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THE NEWBERRY SUN FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 1948 1218 College Street NEWBERRY, S. C. 0. F. Armfield Editor and Publisher PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Entered as second-class matter December 6, 1937, at the Pbstoffice at Newberry, South Carolina, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In S. C., $1.50 per year in advance outside S. C., $2.00 per year in advance. COMMENTS ON MEN AND THINGS BY SPECTATOR The Truman ship is about to sink. The politicians are aban doning it to the mercy of the voters. The South is leading the fight, and Southern Con gressman are declaring that they will not support either Mr. Truman or anyone else of the same political attitude. The Congress decisively re pudiated Mr. Truman by over whelmingly voting for the in come tax reduction over the veto. This Southern position is no flash in the pan; it is growing steadily every day. Such dyed-in-the-wool Truman men as Senator Lister Hill and Senator Sparkman of Alabama have declared against the Tru man candidacy. Recently two of the Roosevelts, sons of the late President Roosevelt, de clared for General Eisenhower. Every day, in every way, events are against Mr. Tru- man. It is pathetic, for Mr. Tru man seems to have put himself in the hands of several ‘sfhart’ politicians, men whose smart ness has led to deals of all sorts. But these astute gentle men ran against a Southern attitude which would no longer sacrifice the South for some body’s smile or blandishments. The readiness of the two Roosevelts to throw Truman overboard should not lead us astray; we know nothing of General Eisenhower, politically. Until we are informed clearly, definitely and irrevocably, we should be worse than foolish to embrace him as a political pro phet. As matters stand today, the General is a prophet, but he doesn’t prophesy. Like the old preacher of the plantation church, he “sputifies;” "he orates;” “he specifies;” but he ‘'doesn't say wherein.” The wherein is what we must know. The Democrats of the South should be on guard against the leadership of men who disavow Mr. Truman’s policies and re pudiate Mr. Truman’s leader ship, but who are themselves no more in sympathy with the Southern attitude than those who persuaded Mr. Truman to sell out the South for Colored support. Men like Mr. Farley —and scores of others— are not Southern men. Mr. Farley is said to have been the poli tical guide who first led the Negro vote to the Democratic Party. In casting about for leaders, it is pertinent to ask whether Chief Justice Vinson advocated the F. E. P. C. Why should the South put its trust in any man whose record is open to question? We have men of loyalty and ability who have been faithful thruout the years; who as the Psalm ist says “. . . they have never lifted up their souls to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” America is taking a stand against the further spread of Communism; the President’s call for universal military training and a revival of the military draft law is a solemn suggestion that the world mud- le is again at a critical stage. It is too late to point out the blunders of our course; in fact it is probable that the nation would not have responded warmly to a decisive attitude toward Russia until the ag gressions of Rusian policy con vinced the average citizen that stem words must be supported by military might. At any rate now we stand in the path of Russia. I have not been a supporter of universal military training. Nor do I endorse it now. One of the lessons of our military experience, as I interpret that experience, is that every war has new weapons. The only basic training of general value is the military drill; and the value of that could be had in four weeks of intensive work, after being called into service. In fact before the uniforms and the weapons become available, the men could have had basic training, and a general physi cal toning and toughening. A month in the theater of war is better than six months in the home camp. Was it not true that the soldiers trained in this country in 1917-1918 had to be given intensive train ing in France? We are always unready be cause we are slow to provide the weapons. Has our army the weapons today for a war? Or would we repeat the experi ence of 1917-1918 when we used foreign-mad eartillery? Who devises our plans for training men? Haven’t we al ways had the infantry to spend months with one kind of rifle, only to issue something very different at