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.VENIN VF
By Quimby Melton
As the high school year drew
to a close and the commence
ment program was being plann
ed, two seniors at GHS who
were to have part in the program
were anxious to get a certain
poem, which someone told them
had been published, in the Grif
fin Daily News “several years
ago.” This poem was in the
form of a prayer and the boys
had been told it was called “A
Confederate Soldier’s Prayer.”
Good Evening tried to locate
it in several books of selected
poems but was unable to do so.
Then we had an idea, “If there
Is anyone in Georgia who knows
this poem-prayer it will be our
friend Ben Fortson, Georgia Se
cretary of State.” Ben Fortson
is in great demand as a Memor
ial Day speaker and he probably
had used this Soldier’s Prayer
in one of his addresses.
So we called him on the phone.
But he had no recollection of
ever having used this poem pra
yer, in fact he did not remem
ber ever having heard it. We
asked him if he had another
Prayer that would be suitable
for use at commencement exer
cises.
He sent us one by Max Ehr
mann.
We hurried over to the school
with the substitute prayer. Then
next day someone called the
boys and told them where
they thought they could get a
copy of the poem they wanted.
Suggested they contact “Miss
Kitty” Walker, United Daugh
ters of the Confederacy author
ity; They did, she had a copy
and furnished it to them.
Now in years to come there
may be sons and daughters and
grandsons and granddaughters,
who may be arranging commen
cement programs and might
want “suitable prayers” of yes
teryears. We are reproducing
them in today’s column. Clip
them if you wish and put them
in your scrapbook.
Here they are:
Confederate Soldier's Prayer
I asked for strength that I
might achieve;
I was made weak that I might
learn humbly to obey.
I asked for help that I might
do great things;
I was given infirmity that I
might do better things.
I asked for riches that I
might be happy;
I was given poverty that I
might be wise.
I asked for power that I might
have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I
might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I
might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might
enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for;
but everything that I had hoped
for.
Almost despite myself, my un
spoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men richly
blessed.
(Written by an unknown Confe
derate soldier.)
A PRATER
“Let me do my work each day
end if the darkened hours of
despair overcome me, may I
not forget the strength that com
forted me in the desolation of
other times.
May I still remember the bri
ght hours that found me walk
ing over the silent hills of my
childhood, or dreaming on the
margin of the quiet river, when
a light glowed within me, and I
promised my early God to have
courage amid the tempests of the
changing years.
Spare me from bitterness and
from the sharp passions of un
guarded moments. May I not
forget that poverty and riches
are of the spirit. Though the
world know me not, may my
thoughts and actions be such as
shall keep me friendly with my
self.
Lift my eyes from the earth,
and let me not forget the uses
cf the stars. Forbid that I should
judge others, lest I condemn
myself.
Let me not follow the clamor
of the world, but walk calmly
In my path. Give me a few
friends who will love me for
what I am; and keep ever burn
ing before my vagrant steps
the kindly light of hope.
And though age and infirmity
overtake me, and I come not
within sight of the castle of my
dreams, teach me still to be
thankful for life, and for time’s
olden memories that are good
and sweet; and may the even
ing’s twilight find me gentle
•till.”
852 Bombers
Strike Commies
By WALTER WHITEHEAD
SAIGON (UPD— U.S. 852
bombers dropped nearly 900
tons of bombs and Allied troops
killed 168 Communists In an
effort to break up a red drive
against Tay Niny city, a key
provincial capital, military
spokesmen said today.
They were the heaviest 852
raids In Tay Ninh province
northwest of Saigon since April
24 and followed a day of
fighting around Toy Ninh city
by U.S. infantrymen riding
tanks and South Vietnamese
paratroopers sweeping through
the jungle.
Allied communiques said at
least 546 Communists had been
killed and 19 Americans killed
and 99 wounded in the fourth
day of a Communist offensive
in which fighting flared from
the northern quarter of the
country to the Mekong Delta.
Communist gunners stepped
up shelling in South Vietnam
Monday night and early today,
blasting 45 targets with rockets
and mortars. None of the new
attacks was against any major
city.
