Newspaper Page Text
ItARLY-COUNTY NEWS, THURSDAY, JAN. 8, 1969
EARLY COUNTY NEWS
Official Organ of Blakely and Early County
BLAKELY, GEORGIA 31723
W. H. FLEMING PUBLISHER-EDITOR
W. W. (BILLY) FLEMING BUSINESS MANAGER
Published Every Thursday By the Early County News.
Entered at the Post Office in Blakely, Ga., as Second Class
matter under Act of March 3, 1879.
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—MEMBER—
GEORGIA PRESS ASSOCIATION
NATIONAL PRESS ASSOCIATION
i
Gov. addox
Report^lj^ People
Atlanta (PRN)- Just as I
thank God for allowing me to
serve Him and my fellow
Georgians as your Governor, I
express to you my deep
appreciation for the prayers
and support you have given
me.
I ask you to continue to
lend your support as we turn
our eyes to the approaching
decade of the Seventies, filled
with yet
unknown ■i|||F
victories B
and defeats,
triumphs
and heart
breaks.
As we
turn to
greet 1970, Hk
let us dedicate ourselves to
making even greater strides
toward realizing the true
potential of this great state.
But let us not forget that
even in the face of the
triumphs of 1969, there are
ills plaguing mankind that we
must continue to fight.
We have accomplished
many marvelous things during
this year, and we stand in awe
each day as we read of a new
achievement by man. The
world is indeed full of
wonders, but we must press
forward to make tomorrow an
even better day.
As we seek His guidance for
the trying days we will face
during the new year, let us
also give thanks for His past
blessings, and the courage we
have derived from His word.
1969 has been a year of
pride and achievement, a time
we should recall as a preview
of the wonders we are capable
of performing. We see in
retrospect the way God has
led us, and how He has helped
us.
Let us journey into 1970
with optimism, with charity,
and with the hope that we
remain worthy of His
blessings.
For there is much work left
to be done, and it will take the
assistance and example of
Jesus to accomplish the tasks
that lay out ahead of us.
1970 can be an even greater
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year for Georgia, bringing even
greater leaps forward and
greater prosperity for our
citizens.
This State has unlimited
potential, and so far, we have
only tapped a small protion of
the energy and bountiful
resources that are within us
all.
Georgians are a great
people, full of the patriotism,
vitality, good will, and healthy
spirit that have made America
what it is today: the mightiest
nation the earth has ever
known.
We can preserve this
patriotism, this pride, and this
spirit if we, as Christians, will
resolve to face each day with
devotion and renewed
dedication to God, our
families, this great United
States, and our precious
heritage of freedom.
Yes, 1969 has seen Georgia
and her wonderful people
move forward. In the past
three years, dollars for new
and expanded industry have
reached the one 'billion, 400
million mark, and every dollar
is providing more jobs and
greater opportunities for
citizens. I am confident that
the figure will top two billion
dollars before the new year
fades into 1971.
Each day finds new
construction sprouting across
our State, as businesses
discover Georgia’s excitement
and promise and build their
plants and factories on our
soil.
They are discovering that
Georgia is a State on the go --
friendly, hospitable, an ideal
place to raise a family.
Let us ask God to give us
the wisdom and guidance to
begin. And let us pray for His
help to move our nation back
to freedom, peace, and sanity.
With his leadership and love, it
can be done.
1970 will present new and
greater challenges for us all.
Let the greatest task before us
be this revival, this rebirth,
this restoration of our souls,
and the soul of our nation.
God bless each of you.
Happy New Year.
MARVIN
GRIFFIN
THE PRINCIPLE OF
RIGHT TO WORK
Georgia is one of the 25 states of
the Union where laws guarantee
the citizens the right to work.
If the tenets of freedom and
personal liberty are perpetuated,
then this great
' " % principle
i jL must be jeal
ously guarded.
Those who
^ or k for
wages, and
■■ wish to join a
mHL TL Bp union should
'have that privilege,
and those who do not wish
to join should not be denied the
right to work, and should have
the same privileges, benefits and
emoluments as any other em
ployee. To rule otherwise would
be to deny the working Georgian
a right to make a living for his
family.
