pornography to our national moral character and safety. The people wanted solid proposals for stopping the trade in obscenity, and for coping with the crimes which are incited and inflamed by its spread. COURT MENACE This traffic has increased prin cipally because the U.S. Supreme Court, in a series of decisions over recent vears, has forced this filth upon the people. The Coart has strode down State law after State law and convictions based upon reasonable local standards. Pornography curbs which had stood for hundreds of years in the English Common Law, upon which most of our State laws are based, wore strode down withoot any regard for the welfare of the community. Bat instead of offering net to overcome this menace, the Com to encourage it. It buke to those Americans who downgrade their country and describe it solely in terms of ugliness and confusion. No doubt people today need constant reminders that the crowded megiopolls of the North-east isn’t the sum total of America. The strife-ridden big city Is a real and disturb ing part of the national scene, but no the only part. In many other regions there Is a har mony between God’s and man’s handiwork, between the phy sical environment and the way of life of the people. An auto mobile journey through the Tennessee countryside results in clearer perspective on the realities of the republic. A stable existence persists to a much greater degree than a reading of LIFE and LOOK The theory behind the shocking recommendations of the Commission is that the state cannot legislate moral ity. That may be true. Moral ity comes not out of law books, but out of the hearts and minds of human beings. But it is also true that the state can and should protect its citizens against vices which threaten the well-being of the community. If the law cannot protect the wishes of the overwhelming majority to remain virtuous, then what w the proper function of law? Our society today is in enough trouble without open ing up the floodgates to ob scenity. Law and order are on the defensive, and we show signs of coming apart at the seams. An orderly America is now more mem ory than reality. No society can survive unless it main tains order and stability. Order depends upon self-dis cipline. It depends upon pre- <erving the values and spirit- jal heritage that brought aur civilization to greatness in the first place. Hedonism must not be substituted for morality. Our ethic holds that when sex is peddled as an end in itself it is valueless. resolution, which I co-spon sored, rejecting the work of the Commission by a vote of 60-5. Congress has also passed legislation to prohibit the mailing of unsolicited sala cious advertising this in re sponse to over 459,000 com plaints received in the past two years from parents whose homes were being flooded with obscene litera ture I also join with President Nixon in urging a "citizens’ crusade" against obscenity The President, it should be noted, did not select most of the members of the Commis sion. His predecessor did. I hope that both Congress and the President will learn a lesson from this sad ex perience — that Presidential commissions don’t usually solve problems, that they are more often than not a waste of your money and mine (this Commission spent $2 million of the taxpayers’ funds i. and that they should be used more sparingly. Certainly this Com mission has not acted respon sibly toward Ahe President, toward the Cao^fess. pr to ward the people^! urge that the report be consigned to the oblivion it so richly deserves. held up as an example the so- would suggest. called “Danish solution,” where reported sex crimes sUegedly decreased 31 per cent after por nography laws were abolished. Unfortunately, the Danish ex ample offers no support for the thesis that pornography should be abolished. Fewer crimes were reported because the criminal laws relating to many of these acts were abolished. Moreover, with the general rise of promis cuity and the hardening of atti tudes, many crimes of this na ture are just no longer reported. PUBLIC FUNDS Some may wonder how a re port that is fundamentally evil in its basic assumptions could be produced with public funds. The fact is that President Johnson simply surrendered to the radical liberals who have taken over his Party. He chose as the chairman of this Commission a left-wing pro fessor whose agitation for the legalisation of pornography was a matter of long-established rec ord. Chairman Lockhart and hit hand-picked asaoeiatea domi nated the Commission from the start They were members of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is perhaps the leading lobby for permissiveness in America, crusading against prayer in the schools, bat in favor of relaxed laws on Communist subversion. Hie ACLU has long advocated that filth be com pletely unleashed, so it is not surprising that the Commission endorsed this view. The most stinging rebuke against the Commission was filed by the only Commissioner ap pointed by President Nixon, Mr. Charles