Allied forces killed 168
Communists in Tay Ninh
province in a series of battles
Monday, spokesmen said. In the
largest clash, U.S. 25th Infantry
Division troops killed 51 North
Vietnamese troops 11 miles
east of the provincial capital.
The fighting broke out after a
County Leaders Favor
Lower Property Tax
If Sales Tax Go Up
By TOM GREENE
ATLANTA (UPD—The presi
dent of the Association County
Commissioners of Georgia said
today his group feels a reduc
tion in local property taxes
should follow any statewide tax
increase.
Clarke County Commissioner
Hugh Logan said the associa
tion which he heads, which re
mains politically powerful de
spite growing strength of urban
areas in the General Assembly,
has taken no official stand on
the program outlined by Gov.
Lester Maddox for the special
session which begins niursday.
But Logan said he has been
Informally polling the associa
tion’s board of directors, ‘‘and
the consensus I get—the stand
we have taken in the past—is
that there ought to be some ad
justment on ad valorem taxes”
if there is an Increase in the
sales tax.
Logan joined House Speaker
George L. Smith In feeling that
a reduction in property taxes is
the key to passage of Maddox’s
tax program. The governor has
asked the General Assembly to
increase sales taxes from 3 to
4 per cent and to revise person
al Income scales.
Smith said Monday that there
are several ways to guarantee
local property tax reductions,
and that he has asked legisla
tive counsel Frank Edwards to
explore the possibilities. He
said one way would be to re
duce the percentage of funds
local school systems are re
quired to pay for the minimum
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GRIFFIN
DAILY W" NEWS
Daily Since 1872
Communist soldier threw a
grenade at a column of
patrolling U.S. tanks and
armored personnel carriers,
The American vehicles wheeled
and smashed over the top of
the Communist position and the
U.S. troops called in helicopter
gunships and AC47 planes with
18,000-round-a-minute machine
guns.
The Americans lost three
killed and 18 wounded.
Far to the north U.S. sth
Marine Dvision leathernecks
backed by planes and artillery
killed 155 North Vietnamese
troops in two battles northwest
of An Hoa, 352 miles northeast
of Saigon. The Americans lost
two killed and 11 wounded.
The Saigon government said
369 houses were destroyed in
fighting at Tay Ninh city and 31
others half-ruined.
INSIDE
Sen. Thurmond. Page 2.
Killer. p ag e 2.
Sports. Page 3.
Editorials. Page 4.
Local News. Page 5.
Society. Page 6.
Comics. Page 7.
Want Ads. P a ges 8, 9.
Education. Page 10.
Harry Byrd. Page 10.
education program. Most local
funds come from property
taxes.
Smith predicted that an effort
would be made to reduce the
required amount of local school
funds and said, “I would sup
port it.”
Maddox is proposing that
about half of the funds raised
by the sales tax increase—some
SSO million—go to education,
with the remainder to be divid
ed between cities and counties
in direct state grants.
Logan said that while his
group does not oppose state
grants, some commissioners
are concerned about them be
cause they think "it’s a one
year thing, and if you gear up
local government to depend on
grants, they could be cut out
from under you.”
Ministers Back
Anti-Smut Drive
The Spalding County Minister
ial Association has endorsed
Sheriff Dwayne Gilbert’s drive
against pornography in the
mails.
Sheriff Gilbert last week sug
gested that Griffinites receiving
mail offers for pornographic
material should bundle it up and
forward it to the U. S. Supreme
Court in Washington.
He said this would be one way
to alert the court as to what was
being sent through the mails.
(Griffin Daily News Staff Photo)
The Griffin-Spalding County Hospital Auxiliary presented a $4,000 check to the
hospital yesterday. The money will be used to help purchase equipment for the
Dr. Harry King Memorial Coronary Care Unit. The check was presented by Mrs.
Lewis Simonton (c), Auxiliary president, to hospital administrator Carl A. Ridley.
