Newspaper Page Text
Mil 17 GOOD P
VENIN \jr
By Quimby Melton
Good Evening wishes for every
one “Happy New Year.”
Good Evening wishes for all—
“Health, Wealth and Happi
nessl”
Not just physical health, as
wonderful as such can be; but a
healthy mind and a healthy
spirit.
Not just wealth that is measur
ed in dollars and cents, or in
stocks and bonds, nor in person
al property; but that is measur
ed by the number of true friends
one will have, and in the satis
faction of knowing that one
had in turn been a friend; has
played a part in making this a
better community; and above
all the unspeakable wealth that
awaits one in the world to come
if one is true to the greatest
friend of all — God Almighty.
Not the frothy happiness that
comes from “making hoopie”—
as we old timers used to say —
but true happiness that comes to
one who knows he or she has
taken advantage of every min
ute of the year to help those who
cannot help themselves, to make
life more pleasant for others,
and to so live that when the last
summons comes one will be re
warded by hearing "well done
thou good and faithful servant.”
Good Evening will not be in
Griffin on New Year’s Day.
For, tonight he, with his grand
son, will take a plane in Atlanta
for a visit to Miami, where we
will see the Orange Bowl football
game Monday night. The trip to
Miami, then on to Jacksonville
where Mr. and Mrs. Good Even
ing spent two years early in our
married life, and then back
home, was a Christmas present
to Good Evening from his son,
daughter and their precious four
children.
We are looking forward to the
trip — expect to enjoy every
minute of it, and to return home
refreshed and ready for a year’?
work in the city and county we
love.
Happy New Year to one and
*u.
Country Parson
? J?
) MU
,9 "• /
2 i % 4
/ 7::
noi*
“Why is it the fellow who
knows the fewest words
wants to use them the
most?”
Georgia Politics Turbulent In 1966
It Was Year Of 'No Governor’
By DON PHILLIPS
United Press International
ATLANTA (UPI) — A light
rain swept the Atlanta airport
in the predawn hours of a
morning last spring as former
Gov. Ernest Vandiver boarded
a flight for Washington.
Sen. Herman Talmadge stood
by the gate in Washington cs
Vandiver’s plane set down. The
two drove to Talmadge’s home
where they had breakfast at the
kitchen table an discussed
Georgia politics.
That meeting was the turn
ing point in Georgia's most con
fused and turbulent political
year.
A Year of Hopes
It was a year that saw the
hopes of the fledgling Georgia
Republican Party rise, then
fall, then break even. It was a
year that saw the loosely knit
Democratic Party fall into
shambles, then rise like a Phoe
nix from its own ashes to a
position of unity it had seldom
known.
It was a year that saw new
stars rise'* — like State Sen.
Jimmy Carter who shocked the
old pros by almost becoming
Georgia’s next governor. And a
year that saw old heroes fade
away — like Garland Byrd, who
★ ★ ★ ★
5-STAR ID EDITION
GRIFwIN
DAILY ^ NEWS
Established 1871 Griffin, Go., 30223, Sat., Dec. 31, 1966 - Sun., Jan. 1, 1967
■
■
T ■rtf. I *
> 0 jp m
4 V#*- /. / ‘ ;
[ ssi s i
m
!
(Griffin Daily News Staff Photo)
It 11 Be Number One
Karen Jones, who will celebrate her first birthday on New Year's Day, had trouble
trying to hold up one finger for the photographer—they all went out. Karen,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James R. Jones of 911 Clayton street, Griffin, was one
of the first babies bom at the Griffin-Sp aiding County Hospital in 1966.
City Announces
1967
Mayor Carl Pruett has announ
ced that the city commission
ers, in a special meeting Friday,
unanimously made the following
appointments to boards and
commissions:
Board of City Tax Assessors:
W. Ennis Parker, W. L. joiner,
Jr. and C. T. Parker were all
reappointed for 1967.
Hospital Authority: Jim Dough
tie was reappointed for a four
year term to expire Dec. 31,
1970. Alyn R. Jones was appoin
ted to replace Kimsey Stewart
in view of the fact that Otis Sni
der, Jr., a new member of the
city commission, is also a mem
ber of the authority. ’Hie other
City member of the hospital
authority is Dr. W. R. Gilbert.
Zoning and Planning Board:
Chester Golden was named to
a five-year term to expire Dec.
31, 1971. Other members of this
board are George Bell, William
D. Pridgen, Joe Buffington and
Werner Widmann.
