The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, November 19, 1953, Image 2
1218 College Street
NEWBERRY. S. C.
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
0. 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.
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vance; six months, $1.25.
COMMENTS ON MEN AND THINGS
By SPECTATOR
We are a great people; at frequent intervals we repeat
that so that we may take fresh courage, or may gird our
selves afresh for the battle of life. Sometimes we have to
put on the whole armor in order to stand invincible before
the onslaughter of bad news. Well, what’s it all about ? Let’s
see just where the shoe pinches. What do you think of a man
who spends all his income and then mortgages all his lands,
tenements and hereditaments, as the law says, in its state
ly language. Mortgaging all his estate so that when he shuf
fles off this mortal coil his children and grandchildren will
have enormous debts to pay? Think of it: father had a
hundred thousand dollars in the banks and thousands of
acres of land. But the money is all gone and the lands groan
under the weight of encumbrance. In other words, the whole
estate is sunk in debt. Yet, verily, sunk without a trace.
Is that a nice way to treat the sons and grandsons not forget
ting the daughters, granddaughters and daughters-in-law?
“Thou art the man,” as the prophet said to King David.
In other words, we are the guilty ones; we are the people
who squandered the money. Here is the story:
‘The Eisenhower administration on June 30, 1953, closed
the books on 20 years of government fiscal management by
the New Deal and the Fair Deal. During those 20 years the
Federal Government spent 775 billion dollars, or 20 times the
total amount of monetary gold and 10 times more than the
total amount of money in circulation in the entire world.
This is almost seven times the total government expendi
tures for the entire first 145 years of the Repubic, although
those 145 years embraced six wars including t)\e Civil War
and World War I. The federal tax rate advanced approxi
mately 1500 per cent in the 20 years and in the last fiscal
year of the 20, tax collections were 2100 per cent higher
than in 1933. Meantime the national debt rose from $22.5
billion to $266 billion. In the thirteen years since 1940
American taxpayers, through their government, have
given away nearly $95 billion (nearly $100 billion includ
ing the latest authorizations), or approximately $1800 for
every American taxpayer. It is more than all the money in
circulation in all the world, and more than twice as much
as the total net value of all property, plant, and equipment
owned by all American manufacturing concerns combined.”
That 266 billion dollars is our legacy to the next genera
tion. We leave them a debt so colossally great that we
merely speak of it with no grasp of the immensity of it.
The next generation will remember us well and will never
be able to say that we did not leave something, though what
we leave will break their backs.
Our weekly newspapers are having much to say about
some practices of recent years. Says The Lancaster News:
“In 1913, when the federal tax on corporations was only
one per cent, tax exemption of publicly owned business was
not serious. Conditions are far different now. Federal tax
rates on corporate income have risen to 52 per cent, plus a
graduated excess profits tax which brings the over-all rate
to as much as 82 per cent of net income. With rates that
high, how long can private business compete with tax-ex
empt socialized enterprise?
In the case of electric power, tax exemption of public
power projects could ultimately mean destruction of all tax-
paying private enterprise in the field, an irreparable tax loss
to the country, and a long step toward total state socialism.
In the last fiscal year private power companies paid more
than $750,000,000 in taxes to the federal government and
almost $470,000,00 to state and local governments. Since
federal projects now have one eighth of the country’s total
generating capacity they should have paid $90,000,000 in
taxes to the federal government and $60,000,000 to state and
local government. They actually paid less than $5,000,000 to
state and local governments. They actually paid less than
$5,000,000 in lieu of takes to the state and local governments,
and nothing to the federal government. There was a total tax
loss of around $150,000,000 and the nation’s taxpayers pick
ed up the check. ‘
It’s time to put. federal power on the tax rolls and stop
cutting the ground from under a private industry which
renders outstanding service and which is now spending bil
lions for expansion to meet future needs.”
And then The Enterprise of Mullins speaks out:
“One of the big pencil manufacturers of the country could
not see anything wrong with the Tennessee Valley Author
ity. For one thing, he is an ardent fisherman, and when he
looked at the beautiful • TVA lakes abounding in fish, he
could see nothing behind them.