the last minute? A soldier accustomed to rifle X in training here, is given rifle Z in the combat zone— a new strange weapon. Our first task should be to provide what we mean to use, then call the men as they are needed. The United States should not try to build new camps, far from existing sites: nor should it choose ponds and lakes for camp sites in the excitement of the moment. The first need is for wea pons , planes, ammunition. Some of this we must have, surely; and ships and tanks and tankers — we must have them, but have we? The South is not trying to hold down the Colored people; the attitude of the South is that it will not longer tolerate the chicanery of politicians who try to make a football of the ’South for votes. This does more harm than good for it is developing a racial sensi- tivesion on both sides which is tending rapidly to open hos tility. We are making a con dition here which will grow into a state of mind and an averson like that found in Palestine between the Arabs and the Jews. At bottom the South is real ly contending for the right of Massachusetts and New York to govern themselves. Several public men have come forward as champions of State’s Rights. In this State, gallant, loyal, and indomitable Klugh Purdy stands out. Then Representative Cabell of Char leston; Senator George Warren of Hampton; Robert Figg of Charleston; William P. Baskin of Bishopville; Senators May- bank and Johnston; Represen tatives Rivers and Dorn, espe cially, but the others are also in line. Of course Governor Thurmond has played the ma jor part; and Judge Eugene Blease has been a tower of strength. It is eminently pro per to recall the initiative of Mr. Cabell; he started the ball rolling; he had the courage to enlist his fellow legislators and put them on record. Klugh Purdy, using the regular party machinery, led his county of ficially against the Truman program, and against Mr. Tru man. Some other men of earnest participation are Leon Harris and Charles Johnson of Ander son and my esteemed friend, Matthew Barkley of Charles ton, an idealist and a man of clean mind and straight think ing, who stands four square all the time. Of course there were stal wart champions in other places —in Camden St. George, Lau rens, Calhoun—and all about. And the newspaper bretheren and radio men have been in the forefront. Speaking of Thomas Jeffer son one might dwell on his political philosophy at length. His letters, addresses and State papers breathe the spirit and language of democracy. In a letter to a friend in Massa chusetts, he said: “I am for preserving to the states the powers not yielded by them to the Union. . . .and I am NOT for transferring all the pow ers of the States to the general government. I am for a gov ernment rigorously frugal and simple, applying all the possible savings of the public revenue to the discharge of the National debt: and not for a multipli cation of officers and salaries merely to make partisans, and for increasing, by every device, the public debt, on the prin ciple of its being a public bles sing.” We should consider these words well; they are as sound as when written by Jefferson. Politicians don’t ‘ discover any thing new. The idea of spend ing all the money for general benefits is as old as history itself; and none of our recent spenders is more eloquent a- bout it than the rulers in Rome fifty years before the birth of the Prince of Peace. Two men in public life have recently cited our old friend Alcibiades who has long been to me the classic example of what Harry Hopkins seemed to believe. And of Alcibiades one patriot said “Go on brave boy; your success will be the ruin of us, all.” Jefferson knew all the his tory of the ancients and he distilled the wisdom of their failures. Jefferson had hind sight and so could develop foresight. Most of us don’t ,learn from our own experi ences nor from 4he failures of others. At' this time / many would like to use as their own the concluding words of the letter I quoted earlier: “The first object of my heart is my own country. In that is embarked my family, my fortune, and my own existence. I have not one farthing of interest nor one fibre of attachment out of it, nor a single motive of prefer ence of any one Nation to an other, but in proportion as they are more or less friendly to us.” I should like to quote Jeffer son again, for we Jeffersonians should know more about him. “Our country is too large to have its affairs directed by a single government. Public ser vants at such a distance, and from under the eye of their