I get a little upset when I hear
union leaders say they will either
organize a local industry, or they
will close it down. Not many of
these union leaders have any real
interest in the welfare of the
community, but are primarily
interested in swelling the
membership of union labor so
that more dues will inure to the
benefit of labor coffers.
A union fight on organizing a
local industrial plant is fought
with many heartbreaks and
much grief. It pits neighbor
against neighbor, and if the in
dustry survives, it leaves scars
that remain down through
generations. If the industry does
not survive, then those who
brought on the catastrophe are
marked in the community for the
rest of their days.
The pitiful part of the entire
procedure is the fact that those
from outside who promote the
strife are never those who put up
the money and the time and the
effort to encourage the location of
a new industry or business in the
community. They pay no taxes
and they pay no local
assessments for industrial
development. Those who have
worked tirelessly to get new
industry have done so because
they have an unselfish desire to
see the community grow and
make progress. The establish
ment of new businesses means
more job opportunities for our
people. New businesses mean our
local people will have a better
chance to work for wages.
THEY ARE ALL
OUR PEOPLE
An election will be held
January 6 at a local industry to
determine the status of the union
in the business. The promoters of
the election are outsiders, but the
employees are all Georgians who
live in this section of our state.
There are some employees for
unionization of the plant and
there are many against it. This is
a case of one set of Georgians
against another. This is a
regrettable situation, and
regardless of the outcome the
community loses.
I had a number of these
situations when I was Governor,
and in each and every instance I
found that the procedure left
scars in the community.
I had a firm and a fixed rule of
action. As Governor I refused to
take sides in the controversy, but
where Georgians were con
cerned, none would be denied a
job regardless of the outcome.
One segment of Georgians cannot
be subjected to unfair treatment
at the hands of another, union or
no union.
I feel that I have a right to
speak my mind on the election at
hand at the local industry on
January 6. Despite ridicule and
unwarranted criticism I built the
state docks to promote new in
dustry along the banks of the
Flint River, which the Atlanta
newspapers described as 200
miles of “sluggish red river
water and mud”. It was these
dock improvements that became
attractive to the establishment of
new industry, and this includes
the local industry under fire at
this time. I did not spend the
taxpayers’ money to enhance the
pockets of any organization or
individual, but the improvements
were made for the welfare of all
our people.
I hope those who are promoting
the union election locally will
keep in mind that the job op
portunities were put there for
their benefit, and if by their
action the opportunities are
removed, they will certainly be
the losers.
Bainbridge and Decatur
FROM
OUR
FILES
25 YEARS AGO
(From the issue of Jan. 11, 1945.)
MRS. VIRGINIA WILLIAMS,
78, widow of the late Mr. Tobe
Williams, died late Friday morn
ing at 6:45 o’clock at the home
of her daughter, Mrs. Milton
Bryant, with whom she lived.
Mrs. Williams was ill two weeks.
♦ ♦♦♦
FIRST SERGEANT Lane
Spence, of the U. S. Army, sta
tioned somewhere in the Dutch
East Indies, and his brother,
Carl Spence, of the U. S. Navy,
on duty in the Pacific, recently
met somewhere in the South
west 'Pacific and spent a day
together, they wrote their pa
rents, Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Spence.
***♦
FUNERAL SERVICES were
held at the New Hope Baptist
Church, in this county, Sunday
afternoon at 2 o'clock, for Mrs.
Minnie Bruner Moody, former
Early county lady, who died early
Friday morning at her home in
Jacksonville, Ga.
DR. W. H. WALL, of Blakely,
State Senator Ninth district, and
Clark Mosely, of Jakin, Repre
sentative, are in Atlanta in at
tendance upon the session of the
General Assembly which was
convened Monday.
♦ ♦♦♦
MR. AND MRS. R. W. Mc-
Lendon, of Cedar Springs, Ga.,
announce the marriage of their
daughter, Myrtle, to Cecil B.
Hamilton, of Madisonville, Ky.
County are badly in need of more
jobs with more payrolls, and this
seems to me to be an inept time to
rock the boat. If we are making a
little progress, why jeopardize it
with precipitate action?
