Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8B
-THE FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS—WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1981
§>
j
4
tijfe I' -
*
S v 130
Kindergarten Screening
In an effort to be prepared for the kindergarteners who will be entering the Forsyth County
School System in the fall, about 350 students were screened last week at Ducktown
Kindergarten. Linda Whittle, principal of Ducktown School, explained that the screening
“helps us get an idea of the children's abilities." She said, "It helps us in placing kids and
formulating classes." Here, Josh Shoemake, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Shoemake, receives
the Meeting Street School Screening Test, which tests such things as motor coordination,
v isual perception and language abilities. There was also a speech screening of the children by
speech therapists. Mrs. Whittle noted that while most of the county kindergarteners were
tested last week, parents should not panic if their child missed the screening. She said
additional screenings will be done in the fall. Mrs. Whittle did suggest, though, that if any
parent has not yet registered their child for kindergarten next year, they should do so at the
school system central office on School Street in Cumming. (News staff photo by Lane
Gardner Camp)
Ed Rivers Left His
Mark On State Politics
As election day ap
proached on June 8, 1937, all
Georgia was caught up in a
bitter political campaign
called the “War of Constitu
tional Amendments.”
It wasn’t a campaign to fill
public offices. Georgians
had chosen their candidates
in the general election the
year before in races that
produced the greatest excit
ement and voter turnout in
half a century electing
former school teacher Ed
Rivers for governor, and
naming Richard Russell
over former Gov. Gene Tal
madge for U.S. senator.
Now the issue was whether
Depression-weary Georgia
would participate in Presi
dent Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
“New Deal” social and eco
nomic programs. It was a
war between conflicting po
litical philosophies, and a
power struggle between two
of the most colorful and
skilled politicians in Georgia
history.
Rivers pushed seven pro
posed state constitutional
amendments through the
legislature soon after taking
office to implement the New
Deal. If Georgia was to re
ceive benefits from the So
cial Security
Administration, the amend
ments were needed to raise
new revenue for matching
funds. In 1937, the first off
year general election in
Georgia history was called
for the people to ratify or
reject the constitutional pro
posals.
For Talmadge, the fiery
populist over whom the en
tire state was passionately
divided, things had not been
going well lately. He had
been trounced by Russell, a
New Deal advocate. Rivers
had captured the gover
norship with 60 per cent of
the vote on an anti-Tal
madge, pro-New Deal plat
form. The off-year election
presented Talmadge a
chance for more than a
comeback. It was an oppor
tunity for nothing less than
political vindication.
Talmadge and Rivers
stumped across the state,
each speaking in three or
four cities a day, enduring
hot days and narrow dusty
roads. Many onlookers wore
red suspenders like Tal
madge and others jeered
those who did. The cam
paigning was so tough on
Rivers he would later be
hospitalized for exhaustion.
Talmadge attacked what
he called “wet nursing wel
fare programs.” Rivers
promised the “greatest era
of progress ever.” While one
side suggested the New Deal
was a step toward Commu
nism, the other countered
that Roosevelt’s recovery
plan would protect Georgia
from just such a curse.
On June 8, all of the consti
tutional amendments were
approved. It was a resound
ing victory for Rivers and
the New Deal, and it ap
peared it might be Tal
madge’s last hurrah.
But Rivers’ success led his
administration into more
and more governmental ex
pansion, and eventually into
fiscal trouble.
In time Rivers was com
pelled to cut many state pro
FULL SERVICE AND MORE SINCE 1904.
©
Bank of Gumming
201 West Main Street, Cumming
PHONE 887-7791 Member FDIC ATL. 577-1372
grams to curb a fast-growing
deficit. When the legislature
refused to raise taxes, serv
ices to the deaf and mentally
ill were cut, welfare assis
tance was sharply reduced,
the University System and
Highway Department bud
gets were sliced in half, all
state agencies lost employ
ees, and there was talk of
closing public schools. It was
only after his reelection in
1938 (Georgia had two-year
PRUITT S 23rd ANNIVERSARY
,<< s
-O' 23rd ANNIVERSARY
!3rd ANNIVERSARY - PRUITT S 23rd ANNIVERSARY
IL—^
Model WWA3IOOV
Free
Delivery
Low
Prices
PRUITT'S
jjj FURNITURE TV. APPLIANCES
8 A.M.-7 P.M.
784 N. MAIN ST.
ALPHARETTA
475-5751
PRUITT S 23rd ANNIVERSARY
In Attitudes
U.S. Looks For
Soviet Change
By JANET HODEKOHE
When I told the man I was
from Georgia, he asked,
‘‘American Georgia or So
viet Georgia?”
The Georgia on his mind
lies just above Turkey in the
Caucasus Mountains with
the western border dipping
into the Black Sea. The man
was introduced as Igor and
he works at the Soviet Trade
Mission in Washington. He
was one of many Russians
who greeted American agri
cultural writers in Washin
ton for a briefing on the
export situation.
The Russians looked on us
as a possible friendly audi
ence because we have con
tact with the farmers who
have been hurt by the Rus
sian grain embargo. With
visions of favorable editori
als and the power of the
press, the Russians aimed to
please.
You might say they wined
and dined us, but it would be
more accurate to say they
cognacked and caviered us.
Their buffet table buckled
with hand-prepared delica
cies and specialties from all
over the Soviet Union.
They entertained us with a
film of the closing ceremo
nies of the Moscow Olym
pics, assuming correctly
that we had never seen
them. They showed the smil
ing faces of international co
petitors, the goosestepping
flag carriers, the precision
of mass performers twirling
terms then) that it became
clear his administration was
collapsing. By the time he
left office, Georgia had a
state debt of nearly $29 mil
lion.
