Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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PAGE TWO THE NEWBERRY SUN THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1953 5§UW 1218 College Street NEWBERRY. S. C. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY O. F. Armfield, Jr., Owner Entered as second-class matter December 6, 1937 at the Postoffice at Newberry, South Carolina, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $2.00 per year in ad vance; six months, $1.25. IKE'S DIKE COMMENTS ON MEN AND THINGS By SPECTATOR Senator R. M. Jefferies wrote a letter recently to his ex cellent County paper, The Press and Standard, and I found it interesting and informative. I asked Mr. Jefferies to boil it down a little and to permit me to use it. . I quote from Mr. Jefferies: “In response to your note of the 15th, I thought the statement prepared at my request by the State Auditor about the costs of the public schools and how the costs were paid was just about as simple as we could make it. I told the Auditor that I did not want an accounting report but that I wanted simple figures to show total costs and where the money came from, also what taxes were taken off when the sales tax law was passed. It was not the purpose of that statement to analyze how school expenses were paid prior to the sales tax law. The important fact which the State Auditor’s statement sup ported was that all of the proceeds of the sales tax, all of the liquor tax earmarked by the Constitution for schools and a considerable block of General Fund revenues are being used to pay school expenses. At the time of the passage of the sales tax law it was definitely understood that the sales tax would be a substi tute for then existing taxes or would serve to prevent the imposition of additional taxes of other kinds. One of the prime considerations for the passage of the sales tax law was to provide a more adequate method of financing the public schools. It was never represented by the Legislative Committee that made the study prior to the passage of the sales tax law or by anyone supporting the sales tax that ap propriations from the General Account would continue at the old rate. The trend however since the passage of the sales tax law seems to me to go deeper each year into the general reve nues of the State to meet the ever increasing costs of public school education. This is evidenced by the fact that during the next fiscal year over fourteen million dollars of gen eral revenues will be necessary in addition to the sales tax and the liquor tax to support the educational program. I have not taken the time to check former appropriation bills or state budgets but speaking purely from memory it is my recollection that the approximate sum of twenty-nine mil lion dollars was the highest appropriation ever made from the General Account prior to the passage of the sales tax law, which sum was appropriated the year before the sales tax was passed. Nearly half of the General Account appropriations the year before the sales tax came from the emergency taxes repealed at the time of the passage of the sales tax law which shows on the Smith statement in the sum of approximately twelve and one-half million dollars. If the Legislature had continued appropriating from the Gen eral Account the sum of twenty-nine million dollars per year plus sales and liquor taxes, then additional other taxes would have had to have been levied for the General Ac count. The Legislature thought it did enough when it passed the sales tax law without the same year increasing other forms of taxes. There is much confusion over the State on this ques tion of school financing. Unfortunately some teachers seem to believe that the main purpose of the sales tax was to increase teacher compensation. A few of the leaders in the Teachers’ Association have done the teachers a great disservice by stating that the entire proceeds of the sales tax do not go for the payment of public school education. They seem to expect the Legislature to increase appropria tions each year from the General Account as well as to devote sales and liquor taxes to education. The passage of the new school law along with the sales tax brought about a new era (I was about to say “New Deal’’) in public school financing and accomplishment. The State promptly took over the entire building program and the total expenses of school transportation. The first year of the sales tax the teachers received a heavy increase in pay by reason of a new schedule of salaries based on certificates which amounted to about seventeen and one- half percent over the old salaries. That year it took an ap propriation of $33,900,000 for the purpose of teachers’ salaries only. In addition to the increase in the 1951-52 salaries the Legislature at the session just closed voted another ten percent increase. We have never paid teachers in this State the salaries that most of them deserve but many of the inequities have been removed and through the years there will be a con tinuing improvement in salaries based on the present certifi cation plan which gives automatic increases for better training and long service. I do not know whether the above comments wll clarify the situation any, and if you need additional information I suggest that you get in touch with State Auditor J. M. Smith who I know will cooperate with you to the fullest. It is a fact which the record clearly establishes that the total amount secured from the sales tax and the State’s por tion of the liquor tax as well as a sizeable appropriation ly.w.v.s from the General Account now go to pay the costs of pub lic school education, and it was to prove this known fact by figures that I requested the State Auditor to prepare the simple statement which you saw in the Press and Stand ard.’’ The average citizen is not always informed; in this mat ter there is quite a lot of misinformation. It is the com mon impression that the Sales Tax is just a new tax, an additional tax, imposed on the people, with all the taxes of 1950 continuing in full force. I call attention to what Mr. Jefferies says about that. In this connection I recall a conversation with Mr. Jefferes in his office in Moncks Cor ner about 1949 or 1950, as I recall. He told me then that he thought a Sales Tax should not be merely a new burden, but should bring a measure of relief in other taxes. I appreciate both the courtesy and the thoroughness of Mr. Jefferies in writing this letter; it speaks for itself. You’ve read The Elegy by Thomas Gray. One day I found myself in the old Cemetery of Stoke Pogis some miles from London. It reminded me of some old burying grounds of our low-country, with great trees and a solemn hush, while all about were the cracked headstones and “mouldering heaps”—an air of deep solemnity, a solemn hush over all the place. As we walked about some of us tried to remember verses of that superbly appealing poem. How moving is the Elegy in its sweet rythm: “Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree’s shade, Where heaves the turf in many a mould’ring heap, Each in his narrow, cell for ever laid, The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. For them no more the blazing hearth shall burn, Or busy housewife ply her evening care; No children run to lisp their sire’s return, Or climb his knees the envied kiss to share. Let not Ambition mock their useful toil, Their homely joys, and destiny obsecure; Nor Grandeur hear, with a disdainful smile The short and simple annals of the poor The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow’r, And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave, Await alike th’ inevitable hour: The paths of glory lead but to the grave. Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire; Hands, that the rod of empire might have sway’d Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre. Full many a gem of purest ray serene The dark unfathom’d caves of ocean bear; Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air. Some village Hampden that with dauntless breast The little tyrant of his fields withstood; Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest, Some Cromwell guiltless of his country’s blood.- Far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife Their sober wishes never learn’d to stray; Along the cool, sequester’d vale of life They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.” Hawaii is not eligible for Statehood. Senator Olin John ston is entirely right, as I see the matter. To be a State; to have equal representation in the United States Senate with New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, Iowa, Illinois and California, for example, is unthinkable. Although we Ameri cans of the Atlantic and Pacific areas, and those sturdy people of Iowa and Indiana, may claim somewhat diverse origins, we are one people; and in wars and depressions we have fused into a nation. Not so with Hawaii; it is teaming with Japanese, Chinese and other polyglot elements not easily assimilable in our body politic. And though we are relatively one people, we have within our borders elements of our population not truly American and not likely to be genuinely American within several generations, if at all. I am not persuaded by what any Political Party may ad vocate; or what any social reformer may endorse; we have a heritage that is immeasurably more valuable than al legiance to political leaders: that heritage of a great America will be trampled under foot if we admit to Statehood a S&uuUtty t£e B RITISH and American relations have been extremely amiable since before World War II. The re cent speech, therefore, made by former Prime Minister Attlee in the House of Commons, in which he said there are elements in the United States who do not want a settlement of the Korean war, was startling and shocking to the aver age American. It was, to use a cliche, the unkindest cut of them all. Adlai Stevenson, the defeated Democratic candidate for Presi dent of the United States, very well summed up the attitude of the American average citizen con cerning that statement. He said, “if there’s such an element I have never encountered it. I don’t know where it resides. I would like to know the address.” In addition to this statement, the British do not understand our atti tude of having little faith in top- level conference between the