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THE COVINGTON NEWS
118- 122 PACE STREET, COVINGTON. GA. 30209
BELMONT DENNIS
Editor and Publisher
LEO S. MALLARD p
Assistant to Publisher
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF
NEWTON COUNTY
AND THE
CITY OF COVINGTON
Often we have heard that two heads are better
than one. This is true in making a family decision
or running a business. Certainly it applies to a
business as large as the government of Newton
County.
In the past this county has made strides with a
single county commissioner elected by the people.
But, just as a business outgrows a single manager
of all departments, so has our county outgrown
the single county commissioner form of govern
ment, whoever the commissioner may be.
The Newton County Grand Jury has recommended
that action be taken in the 1967 General Assembly in
order to make it lawful for this question to be pre
sented to the people in the form of a referrendum.
The Representative - electof Newton County pro
mised the voters during his campaign that he would
introduce legislation to this effect in the January
session.
A multiple commission, be it three man or five
man, can best represent all the important interests
and sections of Newton County. The burden of
decision for a county this size is too great for any
one man to bear and be accountable for before the
people.
Business and industry is booming in Newton
County as never before and we have only seen
This newspaper has carried for many years a
column devoted to the thoughts and opinions of our
readers. The column is headed “Letter’s To The
Editor”, and it is set aside as a means of ex
pression for our readers who have ideas, praise, or
criticism that they wish to air publicly.
Often we are dismayed at the indifference of the
general public and their hesitation to use this column
to express their views for the good of their com
munity and this county. People of Newton County,
this is your newspaper and it will only be as good
as you help make it.
We do not intend to let this column be used as a
grinding stone for personal grudges or as a source
of embarrassment to the innocent, but we do en
courage and invite constructive letters dealing
with issues that are vital to our town and county.
We do require that all letters that appear in this
column be signed by the writer. If you feel strong
, enough about a subject to express yourself, we feel
that it is only fair to our readers and this news
paper that you stand behind your convictions. As a
newspaper we are responsible for all the copy that
appears on our pages.
We will reserve the right to refrain from print
ing any letter, signed or unsigned, that the man-
Newspaper Week And Freedom Os The Press
In observing National Newspaper Week in 1966,
the readers of newspapers should be reassured
by at least one substantial gain in the never-ending
fight for freedom of the press. That milestone
is the passage by Congress and the signing by the
President of the federal open records law. This
culminates a 12-year campaign by the press under
the leadership of that great friend of freedom,
Congressman Jolin E. Moss of Sacramento, Calif.
Henceforth the burden of defending secrecy will
be on those who would withhold information. Here
tofore the reporter has had to justify his right to
access.
This action once more reflects the eloquent
language of California’s open meeting law, the
Ralph M. Brown Act; “The people of this state
do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies
which serve them. The people, in delegating
authority, do not give their public servants the
right to decide what is good for the people to know
and what is not good for them to know. The people
insist on remaining informed so that they may re
tain control over the instruments they have
created.”
On the other side of this year’s ledger is the
Sheppard case in which the United States Supreme
Court reversed a 1954 Cleveland murder con
viction “since the state trial judge did not fulfill
his duty to protect Sheppard from the inherently
prejudicial publicity which saturated the com
munity and to control disruptive influences in the
courtroom. . .”
We now find press freedom in a head-to-head
confrontation with the right to fair trial.
There are those who would minimize this con
flict, but it is real and it is dangerous. In this
very decision the Supreme Court cited this lan
guage-.
“The principle that Justice cannot survive behind
Ours is a country that furthers its aims, as
well as its gains, by adhering to principles and
practices that recognize the importance of the
individual, his education and his freedom of thought
and speech. Coming at a time when most needed
by a grievously troubled world is the annual
AU Faiths National Bible Week, which will cele
brate its twenty-sixth observance the week of
October 17 through 23. Once again, it is being
sponsored by The Laymen’s National Committee,
Incorporated. The theme of this worthy cause is
“The Bible--Book of Wisdom and Truth.”