His overspending shored
up public opposition to
spending, and contributed to
a Talmadge comeback in the
1940 gubernatorial race.
Rivers never again held
public office.
Model WWA3IOOV
•large capacity
basket.
•Single water level.
•Regular timed cy
cle.
•Hot wash
temperature.
•Cold rinse.
*2BB
Best
Service
8 A.M.-7 P.M.
OLD BUFORD RD.
CUMMING
887-7551
9 A.M. -6 P.M.
15 MAIN ST.
BUFORD
945-5254
hoops and swirling strips of
cloth, and the high-kicking
peasant dancers. In between
reels, they recited the num
ber of gold medals the Rus
sians won, the final tally
with Russia in the first
place, and the number of
athletic records that fell to
the Moscow compeitiors.
But the real topic of the
evening was the embargo. It
went unspoken except in offi
cial statements by the head
of the Trade Mission and in
little slips from the conge
nial hosts.
The official stand was
spelled out: “We are willing
to enter into long-term
agreements with anybody.
The real question is whether
the U.S. is interested. It is
the U.S. that needs to make a
decision, not the USSR. You
ask if we prefer U.S. grain.
We prefer what is available.
How can we prefer what is
not available? The reasons
for lifting the embargo
should be determined eco
nomically, not politically.
You know the reasons for the
embargo; they are in your
country, not somewhere
else.”
Someone asked about Af
ganistan. The speaker
smiled and said he never
heard of it. Then he claimed
immunity from that subject,
since he is just here to trade,
not talk politics.
After the Russians bent
our ears, we visited our own
state department and de
partment of agriculture. The
USDA people are eager to
have the embargo lifted, but
they work under the awk
ward handicap of little con
trol over this highly sensitive
agricultural issue.
An embargo is a technique
usually used to protect
against shortages at home
rather than a political tool.
However, when the Rus
UPER
UMMER
sale
OPEN
MONDAY - SATURDAY
10A.M. -6P.M.
887-6851
PRUITT S 23rd ANNIVERSARY - PRUITT S 23rd ANNIVERSARY
Easy
Terms
•ONE TABLE INFANT AND
TODDLER WEAR INCLUDING
SUNSUITS AND DRESS-UPS
*3.00 each.
•BOYS'NAME BRAND SHORTS
-Values to *B.OO. *2 - 3 - *4
pair.
ENTIRE STOCK
Ladies' Swimwear / 2 Price
County C mualo
3 Miles West of Cumming, Hwy. 20
(Formerly M&G Clothing)
"NAMES YOU KNOW, PRICES YOU'LL LOVE!"
sians moved into Afganistan
months ago, the embargo
and the Olympic boycott ap
peared as non-military tools
to apply pressure where it
hurt-economically.
The state department peo
ple understand the hardships
on the farmers, the busi
nesses that have lost con
tracts, the Olympic athletes
who deserted a dream and
the same difficulties our sup
porting allies have suffered
from the embargo and boy
cott.
Has it worked? The Rus
sians are still in Afganistan,
with no signs of packing for
home. The state department
people say the pressure was
not intended to force them
out, but to register strong
protest. In that sense, it has
succeeded.
So now what do we do?
Said one economist, “There
is no economic case for the
embargo. However, it wasn’t
imposed for economic or
farm policy, but for foreign
policy. We advocate elimina
tion as soon as possible on
foreign policy grounds.”
The U.S. is looking for a
signal, a change in attitude
from the Soviets. It doesn’t
have to be a policy change in
Afganistan, they say. It
could be in Poland, Africa,
South America.
As one official put it,
“We’re avoiding giving them
specific ultimatums on what
they must do, but there are
geographic areas where they
have some room to operate.”
In spite of the official Rus
sian line that the embargo
has not hurt, one of our So
viet hosts told me they are
eager to buy American
grain. It makes the best
vodka, he says, which they
can sell back to us at $lO a
bottle.
Spoken like a true capital
ist.
•BOVS' SHIRTS - Sizes 2-18,
values to *12.50. NOW *2 - 3
-*5 each.
•GIRLS' MAVERICK JEANS
-Summer pastel colors, sizes
2-14. NOW *7.49 pair.
I
■ ,
Presenting Ideas
Martb Johnson, craft director for Ben Franklin in Cumming,
was the guest speaker at the Chestatee Homemakers Club
meeting last week. She presented a number of easy and
original craft ideas.
Festival Begins Thursday
The seventh annual Dahlo
nega Bluegrass Festival will
begin Thursday and continue
through Saturday at the
Mountain Music Park on
Highway 60, just south of
Dahlonega.
Among this year’s enter
tainers will be the Osborne
Brothers, Doc and Merle
Watson and the Mayor and
Buford’
( FORTHE\
(kiddies)
The festival will begin with
a band contest Thursday at 6
p.m. that will continue until
all comers have performed.
The first place winner will
receive SI,OOO, plus a spot to
perform on the Friday’s line
up of musicians.
Second place will receive
S2OO and third place winner
will get SIOO.
•INFANT BOYS' DRESS-UP
SUITS. Vi ORIGINAL PRICE.
•INFANT GIRLS' DRESSES. Vi
ORIGINAL PRICE.
•ONE RACK - NAME BRAND
SHORTS AND TOPS - Sizes 6
months to 6T. NOW *2.00
each.
•ONE RACK "BILLY THE KID"
AND TODDLY WINK SHORTS
AND TOPS - Sizes 2 to 6.
*3.00 each.
•GIRLS' SHORTS AND TOPS
-Sizes 7-14. NOW *2 - *3 - *4
each.
•ONE RACK - GIRLS' PRE
TEEN SHORTS. NOW Vi
PRICE.