Newspaper Page Text
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THE COVINGTON NEWS
118 - 122 PACE STREET, COVINGTON, GA. -30209
BELMONT DENNIS
Editor and Publisher
LEO S. MALLARD
Assistant to Publisher
OFFICAL ORGAN OF
NEWTON COUNTY
AND THE
CITY OF COVINGTON
A growing and expanding New
ton County vitally needs a county
health center and additional
school facilities to adequately
serve the health and educational
-needs of our people.
§ On Wednesday, March 24,
Severy registered voter in our
^county will have an opportunity
2to vote on two separate bond
issues:
S (1) a $ 50,000 bond issue for
3the purpose of providing funds
|to be applied toward the cost of
^acquiring, constructing and
^equipping a health center for
Newton County and relatedfacili
-ties useful or desirable in con
jliection therewith, and (2) a
: SIOO,OOO bond issue by the New
ton County School District for the
purpose of providing funds to pay
: the cost of acquiring, construct
• ing, and equipping school build
' ings and facilities useful in con
. nection therewith, adding to, im
proving, renovating, repairing
and equipping existing education
al facilities of the Newton County
School District, including the ac
quisition of transportation facili
ties and educational aids and ap
: paratus, acquiring the necessary
: property therefor, both real and
: personal, and paying expenses
incident to accomplishing the
: foregoing.
These two bond issues have
: been endorsed by the Covington
: Newton County Chamber ofCom
• merce and most of the civic
: clubs of the county. The mem
j bers of these organizations have
This is the time of year when
• your Easter Seal Society asks
: you to help crippled children
• and adults in Georgia.
Because of your past sup
j port, your Georgia Easter Seal
: Society operates Rehabilitation
: Centers in Atlanta and Albany,
• a vocational center in Augusta,
: physical and occupational thera
: py programs in Macon and Grif
:fin, the equipment loan service,
: which loans wheel chairs and
: other aids, family camp week-
Intimidation Next Door
i Lithonia Lighting of Conyers,
Jthe largest industry under one
jroof in the Newton-Rockdale
;area, is losing money daily as
striking workers, members of
: Local 613, International Brother
: hood of Electrical Workers, enter
: their ninth day on strike.
• This strike arose during the
:negotiations for a new contract.
jThe main point was wage dis
ipute. At the beginning union de
jmands were unreasonable--50
•cents per hour over the next two
:years. The company refused and
•the union countered with demands
:for 24 cents per hour over the
•same period. The union’s last de
jmand is for a two-year contract
^providing a total increase of 15
•cents per hour.
The company’s proposal is for
a three year contract granting in
jcreases of three cents per hour
•the first and second years, and
:four cents per hour the third
•year. The Union refused.
Lithonia Lighting has a union
out of necessity. Throughout the
country union electricians will
not hang lights manufactured by
the company if the lights do not
bear a union label.
Presently, Lithonia Lighting is
£the highest paying industry in the
.Newton-Rockdale area. It is the
^highest paying lighting fixture
manufacturer in the South. Dur
ning the last five years, Lithonia
xLighting employees have re
ceived wage increases which ex
fceed by more than six times the
(Best Coverage: News, Pictures, and Features)
NATION AI EDITORIAL
- Published Every Thursday •
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Two Vital Bond Issues
It’s Easter Seal Time
MABEL SESSIONS DENNIS
Associate Editor
MARY SESSIONS MALLARD
Associate Editor
Entered at the Post Office
at Covington, Georgia, as
mail matter of the Second
Class.
for years pumped the life blood
of progress into the economic
veins of our county. These same
groups realize that Newton Coun
ty is not adequately prepared
even presently to cope with coun
ty health needs and our bulging
school enrollment.
With the completion of In
terstate 20 during the summer
of 1965 our county will experience
a boom in population, new busi
ness and industry. We must
provide now for funds to build
the facilities necessary to serve
our people and our citizens of
the future.
Flowing water cleanses it
self. Still water stagnates. Our
county has made much progress
in the early 1960*s and has
cleansed itself of many problems
of the past which have blocked
progress, progressive minded
citizens have themselves to thank
for our moves forward and we
feel that our people will once
more back up their faith in the
future of Newton County by voting
overwhelmingly in favor of the
health center bond issue and the
school bond issue on March 24.
We sincerely urge the regis
tered votes of Newton County not
to be indifferent concerning this
bond election. Your vote is need
ed in favor of these two bonds
as much as Newton County needs
the facilities that this bond money
can provide. We endorse the
passage of both bond issues and
urge you to join us in helping to
get them passed.
