Newspaper Page Text
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VENIN vF
By Quimby Melton
The general reaction to Presi
dent Nixon’s first press confer
ence has been favorable.
George J. Marder, United Pr
ess International, reports Nixon
was "stiff as a board and ner
vous as he entered the room."
He (Nixon) was facing one of
the largest gatherings of news
men ever to assemble at a Presi
dential press conference.
However, evidently, the new
President seemed to sense the
fact that those there, though
anxious to hear what he would
say, were mostly men and wom
en who were “pulling” for him
to find solutions to the problems
he and the nation face.
It was evident that Nixon, a
methodical man, would not rush
In offering cures without first
being assured they are good. If
the first conference is a pattern
of others that will follow there
will be little, if any, “off the
cuff” answers to questions ask
ed by reporters.
These press conferences pro
bobly will develop little “flash”
or “stop the press” news items.
Whenever there is such news
papers and radio and TV wires
break into whatever story is be
ing carried with a “Flash” —
usually not more than a word or
two, such as “Kennedy shot”—
as twice they have. In order of
their news value extraordinary
important news is classed “Fl
ash” then “Bulletin” then “Ur
gent.”
Even the Democratic leader in
the Senate, Mike Mansfield, has
been favorable in his comment.
All in all it might be said Pre
sident Nixon has told the Amer
ican public that he will not rush
headlong into taking “flash” ac
tion.
Before one can say “Jack Ro
binson” February will be here—
the shortest month in the year.
Everyone knows Feb. 12 is the
birthday of Abraham Lincoln
and Feb. 22 of George Washing
ton. Feb. 12 is also the birthday
of the State of Georgia.
And while both these days are
national holidays there also are
many other dates in February
of importance.
Among some of the special ev
ents in February are:
Feb. 3-8- “International Cler
gy Day Week”, which is highli
ghted by “Four Chaplains Day”,
in memory of the four clergy
men, of the Catholic, Jewish and
Protestant faiths who gave their
life jackets to others when the
ship Dorchester was torpedoed
and sunk off the coast of Green
land Feb. 3, 1943.
This is followed by “Boy Sc
out Week” beginning Feb. 7.
Feb. 14 is the birthday of t h e
state of Arizona, which was ad
mitted into the union in 1912.
Feb. 15 begins observance of
“Future Farmers of America
week.”
And Feb. 16 will be the 101th
birthday of the Order of Elks.
The same date, Feb. 16, be
bins National Brotherhood Week,
sponsored by the National Coun
cil of Christians and Jews;
And, way over in China Feb.
16 is New Years Day.
The Lenten season begins on
Feb. 19 —Ash Wednesday, with
Easter itself falling on Sunday,
April 6.
These are just some of the im
portant dates that come in Feb
ruary. To many there are spe
cial birthdays and special anni
versaries.
February, also, is usually the
month that brings about as bad
weather as we ever have. We
hope that this year February
will be the exception, that Feb
ruary will bring a different var
iety than usual, and that all will
be over their colds, the flu and
the like and can enjoy Febru
ary, 1969.
— + —
While we writing about mon
ths and years it might be inter
esting to know what songs the
nation was singing in years gone
by.
Chases’ Almanac says the
most popular tunes were:
Twenty-five years ago — 1944
“Don’t Fence Me In”, a favor
ite of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt. “I’ll Walk Alone”
was also popular;
Fifty-years-ago —1919 —
“How Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em
Down On The Farm”, and "Oh
What A Pal Was Mary” were
among the best sellers;
75-years-ago — 1894 —“The
Sidewalks of New York,” and
“I Don’t Want To Play In Your
Yard” caught popular fancy;
One-Hundred-years-ago — 1869
—“Shew Fly, Don’t Bother Me”
and “The Little Brown Jug”
were tops.
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Card Os Dimes
Alex Stewart, treasurer of the March of Dimes campaign in Griffin, shows three
cards of dimes that have been turned in to him by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post
No. 5448. The cards of dimes are the VFW’s contribution to the campaign.
Cost Os Pay Raises
Set At S2O - Million
By CHARLES S. TAYLOR
ATLANTA (UPD —Gov. Les
ter Maddox’s proposed 3*/ 2 per
cent pay increase for state em
ployes and upgrading of “criti
cal positions” will cost the state
between S2O and $25 million.
