Newspaper Page Text
T? GOOD f ^
lli VEND! IJ
By Quiraby Melton
This is the 41st anniversary of
one of the most fortunate things
that ever happened to Good
Evening.
For it was 41 years ago today
—Feb. l, 1925 — that we moved
to Griffin after having bought
the Griffin Daily News from the
late Judge C. Givens. Judge Giv
ens, who published two daily
newspapers in Kentucky had
bought the paper the summer
before from Mrs. Joe Boyd. It
took more than a month’s nego
tiation with Judge Givens to fin
ally close the trade. He, like
Good Evening, had an idea that
Griffin would grow and the pa
per would keep pace with the
community growth.
The fact that the weather that
January was almost as bad as
has been the 1966 January wea
ther. no doubt had something to
do with cooling off Judge Givens’
enthusiasm — it rained, it sleet
ed, the wind blew and Jan. 1925
was “neither fit for man nor
beast”.
— + -
Good Evening has told before
just how it happened that he
moved to Griffin and bought the
Griffin News. We . almost hesi
tate to tell the story again. (In
cidentally we happened to hear
a young lady, a very attractive
one at that, say the other day
"I’m bored to death of that old
codger reminiscing.”
Coming out of the Army in 1919
worked a few weeks back on the
Constitution and then went to
Birmingham Ledger as assistant
to the publisher and editor. Got
married and moved my bride
from her home in Americus to
Birmingham. Six months later
the owners of the Ledger had a
chance to sell at a good profit
and did so.
We were out of a job.
But soon found a job in Jack
sonville, Fla., as editor and pub
lisher of the afternoon dally whi
ch Steve Lynch, motion picture
magnate — he at one time own
ed some 900 movies in the south
—had bought. Enjoyed life there
for two years and then along
came John H. Perry and made
Mr. Lynch an offer he could not
refuse.
Once again w e were without a
job. Scrlpps—
We landed with the
Howard chain of newspapers as
manager of their southern head
quarters. That job took three
weeks on the road every month
and when Lynch bought the Tan
lac Company and asked us to
come back into the organisation
grabbed at it — for then I could
stay at home with my family.
Two years later a northern
medical firm gave Lynch a
chance to double his money; and
though they offered us a job in
Dayton, Ohio, our reply was “no
thanks, I’ll stay In the south."
So there we were, three tim
es in five years out of work.
That night in a family council
said, "I’m going to go In busi
ness for myself. T. j next time
I’m sold out of a job it will be I
who sells, or the sheriff.” So we
started a search for a town In
which we could settle, be happy
and feel more or less secure in
our Job.”
Sometime was spent In Inves
tigating various cities and final
ly came to the conclusion "It’s
Griffin for us”.
So here I came to Griffin 41
years ago today and have never
regretted throwing in my lot
with this city and Spalding
County.
Remember well when I clos
ed the deal called Mrs. Good
Evening, who with our two sons
was living with her parents in
Americus “until I could light”.
My side of the conversation
ran something like this:
"Honey, we’re moving to Grif
fin, Ga. As soon as I can find a
place to live” (for Griffin had a
house shortage even then) pack
up and bring the boys here,
we’ll live happily ever after in
Griffin.”
Her part of the conversation,
"I’ve always liked the looks of
Griffin, as we have driven
through: I’m glad we’re going
there.”
So we moved to Griffin 41
years ago. We have seen the city
grow and develop; the paper
keeping pace with it. We have
made many good friends, the sad
part about it is that during the
41 years many of them have
died. We’ve had chances to sell
out and move on.
But 41 yea s ago we fell in
love with Griffin and Griffin folk
and our love for the community
( has grown year by year.
u GRIFFIN
v=
DAILY & NEWi
Established 1871
County Sees
Revenue Loss On
Utility Taxes
Spalding County Commission
ers today expressed concern
over the possible loss of tax re
venue on utilities. The possibi
lity arose from a court ruling
that all counties must tax pro
perty on a uniform basis.
This means that all counties
must use the same percentage
guide for taxation, the commis
sioners noted.
David Elder, chairman of the
commissioners, said that it is
possible county income from tax
es on utilities could be cut from
the $73,000 received last year to
about $40,000.
Spalding County is in the pro
cess of completing a revalua
tion of property which is expect
ed to increase the net county di
gest (after homestead exemp
tion) from $30-million to $50-mil
lion.
Mr. Elder said the gross dig
est probably will range between
$66-million and $70-million when
the revaluation program is put
into effect.
The county has agreed to drop
its millage rate so that income
would be about the same after
the revaluation program has
been put into effect.