At the same time, this gentleman professes to be a strong
believer in the American free enterprise system—but he
had never applied the TVA principle to this belief. When this
failure was called to his attention and the principle was ap
plied, the rosy glasses through which he had been viewing
the TVA changed to quite a different hue.
Suppose the Government set up an Authority to own,
manage and operate its vast timber holdings throughout
DEPTHS OF DESPAIR
the nation. Suppose this Authority decided to go into the
processing of timber, and incidental to this processing op
eration decided to build a pencil factory.
We would then have a situation quite parallel to that of
the TVA and its electric power industry.
This pencil factory would be built with money appropri
ated by the Government and the Authority would pay no
federal taxes, would pay only nomial local taxes, would have
franking privileges for all its advertising by mail, free
legal services and many other special privileges.
How long could the private pencil manufacturer compete
with this Pencil Authority ? Or, if this private pencil manu
facturer had such privileges, how much could he under
cut his competitors? The answers are very clear. Private
enterprise cannot compete with socialized industry support
ed by the taxes of the people.
And we must realize that a socialist state is the end view
of those who advocate government ownership and opera
tion. There is no stopping point. Once the Socialist Camel
gets his head into the tent of Free Enterprise, he will never
be satisfied until he is all the way in—and we can be quite
sure there is not room enough for both of them.
The very definition of socialisfn is complete government
ownership and operation, complete government control of
prices and distribution. Socialism cannot stop at any par
ticular point and justify its existence; it must press ahead
for this ultimate goal. We have seen this fact exemplified in
the activities of the TVA. The production of electricity was
supposedly incidental to the main purpose of TVA; namely,
flobd control and navigation. Being incidental, the people
gave it no particular thought. But it wasn’t long before the
tail began wagging the dog. All private power companies
were driven out of business in the area; the government
soon had a complete monopoly.
And instead of being incidental, the electric power busi
ness soon became the main business of the TVA. Under the
present program we shall very soon see more than half the
power produced by the TVA coming from steam plants,
which have nothing to do with flood control and navigation,
in the Tennessee Valley.
The application of the TVA principle to the pencil manu
facturing industry could be applied similarly to all industry.
The result would be the same.”
My friend, Commissioner McMillan of the State Highway
Department has sent me some interesting statistics:
“State Highway Department official records show that
113 or 20.7 per cent of South Carolina’s 544 traffic deaths
reported for the first nine months of the year were pedest
rians. January, February, March and September accounted
for the largest numbers. Longer hours of darkness and the
wearing of darker colored clothing are considered major
causes of increased pedestrian fatalities during these
months.
Crossing between intersections and walking in the road
way account for most pedestrian deaths and injuries. Last
year, 54 per cent of the 163 persons killed on foot were
crossing between intersections, and 15 per cent were walking
in the roadway.
To avoid becoming involved in an accident, the Highway
Department offered these suggestions for pedestrians:
1. Walk on the left side of open highways so that you are
facing traffic.
2. Wear something light which can be seen by drivers,
or, better still, carry a light or even a white handkerchief
in the hand, when walking at night.
3. Cross streets only at intersections, being sure that the
light is in your favor if there is a traffic signal.
4. Watch out for motor vehicles, especially at night. Re
member that you can see a vehicle much better than its
driver can see you. * >
5. Caution children to avoid playing in the streets. Many
small children are fatally injured while playing in streets
or roadways every year.
Drivers, too, have a definite responsibility in pedestrian
protection. Look out for the child or adult walking. By
careful driving, and guarding against the unexpected, their
lives can be protected.”
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THE NEWBERRY SUN
College St. Phone 1 ,
T HE Eisenhower administration
received another blow in the
battle with its biggest domestic
problem — the farm-price pinch.
The new blow was a report by the
Agriculture Departr-ie.it that farm
prices have skidded another 2 per
cent. It drops th. farmer to the
lowest rung he has occupied on the
economic ladder since 1941.
The situation is termed “grave”
by GOP policy makers and espe
cially those GOP candidates who
must win their contests in 1954.
