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VENIN vJ
By Quimby Melton
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday,
the first day of the Lenten sea
son, which lasts for 40 days, not
counting Saturdays, and ends
with Easter, which this year falls
on April 7.
The Lenten season is one dur
ing which Christians are called
on to humble themselves, con
fess their weaknesses and sins,
and resolve to lead a new life.
In some denominations members
are required to give up some
thing as a token of complete sur
render of self.
The very name Ash Wednes
day is indicative of how hum
ble man really is, in spite of his
false pride in himself: and the
word ashes appears frequently
in the Old Testament decrlblng
the lowliness of man. The first
use of “ashes” that this layman
has found in his Bible is in Gen
esis 18:27 where Abraham says
“I am but dust and ashes." And
then in Job 30:19, we read
where the man of great patience
describes himself as being “like
dust and ashes.”
Also, in the story of Esther and
how she saved her people from
scheming Haman we read of
her uncle Mordlcai, learning of
the order that had been issued
by Haman that all the Jews were
to be literally wiped out, “put
on sackcloth and ashes and cried
with a loud and bitter voice.”
From the earliest days “ash
es” have been the emblem of
humility and of sorrow of the
people who believed in the One
and Only God.
It is with humility and sorrow
that one who believes should ap
proach the Easter Season.
And just when and how did it
happen that the Wednesday, 40
days before Easter, was chosen
as the date for beginning the
Easter season?
It was in the Eighth Century
that Ash Wednesday became
part of the ritual of the Chris
tian Church.
In some denominations Ash
Wednesday is observed at spe
cial services. Hie priest, before
beginning mass, blesses a quan
tity of ashes made from the
palms blessed the previous year
on Palm Sunday. Those present
approach the altars and each per
son has the ashes placed on his
or her forehead in the shape of
a small cross. This is accompan
ied with the words:
“Remember, man, that thou
art dust and unto dust thou shalt
return.”
The idea that frail man is but
dust and ashes is borne out in the
funeral rites of many churches.
Time and time again we have
heard “earth to earth; ashes to
ashes: dust to dust;” and then
the glorious assurance "and cer
tain hope by the Resurrection.”
What a wonderful thing it
would be if all men, throughout
this sin-cursed, hate-ridden, sel
fish old world would take time
out and for the next 40 days,
cloth themselves in sackcloth
and ashes and repenting, ask
forgiveness and in their hearts
determine to lead a new life.
Much has been written about
the Lenten Season but one of the
most appropriate verses we
have ever seen was written by
an American, Jane McKay Lan
ning, who wrote:
To search our souls,
To meditate,
Will not survive
For Lent.
To share the cross,
To sacrifice,
These are the things
God meant.
Country Parson
2~n
“The tragedy of many ser
mons is that they are finished
before they are ended.”
Copyright 1969, by Frank A Clark
Viet Cong
Imminent l
By GEORGE SIBERA
PARIS (UPD—Viet Cong
negotiators today ruled out any
possible coalition government
with the current South Vietna
mese regime, rejected an
imminent cease-fire and vowed
to continue to fight.
A Viet Cong spokesman said
the Saigon government’s refusal
to match the Viet Cong’s Feb.
15-22 truce, and the resumption
of American air strikes minutes
after a 24-hour allied truce
ended showed the “bellicose
attitude” of the Saigon regime.
“No coalition is possible with
these people,” the spokesman
said. His statement came two
days after a similar statement
in Saigon by President Nguyen
Van Thieu ruling out any
inclusion of Viet Cong In his
cabinet.
The tough stance threatened
to further delay progress in the
peace talks here, political
observers said.
There was no indication that
any of the four delegations—the
American, South Vietnamese,
Viet Cong or North Vietnamese
—was prepared to shift its
position.
The U.S. and South Vietna
mese delegations today resumed
their low-level working sessions
to prepare for Thursday’s fifth
negotiating session in the
Majestic Hotel.
Tran Buu Klem, head of the
Viet Cong delegation, made it
plain in an interview that there
would be no early cease-fire in
Vietnam.
