PAGE FOUR
THE NEWBERRY SUN
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1949
COMMENTS ON MEN AND THINGS
BY SPECTATOR
Social Security covers many
fields. Some people speak of
Social Security when they
really mean the Old Age Sur
vivor’s Insurance, one of the
many phases of what is so pre
tentiously called Social Securi
ty. That part of the Social Se
curity which Mr. Truman wish
es to extend is the Old Age
and Survivors’ Insurance. Those
on wages and salaries know
this from the one per cent de
ducted from their pay, that is
up to $250 per month, or $3000
a year. While one per cent is
deducted from your pay your
employer also pays one per
cent for you, so that two per
cent of your pay is remitted by
him to the Government. Now
what is that worth? When you
become sixty five years old
you will be entitled to a pen
sion for life. In case of a man
his wife at sixty five will also
be given a pension, and al
lowance will be made for de
pendent children. If the hus
band should die before sixty
five and the widow be less
than sixty five she will be
given a sum of money. Some
provision will be made for de
pendent children.
There is a provision which
has always seemed strange to
me: When the man becomes
sixty five and entitled to his
pension he will not be given
the pension if he earns as much
as fifteen dollars a month from
work with any covered em
ployer, though he may earn
as much as he pleases is he
operates on his own. ,
Why should the Government
have any right to deny the
pension because of earnings?
It is not a charity; it is not
Welfare; it is supposed to be
sound insurance, with the us
ual leavening of Government
al ponderosity and red tape.
The old age insurance was
unsoundly planned from the
beginning; the Congress was
under the spell of Mr. Roose
velt’s charm and incapable of
clear thinking, so enacted what
ever the bright boys incubated
and submitted with the en
dorsement of the Supreme
Chief. For example, since
this law became effective in
1937 billions of dollars have
poured into Washington. What
has the Government done? It
gives money to Welfare from
this, so that most so-called
clients of Welfare — clients,
mark you—^receive more money
in absolute sloth than do the
people who have paid one per
c=Mit ot their earnings since
1937, supplemented, as I said,
ty in equal sum paid by the
employers. But giving money
to Welfare isn’t the worst of
it, where is the money you and
other millions of people have
paid? Is it in the Bank? No,
indeed; the Government spends
it and puts a promise to pay
to our credit. What do you
think of that? Today this trust
fund is—on the books—more
than ten billions dollars, but
the money isn’t there; it is
treated as revenue and spent,
sent to rebuild Belgium and
France, Italy and others; and
to bolster the Socialistic Gov
ernment of Britain.
Vice President Barkley had
a fuss with Mr. Roosevelt about
this—if you can believe that
Mr. Barkley would stand
against his Chief. A Senator
used to be a Senator, a Con
script Father, as the old Rom
ans were; but today a Senator
is supposed to be a man loyal
to the Great White Father—
and that’s most of it. At any
rate, on that one brave occa
sion Senator Barkley declared
that Mr. Roosevelt urged an
increase in the Old Age rate
so that he might have more
revenue to spend.
Today Mr. Truman wishes
to include many more mil
lions of people—and all of us
at a higher tax—most of whom
will pay long years before col
lecting. Is he thinking about
this vast additional revenue?
Even now the Government re
ceives vastly more each year
than it pays in benefits. Even
though the benefits to us now
covered should be increased, as
proposed, this new group will
pay ten times more in new
revenue than we shall draw in
increased benefits. So, now,
the new plan is to include ele-
ven million new comers, and at
a higher premium for all of
us, though we originals may
look forward to a somewhat
larger pension—perhaps $75.00
a month for the top, provided
we work for less than $15.00
a month upon retirement.
A maiden of about twenty
five said to me “All this is un
fair. I have no children or
other dependents, so if I die
before becoming sixty five all
my payments throughout the
years will just be swallowed
up. I wonder if the old time
men who wrote this law, out-
of-date fellows, assumed that
no lady would attain the age
of sixty five, unmarried.
One may believe that if the
great moving spirit of this law
had lived he would have spon
sored many changes, change be
CANNING PRESERVING-
Come To The
FAIR!
We invite our farmer friends to *
Come To The Fair
October 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
And while you are in town drop ’round
to see us.