Never before in the history of mankind has it
Editorially We Endorse
(1) The election by the people of members of the Newton County Board of Education, and that
3s: such elected members appoint a County School Superintendent. $$
(2) The raising of funds and building of a new Newton County High School and the conversion
^5 of the present facility to a Newton County Junior High School.
JS (3) The placing of all elected officials of Newton County on a specified salary rather than a
fee system.
S? (4) A multiple county commission form of government for Newton County rather than a single
gig county commissioner.
(5) The installation of a public address system in the Newton County Superior Courtroom. s;■:
« NAT ION AL NEWSPAPER
j
— Published Every Thursday —
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Single Copies .10
Four Months -— $2.20
Eight Months $3.40
One Year $4.00
Points out of Georgia-Year _ $5.00
Plus 3% Sales Tax
Newton County Growth Colls For
A Multiple County Commission
Constructive Opinions Sought
National Bible Week
(Best Coverage: News, Pictures, and Features)
the beginning. With prosperity comes growth
at a rapid pace, and with growth comes increased
responsibility for the management of county govern
ment.
Newton County’s rapid growth calls for immediate
decisions on a day to day basis. These decisions
cannot please every citizen. Each decision must be
weighed as to its importance to the greatest number
of people and the economy of our area. No one man
should be asked to undertake such a gigantic re
sponsibility any longer.
It is not fair for any one elected official to be
called upon to shoulder such a burden for four years
and then be forced to face the people again at
election time.
We also contend that our county has grown to
the point where it is no longer in the best interest
of the people, business, and industry here to have the
government of Newton County entirely in the hands
of one county commissioner.
We therefore urge the people of Newton County to
support the move for a multiple county commission
and to vote in its favor when this referrendum is
presented to the people. We the people, business,
and industry in Newton County stand to gain from
a government managed by a multiple county com
mission.
agement of this newspaper does not consider to be
in the best interest of this community and Newton
County.
Constructive criticism and true facts will be
printeiL whether they concern this newspaper
or controversial issues. This column is intended
to be a voice of our readers and we sincerely
hope that they will use it in a manner that will
bring credit to them and this community.
We often talk with persons who are outspoken
on different issues until we ask them to write a
“Letter To The Editor’’ and sign it. Why should
this request stop enthusiastic support of a good
idea? A newapaper can not take a stand on every
significant happening in a community. Many times
things are overlooked without our knowledge. That
is why we need the thoughts and expression of
opinions from our readers.
We know that a newspaper is more interesting
to its readers when the readers themselves tyke
part in making the news. We feel that this also
applies to editorial comment. We invite your
comment and we suggest that you give it con
structively to this newspaper for publication in
our “Letter To The Editor” colujnn which is
carried each week on the editorial page.
walls of silence has long been reflected in the
‘Anglo-American distrust for secret trials’. . .A
responsible press has always been regarded as the
handmaiden of effective judicial administration,
especially in the criminal field. Its function in
this regard is documented by an impressive re
cord of service over several centuries. The press
does not simply publish information about trials but
guards against the miscarriage of justice by sub
jecting the police, prosecutors and the judicial pro
cess to extensive public scrutiny and criticism...”
Yet the reversal itself because of “inherently
prejudicial publicity” has had reverberations th
roughout the nation. Plice fear to question suspects,
let alone tell the inquiring reporter the pertinent
details about a crime. Prosecutors “dummy up”
rather than prejudice their own efforts by the
threat of reversal. Judges make arbitrary rulings
which close the channels of information and justify
it all by the Sheppard decision.
At the base of this is the lack of faith of the
courts in the integrity of its own people and in the
honesty of jurors. It may become tire duty of
the press to prove to the courts that in this day,
the uninformed man is so dangerously out of touch
with the mainstream of life that he is suspect--
and that a juror, even though prejudiced by pre
trial news coverage, can and will discard that
prejudice when so instructed by the court.
Meanwhile the press, the guardian of freedom,
must guard its own ways that the right to a
fair trial is not unnecessarily prejudiced by the
name-calling headline, or by the fruitless exploita
tion of information not admissible in the trial.