State Budget Director Wilson
Wilkes said today.
Wilkes said the 3>/ 2 per cent
pay increase for teachers alone
will cost $8,356,300. A proposed
Increase for school bus drivers
will amount to $616,482, Wilkes
said.
It was the first time that the
cost of the teacher salary in
crease had been mentioned at
budget hearings. It was also the
first mention that school bus
drivers were in line for a pay
hike.
Wilkes appeared for the sec
ond day before the joint House-
Senate Appropriations Commit
tees conducting hearings on the
governor's proposed $2.3 billion
budget.
In explaining the upgrading of
"critical positions,” Wilkes said
one of the state’s greatest needs
was for licensed practical nurs
es in mental health and retard
ation facilities.
He said they were almost im
possible to get because the
state started them at a begin
ning salary of S3OO under the
merit system’s Grade 9. Wilkes
wants to raise the beginning
to Grade 11, which would mean
a salary increase of about SSO
monthly.
“What are we going to do
with this brick and mortar out
here,” Wilkes said referring to
the state’s new health facilities,
“if we can’t get the nurses.”
The committee was hearing
from department heads today in
alphabetical order with the first
presentation being made by the
State Commission on Aging.
Krist Returned
To Atlanta
ATLANTA (UPD—Gary Stev
en Krist, the accused kidnaper
of heiress Barbara Jane Mac
kie, has been returned to Atlan
ta and will be arraigned Feb.
7, it was announced Tuesday.
DeKalb County Dist. Atty.
Richard Bell said Superior
Court Judge H. O. Hubert Jr.
would probably set a trial date
for late March or April.
Krist was quietly returned to
Atlanta Saturday by the U. S.
marshal’s office.
Krist and Ruth Eisenmann
Schier, who is still at large,
were accused of kidnaping the
attractive Emory coed from a
motel room where she was
staying with her mother.
DAILY
Daily Since 1872
32 Aboard
Hijacked Jet
MIAMI (UPD—Two men
armed with a pistol and
explosive burst into the cockpit
of a National Airlines jet
between New Orleans and
Miami today and forced the
pilot to fly to Cuba with 32
persons aboard.
The hijackers struck moments
after National’s Flight 64 took
off from New Orleans shortly
after 9 a.m. The flight had
originated in Los Angeles and
had made a stop in Houston.
The Super DCB—the 10th
plane to be hijacked to Cuba
this year—carried 25 passengers
and a crew of seven.
“Please be advised that I am
going to Havana,” Capt. James
G. Brown radioed to ground
controllers. “I have two men in
the cockpit, one with a .38 and
one with some type of an
explosive device and they are
holding a stewardess.”
The plane landed at Havana’s
Jose Marti Airport at 10:03
a.m., the Federal Aviation
Administration said.
Besides Brown, 44, the crew
members included Co - pilot
James E. Durr, 32; Flight
Engineer David J. Schneider,
Father Os 27
‘God Just Let
Us Have Them’
MIDDLESEX, N. C. (UPI) —
Jim Stone had a homecoming
for his new baby daughter Mon
day. But it took the 63-year-old
lumberman a moment to re
member her name.
“It takes a little while to get
’e in your mind when they
first come,” said Stone, now the
father of 27 children.
The baby, Wendy Gay, joined
11 other children in the 15-room
house Stons built 20 years ago.
His first home at the same site
burned.
Wendy Gay was born in a
Rocky Mount hospital last
Thursday. Stone and his second
wife, Thelma, have had nine
children. His first wife, Lettie,
died “about 18 or 19 years ago”
after bearing 18 children. Stone
married Thelma about a year
later.
GRIFFIN
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Tuesday, January 28, 1969
(Griffin Daily News Staff Photo)
39, and stewardesses Barbara
Mohney, Victoria J. Sikorski,
Pamela D. Yorda and Donna J.
Yost.
National said 11 of the
passengers boarded at Los An
geles.
It was the second hijacking of
a National plane this year. Last
Friday a National 727 jet was
hijacked enroute from Miami to
Key West by a long-haired teen
ager who said he was a Navy
deserter. The plane carried 40
passengers.
Os the 10 hijackings this year,
six have involved U.S. air lines.
The other planes belonged to
Peruvian, Ecuadorian and Co
lombian air lines.
National said it did not know
when the hijackers boarded the
plane.