All agree that something must be
done or the Democratic party is
going to swe^p through the farm
belt in the 1954 elections. The re
sult could well be that the country
would have a Democratic controlled
congress.
The farm prices situation is this:
During the past month cattle prices
fell an average of 7 per cent a hun
dred pounds. They stood at 71 per
cent of parity.
Prices paid out by farmers from
mid-September to mid-October fell
one-third of one per cent. But since
the farmer’s prices fell even more,
the net result was that he was less
well off.
Average farm prices stood at 91
per cent of parity on October 15,
the lowest since May, 1947. That
compared with 92 per cent of parity
on September 15 and 99 per cent
a year ago. The over-all farm-price
picture on October 15 was about
,11% per cent below a year ago,
while farmers’ costs were only
out 3 per cent below the same
ne last year.
Meanwhile, the cattle Industry
is unhappy with the results of the
caravan of cattlemen, representing
30 states, that recently visited Sec
retary of Agriculture Benson in
Washington.
Benson let it be known that he
considers such a group a “pres
sure’’ group and that he will re
sist all pressure, political or oth
erwise, against his announced pol
icy. This policy is an adjustment
of price-support programs to meet
basic economic ai^d peacetime
needs in the best interests of all
American farmers.
It is believed in Washington that
this fight of the cattlemen for high
rigid price-support for their indus
try is not over and may be car
ried \o the next session of con
gress. It will be a “bad break’’ for
the administration if the fight be
comes a knock-down and drag-
out affair.
President Eisenhower is very con
scious of the situation. This is
evidenced by his recent statement
that the drop in live-cattle prices
has reached the bottom and they
will now start to climb. He vigor
ously defended his administra
tion’s new farm program and said
it will protect the interests of all
Americans, including constuners.
He rejected a suggestion that he
call a special session of congress
to deal with the general farm sit
uation. He said it would not make
sense because the administration
will not have its program ready
until January.
From The Barnesbore Star,
Barneisboro. Pennsylvania: One as
pect of prayer that gets scant at
tention from the teachers of re
ligion may be summed up as “the
serious risks to which prayer ex
poses as,*’ states Frank HalHday
Ferris In the November Reader’s
Digest. Dr. Ferris is Pastor Emeri
tus of the Fairmount Presbyterian
Church. Cleveland Heights. Ohio.
His article Is condensed from his
book. “Standing Up to Life.**
In prayer we risk, first, seeing
ourselves as we are “In our deal
ings with God we must come
dean.** Dr Ferris writes “AD our
subterfuges, the flimsy excuses we
contrive to bide our tamer poverty
from ourselves, must come down.
We face the truth about ourselves
when we ask God to take us as we
are and make us as we ought to
be This ts the prerequisite to moral
progress—but It ts hard on our
pride." •
The second risk is the danger of
becoming more like Christ In s
world which worships the deity suc
cess. Conceding that “there is noth
ing reprehensible about success”
/ Dr Ferris points out that there are
times in the life of every man when
he must, choose between doing the
advamageous thing or the right
thing. Christ was faced by this
ehoice at the outset of His career.
His temptation was to use His
unique persona) power to win
worldly success
A prayer for moral betterment is
“no kidglove undertaking.” the au
thor insists ‘One has to take hold
of It with the rough hand of a
man who is in earnest, who is un
deterred by the prospect of blood,
sweat and tears, for only so is
moral victory won.**
• • •
From Hie Herington Advertiser-
Times. Hertogton. Kansas: A good
many people probably still believe
that typical petal! merchants op
erate on the “all the traffic will
bear*’ philosophy and are always
trying to jack up prices.
That simply Isn't true—not be
cause merchants are any more
charitable than the rest of us. but
because success in merchandising
demands a very different attitude
An official of a national retail
ing association recently put the
case this way: “As the purchas
ing agents for the consumer the
objective of America’s retailers is
the satisfaction and comfort of the
nation’s retail customers through
the greatest possible distribution
of the country’s productive capa
city The successful accomplish
ment of that objective depends on
our ability to offer value for every
dollar spent in our stores. When
values are lowered, sales fall,
production drops, purchasing pow
er is retarded and o>ften brought
to a complete halt **
^WotcL
INTELEIGRAM
Check correct word-
1. Mt. Ararat is in (Armenia) (Israel).
2. The Indian Ocean is in the (Eastern) (West
ern) hemisphere.
