Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thursday, August 24, 1967—PAGE 7 SENATOR STRO HURMOND Reports PEOPLE ELECTION PROPAGANDA ' • » On September 3, the people of South Vietnam will hold a general election for the presi dency of their country. Almost as soon as the election cam paign started, many voices in America began to protest alleged violations of demo cratic processes. They have been saying that the U.S. mis sion is to make South Vietnam safe for democracy, and that we ought to get out if the con duct of the election is any thing less than perfect. It would be a tragic mistake if we let our concern for clean elections take precedence over higher moral priorities. We are not supporting South Vietnam because we want to reform elections. If our chief interest were in election re form, then we would do better to start in Cook County, Illi nois, rather than in a nation which has far greater evils facing it. OUR INTEREST We were invited into South Vietnam because that nation requested help in fighting Communist aggression; but our overriding interest, and the reason for our massive commit ment is to prevent the spread of Communist power in a stra tegically vital region. The Com munist thrust in Vietnam must be viewed in the perspective of a global plan to encircle the U.S. with the intent to destroy us. In that light, the demand for perfect standards in the up coming elections appears to be a straw man set up by those who oppose our Vietnam policy on general grounds. In an area of the world not known for experience in demo cratic procedures, it is a sig nificant event that a precedent has been set and the principle of holding elections has been established even though many pockets of the country are in timidated by terrorists and subversives. The question might better be asked whether Ho Chi Minh assumed power in a free elec tion. Did he ever submit to openhanded democratic prin ciples? If he were successful in uniting North and South Viet nam, would he allow even the semblenoe of free procedures? It is a strange double stand ard that accepts Ho Chi Minh’s dictatorship as inevitable, yet demands impossibly perfect practice from those who are struggling to restore order in a war-torn country. Unfortunately, the effect of such demands is to undermine the war effort, and introduce doubt about the ability of South Vietnam to presevere. Many newspaper reporters are act ing as if their mission were to find fault with the existing govei nment. PROPAGANDA AGAIN Their dispatches read almost like a re-play of the savage campaign which led up to the assassination of President Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963. We are treated once more to the tor tured demands of Thich Tri Quang, the cynical Buddhist activist who arranged to have monks burned alive to capture world headlines. Such propaganda seems to appear whenever the war is going badly for the Commu nists. It exploits the natural American sympathy for ideal istic democracy. However, in the present sit uation, circumstance itself makes it difficult for the peo ple to make a truly free and intelligent choice of govern ment. The p e o pi e have had little experience with represen tative and constitutional gov ernment. Even the concept of an election is not fully under stood. Terrorism and subver sion present many pitfalls both for candidates and voters. Fur thermore, in a country domi nated by war in its daily life, the influence and effect of a civilian government is bound to be minimal. EXAGGERATIONS Many of the alleged instances of election misconduct have already been exposed as exag gerations in a recent statement by the U.S. Ambassador in Saigon, just as the inhuman machinations of Thich Tri Quang were laid bare long ago. Yet the effect of such prop aganda is to destroy confidence in the South Vietnamese gov ernment, and to make it ap pear that the U.S. government is ready to withdraw uncondi tionally. Those who continue to make an issue of the South Vietnamese elections are help ing neither that country nor ours. Political Announcements FOR MAYOR I hereby announce myself a candidate for nomination to the office of Mayor of New berry in the September 12th Democratic primary, and I pledge myself to abide the re sults of the Democratic prim ary. CLARENCE A. SHEALY, Jr. FOR ALDERMAN I hereby announce myself as a candidate for reelection to the office of Alderman for the City of Newberry and pledge to a- bide the results of the Dem ocratic Primary election. Cecil E. Kinard FOR COUNCILMAN I hereby announce myself a candidate for nomination to the office of City Councilman in the September 12 Demo cratic primary, and pledge my self to abide the results of the Democratic primary. L. D. GARDNER FOR COUNCILMAN I hereby announce myself a candidate for nomination to the office of City Councilman in the September 12 Demo cratic primary, and pledge my self to abide the results of th( Democratic primary. ROBERT “SPOT” COATS FOR COUNCILMAN I hereby announce myself a candidate for nomination to the office of City Councilman in the September 12 Demo cratic primary, and pledge my self to abide the results of tlv Democratic primary. Claude W. Parian Indians are only one “hazard” encountered by the passengers on the Jean Ribaut Riverboat Ride at SIX FLAGS Over Georgia in Atlanta. One of the most popular of the many rides, shows, adventures and attractions, the riverboat owes its excitement to colorful guides and the marvels of modern day animation techniques. UNITED STATES SENATOR ERNEST h HOLUNGS REPORTS TO SOUTH CAROLINA THE SOLUTION Trying one of my first cases. I was opposed by two lawyers. I thought I was doing well by myself—but my client didn’t. In the middle of the trial, she asked. “Where’s our other law yer?” "We don’t need one,” I