Also representing the auxiliary were (1-r) Mrs. Bob Simpson, Mrs. J. C. Ham
mond, Mrs. Morris Goldstein, Mrs. Lewis Norton, Mrs. Ivan Taylor, Mrs. Carl
Beckham and Mrs. Tom Howie.
Griffin, Go., 30223, Tuesday, June 10, 1969
Weather:
FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN
AREA — Variable cloudiness
and not quite so warm with
chance of showers tonight. Slight
chance of showers tomorrow af
ternoon.
LOCAL WEATHER — Esti
mated high today 90, low today
66, high yesterday 91, low yes
terday 65; sunrise tomorrow
6:28, sunset tomorrow 8:48.
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Three teachers were honored at a luncheon at Fourth Ward School yesterday.
They retired at the end of the 1968-69 term. John Andrews, Fourth Ward
principal, presented gifts to (1-r) Mrs. Eloise McElheney, 41 years; Mrs. Mary
Riggins, 32 years, and Miss Suzanne Snider, 42 years. Mrs. McElheney, who has
taught at Fourth Ward for 40 years, was the Griffin-Spalding System’s first
STAR teacher in 1959. She was chosen by Jimmy Hawkins, one of her former
students.
Country Parson
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“No living thing is willing to
leave its environment un
changed.”
Copyright 1969, by Frank A. Clark
The Ministerial Association al
so pointed out that “obscene
magazines available in bounti
ful supply in local business es
tablishments are so lewd that
some of the newer ones make
‘Playboy’ look like h Sunday Sc
hool lesson.”
“If enough outraged citizens
will flood the justices’ office
with this muck, perhaps they
will take another look at their
recent rulings,” the ministers
said.
Schools Expect
3-Mill Tax Hike
Teachers Honored
Nixon Asked To Take
Action Against Banks
By MICHAEL POSNER
WASHINGTON (UPD—The
Escapee Caught
After 36 Hours
Floyd O. McKinnon, 29, who
escaped from the Spalding Coun
ty Public Works Camp Sunday
was back in custody today af
ter being caught last night.
Warden Floyd Wilkerson and
other lawmen took him into cus
today at a residence on Blanton
Mill road after receiving a tip
on the escapee.
Wilkerson said the escapee of
fered no resistence.
He was serving a burglary
sentence here.
The residence where he was
found is about six miles from the
prison camp. McKinnon had
been free 36 hours following his
escape.
Vol. 96 No. 136
(Griffin Daily News Staff Photo)
cost of nearly everything will
be going up because of the big
jump in the prime lending rate
by banks, a congressional
banking expert said today.
Rep. Wright Patman, D-Tex.,
chairman of the House Banking
Committee, wrote President
Nixon asking him to take action
against the banks.
Across the nation Monday,
banks raised their prime rates
for loans to their best business
customers from 7.5 per cent to
Rev. Virden
Resigns
Pastorate
The Rev. Wiley Virden has re
signed as pastor of the Vineyard
Baptist Church after serving
there for eight and a half years.
His resignation will be effective
July 13.
The Rev. Virden has served
as pastor of the church since
Dec. 1, 1960.
Before the pastorate there, he
pastored the Bethel Baptist
Church in Lamar County near
Milner for 17 years, Calvary
Baptist Church in Barnesville,
Friendship Baptist Church at
Milner and the Hammond Drive
Baptist Church in Griffin.
The Rev. Virden has not an
nounced his plans for the fu
ture.
He has served as pastor and
evangelist in the Flint River
Baptist Association since Janu
ary, 1939.
HAZARDOUS BIKINI
LONDON (UPD—Patsy 01-
lenbittle was just standing
there, looking pretty—and she
became a traffic hazard.
The problem was, she was
standing there in a black bikini,
and long lines of cars, trucks
and buses were forming as
drivers slowed for a longer
view.
“Would you seek a more
suitable place to sunbathe,” a
police constable asked. “You’re
distracting the drivers.
“I shall now position myself
behind the palm trees,” said
Miss Olienblttle, a model.