3. Fleas (do) (do not) have wings.
4. Scheduled air mail service was established in
the U. S. in (1918) (1936). t
5. (Buchanan) (Polk) was Uie only bachelor
President of the U. S.
6. The (American) (National) League won base
ball’s 1950 All-Star game.
7. A clavier is a (musical instrument) (fish).
8. (Arizona) (Nevada) is called the Sunset State.
9. James Monroe was the (5th) (7th) U. S. Presi
dent.
10. James Byrnes is a (stage star) (politician).
Check your answers, scoring yourself 10 points for each
correct choice. A score of 0-20 is poCr; 30-60, average;
70-80, superior; 90-100, very superior.
. Decoded Intelligram
dept*
►ttoj.—01 'MIS—6 ‘ ‘suozjjv—8 'juauirupuj tBDjsnpi—L iBuoije>i .
—9 'ueueqonH—g *8161—> *t° u °G" — € ‘uaoisea—g ’Biuouuy I
A great Company which serves the public has published
an advertisement which says: “How our costs have gone up
since 1940.
Lead up
168%
Poles up
136%
Copper up
139%
Cable up
105%
Raw cotton
233%
Buildings
106%
Yet our service is up an average of only 16%. That is
splendid. It is not a Power Co. The Power rates are lower
than in 1940!!
Q—How many of Uncle Sam’s nieces and nephews are on his payroH?
A—^According to the Joint Committee on Reduction of Non-Essential
- Federal Expenditures. 2.430,412 Americana were employed by the
federal government as of Aug. 31, 1953. The Committee said this
compared with 2,590.091 as 61 Aug. 31, 1952. The figures do not
include many thousands of foreigner employed abroad.
Q—Which President held the first regular press conferences?
A—President Wilson, according to James E. PoUard’s “The Presidents
and the Press.” Wilson arranged to see reporters in the White House
twice a week because he believed in what he called “pitiless pub
licity” for public business. President Eisenhower’s Oct. 21 press
conference was his 17th since assuming office.
Q—Can the President and Vice President be inhabitants of the same
state? '
A—Yes, though there is a practical restriction on the possibility. Amend
ment XII of the Constitution states: **1110 electors shall meet . . .
and vote (for) President and Vice President, one of whom at least
shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves.” No
, party has ever nominated candidates for both offices who lived in
, the same state. In the event of a clbse contest, one of the party’s
candidates could fail of election because he would be denied the
electoral vote of his own state.
Q—Just how often ds Members of Congress miss roU-esll votes or foil to
announce their positions on issues?
A—Only about one time in ten. according to a Congressional Quarterly
survey of the 160 roll-call votes of the first session. The “average”
Member either voted or announced his position 91.3 per cent of the
time. The “average” Member actually voted.—either “yea” or
“nay”—on 87.4 per cent of all roll calls.
TITHILE Wanda Wisniewski, 3907 Yolando Road, Baltimore, Mary-
W i*"*, was an army nurse overseas during World War II. she had
the gcpd fortune to be reunited with her two brothers who were also
serving with the armed forces overseas. Four weeks later she had
the terrible misfortune to lose one of her brothers; ten weeks later *
she lost the other brother.
The news of these two tragedies in such quick
succession, stunned her. Never before had life dealt
her such a blow! And now she didn’t know how to
cope with it. She became bitter, despondent, and
her grief was inconsolable. She worried, too. about
her mother who was so many thousands of miles
away, and whom she felt must be prostrate with
grief.
One day the Chaplain stopped by to see her.
and noticing her bitterness asked her to pray, to
pray for the grace of perfect resignation to God’s
will That morning she went to the chapel and
prayed. After leaving chapel she felt calm. It was then that she de- i
cided that she was going to try to accept the inevitable. She said to
herself that she must stop brooding. In order to do that she had to
keep busy. So she got into uniform and reported on duty. That day
yti/| every day thereafter she made sure that her days were crowded
with plenty of work end other activities.