Board of Zoning Adjustment:
E. G. Harper was reappointed
to a five-year term to serve al
ong with carry-over members
Otis Blake, Jr., Jim Mankin, W.
A. Gregory and Ray Barron.
Housing Authority: T. T. Bla
kely was reappointed to a five
year term expiring Dec. 31, 1971.
Other members of the authority
are Carl Cartledge, Homer
was favored to be governor in
1962 but who could finish no
better than fifth this time.
But most of all it was a year
dominated by a winless gover
nor’s race, brought about when
a surprisingly strong write-in
movement prevented either
candidate from receiving a
clear majority of the votes.
Until Vandiver and Talmadge
met over breakfast that day
last May, politics had been
shaping up as usual in any
election year. Vandiver was fa
vored to win the Democratic
nomination over former Gov.
Ellis Arnall and darkhorse Les
ter Maddox.
Coffee Break Topic
It was evident that the mil
lionaire congressman from Pine
Mountain, Howard (Bo) Calla
way, would run as a Republi
can. And the possibilities of a
Vandiver-Callaway race was a
usual coffee break topic around
the state.
However, a new factor en
tered the picture — Vandiver
had heart trouble and his doc
tor told him he couldn’t make
it through the campaign.
So Vandiver went to Talm
adge then considered the
only other Democrat who had
a chance against Callaway.
Grissom, Ennis Parker and Fel
ton Rainwater.
City Recreation Advisory Bo
ard: All members were reap
pointed for 1967 as follows:
Layman Hattaway, Preston
Bunn, Mrs. Katherine Arnold,
Mrs. Thelma Newton, Leon
Hubbard, Chester Jones and Otis
Weaver, Jr.
Fairmont Recreation Advisory
Board: the Rev. O. H. Stinson
was a newly appointed mem
ber for 1967, to serve with Hor
ace Fuller, Jr., Mrs. Rossie Con
nally, Mrs. Elnora Milner and
W. B. Kendall.
Board of Appeals on Condem
nation Under the Building Code:
Gerald Bilbro, John Oxford,
Cooper Mills, Hollon Mobley,
and George Addison.
Individual appointments for
1967 were: W. H. Beck, Jr., city
attorney; Claude Donehoo, tax
collector; Tom E. Lewis, Judge
of the police court; H. H. Ham
mond, auditor; and the Rev. J.
K. Kelley, city chaplain.
Appointments on the Voc-Tech
Board of Education and on the
are Joint appointments of the
city and county commissions and
will be announced separately.
The City Commissioners, com
posed of Carl Pruett, Kimsey
Stewart and Otis Snider, Jr., ex
pressed appreciation for the
service given by all these citi
zens.
As Vandiver flew back to At
lanta later that same day, the
plan was set for the two to hold
simultaneous news conferences
that week. Vandiver was to an
nounce in Atlanta that he was
dropping out of the race at the
same time Talmadge was an
nouncing in Washington that he
was considering entering the
race. Thus the Democratic Par
ty was to remain stable in the
transition.
The news conferences went
off without a hitch — except
that Talmadge’s statement was
stronger than had been planned.
So strong, that the state’s Dem
ocrats interpreted it as the an
nouncement of his candidacy
and proceeded with Joyful cele
bration. Callaway and the Re
publicans were written off.
Somehing Went Wrong
But something went wrong,
overnight, Talmadge changed
his mind and decided to stay
in Washington. Democrats pre
dicted doom, Republicans rose
from despair to celebration and
politics sank into an air of
chaos.
Arnall emerged as the favor
ite in the Democratic camp, but
it was almost a foregone con
clusion that Callaway would be
Georgia’s next governor. Arnall
Move To Hike
Insurance Rates
Is Called Off
ATLANTA, Ga. — Proposals
to Increase fire and homeow
ners insurance rates amounting
to over $4.8 million per year in
Georgia have been withdrawn,
Comptroller General James L.
Bentley announced today.
Public hearings on the propos
ed rate increases had been sc
heduled for Jan. 4 and 6, Bent
ley said. The hearings are now
cancelled.
‘‘We have held insurance rates
down in Georgia,” Bentley de
clared. “I’m delighted that these
proposals for rate increases have
been withdrawn,” he said.
Bentley, state insurance com
missioner since 1963, said that
the rating bureaus representing
the fire and homeowner insur
ance companies agreed to with
draw their filings for rate increa
ses after a detailed discussion
of the problem.
“The industry has difficulties
with some classes of insurance,
but I do not think a general rate
increase is the answer,” Bent
ley said.