"The people of South Vietnam
will continue fighting until they
have achieved their objectives,”
Kiem told the Japanese news
agency, Kyodo.
Vietnam delegates to the talks
observed the New Year celebra
tion with no scheduled working
conferences Monday in prepara
tion for Thursday’s fifth full
scale talks session at the Hotel
Majestic.
The Viet Cong delegation
deputy leader, Tran Hoal Nam,
in an interview published
Monday, rejected speculation of
new talks developments in
connection with President Nix-
Soviets Expand
Influence
In Peru
By MARTIN P. HOUSEMAN
LIMA, Peru (UPD—The So
viet Union expanded its in
fluence in South America today
through a trade agreement with
Peru’s new military regime.
Peruvian Foreign Minister
Edgardo Mercado Jarrin said
the accord, signed Monday,
ended his country’s long econ
omic reliance on the United
States, until now Peru’s biggest
trading partner.
The pact signals “the opening
of a new commercial front” and
“the end of an era in which our
trade was channeled in only one
direction,” Mercado said.
The trade agreement was the
first between Peru and the
Soviet Union and came just 18
days after the two nations
established diplomatic relations.
In Washington, U.S. State
Department officials were re
ported closely studying the
treaty, the latest in a series of
swift events that have strained
relations between the United
States and Peru’s junta, which
took power in October.
Last month Peruvian Pres
ident-Gen. Juan Velasco Alvara
do ordered his government to
take over the American-owned
International Petroleum Co., a
Standard Oil of New Jersey
operation. He said the firm
owed Peru $690.5 million for
operating “illegally” since 1924.
Then, last weekend, a
Peruvian patrol boat fired on
and forced an American tuna
boat into port on charges it was
poaching inside Peru’s 200-mile
limit. The boat was released
after its captain paid a $2,000
fine.
There were fears in Lima the
United States could cut off aid
to Peru, which now amounts to
about $25 million a year, and
could eliminate the Peruvian
quota in the U.S. sugar market
if the junta fails to return the
oil refinery to American hands.
Peru’s ambassadors to other
Lain American nations met
today to coordinate diplomatic
action in the face of worsening
relations with the United States.
Political sources said the
envoys were particularly con
cerned with the territorial
waters dispute. Several other
Latin nations also claim 200-
mile limits.
DAILY NEWS
Doily Since 1872
Rules Out
Cease Fire
on’s forthcoming visit to Paris.
Nam said the visit did not
interest the Communist negotia
tors and added “all American
leaders know that the time has
passed when the United States
was calling the game.”
The North Vietnamese and
Viet Cong are reported to be
awaiting the return to Paris of
senior Hanoi Politburo member
Le Due Tho, who flew home via
Moscow Feb. 10.
The South Vietnamese may
receive new instructions from
the administration of President
Nguyen Van Thieu following the
return to Saigon for consulta
tions of Vice President Nguyen
Cao Ky.
Despite their denials, the
Communists also have ex
pressed keen interest in the
visit of Nixon at the end of this
month.
The whole atmosphere sur
rounding the talks and the
separate delegations here is one
of waiting.
Main Highway
To Berlin Closed
For 110 Minutes
By JOSEPH B. FLEMING
BERLIN (UPD—East Germa
ny today shut off the main
highway from West Berlin to
West Germany for an hour and
50 minutes, West Berlin police
said.
It was the toughest crack
down yet in new pressure on
Berlin Western officials said
i may be a Communist test of
, President Nixon.
The East Germans’ 110-
, minute shutdown of westbound
, traffic blocked West Berlin’s
I chief road movement to the
West German border 110 miles
! to the West.
Gave No Reason
i West Berlin police said the
I East German guards at Babel
t sberg gave no reason for closing
. the checkpoint.
Diplomats said the closing of
the checkpoint and the traffic
delay could have been a
foretaste of Communist harass
ment in retaliation for West
Germany holding its presiden
tial election in West Berlin
March 5.