It wasn’t easy at first. There were many times when she felt her
self crying on the inside, but she made sure that she was always laugh
ing on the outside. And it was then that she realized the true meaning
of the line: "When you cry you cry alone. But when you laugh the
whole world laughs with you.”
CROSS - CHECK
; By Ray Trail
A BRAM Cotters never dreamed
he’d run into such a snag as
this when he pulled his car into
the filling station and told the at
tendant to fill her up. Then, ac
customed as he was to making his
living by passing bad checks, he
fumbled for his wallet and opened
it in front of the red-headed boy.
“G^e, I guess Til have to give
you a check,” he said. “Can you
cash one for fifty dollars?”
“Well, sir,” the boy said as he
scratched his head, "we don’t cash
personal checks for strangers. Not
unless you can get someone to
vouch for you.”
“Oh, it’s a good check. Salary
check, from Carlson’s downtown.”
"Yes sir, I know the store all
right, but—”
Cotters could see the small drug
store on the comer opposite the
filling station, its sign saying
"WRIGHT’S PHARMACY”, and
his thoughts leaped fast **I know
Mr. Wright over there,” he said.
"Oh, you do, sir?” the attend
ant brightened up. "Well, sir,
that’s better. I tell you what Why
don’t you just go across to the
store and tell Mr. Wright what the
situation is, and have him wave to
me if he knows you and if every
thing is all right”
‘'Sure,” said Cotters as he looked
at the phony check with the phony
name. "By the way, what's your
name?” he asked.
"Andrews, sir. Jack Andrews.”
he heard the boy say.
He walked into the drug store
and saw a man of about sixty put
ting up stock behind the counter.
"Hello,” he said to the man, "are
you Mr. Wright?”
“That’s me,” said the pharma
cist. "What can I do for you?”
"Well. I Just bought some gas
from my friend Jack Andrews
across the street, and I find that
all I have with me is this check
for fifty.”
“Oh?” The pharmacist replied.
"He said that if you’d just step
to the door and wave at him. he’d
wave back and let you know that
everything is all right.”
“Oh, all right,” said Doc. "Jack*# .
a fine boy. Known him since he
was four.”
The pharmacist stepped to the
door and waved a hand across to
the red-headed boy, and through
the window Cotters watched the
boy wave back with a big sweep.
Everything was all right. So Doc
cashed the check and handed Cot
ters five ten-dollar bills.
"Thank you ever so much,” he
said. On his way back to the car,
he pulled out another check just
like the one he had passed on the
pharmacist.
The attendant was smiling. "Sor
ry to cause you so much trouble,
sir, but now that I know every
thing’s okay . . .”
Cotters was careful to keep his
back toward the drug store as he
handed the boy the check. And a
moment later the boy handed Mm
$48.90.
"Thanks a lot,” Cotters said. He
climbed into the car and turned
on the ignition. "What a sucker /
trick that was!” he grinned.
He pushed hard on the starter,
and the engine spluttered. He
pushed again. Then his feet
fidgeted with both the starter and
the accelerator.
"You’D flood her that way, sir,”
he said. "Maybe I’d better check
the carburetor.” And' in a jiffy he
had the hood up.
"Should be okay now,” he said.
But when Cotters tried again, the
engine spluttered worse.
"What’s the matter with the
thing?” he stormed. Be more care
ful”
"I will be from now on.” an
swered the boy as he looked up. to
see the two poUcemen coming with
Mr. Wright over to the car.
"That’s the man.” said the
pharmacist "Good thing Mrs.
Leslie stopped in the store Just
now. She works down at Carlsoh’s
where this check was drawn, and
she came by to pay her bilL When
she pulled her pay envelop out ol
her bag to give me cash. I got
suspicious right then. She told me
Carlson's never pays by checks.
Sheet Metal Contractor—Heating—Air Conditioning
CAROLINA METAL WORKS
College Street Extension
A. G. McCaughrin, Pres, ft Treas. Phono lift