In past hijackings, Cuban
authorities have released both
the planes and the people within
hours, although they have
insisted that fully loaded jets
could not safely take off from
Jose Marti. The Cuban officials
have forced the crews to fly
empty jets back to the United
States, allowing the passengers
to return aboard shuttle flights
using smaller planes.
"She was right young when I
married her, about 20 or 21,”
said Stone, who operates a lum
ber mill in nearby Bailey. Thel
ma is 39.
Stone has 13 daughters and 14
sons. He says 15 children are
married and spread throughout
the world. He doesn’t know how
many grandchildren he has.
"They say something about it
when one comes.” he chuckled.
“But I don’t keep up right close
to them.”
Stone said he had so many
children because "they just
came along. And God let us
have '’em.” He attends the
Church of God.
Asked how he has managed
to provide for so many, Stone
laughed and replied, “It takes
some stirrin’ around.”
NEWS
South Viet Troops
Kill 320 Commies
Society. Page 8.
Local New,. Page 3.
Editorials. Page 4.
Sports. Page 5.
Pictures. Page 6.
State Budget. Page 7.
Court Changes
Set Wednesday
Leadership in the Griffin Jud
icial Circuit is scheduled to
change hands Wednesday in a
ceremony at the office of Gov.
Lester Maddox at the state capi
tal.
Britain Backs
Big Four Meet
On Mideast
By WILBORN R. HAMPTON
Britain is “basically sympath
etic” to a French proposal for a
Big Four meeting at the United
Nations to try to bring peace to
the Middle East, authoritative
British sources said today.
Such a meeting would have to
be in the U.N. and in agreement
of Israel and the Arab nations
and would have to be “a
contribution” to the peace
mission of U.N. envoy Gunnar
V. Jarring, the sources said in
London.
The semi-official Cairo news
paper Al Ahram said nearly the
same thing today, quoting
British envoy Goronwy Roberts
as saying Britain “favors" such
a conference of the Big Four.
A peace offensive involving
the Big Four had slowed in
recent days with rejection by
each side of a Soviet peace
proposal and Israel’s Insistence
that there must be direct
negotiations with the Arabs.
In Baghdad, Iraq defended as
“a necessary measure” its
execution Monday of 14 persons
Including nine Jews, as spies.
In Jerusalem, Israeli Premier
Levi Eshkol vowed Monday
Israel would retalliate for the
hanging of the nine Jews in
Iraq.
“The Lord shall avenge their
blood,” he said. Iraq said Its
armed forces were ready.
Iraq hanged 14 men, including
nine Jews Monday on charges
cf spying for Israel. Eshkol told
parliament a few hours later
the hanged Jews were not spies.
“The sole and only crime of
these nine martyrs consists in
their being Jews,” he said.
The hangings brought reac
tions of shock to much of the
world.
In Washington, President
Nixon said the Middle East was
a "powder keg” that could
result in a confrontation of the
nuclear superpowers.
Nixon called a meeting
Saturday with his foreign policy
advisers to study the Middle
East crisis.
In the United Nations, Secre
tary General Thant deplored the
executions as a blow to peace in
the Middle East. Iraq said it
was none of Thant’s business.
Home From S. E. Asia
Stanley Can’t
Tell Os His
Experiences
John Luther Stanley, who left
Griffin High School in 1935 to en
list In the Army, and who was
a fighter pilot in China during
World War Two, is home on a
visit to his mother Mrs. Gaynell
Stanley, West Chappel street. He
is the grandson of the late Chief
L. L. Stanley of the Griffin pol
ice force.
Stanley is still flying and has
spent the past 18 months in Sou
theast Asia. Asked as to his ex
perience there his only reply
was “Let’s talk about Griffin,
how she has grown and develop
ed since I left here a boy to en
ter the service.”
INSIDE TODAY
Czechs. Page 7.
Pueblo. Page 7.
Calif. Floods. Page 7.
Want Ads. Page 8.
Comics. Page 9.
President Nixon. Page 10.
Constitutional Revision. Page 10.
Judge John H. McGehee of
Thomaston Is scheduled to re
sign and Gov. Maddox has ag
reed to appoint Andrew Wha
len, Jr., of Griffin as the circuit
judge.