FERTILIZER INDUSTRY
IS SICK BUSINESS
I am concerned about the
election next Tuesday, January 6,
designed to unionize Kaiser
Agricultural Chemical Cor
poration’s plant here. The
election presents a potential
economic hazard to our com
munity. The chemical fertilizer
concerns in this nation, and
specifically in this section, have
suffered severe economic losses
during the past few years. To
those who doubt the veracity of
the statement, let me hasten to
point out that many chemical
fertilizer plants of big cor
porations have had to close due to
losses, and in the Kaiser system
itself, the Chemical Division has
had to close two of its facilities.
One was a distribution point in
southern Florida, and the other
was a manufacturing and mixing
facility at Hutchinson Island,
Georgia, which is in the
Savannah Metropolitan area. The
Hutchinson Island plant was very
similar in size and operation to
the Bainbridge plant. I am not
saying the Hutchinson Island
facility was closed because it was
unionized for it is difficult to
determine just what factors enter
into the closing of a facility.
However, I will say the Hut
chinson Island Kaiser plant
closed down because it could not
meet the cost of operation, and it
was a union plant.
There is only one yard stick to
use in measuring the existence of
any industrial facility: “Can it
operate efficiently without work
stoppages and interruptions, and
do so with a margin of profit for
those who have invested then
money in the enterprise?”
One old rural preacher ex
pressed it best when he told his
congregation: “When your outgo
exceeds your income, your
upkeep will be your downfall”.
Carnival and circus men call it
“lifting the nut". Income must be
greater than expenses to “lift the
nut”.
WILL WE BE
NEXT TO FALL?
I do not intend here to express
an opinion for or against unions
as such. My concern stems en
tirely from the particular
situation which exists at the
Kaiser plant here in Bainbridge,
Decatur County, Georgia.
I am concerned for the friends
and neighbors who are employed
at the local Kaiser plant, and
earn their meat and bread there.
This may be a selfish attitude,
but I do i.ot want to see anything
happen there that would con
tribute to the closing of the plant,
and throw our local folks out of a
job. In short, if precipitate action
is taken, will we be the next to
close down and lose job op
portunities to which our people
are justly entitled? Nothing has a
sour smell quite like a vacant
industrial plant.
50 YEARS AGO
(From the issue of Jan. 8, 1920.)
THE Early County Democra
tic Executive Committee has set
the date for the county primary
as of February 17.
****
THE City Council, in its Jan
uary meeting Tuesday night, e
lected the following officers: W.
W. Fleming, city clerk; L. C.
Hobbs, marshal and superinten
dent of streets; H. J. Strother,
of Greenville, Ala., as superin
tendent of the water, light, ice
and cold storage department; J.
J. McLendon, ice and cold stor
age manager; M. B. Murkerson,
sexton.
****
MISS MAY BROOKS, of Blak
ly, and Mr. Edward W. M.
Griner, of Hinesville, were mar
ried on Christmas Day-
MISS RUTH FREEMAN, tea
cher of music at Newton, spent
from Friday until Sunday in the
city with home folks.
♦♦♦♦
MISS EUNICE TALLEY had
as her guest Tuesday Miss Lu
cile Harrison, of Arlington.
MRS. W. E. BOSTWICK and
Miss Lillian Rambo, of Arling
ton, were guests of Mrs. C.M.
Baggs Tuesday.
♦♦♦♦
MR. AND MRS J. D. TYSON,
of Route 4, announce the birth
of a daughter on January 6.
75 YEARS AGO
(From the issue of Jan. 10, 1895.)
MR. T.F. CORDRAY is again
connected with the Blakely
Variety Works. The firm name
is now, Willis, Cole & Cordray.
THE Methodist church was fill
ed to overflowing last Sunday to
greet the new pastor, Rev. J. W.
Arnold.
MR. Z. J. LEWIS and Miss
Ola Smith were married at the
home of the bride’s parents,
Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Smith, in
the Cuba settlement, last Wed
nesday. Rev. W. McDonald of
ficiated.
♦***
MR. J. W. HOWARD and Miss
Julia Toole were united in mar
riage at the home of the bride
in the 26th district last Sunday,
Judge J. B. Chancy officiating.
*♦♦♦
MR. MORRIS TIFT, of Albany,
was in town this week.
♦♦♦♦
MR. W. J. OLIVER and family
are leaving this week for Una
dilla, Ga., to make their home.