The rating bureaus are, how
ever, he said, still requesting
that a mandatory $50 deductible
provision be included in all fire
and homeowner insurance pol
icies. This request was part of
the original filings, in addition
to the now-withdrawn request
for a general rate increase.
was considered a liberal, to be
sure, but there didn’t seem to
be anyone else with a chance
in the Democratic primary.
In the mass confusion that
followed the Talmadge episode,
four more candidates jumped
into the Democratic primary.
James Gray, an Albany pub
lisher, entered as the candidate
of the Talmadge political ma
chine, but somehow never
caught on. Garland Byrd threw
his hat in, but never got off
the ground. Hoke O’Kelley, a
71 - year - old perennial can
didate, ran a gentlemanly and
clean campaign--and finished
sixth. Carter was a darkhorse
and nearly pulled off the po
litical miracle of the year.
But the political miracle of
the year award was reserved
for Maddox, a hard line segre
gationist who had been some
what a political joke through
past campaign for lieutenant
governor and mayor of Atlanta.
Heard Few Laughs
Few laughs were heard as
Maddox grabbed the second
place runoff spot with Arnall,
then trounced Arnall by 70,000
votes in the runoff. Maddox had
no organization, no political sup
port and little money — only a
station wagon with a loudspeak-
Commie Attack
Shatters Truce
Red Battalion
Hits Airborne
In Highland
By BRYCE MILLER
United Press International
SAIGON (UPI) —An estimat
ed battalion of Communist
troops, in a flagrant violation of
the New Year's cease-fire,
attacked a company of Ameri
can 101st Airborne Paratroopers
in Jungle-Covered Central High
land Mountains today, a U.S.
military spokesman said.
The spokesman said the
Communists attacked at 1:45
p.m. (12:45 a.m. EST), nearly
seven hours after the blood
spattered truce began. Fighting
raged throughout most of the
day, the spokesman said.
Word of the battle followed
reports of a wave of Communist
guerrilla attacks and terrorism
that marred the 48-hour truce
within hours after it began and
claimed both American and
Vietnamese lives.
American and Vietnamese
spokesmen reported at least 42
“incidents” within the first
eight hours of the truce.
The company of American
Paratroopers—up to 200 men—
had withdrawn into a defensive
position about 14 miles north
east of Kontum City in the
Highlands when the truce
began, the spokesman said.
The Communists attacked
with 82 mm mortars, automatic
weapons and small arms fire.
The Americans fired back and
called in help from artillery, air
strikes and reinforcements.
Fighting Continues
At last report, shortly before
dark, the fighting was still
going on. The on-paper strength
of a Viet Cong battalion is from
400 to 600 men.
The spokesman said it was
impossible to tell immediately
how many Communists had
been killed, There was no word
on American losses.
Earlier, the Communists, who
had promised to abide by the
truce, ambushed several Ameri
can patrols and executed four
Vietnamese hamlet officials.
Villagers in one hamlet were so
enraged they seized two Viet
Cong who came in for a
propaganda session and turned
them over to government
authorities along with a rifle,
grenades and several do
cuments.
er, aloyal family and a lot of
faith that he would win.
Georgia then entered its first
real general election campaign,
a campaign which almost im
mediately sank into the gutter
of name calling. Both candi
dates put forth nearly the same
platform, then discovered that
the public wasn’t interested in
their pomises.
Instead, the public was inter
ested in them personally.
One segment of Georgians—
liberals and some moderates—
(Continued on page Two)
No Paper
Monday
The Griffin Daily News
will observe Monday, Jan.
2, as • New Year’s holi
day and not publish an
edition on that date.
Regular publication will
be resumed with Tues
day’s edition.
Vol. 95 No. 307
■ ■!
■
\
fif gig r - :-;j
1 mm
mm
E. . i............ j
■
>:}
lL |
.■
■ v
m
i
r
(Griffin Daily News Staff Photo)
Last Letter Mailed
The last letter postmarked at the Pomona Post Office was sent air mail to Vietnam.
The post office was closed permanently at 5 o’clock Friday afternoon. The last
letter was mailed by Mrs. W. C. Sollenbe rger to her son, Jerauld, who is a lieuten
ant in Vietnam. It was postmarked by M. C. Hill, who has served as Pomona post
master for a number of years. Residents of the area who have been served by the
post office will get their mail on a Griffin rural route.