Whalen who is district attor
ney for the circuit will be suc
ceeded by Col. Claude Christop
her, Griffin attorney. Mr. Chris
topher was prosecutor for the
Griffin city court before he re
tired several years ago.
The changes in the circuit
have been delayed two weeks
because of the Illness of Judge
McGehee. He has been recover
ing from a bout with the flu.
The Griffin circuit serves the
counties of Spalding, Fayette,
Pike and Upson.
U. S, S. Viet
Hold Strategy
Meet On Talks
By GEORGE SIBERA
PARIS (UPD—American and
South Vietnamese negotiators
today went into strategy ses
sions to prepare for Thursday’s
meeting with the Communists.
Diplomatic sources said the
Allies will make a new call for
a prompt reactivation of the
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
In addition to a flurry of joint
meetings, chief American nego
tiator Henry Cabot Lodge
scheduled a conference with
Bun Charoenchai, the Thai
ambassador to France, whose
country also is battling Commu
nist guerrillas, and is one of the
main supporters of the Allied
war effort in Vietnam.
Shortly after conferrring with
Charoenchai, Lodge was meet
ing at the U.S. Embassy with
South Vietnamese delegation
leader Pham Dang Lam.
Approach Approved
Preparations for Thursday’s
second plenary session of the
Vietnam conference were under
way while Western diplomats
and the Paris press expressed
satisfaction with President Nix
on’s approach to the Vietnam
problem he outlined at his news
conference Monday.
The French press, which was
largely cool to President Nixon
during the presidential cam
paign, today applauded his first
news conference as a “bril
liant” performance.
The North Vietnamese delega
tion, after a close scrutiny of
the presidential remarks was
expected to issue a comment
later today. Observers said both
Hanoi and the Viet Cong would
reaffirm their determination to
discuss first the end of
American military presence in
Vietnam before tackling any
other matters.
Test of Good Will
The Allies consider their
negotiating proposals as a test
of good will which will show
whether the Communist delega
tions will adopt a flexible stand
or remain intransigent in their
drive for a solution on their
terms, Allied sources said.
In addition to fresh attempts
to reactivate the DMZ. Lodge Is
expected Thursday to press for
a prompt discussion of other
urgent military issues—mutual
guaranteed withdrawal of mili
tary forces by both the United
States and North Vietnam and
the exchange of prisoners.
Weather:
FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN
AREA — Rain tonight. Wednes
day cloudy and warmer with
chance of showers.
LOCAL WEATHER — Esti
mated high today 35, low today
33, rainfall .02 of an inch; high
M >nday 45, low Monday 38; sun
rise Wednesday 7:38, sunset
Wednesday 6; 10.
Vol. 96 No. 23
By JACK WALSH
SAIGON (UPD—South Vietna
mese troops, taking over most
of the fighting in the Central
Highlands, today reported kill
ing 320 Communists in the
biggest Vietnam battle of 1969.
Behind U.S. air strikes and
artillery barrages, South Vietna
mese Rangers caught the
guerrillas threatening the allied
highlands bastion at Pleiku and
tore into them Sunday.
In fighting that broke off at
noon Monday, the Rangers
suffered no fatalities but had 51
mtn wounded.
The battle coincided with the
U.S. turnover of its 3,000-man
highlands garrison at Dak To to
South Vietnamese troops. Only
a handful of American officers
remained behind to provide
liaison with U.S. air strikes,
artillery and helicopters.
It was by far the biggest
battle of the new year, which
has seen but scattered fighting
from the Demilitarized Zone to
the Mekong Delta.
To the north, U.S. Marines
and infantrymen on their final
push through the Batangan
Peninsula encountered Commu
nist minefields so intricate, the
Americans were slowed to a
virtual crawl.
UPI correspondent David
Lamb said the foot soldiers fell
in behind armored personnel
carriers which moved through
the fields firing special explo
sives to detonate the mines
ahead.
Two Marines were killed and
17 were Injured Monday when
their scout dog lay down to rest
and triggered a Communist
mine.
The peninsula 320 miles north
of Saigon, long a Viet Cong
stronghold, has yielded hun
dreds of tunnel complexes
during the Americans’ two-week
offensive.
Military spokesmen said 121
Viet Cong had been killed and
137 captured against light allied
losses in the drive that began
Nixon Endorses
41 Percent Pay
Hike For Solons
By FRANK ELEAZER
WASHINGTON (UPD—Pres
ident Nixon today added his
endorsement to an impending 41
per cent pay raise for
congressmen. With time running
out, opponents all but gave up
trying to block the hike.