****
THE NEW City Council took
over last Monday, Judge G. D,
Oliver succeeding Col. W. A.
Jordan as Mayor and Messrs.
J. C. Chancy and T. F. Jones
succeeding Judge Oliver and Mr.
R. W. Davis as Councilmen. Mes
srs. Chipstead, Hand and Strick
land continue in office as Coun
cilmen.
****
NEW CITY OFFICERS elect
ed by Council include Mr. C.E.
Stuckey as marshal, Mr. A.M.
Irwin as policeman, and Mr.
W. H. Alexander as clerk.
Women over 35 are more stable
workers than men, according to
a Public Health Service survey
which showed less than four per
cent changed jobs in one year
while six percent of the men went
to other positions.
CONDENSED STATEMENT OF CONDITION
AT THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS, DECEMBER 31, 1969
ASSETS LIABILITIES
Loans & Discounts $3,840,926.69 Capital Stock $200,000.00
Overdrafts 11,426.43 Surplus • 300,000.00
Bonds 1,448,683.33 Undivided Profits 193,134.38
Capital Stock, Bank Bldg. 75,000.00 Reserves 100,000.00
Other Real Estate 650.00 Deposits 6,431,077.09
Furniture & Fixtures 12,261.38 Unearned Intrest 164,248.76
Cash & Due From Banks 2,107,986.23 Other Reserves 108’474,83
Other Assets 1.00
$7,496,935.06 $7,496,935.06
Member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Maximum Insurance of $20,000.00 for Each Depositor
WE INVITE YOUR ACCOUNT
eMtMBER FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
First State Bank
OF BLAKELY * *
YOU ALWAYS COME FIRST AT THE FIRST STATE
i^ag?
By SSG H. R. Lesieur
Looking for Daniel Boone or
Davey Crockett? You’ll find them
in the U.S. Army, today’s U.S.
Army. Private Daniel Boone and
Private David Crockett both re
cently took basic training at Fort
Knox, Kentucky. Both met for
the first time at the induction
center inDetroit. Their home
towns are in Michigan, Boone
from Ypsilantt, and Crockett
from Three Oaks- Neither men
are related to the famed Ameri
can pioneers. Anyone seen Kit
Carson?
****
FACTS FROM THE VA
Here are a few facts from
our friends at the Veterans Ad
ministration that we think you’ll
find of interest. Did you know,
for instance, that nearly half
of the nation’s population is com
prised of veterans and their de
pendents? And that more than
95 million pieces of mail are
received annually from veterans
and their dependents? The fol
lowing bit of information might
not come as a surprise - the
most common name among vete
rans is Smith.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
Besides wearing the same uni
form, there is one thing that the
youngest private to the most
decorated general have in com
mon - they both receive their pay
checks from the same place.
That place is the Army Finance
Center at Fort Benjamin Har
rison, Indiana. During the fis
cal year 1968, more than $4
billion in checks were dis
bursed, not only for pay but
for allotments, claims, with
holding tax, transportation and
other items. The work is done
by some 4,000 employees, all
Civil Service workers with the
exception of 70 Army personnel.
They operate business machines,
or work as allotment clerks,
computer programers, and hun
dreds of other jobs- Speed and
accuracy are essential. Pay,
after all, is an important morale
booster for Army people around
the world. Every effort is made
to provide allotments and pay
checks on schedule. And speak
ing of Army finance, if you would
like to become part of this pro
gram, why not drop by and see
us. We may have a career for
you.
HELPING HAND FOR WALTER
REED
Fifteen dollars might not seem
like a great deal of money for
most of us, but it represents
a lot of time, effort and honest
good will for the sixth graders
of Shawnee, Kansas- The stu
dents molded and painted plas
ter of Paris American eagles
and sold them as pins, neck
laces and other items to raise
money for patients at the Wal
ter Reed Army Hospital in Wash
ington. “The students gave the
money with patriotism in mind
and asked that it be put to good
use for the patients, their tea
cher said. Brig General Fed
eric J. Hughes, Jr., Walter Reed
Commander, commended the stu
dents and said the money would
be used to buy something for the
enjoyment of the patients. Pa
triotism, it seems, is not dead.