•H-a 4 ; tsrttr M* A
ends for families with physi
cally handicapped youngsters and
many other services.
The Easter Seal Society con
tinues to need your help. Take
the first step with a gift to
Easter Seals.
Send your check to:
% C. G. Henderson, Newton
County Easter Seals Trea
surer,
Bank of Covington
Covington, Georgia
cost of living increase establish
ed for the greater Atlanta area.
Company officials have told us
that the nucleus of the strike
leadership has been provided by
employees from Covington and
Porterdale. This is indeed sur
prising.
We feel that these are reason
able people, and yet, we also feel
that they do not realize the extent
to which this strike can go.
Lithonia Lighting will lose money
because of this strike and what
ever increase in wages that may
be gained by the union. But,
company losses will be small
compared to losses that the in
dividual worker will receive. We
speak not only of money, but of
dignity.
Benefits received from negoti
ating out of fear, intimidation,
and threatening phone calls will
not pay the bill for lawlessness,
broken friendships, and loss of
personal dignity. These scars
will remain among our people
long after union bosses have col
lected your dues, choked local
industry a little more and ham
pered potential growth, and left
the picket lines at Lithonia Light
ing.
Violence from union activity is
new to this area. Violence is not
new to the IBEW Union. I am
speaking of physical beatings,
threats to kill, threats of harm by
hard-core unionists to children of
workers who continue to cross the
picket lines, Tocks thrown
THE COVINGTON NEWS
OUR WEEKLY LESSON FOR
Sunday School
DANGERS OF
SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS
Devotional Reading: Matthew
23:1-12.
Memory Selection: Whoever
exalts himself will be humbled,
and whoever humbles himself
will be exalted. Matthew 23:12.
Intermediate-Senior Topic:
How Real Is Your Faith?
Young People-Adult Topics
Dangers of Self-Righteousness.
Often Christian believers have
an image of Christ that is not
justified. They regard him as a
soft-spoken, tender person who
went about saying just the right
word of encouragement, healing
the sick, and never being hard
on anyone.
Jesus did spend his life doing
good. He did have marvelous
words of encouragement for those
who needed them. He did have
an immeasurable tenderness for
those in any sort of distress. But
on certain occasions he could also
be — and was —a violent figure.
When his anger was aroused it
was indeed fearful to behold.
Gathering a few strands of rope,
he drove the merchants and
money-changers from the temple.
He called them thieves, and thiev
es Indeed these moneychangers
were, for they made a practice
of scraping coins to get a little
gold or silver therefrom, thus
robbing the person who had the
coin.
We see Jesus today In a lesson
setting forth his Immeasurable
contempt for the leaders of
Israel’s religious life. The
Pharisees had started out a brave
group of men resisting the en
croachments of pagan religion,
determined to keep Israel and its
faith in Jehovah free from out
side contamination. With the
passing of time, however, the
order of the Pharisees became
spiritually dead, or at least mori
bund (dying).
Jesus found these men in charge
of the whole religious life of his
day. He assailed the Pharisees
and their colleagues, the oily
scribes (writers, scholars,
teachers of religion), for the
deadening effect they had on the
souls of the multitudes to whom
they ministered.
Jesus called the scribes and
Pharisees hypocrites, or actors.
In those days actors wore a
mask. The Pharisees had masks
signifying their piety and devo
tion to religion with which they
covered their cold hearts, their
bitter spirits, and their disre-
through windshields, shotgun
blasts into homes in the middle
of the night, sliced tires, acid
thrown on workers, and home
bombings. These things are in
the history of the IBEW in Gad
sden, Ala., Carrollton, Ga., Ath
ens, Ga., Chicago, 111., and other
plants around the country.
Newton County workers at Li
thonia Lighting, will you have a
part in bringing these things to
How much does a strike cost you?
If you are an employee in a manufacturing firm who takes home
(after all deductions) S6O a week, and . . .
IF THE STRIKE LASTS / 20 it will take you 1 Year and 23 Weeks
. I 40 it will take you 33 Weeks
| \A/pp|( \ it will take you 25 Weeks
। 80 it will take you 19 Weeks
and your hourly gain is . . .\ 100 it will take you 15 Weeks
I 160 it will take you 9 Weeks
/ 20p it will take you 7 Weeks
* to make up for pay lost.
IF THE STRIKE LASTS / 20 it will take you 5 Years and 40 Weeks
| 40 it will take you 2 Years and 46 Weeks
/I \A/Of^KC I Gp it will take you 1 Year and 43 Weefts
w| || t2ke you j Y ear a nd 23 Weeks
and your hourly gain is .. .< 100 it will take you 1 Year and 8 Weeks
i 160 it will take you 38 Weeks
/ 200 it will take you 30 Weeks
' to make up for pay lost.