Nixon, who himself got a 100
per cent pay boost as Congress’
first significant action, supports
the congressional increase key
lawmakers were told.
It appeared the $12,500
congressional salary boost —
from $30,000 to $42,500 a year—
would go into effect shortly
without either House or Senate
having voted on it.
House Rules Committee
Chairman William M. Colmer,
D-Miss., who considers both the
increase and its semiautomatic
imposition improper, promised
a last-minute attempt to force a
House test.
Under a 1967 law passed by
Congress the increases reco
mended by the former Pres
ident in his final budget
message will take effect auto
matically unless vetoed by
House or Senate no later than
Feb. 13.
For practical purposes, that
means any veto action must be
before Feb. 7, when the House
and Senate start a 10-day
Lincoln’s Birthday vacation.
Nixon’s favorable recommen
dation was conveyed to Con
gress by Robert E. Hampton,
his new chairman of the Civil
Service Commission. Hampton
also said the commission “fully
supports” the increases and
believes the government other
wise will be handicapped in its
efforts to recruit the talent it
needs.
Others set for fat pay boosts
in the salary package include
Cabinet members, from $35,000
to $60,000; federal district
judges, from $30,000 to $40,000;
associate justices of the Su
preme Court, from $39,500 to
$60,000 and the chief justice,
frnm (40,000 (o $62,500.
Biggest Battle
Since December
with the biggest U.S. amphi
bious landing of the Vietnam
War. U.S. losses were described
as light.
On Saigon’s southern doorstep
meantime, American foot col
dlers surrounded a small
Communist unit and hammered
it with air strikes and artillery
barrages.
The Communist unit, about
100 men, took refuge in
“spider” holes and possibly
tunnels in the rice paddy region
10 miles southwest of Saigon.
Ten of the Communists had
been killed as the fighting
continued today. U.S. casualties
■were described as light.
In "'’’gon, the commander of
South Vietnamese troops for the
capital area, Lt. Gen. Do Cao
Tri, said he expected large
scale Communist attacks
“sometime between now and
Tet (the Asian lunar new year
holiday starting Feb. 17).” Last
year at Tet the Communists
hurled their big offensive at
South Vietnam’s cities.
Tri said there already were
40,000 Communist troops in the
region. But he said he felt the
capital itself might be spared
the main thrust of the attack.
“It might be better for their
commanders to attack those
positions around Saigon and
closer to the border,” Tri said.
He did not elaborate but
indicated he meant provincial
capitals like Tay Ninh City near
the Cambodian border and
military outposts between Sai
gon and the frontier.
The three-star general said
Interrogation of one group of
Viet Cong prisoners disclosed
that at least two regiments of
Communist troops would begin
moving toward the capital on
Feb. 5 to be in position to
attack by the 17th.
He cautioned, however, that
the intelligence has not yet been
confirmed from other sources.
The fighting near Saigon
started Monday when the
Communist force opened fire
on one company of U. S.
infantrymen who had been lifted
by helicopter into the area.
Eight other companies of the
9th Infantry Division and the
199th Light Infantry Brigade
joined the fighting during the
night.
In South Vietnam’s Central
Highlands, South Vietnamese
troops reported killing 320
Communists in a two-day battle
near Pleiku. Spokesmen said 200
of the Communists were killed
by air strikes supporting the
government rangers. The South
Vietnamese reported no fatali
ties of their own but listed 51
wounded.
In the Demilitarized Zone
(DMZ) that divides North and
South Vietnam, U.S. spokesmen
reported two “significant” in
cidents involving the presence
of Communist troops in the
buffer area.
In the first, an American
observation pilot saw a group of
15 armed Communists in the
southern edge of the DMZ and
directed artillery onto their
position. Spokesmen said nine of
the Communists were killed.
Later Monday, a U.S. Marine
defensive position 500 yards
south of the DMZ was hit by
about 25 rounds of Communist
mortar fire. Seven Marines
were wounded in the barrage.
American Counter fire
"silenced” the lied mortars but
Communist losses were un
known.
Country Parson
ir 1-21
“If Christians always had be
haved as they should, they
wouldn’t now need to join
demonstrators to prove their
atocerilx*’*