H. Keating, Jr. Keating reported how the Commission and its staff worked in secret, and would not allow the dis senters to participate in the pro- jq 1796 when Tennessee be- c* 111 ® *l» Wth state to U» Union, senting view, and no hearings Neither Tennessee nor any were beld until the dissenters state of the Union will return held their own. Oat of the $1.7 to a w h 0 iUy ■agrarian’ way of The distorted view of Ameri can realities stems in large measure from the fact that the networks and magazines are published in metropolitan cen ters where the breakdown of sound values Is most pronounc ed and where the fads of a small segment of the popula tion are regarded as the wave of the future for all elements in the country. Through the networks and slick magazines are powerful instruments for projecting the values of the confused tew to the country at large, they are not capable of absolutely trans forming the national character and outloook. Regional accents and viewpoints prevail. The American people — in Tenn essee and elsewhere--are wise enough to know that a picture on the TV tube cannot en compass or fully represent the reality ofAmerica or the world. In the 1920’s and 1930’s a group of scholar-writers at Vanderbilt University in Nash ville, Term., dubbed them selves the *Agarians.” They counseled people in their re gion to return to the land and traditional values. Ironically, this state—the home of the “Agarians" —- became the founding place of the atomic age. At Oak Ridge, west of Knoxville, began mankind’s march into the atomic age. But the land around Oak Ridge is almost as unspoiled as it was Seek* Clinton’s Help Dear Editor: I would like to ask for the help of Clinton area citizens. It has come to my attention that many in your area may not be aware of the fact that they will be asked to vote November 3 on a District 55 School bond referendum which Is very Important to the school children of the Laurens area. Although the referendum will have no effect upon the taxes of District 56 property own ers, it is required by state law that the entire county vote on the referendum. Briefly, this referendum will allow School District 55 trustees to raise the limit of bonded indebtedness from its present 18% to 35% in order to construct a new consolidated high school in the Laurens area. District 55 now operates four high schools, putting it in a position of rising diffi culties as state school require ments enlarge yearly. Having been a resident of Clinton and closely associat ed with your area for many years, I know Clinton’s citi zens are always on the side of progress. You recognize that it is only with the best that one attains good results. Proof of this is that you saw the need for consolidation many years ago. R is my opinion after talk ing with school officials here, that District 55 needs this new facility desperately if we are to continue to raise the quality of education we offer our children. I am sure that you recognize the fact that the economy of a county is in direct proportion to the quality of its education. Will you please join me in voting “YES* on this school referendum. We need your help, and we will all reap benefits. Sincerely, Walter S. Ramage 329 West Main Street Laurens, S. C. 29360 He Remembers Watson The Editor: During most of 1968, 1 serv ed in Southeast Asia off the coast of South Vietnam. While serving there, I sent a small contribution to the 1966 Re- election Campaign of Con gressman Albert Watson. He returned that contrlbu- Ufc - B* «< <*» «« to a, »ltb th. mom J600 ™ allowed for Commi. literary •AgrarUos" on an comnunU,‘Wtalo I im inte- sioner Keating’s expanses. As a result the Commission produced only vagae, unsup ported theoretical and academic studies. We still do not know the number of crimes committed in this field, their relation to por nography, or the kinds of State and Federal laws which could help the situation. ordered mode of life was not futile. Many people in this country, while desiring a strong industrial economy, was aware of the need for balance in their communities and personal lives. They still admire the self-reliance of the pioneers and regard this quality aa essendhl to a modern people. They have kept their faith in America and its promises. ful beyond expression for your check enclosed in your latter for our campaign, I am com pelled to return it inasmuch as you men in the service are al ready contributing so sac- rlflcially to all of us back home. I know that you will m * T ’ stand my feRUngs In reference to this matter.* This was certainly a note worthy gesture on the part of this congressman. Now Al bert Watson is asking to re present the people of South Carolina as their Governor; could they find or get a more devoted man for this high of fice? Sincerely, James C. Bunch 11700 Golf Drive West Miami, Florida 33167 Tongue-slipping transposi tions, such ns occupewing a pie” instead of “occupying a pew,” are called spooner isms for a British clergy man, Canon William Spooner, who was noted for such lapses.