We who exercise the Freedom of the Press
in the name of the public must be ever worthy of
the trust imposed upon us.
been more important to return to a frequent
reading of tire Holy Scriptures. What is happening
to religious life in America? Why this rash
clamoring that God is dead? Have we allowed
ourselves to become so crassly materialistic that
in taking for granted the daily blessings given us
by Almighty God we have sold our birthright
for the proverbial mess of pottage? How can we
deny God’s very presence when life’s beauty and
wonder are forever around us? Let us keep ever
before us that Book of wisdom and of truth as a
basic guide for conduct between human beings.
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.
OUR WEEKLY LESSON FOR4
Sunday School
IN WHOM DO WE TRUST?
Devotional Reading; Psalms
52:1-19.
Memory Selection: They who
wait for the Lord shall renew
their strength, they small mount
up with wings like eagles, they
shall run and not oe weary,
they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40;31.
Intermediate - Senior Topic;
In Whom Do We Trust?
Young People-Adult Topic;
In Whom Do We Trust?
It is good for us to glance
at the lesson plan for the quarter
and so set our lesson for today
in its proper perspective.
In the present three-month
series we have eleven lessons
under the general subject
“Spokesmen for God.” These
spokesmen are two outstanding
prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah.
In some ways the books bearing
their names may be termed the
greatest of the prophetic liter
ature in the Old Testament.
This is the third of four les
sons from Isaiah. Then come
five on the prophecy of Jere
miah, after which there is a re
turn to Isaiah for the last of the
quarter and the season of Christ
mas.
The present lesson deals with
two kings of Judah, one of them
a very bad king and the other a
good king who “did that which was
right in the sight of the Lord”
in general, although he failed to
heed the advice of Isaiah In the
matter quoted in the lesson today.
Both of the kings considered
In this lesson were frantic about
the defense of Jerusalem In
emergencies that were about to
come upon them. In each case
Isaiah endeavored to turn their
thoughts from political and mili
tary defense to the only real
defense, which was trust in God.
Ahaz is the king in the first
and major part of our lesson to
day. He had almost outdone the
apostate kings of Israel, or the
Northern Kingdom, In his de
sertion of Jehovah and his wor-
| 7a 'Peafde 0^ cot yea |
Gov. Carl E. Sanders
When a natural disaster strikes
a community there is a grave
need for capable and well-train
ed men and women to assist re
sidents of the community. The
Georgia Office of Civil Defense,
under the direction of Major
General George J. Hearn, his
staff, and more than 12,500 vol
unteers throughout the state,
provides such aid.
The Civil Defense Office is
responsible for coordinating na
tural disaster operations within
the State and in evaluating da
mages and handling claims for
Federal disaster assistance.
Through the efforts of this
office there is a minimum of
suffering, casualties, and da
mage from hurricanes, tor
nadoes, coastal storms, floods,
fires, ice and snow storms, and
major accidents.
Any hurricane which may da
mage the Georgia Coastal Area
is carefully watched by capable
Civil Defense staff. When weat
her advisories indicate that a
hurricane will actually strike
the Georgia coast, the Civil De
fense machinery goes into op
eration to protect residents of
the area.
Georgia’s Civil Defense opera
tion is a well-organized and effi
cient program beginning with
State offices in Atlanta. There
are 156 active civil defense or
ganizations, county and city, th
roughout the State. Each organi
zation has highly trained vol
unteers to aid during an emer
gency.
THE COVINGTON NEWS
ship of idols in many forms and
the desecration of the temple of
God. It seems hard to under
stand how a king in “the line of
David-’ could depart so far from
the worship of Jehovah and the
law given by Moses, it seems
surprising that despite all his
wickedness God would send Ahaz
a message by the prophet.
We can certainly see from what
God did for Ahaz that it is of
the nature of the Almighty to
seek after even the worst of
sinners and call them back to
trust in Him.