Rus sians, Britain, the United States and other major powers as sug gested by Prime Minister Chm ch ill. Briefly this is the administra tion’s attitude toward such a con ference, and, the great majority of U. S. political leaders approve it: The United States believes that the Soviet must show good faith by actions before such a conference should be held. The United States would consider settlement of the Korean war and a treaty for Aus tria acts of good faith. This is not an arbitrary decision. The American people have been disappointed by past results of such conferences. If good-will and sin cerity do not exist on both sides at such a conference nothing can be accomplished. This is not an unreasonable atti tude. It is the result of the Ameri can way of thinking, its distrust of European diplomacy, and its liking for straightforward, honest action. A number of Americans have let off a great amount of steam in re cent days which has hurt Amer- ican-British relations. The tragedy of such action is that these men are doing exactly what the Com munist world wants more than any thing else at the present time. A split than can never be breached between the two great English speaking nations of the world would be a victory for Communism. All of the blame, however, can not be placed on the American doorstep. Mr. Attlee was anything but discrete in his remarks and did more in that one speech to promote isolation in this country than any one in the last 20 years. Tins much is certain, political observers are saying: The United States cannot stand alone against Communism; nor can Britain stand alone. It is to our mutual benefit that we be allies and friends. It is hoped that wise heads will prevail in the dispute and our differences settled. • A number of farm organize tions have gone on record as ap proving President Eisenhower’s plan to reorganize the Department of Agriculture. The plan is opposed by a group of Democratic senators Approving the plan are the Na tional Grange, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Nation al Milk Producers Federation. The plan would transfer to the secretary of agriculture the au thority to reorganize the depart ment, consolidating or realigning its far-flung field agencies to eliminate duplication and over lapping. The opposition is concerned because the plan does not spe cifically set out the steps the secretary shall follow. IkiE Carnegie AUTHOR "HOWTO STOP WORRYING AND STARMIVING' OTEPHEN A. ANDREJKO, Jr., 551 Grove Avenue, Johnstown, Cam- ^ bria Co., Pennsylvania, became a Fireboss and later he was pro moted to Section Foreman. He had one ever present underlying fear a visit from the State Mine Inspector. He says he does not know why. but he worried until the man left. When he would hear the State Mine Inspector was coming, he would tell his handyman to say that he was down in the old workings checking the ventilation. He got away with this for two inspections, but on the third inspec tion when he came around, the first thing he asked was, “Where is your Section Foreman?” The handy man told him he was down in the old workings check ing the ventilation. Then said the Inspector, “You go and look for him; we are not going to inspect the section without him; go get him.” He knew that Steve was afraid of him and that he was hiding. Steve came out of hiding and approached the Inspector with a “Hello Mr. Curtis.” Then he told the Foreman and the Superintendent to wait, adding, “Steve, and 1 are going for a walk. I have something to talk over with him.” As they went into the old workings behind a wall the Inspector said, “Steve, what is the matter? What are you afraid of?” Steve answered frankly, “I do not like the way you look at a person. I would rather you gave me Hell than look at me the way you do.” The reply came: “You should not let my eyes worry you, that is just my appearance.” Then he con tinued so kindly that Steve never again feared him or ever worried about any other inspector. Since then Steve had helped several people who were in the same predicament. One remark that stuck and Steven thinks really did the trick was: “People are all pretty much the same you know.” CARNEGIE OSS H, From the Mason County News, New Haven, W. Va.: We aren’t much of a mathematician but ac cording to a bulletin of the Cham ber of Commerce erf the United States, “taxes will equal all wages, salaries, rents, interest and divi dends received by the American people from January 1 through April 22, 1053.”