Safety Men Start
Death Watch
By United Press International
Encouraged by the compara
tively low traffic death toll
during the Christmas weekend,
Safety experts today hoped for
a similar conclusion to the long
new year weekend.
The National Safety council
estimated that 460 to 540
persons would be killed in
traffic during the New Year
holiday period which started at
6 p.m. Friday and ends at
midnight Monday.
The figures ranged from only
10 to 90 more deaths than the
average of 450 for a comparable
non-holiday period at this time
of the year.
By 7 a.m. EST, the United
Press International traffic death
Polish Dolls
Are Recalled
WASHINGTON (UPI) —The
government has recalled stocks
of Imported Polish dolls from
retail stores because tests have
shown them to be a fire hazard.
The Food and Drug Adminis
tration (FDA) requested the
New York City importers, A. D.
Sutton & Sons, to withdraw
their stocks from the market
Friday.
Firemen Check
Flammable Dolls
Several people have brought
Christmas dolls to the Griffin
Fire Department to see if they
were highly flammable, firemen
said today. Some of them check
ed were of the type found to be
dangerous for children to han
dle because they burn so easily
and rapidly.
Chief Leonard Pitts warned
Friday that some of the dolls
had been found in the Griffin
area. He cautioned parents that
they would burn rapidly and are
dangerous for children.
Fire Inspector Gene Folds in
vestigated the matter Friday.
He checked with Empty Stock
ing officials and no trace or re
cord of any of the flammable
dolls being distributed through
program could be found.
toll climbed to at least 26
persons since the holiday
weekend began.
The breakdown:
Traffic 26
Fires 1
Planes 3
Total 30
The safety council estimated
that 21,000 to 25,000 persons
may suffer disabling injuries in
collisions during the holidays.
Some of them will die later,
bringing the total New Year toll
to between 610 and 720.
The hopes of the safety
council and others were based
in part on motorists’ perfor
mance during the Christmas
weekend, when 600 persons died
in a similar 78-hour period. The
toll was far below the council’s
estimate and the Christmas
record of 720 set in 1965.
Despite its end-of-the-year
frivolity, the New Year is rated
a far safer holiday on the
highways than Christmas. Last
year, 562 persons were killed in
traffic during the New Year
holiday period.
The weather would be an
important factor in this week
end’s toll.
Durig the Christmas weekend,
safety experts attributed the
low death toll in part to poor
weather conditions which kept
many travelers home.
However, some stores here
sold the dolls during Christmas,
Mr. Folds said.
Firemen again urged Griffini
tes whose children have dolls
that might be, highly flammable
to either destroy the toys or
have them checked at the Fire
Department.
Weather:
FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN
AREA — Cloudy and cool with
rain occasionally tonight. Sun
day cloudy and mild with scat
tered showers.
LOCAL WEATHER — High
today 45, low today 35, rainfall
.48 of an inch; high Friday 44,
low Friday 28; sunrise Sunday
7:43, sunset Sunday 5:45.
Outlook
Dim For
Talks
By JOSEPH W. GRIGG
United Press International
LONDON (UPI) —Top diplo
matic sources today said the
Communists would spurn Bri
tain’s new move to arrange
Vietnam peace talks until the
United States unconditionally
stopped bombing North Viet
nam.
Britain late Friday invited the
United States, North Vietnam
and South Vietnam to hold
negotiations in “any suitable
British territory” as soon as
possible.
Well-informed diplomats here
agreed, however, that there was
no chance the Communists
would approve peace talks at
this time. They said all
available information indicated
Hanoi and the Viet Cong,
backed by the entire Commu
nist bloc, were determined to
continue the struggle at least
until the U.S. unconditionally
ceases to bomb North Vietnam.
Cite Civilian Casualties
The sources said the resump
tion of U.S. bombing of the
North immediately after the
Christmas truce—coupled with
the worldwide furor over
civilian casualties in the as
saults—caused a further harden
ing of the Communist attitude.
The British invitation seemed
the most specific peace talk
invitation publicly made by a
major world power. A foreign
office announcement said
Foreign Secretary George
Brown had sent the invitations
to the foreign ministers of the
three countries.
There was no immediate
response from Hanoi and a
quick answer—if any—was not
expected.
South Vietnamese leaders said
they wanted to read the offer
carefully before making an
official reply.
B ri 11 s h officials denied
Brown’s invitation was connect
ed with the controversy over
civilian casualties in the U.S.
bombings.
But Britain’s Labor govern
ment is known to be seriously
concerned over mounting oppo
sition to the bombing among its
own leftwing members In
parliament.