We have long enjoyed a good ice and
coal business among the farmers of the
county and we apppreciate this confi
dence.
We hope you will have a big time at
the Fair and profit by the exhibits of
fellow farmers.
FARMERS
Ice & Fuel Co.
PHONE 155
George W. Martin, Manager
ing the rule of that family, as
one may gather from the shuff
ling and re-shuffling of hus
bands and wives in divorce
proceedings.
Some one says that I have
been stirring up a mare’s nest
in talking about the dangers
of a General Property Tax. Is
that so? Friend, if you own
a house in town, or have a
farm, would you like to have
a nice little increase in your
taxes when you call on the
County Treasurer? Keep that
in mind.
Years ago the State, County
and City governments were
supported by General Property
taxes, so many mills on your
home and household goods, in
cluding your car. In those
days of the simple life we were
not ambitious and we asked for
very little. Out on the public
roads we were fortunate if the
wagon or buggy did not bog
down in the mud or break a
wheel on a stump. The truth
is that people didn’t travel
much. Then We had simple
schools, ordinary frame build
ings with teachers paid just
enough to hold on until Princes
Charming established them as
heads of their castles. In those
quiet times the Governor had
no constables and a Sheriff had
one deputy. We didn’t need
much money, fortunately, for
we had very little, with cot
ton selling for ten cents. At
that time the State Govern
ment spent about a million dol
lars a year and Comptroller
General Jones let out a war
whoop every time the Legis
lature spent a thousand dol
lars. Even then we had free-
spending, Golden Spenders,
who tried to add a thousand
dollars to the State’s appropri
ation. Today the State spends
a hundred million. And today
the State does not derive its
revenue from your home and
furnishings, or your farm. Most
of the revenue comes from In
come taxes, Corporation taxes,
Power taxes and so on. If
those sources fail, then the Leg
islature will reimpose taxes on
your home, household furnish
ings, and all that. One year
nearly seven million dollars
came from the Property Tax,
after we had begun to spend.
So, if my friend thinks I am
scaring up a mare’s nest he
should inform himself; he is
just happily ignorant.
There is something to be
said for ignorance: some folk
know too much; they can’t en
joy what they have because
they know the dangers always
“round the corner.” Just sup
pose our mothers had known
that we hadn’t the wings they
fondly thought we had!!
So you see. if revenue is
needed in this era of gladsome
outpouring, and the business
enterprises can’t pay their mil
lions in taxes, as now, we may
find the burdens on your home
and farm heavily increased.
And that won’t be a mare’s
nest.
Rheumatism used to be very
common; frequently we heard
of our friend’s rheumatism, if
we could forget our own long
enough to listen. But arthritis
seems to be the favorite today.
For a long time we laymen
thought that the difference be
tween rheumatism and arthritis
was one of finance rather than
pathology, but I observe that
the technicians now talk of
rheumatoid arthritis, perhaps
iust a sop to us who still think
of rheumatism. Be that as it
may, it is announced that re
lief is coming from Soy Beans.
“Compound S” for arthritis will
be less costly and more abun
dant when derived from the
Soya Bean. That is gratifying
for one announcement told us
that a magic treatment was
made from 14,000 cattle, all for
just one man.
This latest discovery is an
extraction from the Soya Bean
and was merely incidental, the
chemists at work not being en
gaged intentionally in pharma-
cals but finding this as an in
cident to other investigation.
How rich are we? I quote
from a house organ of a great
CARL J. BLACKMON
Funeral services for Carl J.
Blackmon, 52, who died early
Friday night from injuries re
ceived in a truck accident near
Chappells, were conducted at
2:30 Sunday afternoon from
the Saluda Baptist church in
Chappells by the Rev. Roy
Durst and the Rev. G. R. Petti
grew. Interment followed in
the church cemetery.
Mr. Blackmon was a native
of Lancaster county, the son ol
Mrs. Mary Mickie Blackmon
and the late James PoweL
Blackmon. For the past 16
years he had made his home
in Chappells. He was an em
ploye of the Robert Lee Con
struction Co., and was return
ing from his work when the
brokerage firm: “Gross nation
al income is $226 billion a
year vs. $87 billion in 1929.
There are 60,000,000 gainfully
employed v 43,000,000 in 1929.