If this is done, Mr. Elder no
ted, then the rate on utilities
would drop also and cut the
county income.
Vice Chairman Jack Moss al
so raised the question about
what the state plans to do with
additional revenue it will receive
Punishment
Bill Back
In Committee
ATLANTA (UPI) _ A bill to
permit judges instead of juries
to set punishment of convicted
criminal? was sent tiAhe House
without recommendation by one
committee and promptly bounc
ed into another one.
Assistant Floor Leader Robin
Harris won a 10-9 vote by his
Judiciary Committee Monday to
return the bill to the House
without recommendation by. one
committee.
Assistant Floor Leader Robin
Harris won a 10-9 vote by his
Judiciary Committee Monday to
return the bill to the House
with no recommendation in
stead of killing it in committee.
Harris said ne believed a
measure "of such grave impor
tance” should go before the full
House for decision. But it was
promptly referred to a special
judiciary committee for possible
revision.
The present system of jury
sentencing has been criticized
on grounds that juries are al
lowed no facts of a defendant’s
past record because that may
influence their judgment on the
new charge.
Critics feel this means a jury
is as likely to order maximum
punishment for a first-offender
as a hardened repeater.
Reps. Elliott Levitas of De
Kalb County and Willis Conger
of Bainbridge objected to a pro
vision that the judge in his dis
cretion could order an investi
gation of a defendant’s past.
Westcott Free
ATLANTA (UPI) — William
Westcott, former owner of the
Atlanta Mustangs semipro foot
ball team, was released from
Fulton County jail Monday night
after posting $7,600 bond.
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WEATHER VANE? — No, it’s an honest - to - goodness seagull perched on a
motel roof at Hyannis, Mass., with an arrow through its body. It flies in spite of
the arrow.
Griffin, Ga. f 30223, Tuesday, February 1, 1966
on the quarter of a mill state
tax each county collects for the
state.
When the adjustment is made
and counties are forced to use
the same percentage rtae, Mr.
Moss said that many counties
will be paying the state more
in taxes through this quarter of
a mill.
Mr. Moss saw the possibility
of Spalding County almost doub
ling the amount of money it now
pays the state under the quar
ter of a mill rate.
A check with the Tax Commis
sioner’s office here this morn
ing showed that the state receiv
ed $6,894.41 in 1964 at the quar
ter mill. This figure was the last
complete one available. Work on
the 1965 figure has not been
completed.
Mrs. Ruby Hill, tax commis
sioner, pointed out that the coun
ty received some $1,000 of this
amount from the state for col
lecting it.
Mr. Moss said that the increas
es would be even higher in oth
er counties. He wanted to know
what the state would do with the
additional money.
The matter of county income
was discussed this morning at
the regular monthly meeting of
the commissioners at the court
house.
A financial statement indicat
ed that the county will be able
to operate in the black during
the current year, the commis
sioners said.
INSIDE
Hospital. Page 2.
Stork Club. Page 2.
About Town. Page 2.
Editorials. Page 4.
TV Schedules. Page 4.
Cohen. Page 5.
Candace. Page 5.
GHS Assoc. Page 6.
Sports. Page 7.
Society. Page 8.
Rooney. Page 9.
Weather. Page 9.
UN. Page 9.
Comics. Page 10.
Want Ads. Page 11.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
$1 A Pull
AFUA, Israel (UPI) A 28
year-old man was arrested here
Monday for posing as a dentist
and pulling out teeth at $1
apiece.
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“A man is big when he
isn’t easily annoyed b y
little people.”
Mayor Asks President
Fo' New Post Office
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(Griffin Daily News Staff Photo),
Mayor Louis Goldstein seems to be sayi “Let's iT t it down,” as he wields a
large hammer in front of the present ci ilding.
Operation Masher
Kills 720 Cong
SAIGON (UPI) —U.S. planes
bombed Communist North Viet
Nam today for the second time
since the end of the 37-day
truce. In the ground war to the
South, U.S. and allied troops
reported killing an estimated
720 Viet Cong in “Operation
Masher.”
U.S. B52 bombers from Guam
struck suspected Communist
strongholds in Bien Hoa Pro
vince 20 miles northwest of
Saigon while U.S. and South
Vietnamese planes lashed the
viet c ° ng fr ° m ° ne end ° f
South Viet Nam to the other.
Military officials estimated
communist casualties in the
“masher” operation at 1,578—
720 estimated dead with 488
actual bodies counted, 353
estimated wounded, 96 captured
and 353 suspects detained, most
of which were believed to be
Viet Cong. U.S. losses were
reported light to moderate.