Western officials said the full
throated East German and
Moscow denunciation of the
electoral college session possi
. bly stemmed from a desire to
. see how firm was Nixon’s
■ desire to preserve Western
i authority in Berlin.
Nixon is scheduled to visit
■ West Berlin Feb. 27 during a
i European tour.
Calling the electoral college
. meeting an illegal show of West
I German authority in the divided
; city, the Soviet military newspa
per Red Star today hinted the
■ Russians might reconsider the
entire matter of Western access
1 to Berlin.
Outside West Berlin
The Babelsberg checkpoint is
: located just outside West Berlin
! on the Berlin end of the 110-mile
I highway to the West German
i city of Helmsted. Traffic bound
for West Germany’s southern
■ state of Bavaria also moved
. through the checkpoint.
The East German press today
: stressed a meeting in Moscow
[ Monday of East German
I Communist leader Walter Ul
i bricht and Soviet Communist
party leader Leonid I. Brez-
■ hnev.
Western officials said it was
i certain the two discussed their
I Berlin strategy and tactics.
Brezhnev and Ulbricht agreed
West Germany was attempting
to "to create a focus of
dangerous tensions in Europe.”
This was an obvious reference
to the dispute over holding the
West German election in West
Berlin.
Most officials said they did z
not believe the Soviets wanted a
full-fledged Berlin crisis.
Weather:
FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN
AREA — Clear tonight and Wed
nesday. Colder tonight with
lows of 25-32. Wednesday a little
warmer.
LOCAL WEATHER — Esti
mated high today 41, low today
33, high Monday 37, low Monday
32, sunrise Wednesday 7:20, sun
set Wednesday 6:29.
GRIFFIN
Griffin, Ga., 30223, Tuesday, February 18, 1969
Georgia Committee Suggests:
Make Butts County Center
Maximum Security Prison
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5 ■ Year - Old
Explains
Jaywalking
DENVER (UPD—Leigh O.
Barron could barely see over
the top of the bench, but the
five-year-old was in County
Court Monday to explain why he
got a ticket for jaywalking.
Actually, embarrassed police
officials tore up the traffic
summons, but the youngster
was in court anyway because
his father and the judge—Zita
L. Weinshienk—thought it would
do him some good.
“The sun was in my eyes,”
Leigh explained in his first
appearance in court.
The boy darted into the side
of a car and suffered a
fractured collarbone in the
incident. The patrolman ex
plained he was ticketing young
Leigh to protect the driver.
Judge Weinsehienk listened to
the boy’s explanation, then gave
him a lecture on traffic safety.
After that, Leigh had to face
a battery of news photographers
and reporters.
“Don’t ask me all these
questions,” he finally said. “I’ll
get nervous and get a head
ache.”
Leigh says the next time he
goes to court, he is bringing
legal aid—a cat named Captain
Hindes. It may help. The cat is
named after the head of the
police district in which the
youngster lives.
Red Guerrillas
Smash Outpost
By JACK WALSH
SAIGON (UPD—Firing ma
chine guns and rocket grenades,
Communist guerrillas smashed
over barbed wire and into a
South Vietnamese outpost in the
Mekong Delta and mauled its
70 -m a n garrison, military
spokesmen said today.
U.S. helicopter guns hips
whirled to the rescue, killing 12
of the hundreds of attackers.
The rest of the guerrillas fled.
The defenders suffered six
men killed, seven men wounded
and 28 missing. The battle
erupted Monday night 50 miles
southwest of Saigon at a base
set up five days ago to convince
delta residents to swing away
from the Communists.
In Saigon, military spokesmen
said the Viet Cong and North
Vietnamese violated a 24-hour
Tet holiday truce a record 261
times. In a delayed report, they
also said the battleship New
Jersey shelled North Vietnam
Friday for the first time this
Water Pollution Control
Funds Sought By Cities
By CHARLES S. TAYLOR
ATLANTA (UPD — A strong
move is under way in the legis
lature to give Georgia’s cities
and counties sll million in state
funds for water pollution con
trol and thereby relieve some
of the growing local revenue
needs.