Even with a shorter work week
wages now average $54 weekly
compared with. $36 in the so-
called boom-year. Wealth has
been diffused and is better dis
tributed. One example: an es
timated 15 to 20,000,000 stock
holders against 8,000,000 in
1929. But in 1948 corporation
paid $7.9 billion in dividends
â–¼ $9.2 billion 20 years ago."
Did you attend the World’s
Fair in New York a few months
before Pearl Harbor? There
was so much to see that one
couldn’t see much. I recall the
glass, ribbons of glass, just as
flexible as leather belts.
There is so much that I don’t
know that I am constantly
amazed at what is being done.
I used to stand in the gallery
overlooking the black sarcopha
gus holding Napoleon’s body
and enjoy the bluish glass that
brought the light so softly over
the resting place of that won
derful man. But here in Am
erica wonders are being per
formed.
This is a wonderful country;
and- it was made by wonderful
people who lived and worked
and prospered under a Govern
ment which did not try to reg
ulate everything. I know Am
erica, in a superficial way: I’ve
been to the great cities of the
North and mid West, the far
West and the South. I was as
sociated with my friend Dr.
Taylor in his classes in New
York, a remarkable man whom
I admire and to whom I am
warmly attached. But I know
comparatively little of New
York, much less of Chicago
and almost nothing of San
Francisco. As for the great
industrial wonder-world of Am
erica I am profoundly ignorant.
But, friend, what do you know
about it? Once I was shown
over an industry in Chicago by
one of the great men of our
country. I beheld the remark
able work being done, but you
and I don’t know how great
is the genius of our marvelous
country. We shouldn’t let poli
ticians destroy it. We must be
always alert and steadfast to
maintain this as a free coun
try, a land of opportunity, a
land of successful men, not a
land of failures and unaspiring.
America has never been the
land of the common man, but
the land of the men of brains,
ambition and perserverance —
Edison and Ford.
REGISTRATION FOR
GENERAL ELECTION
The Supervisor of Registra
tion has been ordered by the
City Council of the City of
Newberry to open the books of
registration 90 days prior to the
election and keep the same
open until ten days prior to the
general election for Mayor and
Aldermen in December.
Any person applying for a
Municipal Registration Certifi
cate must show that he has a
Newberry County Registration
Certificate, has resided within
the corporate limits of the City
of Newberry for a perior of
four months, or more, prior to
the election, and has paid the
1948 poll tax, if such tax was
assessed against him.
MRS. WINIFRED A.
CULCLASURE,
Supervisor of Registration.
5c Plus Tax
Pepsi Cola Co., Long Island
City Franchise Bottler
Pepsi Cola Bot. Co. of Columbia
LEMUEL C. RUSHTON
Funeral services for Lemuel
Clifton (Shorty) Rushton, 37,
who was killed in a truck acci
dent near Chappells Friday
night were conducted at 4:30
Sunday afternoon from the
Bethel Universalist church by
the Rev. Neil E. Truesdale and
the Rev. Roy Durst. Inter
ment followed in the Rushton
family cemetery.
Born and reared in Saluda
county, he was the son of Mrs.
Marie Houge Rushton and the
late Arthur I. Rushton. He had
made his home in Chappells for
a number of years and was an
employe of the Robert Lee Con
struction Co. He was returning
to his home at the time of the
accident.
He is survived by his widow,
Mrs. Viola Puckett Rushton;
five children, Frances Rushton,
Charles Rushton, Roy Rushton,
all of Chappells; his mother,
Mrs. Marie Houge Rushton; one
brother and two sisters, Ernie
W. Rushton of Florence, Mrs.
J. C. Harter of Augusta, Ga.,
and Mrs. Hugh (Buck) Con
nelly of Newberry and a num
ber of nieces and nephews.
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
SLATED AT CAMP GORDON
Fire Prevention week at
Camp Gordon will be a long-
remembered event if the plans
of Fire Chief Henry B. Wells
are enacted as well as is ex
pected.
Chief Wells, working in con
junction with the Post Safety
council, has planned a six-day
program that should be of in
terest to all post personnel.
Wednesday’s program will be
perhaps the most colorful of
alL In the morning at 10
o’clock a training shack which
has been burned and rebuilt 30
times, will be set afire and the
firemen will stage a demonstra
tion of various fire-fighting
methods used by the depart-
accident occurred.