con- A Gift Sure to Please Many Patterns In Fine Silverware Are Now on Hand Pick a Pattern . From Those Shown Here Today We Gift Wrap Don’t Delay— Come Today. W. E. Turner i CAMP WHITMIRE PW’s SENT CARE RELIEF Several months ago, The Sun printed a letter which was writ ten to Ellerbe Sease and his family by a German prisoner of war who worked on the Sease farm while he was interned at Camp Whitmire. The letter des cribed the plight of the German PW’s after their return to their homes, especially those in the Russian zone of Germany. Several prisoners worked for Collier Neel at his dairy farm, and Mr. Neel has been receiv ing letters from them since their return. The letters tell the same story ... of returning to fnd their homes have been lost; of having no Clothes except those they took from America when they were repatriated; of hunger and starvation. Mr. Neel, and others for whom the prisoners worked in "Newberry, have been sending packages "to the prisoners through CARE, a government approved organization to handle distribution of goods sent to Europe. For $10.00, the CARE nackages, containing basic foods, may be sent to any person designated. The individual re ceiving the package is required to sign a receipt, which is re turned to the doner as. evi dence that the CARE package was delivered. Mr. Neel has a list of some of the prisoners who were in terned in Newberry, who are badly in need of food or cloth ing, Anyone desiring to donate to the relief of one of these prisoners may secure names from Mr. Neel, or may leave a donation with him, and he* will be glad to take care of the de tails of sending CARE pack ages. Excerpts from some of the letters received follows: “Your address fell into my hands by chance and I seize upon it as the hand of God . . coming briefly and tersely to the request in my letter, is it possi ble for you to send me and my children some food? It may be the Cheapest of cheap. I and my two children, one six and the other seven, stand in this great need but then this is endurable if the spectre of hunger were not standing before my door. The divisions of rations does not go far enough to give the children enough . . . one could despair . . . the children are pitiful. A slice of broken bread to them a delicacy. You as a citizen of a prosperous country cannot imagine our distress and trouble. I do not know, of course, whether you Eire in a position to help me, but I cling to the hope of hearing from you. But should it be impossible for you to do so, please pass these lines on to some other dear person who is in a position to do a deed for kindness . . . .” The following is from a letter written by Herbert Haberland, former Camp Whitmire PW: "... I was very much pleas ed when I received your very kind letter. The same day your letter reached me, I got another one from Erwin Jaksch. He met the worst chance. He lost his home and everything. His family he met after being home more than six months. Mr. Neel in your letter you told about help ing me. For that I thank you very much. Think first of Erwin please, he has only the clothing he brought home from America. I for myself haven’t lost my home and clothing I can wear from father and brother. . . .” Erwin Jaksch, mentioned in the letter above, describes his return to his home; “. . . This letter we try to smuggle into the American zone, we believe that you will receive this letter for sure. Your letter from March pleased us very much. I always told my folks how nice I have been trea ted as PW in America, and especially by you people. My stituents must, from,the circum stance of distance, be unable to administer and overlook all the details necessary for the good government of the citizen . . . What an augmentation of thfe field for jobbing, speculating, plundering, office building and office hunting would be pro duced by an assumption of all the State powers into the hands of the general government. The true theory of our Constitution is surely the wisest and best, that the States are independent as to everything within them selves, and united as to every thing respecting foreign nations” Read it again and again; pon der it well; it is the essence of wisdom. NOTICE OF ELECTION A petition having been filed with the County Board of Edu cation asking for an election in Midway School District No. 19, for the purpose of electing a trustee to take the place of the one whose term expires in April 1948, the said petition is hereby granted and the election ordered held Saturday, April 17, 1948, between the hours of 8:00* a. m. and 