IF THE STRIKE LASTS / 20 it will take you 14 Years and 22 Weeks
| 40 it will take you 7 Years and il Weeks
10 \ 60 it wiH take y° u 4 Years and 42
IVZ jt w j|| take y OU 3 Years and 31 Weeks
and your ncurly gain is .. .\ 100 it will take you 2 Years and 46 Weeks
1 160 it will take you 1 Year and 42 Weeks
I 200 it will take you 1 Year and 23 Weeks
’ to make up for pay lost.
IF THE STRIKE LASTS / 2 * * w' ll take > OJ 2 * Years and 24
| 40 it will take you 10 Years and 43 Weeks
1 111 c \ 50 it will take you 7 /ears and 11 Weexs
I ) 3? ; t wi|| tak2 you 5 Years and 21 Weeks
and your hourly gain is .. .\ 100 it will take you 4 Years and 17 Weeks
I 160 it will take you 2 Years and 37 Weeks
I 200 it will take you 2 Years and 9 Weeks
’ to make up for pay lost.
if the STRIKE LASTS wi " take you 23 Years and 44 Weßks
I 4c it will take you 14 Years and 22 Weeks
O \k! C"* Ol< C 1 G 0 it will take you 9 Years and 32 Weeks
WCCao 1 Bp it w ; |( take you 7 Years and 11 Weeks
and vour honrlv pain is .. .< 10c it will take you 5 Years and 40 Weeks
(16c it will take you 3 Years and 32 Weeks
200 it will take you 2 Years and 46 Weeks
to make up for pay lost.
gjrd for human suffering.
The first accusation Jesus
made against them was that they
shut the kingdom of heaven against
men, neither going in themselves
nor suffering others to enter.
Modern parents whose reli
gious sternness and sterility turn
their children against religion
are to be classed with these
misguided leaders.
Furthermore, the scribes and
Pharisees were dishonest, and
cruelly so. In ancient times the
widow was a helpless figure.
Often the scribes and Pharisees
did not hesitate to thrust the
weak and pitiful widows aside,
devouring their houses and pos
sessions, then for a pretense
uttering long prayers.
This was evil at its worst,
and Jesus declared that nfen
who did these things, adding dis
honesty and cruelty to the falsity
and spiritual deadness of their
lives, would receive the greater
damnation.
Also he denounced the "mis
sionary” efforts of the scribes
and Pharisees who compassed
sea and land to make one pro
selyte, and having done so, "ye
make him twofold more a son of
hell than yourselves.”
These were the words of a
man furiously angry, and such
Jesus could be and was on several
occasions.
He was all gentleness when
gentleness was indicated. He
laid his hand on the sick and the
weak, and no doubt gave them
a smile along with healing and
encouragement. But when he
encountered brazen men essen
tially false in every aspect of
their lives who used their posi
tion and power to exploit the
weak, Jesus’ anger knew no
bounds.
In those moments of intense
anger Jesus was glorious to be
hold. Probably all of us wish
we might have been there to hear
his words, to see the flash in
his eye, and to observe the cour
age with which he handled these
false and cruel men.
There are plenty of occasions
for the modern Christian to be
angry. Let us not go about with
soft-spoken words when denun
ciation is Indicated. Let us not
revere position when position
hides villainy. There are people
in the world today — some pre
tending to be religious and others
scoffing at religion — who treat
their fellows like dirt under their
feet. They need, to use a modern
slang expression, to have the fin-
our area? Some of the above
things have already happened
during this dispute over wages.
You the employees will pay the
cost far more than your com
pany. The gains you receive
will take weeks, months, and
years to be realized. The scars
being made on your community
may never heal.
We urge you to think carefully
about the facts that are facing
you in the table below:
(Our AdvertiAtrs Are Aeaured of Best Results) Thursday, March 18, 1965
ger put on them.
It is interesting to note that
Jesus did not accuse the scribes
and Pharisees of making con
verts, for that would have in
volved changing men’s lives and
outlook. He accused them of
compassing sea and land to make
proselytes, or partisans. Real
goodness of heart meant nothing
to these scribes and Pharisees.
When they added another to the
roll of their followers they were
only getting ready for more cruel
and devastating plunder.
Casuistry is an alleged form of
reasoning which by the false
application of moral principles
attempts to justify the doing of
evil.
