Newspaper Page Text
and lastly,
Lanierland
By Virginia Woodward
ffl|||l FORSYTH MPlifC
A nil COUNTY II El W 9
Established 1908
JIM COSEY— PUBLISHER, EDITOR
HARRIET WOODALL ADVERTISING MANAGER
VIRGINIA WOODWARD NEWS EDITOR
Published every Wednesday by The Forsyth County News Company- Second Class Postage
paid at: Post Office in Cumming/ Georgia under Act of March Bth in 1897. Subscription rates
in Forsyth and other Georgia counties, $5.15 per year, including State Sales Tax; out-of
state, $5.00 per year.
107 DAHLONEGA ST.
887-3127
Let’s Unite To Fight Crime
Forsyth County Sheriff Donald Pirkle has
sent a letter to the citizens of Forsyth County
which we have printed below. In this letter the
sheriff points out that he has been through
some trying times recently.
The letter also points out that the time has
now come for everyone to unite and help fight
the rampant crime that exists here.
We agree with the sheriff and offer our
complete support toward these efforts. It is
time for everyone to pull together and
cooperate to fight crime.
It is now time for everyone to work toward
the end of making Forsyth County a safe place
Letters To The Editor
To citizens of Forsyth County:
I wish to thank all of my friends and sup
porters who so faithfully stood by me,
especially from the time I was indicted and
stood trial. I also want to thank all the more
than 3,000 people who signed the petition
asking the governor not to accept my
resignation should I have submitted one. I also
thank everyone who contributed to my defense
fluid. Without your help, I would not have been
able to go to court and prove my innocence.
There have been many times in the past, that
I have become very discouraged, but when I
stop and pause for a moment, I think of all the
good people who have either called or written
or come by to see me to urge to continue on,
then I have no doubt in my mind that no matter
what I have to go through, the good people of
this county make it all worthwhile.
Soon after I was indicted one of our com
missioners said that he thought it would save
the county a lot of embarrassment and would
be in the best interest of the county if I would
go ahead and resign, but knowing that I had
committed no wrong-doing, I just could not
give up and go home without a fight to try to
prove my innocence.
I hope that I did not cause you, the citizens,
of this great county any embarrassment, but if
I did, then I apologize.
I think that the time has come when we
should put aside our differences, political or
otherwise, and all work together for the bet
terment of our county.
I have always tried to support whomever the
majority or people elected to office, whether
they happened to be my choice or not. I ask for
everyone’s support, however I know that there
will always be those who try to throw me out of
office. To those people I will say that the good
people of this county have made their voice
clear that they want me to continue as sheriff
of Forsyth County, and that I intend to do. I will
not resign, but will remain in office at least for
the remainder of my term and fight even
harder than ever before to fight crime in
Forsyth County, and give you the type of law
enforcement you so richly deserve.
I ask every man, woman, boy and girl to
unite and help me reduce drug traffic,
Clean-up hitter!
CUMMING, GEORGIA
JULY 10, 1974 30130
PAGE 2
to live. This can only happen if we make up our
minds to help—not hinder.
Too often, people sit idly back and watch
things take place and never report these
wrongdoings to the proper authorities. Apathy
has been one of the worst problems facing
Americans today. The time is here to stop
being apathetic and get involved—involved in
striving to become a community with a
reputation for peace and tranquility.
We congratulate our sheriff on his efforts to
make these things come true. We urge
everyone to help reduce the crime rate here.
The time is now!
burglaries and all other crimes that occur in
Forsyth County.
If you know anyone who is connected with
drugs in any way, or if you know of anyone who
buys, sells or possesses stolen goods, get in
touch with me at once, or if you prefer you can
call drug hot line and give them your in
formation which will always be kept strictly
confidential. By doing this, you will help us to
cut down on crime in Forsyth County. Without
your cooperation, there is only so much your
sheriff’s department can do.
Again I thank everyone who supported me
and placed their trust in me. As long as I am
your sheriff, I shall never betray you but will
forever be grateful,
Sincerely yours
SHERIFF DONALD PIRKLE
Dear Editor:
Voter polls show that 80 per cent of the
American people are opposed to Foreign Aid.”
The original Foreign Aid was supposed to last
five years and to amount to $5 billion.
Due to Congress and the presidents, it has
now amounted to $250 billion— and we have
fewer friends than ever.
A new bill, 53394, is now in the Foreign
Relations Committee. Even .with the chairman
opposed to it, the odds are that it will be
reported out favorably boosting foreign aid
spending 72 per cent above present levels.
The President wants to support both sides in
the mideast. The Arabs have SIOO billion of our
oil money. Why should we shell out more
billions? We have already sent $6 billion in one
form or another to Israel and what good has it
done the U.S.A.?
With our federal debt as half a trillion dollars
printing and sending federal reserve notes
abroad contributes to the deficit and fuels the
raging inflation.
It is time for all citizens to put pressure on
our elected officials to stop the folly of trying to
stabilize the world with federal reserve notes
that are not worth the paper they are now
printed on.
SANFORD WAGONER
Rt. 8
Cumming
■■L. g|
Listening to the Democratic telethon for
funds last weekend I remembered my own first
involvement in politics.
I had been told that my father grew up on
Radical Ridge in Missouri, so called because
that was where the Republicans lived, and that
I sat on the knee of Teddy Roosevelt in
Wheeling, W. Va., stumping on the Bull Moose
ticket. That was the only time my father bolted
his party, and he sat on the platform in a frock
coat and tall hat, rented for the occasion I’m
sure.
But the first time I became really involved
was when the two girls next door, both older
then I, taunted me with “Wilson’s in the
Whitehouse counting out his pence, Hughes is
on the fence, trying to make a dollar out of 15
cents.”