The operation was being
carried out 300 miles northwest
of Saigon by elements of the
U.S. 1st Air Cavalry Division,
South Korean and Vietnamese
government troops.
There were no reports of
major contact today although
elements of the 1st squad, 9th
Cavalry Regiment, exchanged
fire with an estimated three
platoons of Viet Cong a mile
west of 3rd brigade headquar
ters north of Bong Son. U.S. Air
Force fighter-bombers and
armed helicopters joined the
action but results were not
immediately known.
There also was no report of
4,000 U.S. Marines who landed
about 20 miles south of
“Operation Masher” in another
of a series of major U.S.
offensives against the Viet
Cong. Preliminary reports men
tioned only sporadic contact
with guerrillas.
County Asked
To Extend
Water Lines
The Spalding County Commis
sioners today received a request
to extend water lines to the Nor
th Second street area.
Carlton Morris said he had pur
chased 50 acres of the land and
hoped to divide it into 90 lots for
a housing development.
If the county can run water lin
es to the area, he said he would
expect to build about 10 houses
a year.
The commissioners took the re
quest under advisement. They
pointed out that they do not
have any funds at present for
this purpose.
If it is done, they said it might
have to be done at Morris’ own
expense.
The commissioners approved
a contribution of $200 to the Lit
tle League program. This is the
same amount the county has
been putting into the program
for several years.
The commissioners approved
the use of a room at the Spald
ing jail for storage of clothing
collected by the Kiwanis Club
for needy students. Fire inspec
tors had said that the method of
storage used at North Side Sc
hool was a fire hazard.
The commissioners approved
increasing the pay of registrars
from $12.50 per day to $15,
Bond Qualifies
ATLANTA (UPI) Julian
Bond went after his Georgia
House seat again today, hand
ing Secreetary of-State Ben Fort
son a $500 certified check for his
qualifying fee.
Vol. 95 No. 26
Repeats Need Foe
Municipal Building
Mayor Louis Goldstein today
disclosed he had sent President
Johnson a telegram asking for
a new post office building in
Griffin.
He repeated his proposal for
a new municipal building which
would house city and county go
vernmental activities. Such a
structure would replace the pre
sent city hall, court house and
county jail.
The Griffin mayor also sug
gested that the 38.9 acres of land
along the North Expressway
owned by the Experiment Sta
tion be sold so it could be deve
loped.
"This land is just too valuable
to use for a cow pasture,” Ma
yor Goldstein declared.
These were among the key
points stressed today in a speech
the Griffin city commission
chairman made to the Exchange
Club. It was the second such
“state of „the city” report he has
given to a civic club this year.
In an earlier speech the Grif
fin mayor had called for the
municipal building to replace
the present city and county
buildings. He also had suggest
ed that the city and county could
cooperate with each other by
consolidating some services and
eliminating duplication.
Mayor Goldstein read the text
of a telegram he sent to Presi
dent Johnson Monday as follows:
"Please be advised that today
the following telegram was sent
Buster Keaton
Dies Of
Lung Cancer
HOLLYWOOD (UPI) —
Famed deadpan comedian Bus
ton Keaton died of lung cancer
at his home today. He was 70
years old.
The longtime comedian whose
career spanned the silent era to
modern television commercials,
had suffe" ’ from cancer for
three months.
At his side when death came
was his wife, Eeleanor.
The actor is also survived by
two sons of his marriage to
actress Natalia Talmadge, one
of the famed Talmadge acting
siri-ms. The sons are Robert
ana James Talmadge who took
their mother’s name during a
divorce battle in 1931.
Keaton’s family learned of
the malignancy three months
ago but kept the news from the
star.
Lawfords
Divorce
GOODING, Idaho (UPI) —
Patricia Kennedy Lawford, sis
ter of the late President John F.
Kennedy, today ended her 11
year marriage to movie star Pe
ter Lawford with an Idaho quick
ie divorce.
Jurors May Get
Softer Seats
Jurors who find the benches
in the courtroom of Spalding
Courthouse getting a little hard
after a few hours of sitting on
them may get some help.
The Spalding County Commis
sioners today asked Thomas
Lane, county purchasing agent,
to check on the cost of provid
ing cushions for at least half the
seats in the courtroom. This
should be enough to accommo
date jurors, the commissioners
said.
Weather:
FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN
AREA—Rain ending tonight, be
coming partly cloudy and slight
ly colder late tonight and Wed
nesday.