There was great discussion In
our Lord’s day about what con
stituted a valid oath. The scribes
and Pharisees had worked out a
subtle and sinister system
whereby one could He out
rageously and get away with it.
If a man swore by the temple,
it was nothing; but if he swore
by the gold of the temple, he was
a debtor. "Ye fools and blind,”
cried Jesus; "for whether Is
greater, the gold, or the temple
that sanctlfleth the gold?” It
was the temple, the house of
God, which was sacred, not the
money on which the scribes and
Pharisees cast covetous eyes.
"And, whosoever shall swear
by the altar, it is nothing; but
whosoever sweareth by the gift
that Is on it, he is guilty.” This
was more of the same falseness.
The altar sanctified the gift, not
the gift the altar. What made
both temple and altar sacred was
their association with the one
true God.
That gentle art of evasion
whereby men try to hide the truth
and pursue their devious ways of
cruel selfishness by the twisting
of words has not passed from
our midst. There are people
today who can play this evil
trick as skillfully as any scribe
or Pharisee could play it. Some
times these people are actually
to be found in the church. More
often they are out in the world,
which pays scant respect to Christ
and his teachings. One of the
things upon which the scribes
and Pharisees depended most
was the reverence people had
for their respectability. Many
an evil thief — as much a thief
as if he picked a pocket or
robbed a house — stood pom
pously on his respectability and
station, and twisted pledges, con
tracts, and every other factor In
life involving responsibility to his
own devious ends.
Jesus was a true and faithful.
Jew in all his religious prac-»
tlces. To him the law of Moses
was divine In origin and sacred
In the responsibility it laid upon
men. What Jesus rebelled
‘-THE GEORGIA = .
LEGISLETTER
—Ry Glenn McCullough
ATLANTA — The Georgia
General Assembly has met the
challenge of reapportioning the
House, but It won’t know until
April 4 whether three Federal
judges will stamp its work with
approval.
As 205 tired House members
and 54 Senators left Atlanta last
Friday after a 45-day session,
a hearty "well done” from
Governor Carl E. Sanders was
ringing in their ears. They had
not only reapportioned the House,
as directed by a court order,
but also had passed the
Governor’s $1,200,000 biennial
appropriations bill and a mass
of other constructive legislation.
The Reapportionment act, re
taining a 205-member House but
giving vastly increased voting
strength to Georgia’s urban coun
ties, was presented last Thurs
day afternoon to a panel of three
Federal judges, headed by Judge
Elbert Tuttle of the Fifth Circuit
Court of Appeals. A preliminary
hearing was held then, but Judge
Tuttle has informed attorneys for
the State that there is almost no
chance the court will render a
decision before early April.
There is an area of doubt as
to whether the court will approve
the plan inasmuch as there are
variances of as much as 31
per cent In the population of so me
of the House districts. But
Governor Sanders and House
leaders are hopeful that the Court
will construe the U. S. Supreme
Court’s "one man-one vote” dic
tum liberally.
Under the Reapportionment
plan, the 22 largest of Geor
gia’s 159 counties can muster a
bare majority in the House-104
of 205 votes. Fulton County will
have 24 Representatives, DeKalb
(plus Rockdale) 12; and Chatham
9. Yet counties in the 13,000-
20,000 population-range will still
have one Representative as be
fore.
If the three Federal judges
approve the General Assembly’s
work, it is expected that the
Democratic primary for a special
election for House seats will be
against was not the Mosaic law.
“One jot or one tittle shall in
no wise pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled” (Matt. 5:18). But
the scribes and Pharisees had
built up what they called the
“Tradition of the Elders,” the
decision of religious leaders as
to how the moral law was to be
put into operation. There was
nothing divine about this body of
rules, and for it and its authors
Jesus had supreme and unquali
fied contempt.
One requirement of all Jews
was that they give one-tenth of all
they had to the Lord. These
misguided leaders had gone so
far as to say that one had to
tithe such things as mint, anise,
and cummin, herbs used for
medicine and seasoning. They
carried their tithing require
ments to the ridiculous extent
of tithing their smallest potherbs.
There was neither religious value
in any of this nonsense nor any
true sincerity behind it.
Jesus did not completely dis
approve of the tithing of “mint
and anise and cummin.” He
probably felt that if he did so
— now that this silly require
ment was in operation—he might
qualify and perhaps injure the
sense men had of God’s right to
their possessions. But he did
declare that “law, judgment,
mercy and faith” are “weightier
matters.” These were the things
to be done, for they Involved the
practice of God’s law and re
flected God’s righteousness and
love.