The other king to whom the
prophecy in the latter part of
our lesson is delivered was Hez
ekiah. This prophet took God’s
message to him as a warning
not to trust in the military might
or a political alliance with Egypt
in the crisis that was upon him.
The title of our lesson is
“In Whom Do We Trust?’’ and
two examples from Hebrew his
tory are given to show that the
only one In whom we can trust
Is God.
This is a much-needed lesson
for nations and individuals in our
own day and age.
The occasion for the panic of
Ahaz and his court was that
Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah,
king of Israel, had formed an al
liance and hoped to attack Judah
and set a king of their own on
the throne in Jerusalem. This
was a rather strange con
federacy, as Israel and Syria
had often been at war. The king
of Israel, Pekah, is called “the
son of Remaliah,” probably in
derision or to show that he was
not of royal lineage.
Ahaz and his court were in a
state of great fear when they
heard of the impending invasion
and attack because Ahaz had for
merly suffered defeat from each
of these adversaries (II Chron.
28;5-6). Now from a coalition
of both forces he could hardly
expect anything but disaster.
The prophet Isaiah was sent
directly by God, before the In
vading forces had arrived, with a
The volunteers include some
thirty-five hundred reserve po
lice trained by the Georgia State
Patrol, forty-two hundred trained
firemen, and five thousand men
trained and active in rescue work.
Some communities without paid
fire departments depend entirely
upon these trained civil defense
firemen.
In addition to assisting in times
of major disaster, local civil
defense units are frequently call
ed on to aid in the search for lost
children and adults, to aid in the
recovery of drowned persons, to
fight forest and grass fires, to
search for lost aircraft, and to
direct traffic in case of accidents.
General Hearn, as the State
Natural Disaster Coordinator, is
also responsible for administer
ing the Federal Disaster Act.
During 1966 claims for damage
inflicted by Hurricane Dora in
Southern Georgia and floods in
Northeastern Georgia have re
sulted in a total of some $224,000
in Federal disaster assistance
being given to communities in
those areas.
Applications for more recent
flood damage in Middle and South
ern Georgia, totaling some 5236,
500 dollars, have also been ap
proved and communities involved
should receive payments during
the coming year.
Georgians owe a debt of grat
itude to the dedicated men and
women who give their service to
aid their fellow citizens during
times of emergency and to Major
General Hearn and his well
qualified staff who organize these
efforts.
(Our Advertisers Are Assured of Best Results)
Factory Labor
Turnover Shows
Increase In Aug.
Washington, D. C.—The hir
ing rate for factory workers
showed a large r-than-seasonal
increase in August, the U. S.
Department of Labor’s Bureau
of Labor statistics reported.
Total accessions rose to 48 per
1,000 workers (seasonally ad
justed), the highest rate for Aug
ust since 1952. New hires also
advanced moderately. Layoffs
declined over the month, reach
ing a low of 10 per 1,000 (seas
onally adjusted).
Greater-than-seasonal incre
ases in accessions were wide
spread. In the durable goods
industries, both lumber and fur
niture showed gains. New hiring
rates rose in the major metal
and metal-using industries as
temporary summer workers be
gan to leave.
The layoff rate declined sharp
ly in August, falling from 17
to 10 per 1,000 workers after
seasonal adjustment. This was
the lowest rate for an August
since 1950, but only slightly be
low the May 1966 rate of 11 per
1,000. This sharp rise and
then decline in the rate was due
to a shift in the auto industry’s
model changeover pattern. This
year the industry concentrated
its layoffs in June and July rather
than August.
The quit rate held constant
for the fourth successive month
at 25 per 1,000 workers (season
ally adjusted), its highest August
level since 1953.
Billboard Sign
Owners Are
Cooperating
ATLANTA—State Highway Of
ficials were all set to tear down
a billboard this week, complete
with pictures and stories of the
event in newspapers and on radio
and TV, but sign owners are re
moving their own signs and the
Highway Department has been left
with no signs to take down, and no
publicity - only congratulations
for the advertisers.
The officials said they had
hoped the publicity of their taking
down a sign would reach other
sign owners not so willing to
comply with the law and induce
them to remove their signs and
save time, trouble and expense
for the Department.
