The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, January 28, 1949, Image 4
I
FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 1949
COMMENTS ON MEN AND THINGS
BY SPECTATOR
Is South Carolina to have a
law for divorces? I am not ar
guing for it by any means, but
such a law will clutter up our
courts and make recessary ei
ther more judges or new
courts. I have no idea how
many South Carolinians hold
divorces, but Georgia, North
Carolina and Florida have
granted divorces to hundreds
of our people, perhaps thou
sands. And this is all in ad
dition to the separated couples,
and couples holding decrees
from magistrates.
If the General Assembly
should ratify the proposed
amendment, and then enact a
law permitting divorce it seems
fair to require that those ap
plying for divorce shall pay a
fee that would cover the cost
of hearing the case, even in
cluding the pay and emolu
ments of the Judge. I don’t
mean to suggest that this
should become a big part of
our revenue, but that those
who bring these matters to the
Court should not come at our
expense. Naturally they will
have considerable expense for
attorneys, but a fee of $50 to
$500 might pay for the State’s
expense.
Thinking of the General As
sembly, the proposed reform
included some expert assistance
as I recall. The Committees
need expert help. Not even
the best lawyers know all the
law, even the Statutory laws;
and the Solicitors are not al
ways engaged in Civil law;
their time is necessarily con
sumed with the Criminal law.
Very few legislators can study
the four large volumes of the
Code of laws, and the seven
large volumes of the Acts of
the General Assembly, in or
der to know what the law is
now on the books. Every man
with a good idea thinks it
ought to be a law; there may
be such a law already.
The study of thfc existing
body of statutory law may
seem to be the proper study
of the Judiciary Committees,
but those committees have so
many new bills for considera
tion that they cannot always
search through the Code. Be
sides, the members of the Com
mittees are expected to attend
the sessions of their respective
Houses. A working Senator or
Representative has quite a lot
of public business; and there
are some members who are
workers.
The State gets some able men
very cheap, but overpays some
by a wide margin.
The legislators need expert
assistance in writing the laws.
It isn’t a simple matter. Very
few men have mastered the
art of clear and simple ex
pression. And the man who
prepares a bill should try it
out on a layman. If the bill
be involved or technical, re
vise it. Constitutional amend
ments are usually proposed to
the voters in such muddled
terms that we guess at their
meaning. So the Committees
need men to advise them on
existing law, as well as men
who can put in clear English
what the Committee proposes
to the Senate or House.
President Truman' has sub
mitted quite a budget—the to
tal is $41,858,000,000 and the
end is not yet. Most of our
Congressional leaders are men
of sound, cbmmonsense, ordi
narily, I suppose, but when
they meet in Washington they
seem to fall under a spell of
general extravagance. I once
tried to analyze the mental
operations of a Legislature and
concluded that the average man
is careful about expenditures of
a hundred dollars or a thousand
dollars, and would study any
proposal of those sums with the
business acumen that makes
him a succesful businessman
in the ordinary way and on a
small scale; but his own range
of experience being confined
to sums of a thousand dollars
or less, he flounders hopeless
ly in the millions, and sees no
differences between on million
and a half; it is all beyond
his depth or height. So he
follows the leader, lost in the
mystic realm of figures. In
Congress the members vote bil
lions, and billions, swallowing
all the propaganda of the bu
reaucrats. The average Con
gressman might not be able
to operate a small bank or a
store, but he dives into billions
with the abandon of a boy
learning to swim.
Vice President Barkley once
had a moment of independence.
He was a grand figure for a
day, that time when he defied
President Roosevelt. But the
grand old war-horse is back
in harness. Do you recall a
We have purchased the entire stock of supplies and
equipment, and the GOOD WILL of Miss Mattie Adams
Florist, as of this date.
We invite Miss Adams’ customers to visit our
shop at 2000 E. MAIN Street, assuring- them of a most
cordial welcome.
We carry a complete line of Flowers and Gifts.
Main Street Flower Shop
MRS. W. E. MONTS
Flowerphone 768-J Newberry, S. C.
Time to start
Saying ...with
SafetqJferc!
You will be surprised how
regular savings will grow
to bring you the financial
independence you want.
Liberal earnings are added
Newberry Federal Savings and Loan Association
THE NEWBERRY
mild rebuke he delivered to
the President In part it grew
out of Mr. Roosevelt’s insist
ence on increasing the so-called
Social Security pay-roll tax.
I yefer to the old age and Sur
vivor’s Insurance for which
one per cent is paid by the
employee and one par cent by
the employer. Mr. Roosevelt
insisted that it should be in
creased. Mr. Barkley made the
point that Mr. Roosevelt’s plan
was to get more money to
spend. And that was a good
point. And that, friends, is
exactly what President Tru
man wants. As Shakespeare
says, “And thereby hangs a
tale.”