—now you know why you haven’t had anything left over since the first of the year—you’ve been paying it all out in taxes. • • • From the Providence Journal- Enterprise, Providence, Ky.: Re cently President Eisenhower . . . spoke with delight of the pickle jar and the cracker barrel found in most general stores when he was growing up . . It may be that . . . a man will occupy the White House who will recall the days when he rode through a super market in a four-wheeled shopping basket. • • » From the Hagerstown Herald, Hagerstown, Md.: A couple of doc tors reporting in a medical journal say that on the basis of clinical ex perience with 600 patients they have found “neck-stretching” a highly successful treatment for chronic headaches. Since the Russian Communists have made something of a specialty of stretching neck in the past 30 years they evidently have cured a lot of headaches. As a matter of fact, when a Kremlin operative gets through stretching a neck, nothing »t all aches. Wouldn’t you like to have the hemp concession in the Soviet Union? • • • From the Kingsville Record, Kingsville, Texas: Ike is running his big job with quiet dignity, work ing his brain instead of his jaw, and getting his “team” through Spring training in top shape. He hasn’t been throwing dead cats at anybody. And that has the Kremlin worried. Melenkov has heard about barking dogs hesitating to sink the fang into the flesh. Its so different from when Harry was telling ’em off. Notice where Harry went calling while in ’Frisco and got in the wrong house by mistake. Looks like the old boy hasn’t found out where he’s going yet . . . • • • From the Ashland Independent, Ashland, Ky.: Moscow does not like the United States, but it tolerates some American authors. Announce ment is made of the plan to publish this year 900,000 books by American authors. One-quarter of the number will be devoted to editions of O. Henry’s short stories. Also ap proved are Mark Twain’s “Con necticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court” and poems of Walt Whitman. This is dangerous business for the Communists. Reeders of these books may get the notion that Americans have many sensible ideas. There is no telling how far such an impression may spread. land two thousand miles away and with very little that is American about it except the dollars spent there and the foolish sentimentality or calculating scheming of men who themselves are of doubtful Americanism of the Simon-pure type. RESSIONA Q—How many Congressional Investigation witnesses have been cited for contempt of Congress? A—From 1940 through 1952, Congress cited 159 persons for contempt. Forty-five of them were convicted, and six other convictions were reversed. Gambler Frank Costello drew the heaviest penalty, 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. There were no contempt citations during the first four months of 1953. But the Senate May 6 cited for contempt Russell W. Duke, former San Francisco publicity man. Q—Has former Speaker Sam Rayburn been in Congress longer than any other present Member? A—No, Sen. Carl Hayden (D.-Ariz.) served in the House from April 4, 1911, to March 3, 1927, and in the Senate continuously since 1927. Rayburn (D.-Tex.) has served continuously in the House since 1913. Q—Who has the most seniority In the Senate? A—Sen. Walter F. George (D.-Ga.) is ranked first by the Senate. He became a Member Nov. 8, 1922. Second ranking Senator in seniority is Carl Hayden (D.-Ariz.) with 26 years in the Senate (following about 16 years in the House). The ranking Republican in seniority in the Senate is Styles Bridges (N. H.) whose service commenced Jan. 3, 1937. Q—What is being done about President Eisenhower’s request to let 248,000 immigrants beyond quotas enter the U. S. during the next two years? A—The Immigration and Naturalization Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee decided April 27 to solicit information and opinions by mall on the advisability of admitting the extra immi grants. Hearings on a bill to grant the President's request will be held after replies have been received. Present quotas allow entry of 154,657 yearly. <C«S7rlfkt ISM, Cob*rassUnal Qs»rUrlr) Old Cannon’s past is Misty, but Voice Well Known Anderson—Most of the “facts” about Anderson's famous “Old Re former” are little more than legend, but the main fact is well known— the brass cannon was the rallying point for Wade Hampton’s 1876 campaign in Anderson County, the campaign that ended Radical Rule. Tradition has £ that the small muzzle-loader was captured by American naval forces from the Tripoli pirates. Another story is that the British brought the cannon to America in the Revolution and that it was used by both sides. The cannon made its appearance in Anderson about 1838 as part of the equipment for an artillery com pany of the State Militia. The old cannon was declared obsolete for use in the War Between the States and remained neglected throughout that conflict. It was silent during the Reconstruction, but boomed out defiantly to signal ipaign. the o opening The ca of Hampton’s camt *P*» ' . - , cannon fired again and again at political rallies. Since “re form” was the battle-cry, the brave piece acquired the name, “Old Reformer”. After the Hampton victory, however, the cannon again was neg lected. It lay half buried near a freight yard until the late W. R. d rescued it and placed it in yard. Through the efforts of the Daughters of the American Revo lution, the “Old Reformer” gained a place on public ground near the Central Presbyterian Church. It was moved to the Plaza in the early 1920’s. Hubbard his yard. HONOR FBI CHIEF . . . J. Edgar Hoover, FBI receives medal from American Legion for hie fight munlam. Sylvan King (left) and Robert Ranch (right) for Legion. r, (« HICCOUGHING BULt . . . Paul E. Steffen, Ohio State U. in Celnmbos, uses metal Pete, of attack of hiccoughs.