But billboard owners along In
terstates 75, 85 and 20 in north
ern Georgia have moved so ra
pidly that highway officials are
now hopeful that the Department
won’t have to bother removing a
single sign throughout the state.
“We intend to strictly comply
with the law,” said W. S. Der
rick, Traffic and Safety Engineer,
whose Division is in charge of re
gulating the signs, “and we
haven’t got our hopes too high.
The 1964 Georgia law under
which the signs are now being
taken down brought the state into
compliance with an earlier fe
deral act to get a bonus payment
of one-half of- one per cent of
the construction cost for regulat
ing billboards just alongside In
terstate highways. The state
would not get the bonus estimated
at S 3 million based on the whole
cost of the system but just those
sections were signs were
actually controlled.
clear word of promise to the
hysterical king and court that,
if they would trust in Jehovah and
not call in foreign aid, the city
would be saved.
Ahaz came to the throne about
736 8.C., when he was twenty
years of age. He reigned for
some sixteen years. He was an
idolater of the worst sort and
worshiped in the groves with
their revolting immoral prac
tices. He caused his son to pass
through the fire of Moloch and
closed the temple of Jehovah
(II Chron. 28:24).
Newton County is presently
moving forward at a rapid pace,
but, she is falling far behind
her needs for the provision of
adequate school facilities for the
children that progress will bring.
Many people that I talk with
agree that there is a great need
for a new Newton County High
School and the conversion of the
present high school building into
a county junior high school, but
no one seems to be able to put
their finger on why the Newton
County Board of Education has
not made plans for such a move.
The only unofficial rumor of a
reason that I have been able to
glean from the air is that the
integration of our schools is
being put off as long as pos
sible. Be this true of false,
Newton County children need a
new high school desperately.
They also need a county junior
high school. Such facilities are
needed now, and if we don’t get
them within two years we will
certainly be faced with a school
crisis.
Integration is a hard subject
to speak about publicly and it is
certainly not popular. Yet, there
are as many Negroes as there are
white people who are not over
joyed by the thought and fact of
integration. But let’s face facts.
School integration is here now,
and it is here to stay. The
people of Newton County and the
Board of Education can no longer
ignore the needs of our children
nor procrastinate in taking steps
to aleviate our overcrowded ju
nior high and high school facili
ties.
By B. David Gullett, Pastor
Bethany Presbyterian Church
"Look to Him and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be as
hamed.” Psalm 34:5.
Christian be radiant! “I wish
I could but the cares of life seem
to get me down,” someone may
say. “You mean lam to be
radiant in all circumstances,”
someone else remarks. The Lord
says, “Yes, this is the way I
want you live and to be inside.”
Oh, how often we fall short of this
though. The Lord commands, “Be
radiant.” “ Let your light so shine
before men. . ~” says Jesus.
Are our lives shining radiantly
or do they once in a while give
off a slight twinkle as the light
ning bugs do?
The Psalmist had sought after
the Lord, and had been delivered
from all his fears by the Lord.
He had found the secret to an
abundant life in this life. The
secret he gives for all to know,
that they might take heed to it.
The secret way to radiance, he
reveals is to “look to Him”.
Look to the Lord in all things
and for all things.
This happens as a person re
ceives salvation. It comes from
looking to the Lord. When the
children of Israel were journey
ing from Egypt to the Promised
Land they became impatient on
the way and spoke against the
Lord. Therefore the Lord sent
fiery serpents to chasten the
people. The people cried out to
Layona Glenn
Says..
Did you ever notice that most
of the really worth-while things
in life are invisible? Os course,
there are exceptions, such as
food, clothing, and physical com
forts; but who can see love, joy,
affection, gratitude, a soft lov
ing voice, appreciation, a kind
word, a kind thought, a gene
rous motive, a good intention,
good will, and other mental and
spiritual things!
The effect and consequences
of these invisible motivations
we can see. The kindly deed
executed because of the kindly
thought. The happy occasion re
sulting from the generous motive.