Rep. Quimby Melton Jr.,
chairman of the tax - writing
House Ways and Means Com
mittee, said the state funds
would be augmented by local
and federal funds over a period
of four to five years.
The money would be used to
construct sewers, sewage dis
posal plants and other facilities
to control water pollution, one
of the major needs of both ci
ties and counties, Melton said.
The funds would go to the
Water Quality Control Board,
which operates under the De
partment of Public Health. The
board requested $11,401,001 for
the next fiscal year but Gov.
Lester Maddox pared this down
to $422,548.
The granting of these funds
to cities and counties would
help solve the financial plight
of cities and counties, both of
whom have put strong pressure
on the legislature for passage
of a statewide one-cent sales
tax Increase. The sales tax hike
was killed last week In the
Ways and Means Committee.
year and wiped out an
antiaircraft site that had fired
at a U.S. scout plane.
The heaviest fighting during
the Allies’ 24-hour truce came
southwest of Quang Tri, South
Vietnam’s northernmost large
city. U.S. Marines killed 37
North Vietnamese who attacked
a Leatherneck camp. Four
Marines were killed and 40
others wounded In the fighting.
Just below the North Vietnam
border, a Communist force
pinned down a Marine recon
naissance team Monday with
small arms fire. The Commu
nists shot down a CH46
helicopter that had come to
pluck out the Leathernecks.
One marine was wounded.
The helicopter, though badly
damaged, was later lifted away.
In the Mekong Delta below
Saigon, U.S. Army helicopter
gunships killed 16 Viet Cong and
destroyed 21 sampans in attack
ing guerrilla supply lines in the
delta’s waterways.
Vol. 96 No. 40
Both House and Senate sched
uled late morning meetings
with the House facing a 35-bill
calendar, the longest of the
session. The Senate had a five
bill calendar.
The Ways and Means Com
mittee meets today to take up
administration bills that would
increase the tax on cigarettes
and cigars from 8 to 9 cents
and equalize the wine tax. The
two measures together would
bring in more than $6 million
in additional revenue.
The committee will take up
later a compromise income tax
revision bill that would bring in
more than S9O million.
Rep. James (Sloppy) Floyd of
Trion also has called the House
Appropriations Committee into
session today to consider the
governor’s $7 million supple
mental appropriations bill. Two
million dollars of the money
would go to the General As
sembly to finance a special ses
sion if one is needed to pass
tax and budget measures.
Ford Plant
Not Moving
To Henry County
The Ford assembly plant at
Hapeville says there is nothing
to a report that it had leased 700
acres of land in Henry County
for a possible plant.
“There’s absolutely nothing to
it,” a spokesman for the plant’s
public relations office said.
The office spent Monday che
cking out the rumor with top
Ford officials before declaring
it groundless.
Talk of expanding the Atlanta
airport has led to speculation
that the assembly plant might
move.
A Ford spokesman said that
airport expansion plans will not
conflict with the Hapeville plant
in any way.
Ever since the airport expan
sion plans have been discussed,
there have been countless rum
ors about moving the plant, a
spokesman said. He discounted
all of the rumors.
’QUAKES TAKE TOLL
WASHINGTON (UPD—More
people lost their lives in
earthquakes around the world
last year than in any year since
1960, according to the National
Earthquake Information Center.
The center said 20 quakes in 13
foreign countries took 12,401
lives.
Senate Votes
Interest Hike
On Home Loans
By MARGIE RASMUSSEN
ATLANTA (UPD—The Geor
gia Senate voted 39-4 today to
raise Georgia’s maximum inter
est rate on home loans from 8
to 9 per cent after Sen. Frank
Coggin warned home loan ac
tivity had “come to a virtual
stoppage.”
Most lenders have put a
freeze on all home loans in the
state pending the outcome of
moves to raise the interest lim
it.
Atty. Gen. Arthur Bolton has
ruled recent increases in FHA
and VA interest rates, plus ex
tra charges added by individual
lenders, had hiked interest
rates above the lawful state
usury rate of 8 per cent.