I am sure I retorted, but my own poor effort
made no lasting impression.
The girls’ mother, whom I called Aunt Lela,
was a militant Democrat. You had to be
ißSk'to
I COULDN’T believe it!
When I first moved to Cumming, the first
thing I heard about was the annual Fourth of
July-Steam Engine Parade.
So, I thought to myself that this was a pretty
nice thing for a small community to hold a
small parade.
Quite obviously, I was wrong.
Last Thursday morning arrived and I loaded
my wife and daughter into the car to go to the
parade. Never in a million years would I have
thought we’d have trouble getting into town
due to all the traffic.
After sitting in a line of traffic for nearly an
hour, we got to town. “Where in the world did
all these people come from?” I asked my wife.
There were people everywhere. All shapes and
sizes and all anticipating the biggest eveni of
the year.
AS IT turned out, it was the biggest event of
the year.
I had imagined a small band leading the way
with perhaps the mayor riding in a dusty
convertible right behind. I had thought there
might be a couple of horses trotting along
leaving evidence behind on the streets of
Cumming. I had even felt there might be a
float or two, hastily constructed.
Again, everything I had expected was totally
wrong.
The parade was an extravaganza.
It was definitely one of the biggest events
I’ve ever attended in my life.
And what was more amazing was the other
things that went along with the parade. The
food on the courthouse square was fantastic.
The booths set up by local civic organizations
provided fun for all. It was the county fair,
militant to be a Democrat in Bamesville, Ohio.
Her husband, son of a Civil War veteran, I am
sure, was loyal to the Republic party but didn’t
dare say so. The girls were always whatever
Aunt Lela told them to be.
I adopted my heritage, established by the
Grand Army of the Republic, who gathered on
my grandfather’s lawn and told of seeing Mr.
Lincoln in person.
After I went to college I became eman
cipated and voted “for the man.” Later I even
studied the platforms and I hope unbiased,
voted for what I believed was the right one.
That is, until I moved to Broward County,
Fla. The first thing I heard was that if I
registered as a Republican I could not get a
job. This was a stab at my Democratic prin
ciples. That was the same as saying I had no
choice in who governed me, that I was
disenfranchized and deprived of all the rights
for which mv prandfather fought. I registered
Greener Pastures?
JIM COSEV
Christmas, Halloween and Fourth of July all
rolled into one main event.
IT WAS a time for people to become involved
and forget the problems of a day. The saw
cutting contest, turtle, race, checker tour
nament and basketball shooting booth
provided a carnival atmosphere.
But the best part was that the carnival air
was carried out by local people for worthy
causes.
It was a time for celebration— a time to
unloosen your tie, take off your shoes and enjoy
yourself.
It was a time for everyone to become
children. The men were sawing logs, everyone
throwing horseshoes, some concentrating on
the serious checker games and Jaycees getting
dunked into the tank of water.
I just wish there was some way that
everyone in the state could see and enjoy the
sites of Cumming on July the Fourth.
I would put it up against any other city’s
celebration anywhere. You can have your
Washington D.C. celebration with senators and
representatives waving and smiling to
unknowing crowds. You can have your
polished parades with pretty beauty queens
perched among paper flowers.
Give me Forsyth County’s Fourth of July
parade any day.
But, it was also a time for most folks to
celebrate the Fourth of July. I saw several
American flags waving and whether it’s
popular or not, I almost cried every time I saw
a youngster waving Old Glory.
I’m one of those people who still gets a lump
in my throat when the Star Spangled Banner is
played. I still get a thrill when the flag is slowly
as an Independent but reverted to type. You
can dam well believe I was a Republican, set
back in the mold from which I had strayed. I
stayed in Broward County long enough to see
an entire slate of Republicans elected.
Mv next stop was in Hattiesburg, Miss., and
again I met with a discriminating attitude
toward my political leaning. For years I did
not register because I had no choice. I resented
the Mississippi poll tax, bacause I believed
that the right to vote was a privilege
guaranteed through the Constitution.
The poll tax was removed, and I decided at
least I could vote against, which I did except
when there was a Republican on the ticket. At
least I saw the first two Republican mayors
elected in that state.
I can’t stick around much longer, but I feel
that if I had the time, I would see the grand old
party take its proper place in Dixieland.
PUBLISHER-EDITOR
pulled to the top of the pole to wave in the wind.
Call me corny if you will, but corny I’ll
remain.
THE DAY finally ended and I was com
pletely exhausted. It had been a fun-filled day
with lots to do and see.
My poor little seven year old daughter was
beside herself by the end of the afternoon. She
had run around, eaten too many goodies, yelled
at the people in the parade, screamed as the
prancing horses passed by and gotten totally
involved in all the goings on.
On the way home her small head slumped
over onto my shoulder and she was gone. I was
just as tired as she.
It had been a grand day. One that I’ll never
forget. One that I’ll look forward to next year.
It is a tremendous tribute to any community
to organize such an enormous undertaking.
These things don’t just happen. It takes people
working behind the scenes and burning that
midnight oil planning the day.
People in Cumming and Forsyth County
should be extremely proud for what they have
here. Probably most citizens just take it for
granted that the Fourth of July parade and
events will take place.
Believe me, as a newcomer to the area, I’ve
never seen anything like it.
It is something we should brag about.
Something we should let other people know
about so they will turn their heads and say,
“Hey, they’ve got a good thing going up there
in Forsyth County!”
Again, congratulations to everyone who had
a hand in our big day. I enjoyed it and am sure
everyone who attended did. And by the looks of
the crowd on the square—everybody did!