4:00 p. m. at the school house (white) in the said dis trict. The trustees of School District No. 19 to act as mana gers of said election. Only pa trons and resident tax payers shall be eligible to vote. Newberry County Board of Education COUNTY GIRLS IN WINTHROP CHOIR Patsy Lominick of Pomaria and .Belvin Sease of Little Mountain are members of the Winthrop College choir which will begin its annual spring tour of the state Saturday. The group will perform in Colum bia, Spartanburg, Greenville, Anderson and other South Car olina towns. MISS FELKER TO WED MR. PITTS Mr. and Mrs. Roland H. felker have announced the en gagement of their daughter, Barbara Louise, to Leonard Clarence Pitts III, also of New berry. The wedding will take place in June. little girl, I must always tell her some nice stories from America. As you know, we must leave our home, and didn’t take very much goods with us. I never saw my home again. All I possess, it’s what I took along when I left America as PW. It is too bad, but true. But still I believe that America will help us again. We are not mad at you, that means good think ing German people.” Philco brings you this sen sational new freezer value. Model AH 24 ... 2i/ 2 cu- ft. ... fits any kjtchen. It gives you ample space for food storage that permits you to keep fresh-frozen foods for months and months. Sen sational value! ALSO — 300 LB CAPACITY BOX IMMEDIATE DELIVERY EASY TERMS Wertz Music and Appliance Co. “There’s Rhythm In That There Store” COMMISSIONERS OF PUBLIC WORKS, NEWBERRY, S. C. STATEMENT OF INCOME AND SURPLUS — CURRENT FUND, YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1947 SALES: v Electric current Water 1 Sewer service charges Gross profit on merchandise sales: Sales $ 540.53 Purchases 497.22 $93,215.64 36,615.14 8,573.63 43.31 Total sales 138,447.72 COST OF SALES: Power purchases Plant expenses: Salaries $ 14,360.58 58,966.07 Supplies & material 2,629.40 16,989.98 Sewer maintenance Electric line repairs: Salaries 6,084.04 350.00 Supplies & material 3,681.27 9,765.31 Auto and truck expense 1,909.45 GROSS PROFIT ON SALES GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES: Salaries 11,345.29 Retirement taxes 1,469.93 Workmens compensation tax 268.96 General expenses 2,676.47 NET PROFIT ON SALES OTHER INCOME — Interest and dividends 87,980.81 50,466.91 15,760.65 34,706.26 385.72 Total 35,091.98 INCOME CHARGES: Interest paid 33.33 Loss on sale of U. S. govt, bonds 668.25 Globes & supplies for St. lights 942.11 1,643.69 NET INCOME FOR YEAR 33,448.29 ADDITIONS TO PLANT ACCOUNT (Transferred to Capital Fund) 59,065.00 CURRENT REDUCTIONS IN SURPLUS 25,616.71 CURRENT FUND SURPLUS, DEC. 31, 1946 55,629.38 CURRENT FUND SURPLUS, DEC. 31, 1947 $30,012.67 It will be noted from the above statement that a net income of $33,448.29 was earned during the year. The following factors should be considered, however, in connection with viewing the current operations as they have a very definite bearing on the results: 1— No depreciation on plant property has been provided for 2— No charge has been made vs. the town for water, street lights, etc., furnished. 3— The revenue of $8,573.63 from sewer service charges re presents only approximately 65% of a normal annual income from this source since the practice of making such charges was institu ted during the year. As indicated above, plant extensions in the amount of $59,065.00 were made during the year from operating funds. This resutted in a reduction of $25,616.71 in the current fund surplus. It is obvious from this, therefore, that unless the expansion of plant facilities are curtailed considerably, it is going to be necessary to' increase your rates and]or float a bond issue to provide funds for such expansion. _ Cash In a Flash Contact your friendly, reliable private banker today and arrange for an AUTO LOAN We have an easy payment plan / to suit you. Our office is convient- ly located and our representatives are always corteous and glad to help you. Newberry Insurance & Realty Co. “Your Private Banker ,, E. B. PURCELL, Manager Phone 197 Exchange Bank Building Shoe Repair When we recondition your shoes it’s like getting a new, pair without the cost of buying new shoes. Bring your old shoes here today. Our Expert Shoe Repairing makes old sshoes look liice new. REAGENTS SHOE SHOP MAIN STREET Dance! > Round and Square at the i ! ' ' ARMORY 1 Every Saturday Night 8:30 p. m. to 12 midnight Music by RUFUS SUIT and his YET QUINTET Sponsored by Newberry’s Units NATIONAL GUARD Admission: 1.25, tax included