retorted. "Oh. yes,” she said, “when one lawyer for the other side is asking questions, the other lawyer is thinking. When you’re asking questions, ain't nobody thinking!" I feel the same way about the Fed eral government. While it ad ministers the Washington so lution to the local problem, ain’t nobody at home “think ing.” The tremendous wealth of local thought, local incen tive, local leadership is being passed over. It doesn’t have a chance because it doesn’t have the money. Ninety-six cents of every tax dollar in this coun try goes to Washington while 96 percent of the leadership stays home. In launching a “Marshall Plan” to cure riot ills, local leadership is stultified further. The sales approach of the small loan company is pro posed as government policy. The XYZ Finance Company blares on the radio—"If you need a little extra cash, if you want to pay off your debts, then come to XYZ and secure one big fat loan to cover it all.” The poor acknowledges his plight and acts—but now he’s really in debt. And so with the U. S. Government. Pover ty. education, unemployment- all of these are provided for by grant-in-aid programs. But when the riots occurred, sure enough here comes the U.S. just like XYZ. Senators Ribi- coff and Percy propose a bi partisan solution—a multi billion dollar emergency fund so that the President can identify the problems and places and throw money at them. There are presently 458 Federal grant-in-aid programs to the states arid municipali ties. As problems arise, each is met with a grant-in-aid or categorical program. Washing ton believes that two heads are better than one. Accordingly, we have the sewer head, the water head, the poverty head, the education head, the wild rivers head so many that a mayor has to hire a Philadel phia lawyer to find where to go after he gets to Washing ton. As senator, I am present ly working on 150 such pro grams for towns in South Carolina. The 458 programs amount to $17 billion. Under the Ribicoff-Pcrcy solution there will be 459. The Presi dent told a group of govern ors in April that by 1970 these programs would amount to $60 billion. The categorical ap- »roach, started in the depres- aon, has long since been re pudiated as not measuring up to the needs of the sixties. There is tremendous waste, delay, and rather than a so lution, it has proved a hinder- ance. For example, Congress appropriated $160 million for sewer problems this year, but there are $5 billion in requests. Assuming the needs are genu ine, 95% of the sewer pro grams are being held up un necessarily while the mayor, the senator, and the agency politic and jockey for favor. The riot conditions of Watts were different from the riot conditions of Detroit, and De troit different from Newark. Yet everyone wants a Wash ington solution. It wouldn’t fit —and even if it did, we don’t have adequate leadership for the major problems, much less the local. If there is one thing poverty stricken in this coun try, it is local incentive. The solution—Federal tax sharing with the states and municipalities; and tax credits to the private sector for hous ing. With tax credits, indus tries, insurance companies, foundations all could begin construction immediately with out disruption to our fiscal policy. If the states and mu nicipalities were allowed to withhold a portion of the Fed eral income tax collected, they would have the money to cope with their problems. Local leadership would surface and spread. My first bill as sen ator was a tax-sharing plan in order to strengthen the Fed eral fabric. Having worked on state budgets fourteen years and on the Federal budget three years as a member of the Intergovernmental Rela tions Commission, 1 realized that unless the trend changed, governors and mayors would only be agents of Washington. The riots have brought this into sharp focus. Mayor Cava- nagh of Detroit, the day be fore the riots, was eulogized in Time magazine as a "hep” mayor—able to get $27 mil- , lion in one year for his city. But while the Mayor per formed in Washington, nobody back home was “thinking.” WITH MEN IN THE SERVICES WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS. —Airman Third Class Eddie C. Miller Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Eddie C. Miller Sr., of 2126 Adelaide St., has been gradu ated from the U. S. Air Force technical training sechool at Sheppard AFB, Texas. He completed the aircraft mechanic course conducted by the Air Training Command which provides technical and specialized education programs for the nation’s aerospace force. He is being reassigned o an Air Force unit at Yung Tau, Vietnam, as a member of he Pacific Air Forces. Airman Miller is a graduate >f Newberry High school. WITH U. S. COMBAT AIR FORCES, VIET NAM — Air- nan First Class Larry R. Thomas, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Thomas of 2402 ttosalyn Drive, is on duty at Nha Trang AB, Vietnam. Air man Thomas, a supply inven tory specialist, is a member of the Pacific Air Forces which provides offensive-defensive air power for the U. S. Forces and its allies in the Pacific and con ducts air operations in South east Asia. A graduate of New berry High school, the airman attended Wingate (N.C.) Col lege. — USS HERMITAGE—Mach inist Mate Third Class Harold G. McCullough, USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. S. G. McCul lough, Route 3, Newberry help ed to land a battalion of Mar ines inland about 20 miles N. of Da Nang, Vietnam, as a crewman aboard the dock landing ship USS Hermitage. GOLDEh eftoum* W Z. M1.M LUXURIOUS RUPTURE COMFORT Nrw cool, wuhablo 3-ply miraclo mate rials! Unexce'ltd rtlltf and comfort Flat foam rubber groin pad. Paddad lag strap. No fitting. For radudblo Inguinal Ramin. NEWBERRY DRUG CO. 944 Main St, Newberry. 8. C.