We can see a child made happy
by a kindly word of encourage
ment. We can see the quickened
step of the tired workman re
ceiving grateful words of ap
preciation and thanks. We can
see the happy face of a weary
mother surprised by the loving
hug of a child made happy by
her work over the hot stove.
We can see the look of pride
in the eyes of the father who sees
his son trying, with a good will,
to follow his advice. We can see
the relieved happy face of a child
who has tried and failed, at re
ceiving a loving pat instead of
reproof. Very evident is plea
sure in the face of an old grand
father at being invited to help
entertain the honored guest. We
can see the eager, radiant faces
of a roomful of school children
responding to a soft voiced cap
able teacher as she opens to
Thursday, October 13,1966
New High School |
Plans Should Be
On The Board Now
By: Leo S. Mallard
We desperately need a move
ment in this county, by the citi
zens, to urge the Board of Edu
cation into action. This group
of men will be anxious to move
forward with plans for a new
high school if they know that the
people of Newton County want
their children to have adequate
facilities for getting a good
education.
No public official is anxious to
stick his neck out unless he
knows that his friends are be
hind him. You can’t sit back
and shout at an official’s hesi
tancy to move unless you as a
citizen are interested enough to
call or write him and let him
know what your wishes are re
garding our school dilemma.
Our school needs are mount
ing steadily and at a rapid pace.
We can no longer ignore problems
and hope that they will go away.
Complacency has no place in the
administration of our school sys
tem. Our school situation needs
action now from both the Board
of Education and the citizens
of this county.
No doubt you have heard that
Georgians are electing a gover
nor this year. Both the De
mocratic and the Republican can
didates have pledged everything
they can think of in support of
education. That means that there
will be state funds available, as
well as federal funds, for the
counties in Georgia who have
plans for school expansion pro
grams. It is high time we the
people of Newton County got in
line, with our Board of Educat
ion, and an architect.
God to save them. So the Lord
had Moses put a bronze snake
on a pole for the people to look
at. It is written that when a
person was bitten, all he had to
do was to look up, at the bronze
snake and he would live (Num.
21). This was God’s way of sal
vation. In Isaiah 45:22, we read,
“Look to me and be saved.”
When a person looks to Jesus
Christ to be saved from sin,
Hell, and death, me Lord saves
him.
This is the way to salvation.
It is also the way we are to walk
each day in Jesus Christ. We
are to look continually to Him.
As we live in life, we find that
life is hard when our eyes are
centered on this world and on
ourselves, it is only as we be
gin to center our spiritual eyes
on Jesus Christ more and more,
that we begin to live victoriously
now. what so often happens is
that we turn our face away from
His Word, and away from His
Work. The result of our turn
ing our eyes from Him is that
we are cast down in many things.
May you this day set your eyes
toward Jesus Christ in all your
ways. You will find that an amaz
ing thing takes place. You will be
radiant in the Lord without having
to try to work it up. You will not
be ashamed of Him and His way.
Serving Him in all the things
you do will become a joy.
LOOK to HIM AND BE
RADIANT!
them some invisible truth. We
could go on and on with examples
of the outward manifestation of
the invisible motivation, but let
this suffice.
Let us all try to see how much
we can contribute to the happiness
and the well being of our sur
roundings by putting into visible
practice the invisible attributes
of good will and good neighbor
liness. By the same token, we
can refrain from making mani
fest the invisible motivations for
evil and unkindness.
With our God given physical
abilities, we all are empowered
to manifest the invisible. Let us
be careful what we make mani
fest, and how we do it!
Rev. Lance Will
Undergo Surgery
Rev. John M. Lance, former
pastor of the First Baptist Chu
rch of Porterdale, has resigned
the pastorate of the Sylvester
Baptist Church of Atlanta.
Rev. Lance will enter the Vet
erans Hospital in Atlanta on Oct
ober 17, and will undergo spinal
surgery. He will be hospitalized
for several months.
Many friends art* extending
Rev. Lance good wishes for his
early recovery.