Since 1937 the surplus be
longing to that old age fund
has grown to be about ten bil
lion dollars. Of course a bil
lion one way or the other
needn’t concern us in this
spen'diferous day. The annual
income of the Government from
that tax is several hundred
million dollars more than all
the expenses and benefits paid
by the Government. Now if
the Congress will add fifty per
cent to that tax, and increase
the number of people insured
under it, the receipts wil still
more enormously swell the
Government’s income.
Of course it is all carefully
figured out, with the usual
bureaucratic blundering, that
the benefits which the Gov
ernment must pay will some
day exceed the income. That
may happen fifteen years from
now; so the Government must
prudently provide for that
rainy day. But what has the
Government done with all
those billions of nine years?
What is it doing with the hun
dreds of millions now pouring
into the Treasury? It has spent
all the money; it is now spend
ing the money; and it wants
more taxes and more people
to pay it, in order to spend
the money, for the Government
spends all that insurance mon
ey as income and puts Gov
ernment paper pledges in the
box, or just on the books. Now
isn’t that financing? Just sup
pose the Government carried
your life insurance? Would
you feel safe? No; some scat
terbrain might decide to in
clude all the Chinese and di
lute your equity to a very
weak thing.
Would you want the State
to spend all the money of the
sinking fund and all the retire
ment pay, leaving I.O.U.’s in
the Treasury?
Most of us will be dead be
fore this sort of mismanage
ment come to a head, but we
can’t smile and say, "After us
the deluge” because children
and grandchildren will wonder
what sort of wild visionaries
we were.
The President’s idea of tak
ing care of everybody is a vis
ionary’s nightmare, or a sort of
hallucination. It sounds sweet,
but by the time the bureau
crats get through with the pa
per work the money for the
baby will have accrued for
the burial expenses of old age.
Men and women are now be
ing laid off, yet we plan big
ger and bigger expenditures.
What they want is a- job now
much more than a dole from
the Government.
to the door men to admit the
ladies, who spoke no Spanish.
The Indian porters spoke no
English and didn’t know
whether the ladies were Swiss
or German, English or Ameri
cans. I don’t know who in
terpreted for the ladies in the
Foreign Office. Somebody there
must have spoken a sort of
limping English.
Arriving at our Ministry the
ladies saw Peruvians — fair,
dark, coppert-colored and all
other hues. Fortunately the
word had gone to admit the
Senoras Inglesas que quieron
hablar con el Senor Director
General—the somewhat pomp
ous message, to admit the Eng
lish ladies who wish to talk
| to the Director General
The Senorita Ayllon, the very
competent Secretary, threw
open my door and announced
the presence of the ladies.
You would have enjoyed
seeing those ladies. They had
heard Spanish in every di
rection and came prepared to
meet another Perucian. As
they came through the door, 1
went to meet them and asked
how I could serve them. The
ladies stood aghast, but one
heaved a great sigh of relief
and said “Where did you learn
that marvellous English?” Mar
vellous, indeed! Any English
would have seemed marvellous
to them, for those were the
first words they had under
stood that morning. Even your
cook’s English—or American—
would have been the sweetest
melody to them. t
If you want to fell helpless
go to some country whose lan
guage you can neither speak,
read or understand. And then
even Bowery English will Aig
in your ears like fce Cathedra'
chimes. I’m sure Bishop
Melcher, down in Brazil, would
like to hear some Columbia
English.
Lawrence Duggan was my
guest for some clays. He was
a likable young fellow and so
attractive that the Senora in
charge of one Government in
stitution always referred to
him as “El joven tan simpati-
co”—the young man so attrac
tive. When I read about Dug
gan jumping out, or being
thrown out, of his office win
dow on the thirteenth floor, I
remembered the fine young
gentleman whom we quickly
learned to like.
Isaac CMarcosson, Mark Sulli
van, and many other writers
and travellers came my way,
as did the great geographer,
Dr. Huntington of Yale.
One day President Leguia
asked if I knew anything about
Scoutismo. When I told him
that I had once been a Scout
master he said “I appoint you
Scoutmaster of Peru. Please
entertain the Scout officials
of England and Australia who
are coming next week.” In
such circumstances I met many
charming people.
NOTICE
Due to the cost of bottles,
bottling, etc., and the limited
demand for pints, effective
February I, 1949, this dairy will
stop bottling pints.
Newberry Dairy
Co-op
Mother of George
Scruggs Passes
Funeral services for Mrs.
Elizabeth French •'Scruggs, of
138 Bryant street, mother of
George F. Scruggs, of New
berry, and wife of the late
Seth W. Scruggs, who died in
the Spartanburg Hospital early
Friday afternoon, were held
Sunday afternoon at 2:30
o’clock at the J. F. Floyd
Mortuary with the Rev. M. K.