♦ ♦♦♦
LEWIS LLEWELLYN
Pro-God Activism
Punishable?
Naming Mr. and Mrs. Middle
America as "Man and Woman
of the Year,” Time magazine
says, "The Supreme Court had
forbidden it, but they prayed
defiantly in a school in Net
cong, N. J., reading the morn
ing invocation from the ‘Con
gressional Record.’ ”
The statement made by
“Time” is inaccurate. The Su
preme Court has never ruled
that the reading of the invoca
tion from the “Congressional
Record” is unconstitutional.
However, it is well known that
many school boards have sought
away to have prayer in school
and stay within the bounds of
the court’s rulings—believing
that the court’s decisions in this
area have been incorrect, but
also believing that the decisions
have the force of law.
“Free Exercise” of Religion
In Leyden, Mass., the school
committee adopted a policy
which stated, "On each school
day, before class instruction be
gins, a period of not more than
five minutes shall be available
to those teachers and students
who may wish to participate
voluntarily in the free exercise
of religion as guaranteed by our
U. S. Constitution. This freedom
of religion shall not be ex
pressed in any way which will
interfere with others’ rights.”
However, after a very short
time, Massachusetts Attorney
General Robert H. Quinn ruled
that this practice was un
constitutional.
The absurd lengths to which
some officials will go was dem
onstrated recently in Fremont,
Calif., when an 18-year-old high
school student was punished for
talking to his class-mates about
God.
OUR SERVICEMEN
Wendell Widener
serves at Calif,
marine base
Twentynine Palms, Calif- —
Marine Private First Class Wen
dall Widner, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Durell Widner of Route 1, Damas
cus, Ga., is serving at Marine
Corps Base, Twenty-Nine Palms,
Calif.
The base, located between the
Mojave and Colorado Deserts, is
the largest Marine Corps base
in the world.
It provides Marines with artil
lery and missile ranges-
NEVER TOO LATE
A man returned a spoon to
the mess hall at Fort Sill, Okla.
29 years after he had made off
with it in what must have seem
ed to him a moment of madness.
The intervening years apparent
ly weighed heavily on his cons
cience, and he returned it by
mail, anonymously, wrapped in
cotton. The spoon was of the
type used around 1940. If this
The young people had eaten
their lunches and were waiting
for the afternoon classes to be
gin, when a teacher overheard
this boy telling other students
about his faith in God.
The teacher took the young
man to the principal, who sus
pended him from school. The
charge was that he had violated
the educational code, which pro
hibits teaching or instruction
of any sectarian or denomin
ational religious doctrine in
school. This has been inter
preted to exclude any teaching
about God.
“Pro-God Activism”
Criticized for his “pro-God
activism,” the boy was told not
to return to school until he and
his parents would guarantee that
he would never again talk about
God in school.
Later, he was exonerated
when it was determined that his
talking about God was not
“teaching” or “instruction”
within the meaning of the edu
cational code.
But the fact that such a pre
posterous charge would even be
seriously considered is cause
for concern.
How far we have wandered
from the principles of our found
ing fathers, who set God and the
Bible always in the place of
prominence as their guiding
lights!
How far some of our edu
cators and legislators are from
acknowledging that “the fear of
the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom”!
What are you doing to restore
the nation to the proper course
of action in this area? Are you
making your influence felt on
the side of God and righteous
ness?
We need more people devoted
to “pro-God activism.”
Joe Sheffield
completes AF
training course
Airman First Class Joe M.
Sheffield, Jr., son of Mr. and
Mrs. Joe M. Sheffield, Sr., of
Blakely, has graduated at Kees
ler AFB, Miss., from the train
ing course for U. S. Air Force
radio repairmen.
Airman Sheffield, trained to
install and repair special radio
equipment, is returning to his
Alabama Air National Guard unit
at Dothan.
The airman, a 1967 graduate
of Early County High School, at
tended Middle Georgia College
and is a member of Phi Theta
Kappa.
starts a trend, the Army may
find itself deluged with utensils,
equipment and war supplies long
outmoded in this jet age. Maybe
at this point “forgive and forget'
might be the better part of wis
dom. P. S. The spoon was re
turned to the mess hall for use.