He is survived by his widow.
Mrs. Alma Pearl Hatfield
Blackmon; nine children, Ralph
Blackmon and Raymond Black
mon, both of Columbia, Mrs.
Robert Gilotte of Milwalkee,
Wis., Mrs. John Barksdale of
Asheville, Mrs. Dorothy Ann
Thompson of Washington, D.
C., Jimmie Blackmon and Jay
Blackmon, both of Chappells,
Mrs. Frank E. J. Miller of
Asheville and Miss Johnnie
Blackmon of Chappells; his mo
ther, Mrs. Mary Mickie Black
mon of Chappells; two brothers
and one sister, Gordon C.
Blackmon of Greenville, Tom
Blackmon of Bridgeton, N. C.,
and Mrs. John Wannamaker of
Orangeburg and six grandchil
dren.
men!
At noon, a parade of the men
and the fire vehicles of the de
partment will make a one-hour
tour of the entire post. A dem
onstration of the department’s
pumping trucks will be held at
3:00 p.m. at Wilkinson Lake to
conclude Wednesday’s program.
Another very important part
of the week’s program is being
conducted every day at the var
ious theatres at Camp Gordon
when Chief Wells lectures the
post personnel on fire preven
tion and conducts a demonstra
tion of the use of the various
types of fire extinguishers
found at the post.
Even tiie children of Camp
Gordon personnel have not
been forgotten. Their day to
remember will be Saturday
when they will be transported
in fire engines to see a motion
picture. '
This program to further in
still the spirit of fire preven
tion into the minds of the
Camp Gordon personnel is be
ing conducted so that in the
future the number of fires on
tiie post may be cut below the
minimum already achieved.
— Augusta Chronicle
During the war the demand
for mechanics was so great that
the test for availability got to
be very simple. The applicant
was put into a room with a
leg of lamb, a dog collar and a
screw-driver. If he picked out
the screw-driver he was hired.
WANTED-
To buy some Guineas—Speckle
or white—also pure bred Mal
lard Ducks—Let us know what
you have to offer. 23-30 2tc
R. Derrill Smith and Son Inc.
Wholesale Grocers
Newberry, S. C.
CIGARS and CANDY—Tampa
Nuggets—Sports—Jewels—. Mo
dems—Above the Average—
Straights—Cincos— King Ed
wards—Elmoro—ElReeso— All
the popular brands of Candy &
Chewing Gums—Cigarettes and
Tobacco 23-30|2tc
R. Derrill Smith and Son Inc.
Wholesale Grocers
Newberry, S. C.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
All persons having claims
against the estate of Mrs. Lula
Smith Daniel deceased, are
hereby notified to file the same,
duly verified, with the under
signed, and those indebted to
said estate will please make
payment likewise.
J. McT. DANIEL
PERHAPS YOU TOO
CAN MAKE MONEY
The Young man to whom Electrolux paid over $6000
cash last year (and who will train you, if you’re ac
cepted) was previously a planter—no sales experi
ence. We will teach two young married men, under
46, with cars who. can stand strictest investigation
and furnish character refs, as to honesty, energy,
integrity, and willingness to work and learn. Write
at once giving details to P. O. Box 5112, Columbia
6, S. C. Authorized executive will interview you
personally this week.
SAVING ... <
ONE OF THE STEPS TO SUCCESS
Take a step in the right direction by coming
in to open YOUR insured savings account at
this Association. Then, add to savings regularly.
Earn liberal ^dividends, too.
NEWBERRY J
federal Savings
AND LOAN ASSOCIATION
OP NEWBERRY
J. K. Willingham, Sec’y Newberry, S. C.
Off To The Fair
Among the best exhibits at the Fair will be the farm
animals. Newberry has grown to be one of the lead
ing counties of the (state in the production of dairy
products. This {position of leadership has not come
about suddenly. It is the result of patient work over
the years.
The South Carolina National Bank is proud of the
small part it has had in making possibble funds for the
advancement of this industry.
Come to the Fair next week and see what the neigh
bor has been doing. You will get new ideas and new
inspiration.
NEWBERRY COUNTY FAIR
October 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
The South Carolina National Bank