Medlock officiating. Burial was
in West Oakwood Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Fred and
Mack Anderson, Frank McCor
mick, R. J. Jennings, LeRoy
Moore and C. D. Giggs.
Surviving are four daughters.
Miss Mary Scruggs, Mrs.
George Mullins, and Mrs.
Bomar Varner, all of Spartan
burg, and Mrs. Bessie Knox of
New Orleans, La., six sons,
Jesse F. and Suber Scruggs of«
Spartanburg, Geo. F. Scruggs,
Newberry, Seth W. Scruggs. Jr.,
Charlotte, N. C., Francies C.
and Carter F. Scruggs, Wash
ington, D. C., and several
grandchildren.
18-Year-Olds May
Enter Navy For
One Year
The U. S. Navy announces
that young men of eighteen
years of age, may enlist in the
Navy for a period of one year.
This privilage is not extended
to any other age group. Re
cruiter, Chief Payne of the
Navy Recruiting Station at
Columbia, explained this week.
Upon the completion of a
year’s service an eighteen-year
old may go into the Naval Re
serve or re-enlist in the regular
Navy.
A Navy Recruiter is at the
Veterans Administration every
Friday morning in Newberry
and Friday afternoon at the
City Hall in Whitmire.
Living in countries of dif
ferent habits brings to mind
ham, gravy and biscuits. Not
ham gravy, but any kind of
gravy.
I had been away from home
a year, eating rice twice every
day, but without gravy. The
rice swarmed in lard. In a
British missionary’s home I
saw beef gravy and it was the
only gravy I saw in three
years.
It was in an Italian grocery
store in Lima that I yearned
for ham. I had seen ham, pre
pared for export; covered with
a preservative looking like tar,
but I hadn’t eaten any. As
I saw the ham under the knife
I remembered that I had not
eaten ham in seven years, so
I told the grocer to cut it all
11^ way and one inch thick.
As to the home-made bis
cuits: I never saw any. But
other things came that were
good—the delicious chirimoya,
like a fruit pudding; th e palta
ensenalda (alligator pear salad)
the tangy papaya, full of pep
sin and quite a treatment for
indigestion.
Many things I missed, but
I did not starve, for wherever
you go you find rice and pota
toes, eggs and beef.
I seem to be slamming in
all directions. Perhaps I’m in
the condition of Senator Till
man one day in the Senate.
He was thrusting to all the
four corners, in his robust
style. One of the Republican
Senators, to annoy him, asked
“Will the Senator from South
Carolina inform the Senate
what point h e is discussing?”
“I’m talking about the general
cussedness of the situation,”
replied the battling old glad
iator from Edgefield.
I’ve always been glad that
I lived in Edgefield two years,
in the time of Senator Till
man, and the many other ex
cellent people of that delight
ful and friendly town; and in
the heyday of Dr. Charles E.
Burts. What a man of God
he was! What a worker in
every good cause all over the
State!
There were many pleasant
features of my work in Peru.
It was delightful to be assoc
iated with President Leguia,
a great man and one whose
heart could be very tender,
though his hand was a nailed
fist, unavoidably. There were
many choice spirits in the pub
lic service—and some not so
choice.
I met many distinguished
people from other countries,
notably our own United
States. Under my office were
many services, including arch
eology, the censorship of the
movies, pensions, copyrights,
patents. Visiting men of science
came my way, particularly re
presentatives of almost every
notable museum. No one
could take out of Peru any In
dian relic unless he had my
permit. The purpose was to
retain in the National museum
of archeology the best spei-
mens.
One day the Ministry of For
eign Affairs telephoned my
Secretary that a group of la
dies, American and British, had
bought some Indian relics, but
had just learned, when nearly
ready to sail, that the customs’
agents would search their
trunks, unless they had a per
mit. The Secretary sent word
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PURCELLS
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Phone 197
Announcing!
the opening of
George N.Martin
Radio Service
1014 MAIN ST.
In Building Formerly f j
Occupied By
Harmon’s Music Shop
SALES and SERVICE
• /
We are pleased to announce our opening
at 1014 Main street and invite the public
to call upon us for expert, efficient ra- .
dio repairs. Our workmanship is guar
anteed and we offer you the finest ra
dio repair service available.
Call Upon Us For Your
Radio Repairs
George N. Martin
RADIO and TELEVISION
Sales and Service
1014 Main Street Phone 311-W
• /• d
' 1948 ||
TAX NOTICE
At the close
of business on
I
January 31 y 1949
A TWO
PER CENT
PENALTY J
will he added
to all
unpaid 1948
State and County
Taxes
J. Ray Dawkins
Treasurer