LOCAL WEATHER — High
today 50, low tod;.y 31, high Mon
day 38, low Monday 9. Sunrise
Wednesday 7:31, sunset Wednes
day 6:10.
to the Postmaster General and
I quote: “The building housing
our local post office, built in 1911
to serve a town of 7,500 people
is disgraceful and an insult to
our 25,000 people in our progres
sive city and grossly inadequate
to fulfill our needs. I request
your wholehearted support in
Congressman (John J.) Flynt’s
efforts to secure a new postal
facility wi”' the possibility to be
included a division of the North
ern District Court of Georgia. I
strongly recommend an investi
gation by made of available sites
and existing post office building,
with immediate steps to be tak
en to fulfill our needs — un
quote. Mr. President, if the Post
Office Department does not
have necessary funds for a new
post office in Griffin, Ga., I feel
an inspection of the postal facil
ity, under your direction, will
qualify it for a grant under the
Poverty program.”
Mayor Goldstein said he had
been in contact with Rep. Flynt
of Griffin about the telegrams
he had sent.
He suggested that the Exchan
ge Club circulate a petition and
sent it to the Griffin congress
man to let him know he has
their support.
Mayor Goldstein suggested to
the men in the audience who
might be serving on the grand
jury which will meet next week
that a “non-political group” be
appointed to make a feasibility
study of a city-county munici
pal building.
He said that Tom Lewis, Jr.,
Branch Bank
Will Open Here
On Wednesday
The Commercial Bank & Trust
Co. will open its McIntosh Bran
ch Wednesday morning with a
brief ribbon cutting ceremony
at 9 o’clock.
Bank officials have invited the
public to attend.
Construction workers hurried
today to put the finishing touch
es on the new building.
It was made in Miami, Fla.,
and brought here by truck for
assembly.
Bad weather delayed work on
the building.
Bank officials said today that
they plan to have the opening
on schedule Wednesday morn
tag.
Following the brief ceremony,
the bank will be open for a full
day of business.
of Griffin, Georgia Tech archi
tect student, has made a scale
moc’sl of sue' a strut ure that
might serve as a guide in plan
ning one.
Mayor Goldstein had the mo
del at the club so members could
see it.
He said the model was drawn
up as part of Lewis’ graduate
work.
The Griffin mayor said that be
had been told that 50 r - " at
federal money was available
for construction of such struc
tures.
He said that with the estimat
ed value of the present city-coun
ty property at a half million dol
lars and with the fedei..l grants,
a new municipal bulldog could
be secure at little or no cost
to the taxpayers.
In discussing the suggested de
velopment of Experiment Sta
tion property along the Eryress
way, Mayor Goldstein made it
clear that he appreciates the sta
tion’s being in Griffin. He noted
that it was the second largest
industry in the community.
He said the high type person
nel it employes and bring to this
community cannot be measured
in payrolls.
However, the ™ayor suggest
ed that the Board of Regents
sell the station property just
north of the Civil Defense Cen
ter, extending north to a point
across from Baker’s Motel.
"Sell it to the city and county
at a nominal price or put it up
for public auction and let pri
vate enterprise develop it,’’ Ma
yor Goldstein suggei ed.
LBJ Submits
$3.4 Billion
Aid Program
By MERRIMAN SMITH
United Press International
WASHINGTON (UPI) -Pres
ident Johnson today submitted
to Congress a new foreign aid
program calling for $3.4 billion
in fiscal 1967. It was keyed
largely to the war in Southeast
Asia and designed to give more
help to countries which help
themselves.
Johnson’s request for new
funds included $2.4 billion for
economic assistance and $917
million for military aid, com
pared with a total this year of
$3.9 billion, including the
supplemental request for $300
million in military funds.
“We must concentrate on
countries not hostile to us that
give solid evidence that they
are determined to help them
selves," the President said in a
6,000-word message to the
House and Senate.
Attack Poverty Causes
In cooperation with recipient
nations, Johnson pledged this
country to "new attacks upon
the root causes of world
poverty.”
“The incessant cycle of
hunger, ignorance and disease
is the common blight of the
developing world,” he said.
“This vicious pattern can be
broken. It must be broken if
democracy is to survive.”
Four Boys
Die In
Frozen Pond
AUGUSTA, Ga. (UPI) — The
bodies of four teen - age boys,
three of them brothers, were
found beneath the surface of a
frozen pond early today.
The victims were identified as
Paul, Michael and Bobby An
derson and Richard Myers, rang
ing from 13 to 16 years of age.
They lived on Old Evans Road
about six miles west of Augusta.