There was a custom at that
time of straining all wine through
linen to avoid ceremonial pollu
tion by swallowing an unclean
Insect. Jesus simply laughed
at nonsense such as this. You
are so careful about gnats, he
said; how about the camels you
swallow?
This was one of the grotesque,
fantastic, and extravagant figures
by which Jesus taught a lesson.
Anybody could swallow a gnat,
but nobody on earth could swal
low a camel. Yet the scribes
and Pharisees swallowed evils,
were Indifferent to them, gave
themselves over to cruel and
dishonest practices, and these
things were as much greater than
the petty little ritualistic re
quirements as the camel is great
er than the gnat.
Watch out for big evils, warn
ed Jesus. Never get to the place
where you can tolerate them.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
thou that killest the prophets,
and stonest them which are sent
unto thee, how often would I have
gathered thy children together,
even as a hen gathereth her chic
kens under her wings, and ye
would not!”
Jesus had used these same
words before (Luke 13:34) andhe
repeats them now as he makes
his final farewell. He speaks
with tenderness and sorrow,
knowing that all his appeals have
been in vain.
This Jesus, who could become
so angry in the face of cruelty
and dishonesty, now weeps over
the city which he knows is plung
ing to its tragic end. He sor
rows for the whole city, even
those scribes and Pharisees
whose hypocrisy he has just de
nounced. His glance comes down
across the ages, taking in not
only the rejection of his grace
while he lived but the future
offenses of men who would re
fuse the offer of his mercy and
grace.
held April 21, the Republican
primary April 28, and the General
Election May 26.
If the court should reject the
plan, the judges might either im
pose a reapportionment plan of
their own design or leave it to
the General Assembly to revise
its work tn a special session
later this year.
** * *
In addition to the $1,200,000
appropriations bill to finance
State activities for the next two
years beginning June 30, the
General Assembly passed a mass
of other important legislation.
This included amendment of the
1963 auto inspection law to re
move its more objectionable fea
tures—particularly the pulling
of wheels to inspect brakes.
And the deadline for inspections
was moved from June 30 to Octo
ber 30.
After long debate both cham
bers agreed on a Metropolitan
Rapid Transit Authority bill.
This will enable the City of
Atlanta’s five counties to start
plans for a 66-mlle, $270,000,
000 rapid transit system to be
finished In 1980. Substantial
Federal aid is expected.
The General Assembly also
passed a bill which will Increase
the legal advertising rate charg
ed by Georgia newspapers from
$1.50 to $2.00 per 100 words—
the rate already charged in Ful
ton and DeKalb counties.
A "home rule” act for cities
will be proposed to the voters
In the next general election.
Passed by the House but still
pending in the Senate as this
is written is the so-called
"quickie marriage” bill which
would require a waiting period
of three days between the appro
priation for a marriage license
and its issuance.
In the same status was a House
passed bill to permit news media
to "cover” cases in juvenile
courts when the defendent was
charged with an offense which,
if he were an adult, would be a
felony. It was sponsored by
Rep. Maddox J. Hale of Dade
County.
.detteiA *7a
Editor
The Covington News
Covington, Georgia
Dear Mr. Mallard:
Newspaper people, like some
others perhaps get more criti
cism than commendation. Maybe
this indicates it is easier to
point out faults than to offer
praises.
In any event, I want to put in
writing what I have put in oral
expression several times. I
appreciate the good news cover
age you have given the news
items I have carried to you on
several topics.
Particularly do I wish to go
on record in conveying my thanks
for the excellent coverage you
have given the Rotary Club this
year. The news item and edi
torial in the March 11, 1965,
issue were excellent.
I am sure I express the opinion
of the entire Club in this ex
pression of appreciation.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely yours,
Dallas M. Tarkenton
Chairman, Program Com
mittee
Covington Rotary Club
Covington, Georgia
March 11, 1965
Covington News
Covington, Georgia
Dear Editor and Staff:
The Newton County Girl Scouts,
their leaders, and the neighbor
hood service team sincerely ap
preciate the fine publicity given
to them in commemorating the
fifty-third anniversary of Girl
Scouts.
Your continuing service in sup
porting the Girl Scout organi
zation, through superb articles
and editorials, serves as an in
spiration to all who aspire to
its growth and progress.
Sincrely,
Mrs. W. S. Cook, Jr.
My Neighbors
“I was hoping you’d ask me
about that.”
Times have changed. To
day a man pays a quarter to
park his car so he won’t be
fined two dollars while spend
ing a dime for a nickel cup
of coffee.
SEATBELTS 1
ARE
LIFEBELTS