Because of an increase in the
top interest rates on FHA and
VA loans from 6% to V/ 2 per
cent, Coggin said, the increase
in state rates was needed "to
put the people of Georgia back
in the home buying business.”
Coggin said the recent feder
al interest rate change was put
ting most Southeastern states in
a similar bind because mort
gage bankers were putting their
money in other investments.
Coggin said some SSO million
per month has flowed into
Georgia so far this year, but
failure to raise the celling
would lead to "a virtual stop
page of mortgage money com
ing into the state from outside
sources for the closing of FHA
and VA loans.”
Opponents feared that the in
crease would prompt lenders to
increase the total amount they
charge a potential home owner
on a loan, but Coggin said it
took nearly a century for the
loan market to aoproach the 8
per cent maximum and "I don’t
believe lenders will go to 9 per
cent overnight.”
“I don’t believe In opening
the gap too much at one time,”
Coggin said. “But this will al
low us to close FHA loans.”
Lenders charge an additional
five to eight “points” on each
loan, carrying the loans over
Gedrgia’s lawful usury rate.
Four points is all that could be
added- for lenders to remain
within the law.
New Programs
In Old Jails
Believed Better
The Georgia Committee of the
National Council on Crime and
Delinquency thinks the new mul
ti-million diagnostic and classi
fication center in Butts County
near Jackson could be used bet
ter as a maximum security pri
son.
The Butts County facility “is
one of the tightest secuurity in
stitutions anywhere,” according
to Charles Watt, a spokesman
for the Georgia Committee.
“A smaller, less secure fac
ility would serve adequately for
reception and diagnosis,” he be
lieves.
Using the center for some 500
maximum security prisoners
from Reidsville State Prison, ra
ther than a new $7-mlllion
high-security building at Reids
ville is only one of the sugges
tions the committee made.
Gov. Lester Maddox proposed
the high-security building at
Reidsville as part of his $33.7-
million prison budget.
"The corrections budget, as
we see it, places a good deal of
emphasis on new construction
and only limited emphasis on
upgrading and updating prison
programs,” the committee be
lieves.
The committee believes it’s bet
ter to have new programs in old
jails than vice versa.
Its views were presented to the
House Institutions and Proper
ties Committee of the General
Assembly. Rep. Phillip Chand
ler, chairman of the House com
mittee, said he wanted to hear
more about the suggestions.
The group was to take up the
case again in the legislature to.
day.
Gov. Maddox recommended a
1970 prisons budget of $16.5-mil
lion compared with the State
Corrections Department request
of $23.5-million. The governor
and state prisons director Rob
ert Carter have stressed new
building programs, calling for
funds to construct eight new fa
cilities.
But Watt said the state could
accomplish some of the same
goals by better use of present
buildings and some renovation
at much less expense, providing
more funds to upgrade person
nel. Maddox’s proposal Includes
96 new corrections jobs, compar.
ed with the 278 sought by the de
partment.
“It is much preferable, in our
opinion, to offer an enlightened
up-to-date program in an old
jail than to offer an outmoded
program in a new one,” Watt
said.
Some of the other suggestions
from Watt’s group include:
—Dropping plans for a $7.5-
million work-release, pre-relea
se building in Atlanta. Watt said
research shows work-release
programs work best in small
units of 20-30 inmates and if the
state uses a large institution,
“this entire project might be
doomed to failure.”
—Renovating an existing build
ing at Reidsville to house trus
ties, moving troublesome prison
ers to Butts County, and using
the Reidsville prison for med
ium security prisoners. Maddox
wants a $643,350 new trusty
building and a $400,000 renova
tion for medium security in
mates.
—A second look at Maddox’s
proposal to build a sls-million
first-offender building.
“If and when the probation ser
vice is expanded and upgraded
and if and when the courts ag
ree to make wider use of t h e
system of probation, there may
be little actual need for first of
fender institutions,” Watt said.
Although the group said the
construction of six new region
al prisons "seems entirely rea
sonable,” Watt added, the state
might consider eventually leas
ing six or eight of the best coun
ty prison camps to be used as
regional prison branches.