Board Expects
To Need 20 Mills
The Griffin-Spalding Board of
Education expects to increase
school taxes about three mills
this year. The board said last
night that the Increase would
be necessary for a “stand-still”
program and would not pro
vide for any additional services.
Rising costs, federal funds
cuts, and an increase in the
amount of local money required
under the Minimum Foundation
Program were some of the fac
tors that will make the tax
hike necessary, the board said.
Evans Elected
VFW 8480
Commander
Willie J. Evans has been el
ected commander of VFW Post
8480 for the 1969-70 year.
Elected to serve with him
were: Otis B. Head, senior vice
commander; Sandy Allen, jun
ior vice commander; Raymond
Head Jr., quartermaster; Hen
ry Nelm, judge advocate; Jam
es Horton, chaplain; Dr. C. C.
Releford, post surgeon.
Samuel Sheppard was elected
chairman of the board of trus
tees. Love Maddox is vice chair
man. John Simmons is a new
member of the board.
a record 8.5 per cent.
Since the 8.5 per cent rate
will be a floor above which all
other rates are stacked, the
cost of borrowing to buy a
home and car will be going up.
Patman said the higher cost
of borrowing by business
inevitably will be reflected in
higher costs of various consu
mer goods, from appliance to
food, to pay for the higher
interest charges.
Patman asxed Nixon to:
Write a strongly worded
letter of protest to the banks.
Instruct Atty. Gen. John N.
Mitchell to conduct an antitrust
investigation.
Ask the Federal Reserve
Board to stop loans through its
discount window to banks
“which participated in the
conspiracy to raise interest
rates.”
Urge Treasury Secretary
David M. Kennedy to remove
some $6 billion to $lO billion in
interest-free Income tax depo
sits stored in commercial
banks. The banks pay no
interest on these funds which
are loaned out at interest.
If You
Miss Your
Paper
Please dial 227-3276 if you have not
received your Griffin Daily News by
7 p. m., or if it is not delivered proper
ly. We have installed an answering
service to record your message and
will contact your independent distri
butor for you. Also you can use this
service to leave any other message
you hay have for us after office
hours. We appreciate your taking the
paper and are anxious for you to re
ceive proper service.
The board tentatively adopt
ed a budget for next school year
totaling $5,595,580.98, The bud
get for the current school year
was $5,651,509.65.
Supt. D. B. Christie explain
ed that the reason next year’s
total budget would be less than
the current budget was that
some building money is reflect
ed in this year’s operation. It
will not be in next year’s bud
get.
The school tax rate for this
year’s operating budget was
16.9 mills. The board expects
to have to go the full 20-mill
limit to meet next year’s bud
get.
Griffin-Spalding taxpayers had
to pay $1,068,868.35 in school
taxes this year. Next year they
are expected to have to pay
$1,300,000.
This figure is arrived at
through the state’s chargeback
formula.
The board explained that other
systems over the state are ex
periencing local chargeback in
creases.
Supt. Christie said reports at
a state superintendent’s meet
ing in Atlanta yesterday in
dicated school boards in Geor
gia would average a four mill
tax increase.
The school board here cited
increasing prices, increasing
Social Security payments, local
effort increase, and minimum
wage Increases as being key
factors in the rising school
costs.
Supt. Christie said the only
alternative to increasing the
school tax rate was a complete
tax revision program. Other
wise, he caid, the system would
have to cut services unless the
three mill increase is made.
Supt. Christie noted the sys
tem has 20 more teacher vacan
cies now than at this time last
year and he doubted that a
complete staff will be avail
able by September.
The school board usually
sets its tax rate in the late
summer or early fall after tax
digest figures are compiled.
Heat Cracks
Pavement
On Hill Street
Work crews repaired a section
of North Hill street today that
rose about two feet yesterday.
City Police said the street ap
parently rose because of the in
tense heat.
The street cracked and rose to
a point that traffic could not
cross the place where it had ri
sen.
The street was blocked off
between Tinsley and Cherry st
reets.
Officers said water apparent
ly had accumulated under the
asphalt and expanded when the
street became hot.