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Thursday, June 6, 1957
THE PEMBROKE JOURNAL
•ijM Bi i&ny • Cw»d By Some • Read By Them AH
Eifered As Second Ciass Mail Matter at the postofflce aT Pembroke, Ga
• Under The Act of March 3,1879 ~
Published in -The City es Pembroke Every Thursday
Fiank O. Miller 2—Owner and Editor
Mrs. D. E. Medders ,__ Local Editor
Official Organ of Bryan County and Tne City of
49c Column Inch or .035 Per Line
“Democratic and Proud of It"
~ SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One Year g “
Six Months ---
“Th* Savannah Morning News Asks—”
ARE U. S. 17 ARRESTS
"HIGHWAY ROBBERY?"
“The Pembroke Journal Answers —HELL NO.
An Editorial By
FRANK O. MILLER
Mayor of The City of Pembroke and Editor of
The Pembroke Journal
On Monday morning The Savannah Morning News
started a series of articles dealing with the activities of the
various law enforcement agencies along Route 17, the
Coastal Highway. They are very critical of what is being
done in Bryan, Liberty and Mclntosh County, and also
Camden, but seem to be happy with what ( hatham and
Glynn counties are doing.
They were extra severe on our own little county of
Bryan, and in their eagerness to show up a bad situation,
they have printed much that is not true, and is unfair to
those that are out in the highway trying to make them
safe for you and 1 to travel.
To start with they cite the number of arrests for traffic,
violations 988 in Bryan County, and make it appear that all
of these arrests came off of the nine miles on Highway 17,
when as a matter of fact they were for all of the county, in
cluding about 22 miles on 280, 9 miles on 80, 7 miles on 67,
to say nothing of those arrested on the other paved highways
in Bryan County.
The Coastal Highway, Route 17 has been pictured as the
most deadly highway in all this section. Only a few days
age we came up on a wreck of a Savannah car in Liberty
county, that was totally demolished, willing 2 people, and
injuring others, which was said to have traveled through
Bryan and on into Liberty at more than a hundred miles an
hour, until the fatal wreck. Wouldn’t it have been good had
he been arrested in Bryan or Liberty before the fatal wreck
and maybe the wreck averted?
They also take a slap at Mclntosh county, another of
“our” counties, for we Edit and own The Darien Gazette.
They reflect on Sheriff Tom Poppell, and we know that he
has only one Deputy on the road, and that he spends nine
tenths of his time with other duties than arresting speed
ers, as does Sheriff Poppell, nine-tenths or more of the
cases made in Mclntosh county are made by the State Pa
trol, and we do not believe that Governor Marvin Griffin
appreciates having his State Patrolmen, referred to, more
or less as “Highway Robbers.” They are the finest bunch
of law enforcement officers any state ever had. They are
doing much to make our highways safe, and we back them
and all other law enforcement agencies, regardless of all
the “belli-aching” Old Betsy can make, and the complaints
of a few, who think they have a right to drive as fast as
they please through our state in their mad dash from the
North to Florida.
Bryan Countys' sheriff has put his deputies in Uniform,
their cars are plainly marked, and an electrical timing de
vice, which makes no mistakes has been secured for their
use. If they stop anyone, whether he be a Yankee Tourist
era local citizen, they are under orders not to make a case
against anyone in the day time unless they are doing 70
miles an hour or more. At night time they must be doing
at least 60 before a case is made. That allows an overage
of not less than 10 miles in all cases. If people get out and
violate the law. and get caught they have no right to belli
ache and holler speed tray.
The City of Savannah had more than one hundred
speeding cases one day last week caught with their new
radar machine. Some oi them were Bryan ( ounty citizens.
We have a good friend at Richmond Hill that works in Sa
avannah and he says that they have caught him three times
in the last thirty days with the radar machine. Is that a
speed trap? No, it is enforcing the law and making the
highways safe for our own people.
We were among that number of 988 caught in Bryan,
State Troopers Webb and Miller caught us with the electric
timer, we did not protest, put up a bond and forfeited
same. We were caught in Montgomery County and we also
put up a bond and forfeited same. We were speeding and got
caught, we tried to pay the officers off with “bull," but
when we found out that they wouldn’t accept that, we put
up the cash and went our way, knowing that we had violated
the law and had been made to pay for it.
LAST rites are
HELD FRIDAY FOR
D. M. BELL
Funeral services for D. M. Bell
of Bullock County, who died Wed
nesday, May 29, were held Friday
morning at 11 o’clock at the
Olive Branch Baptist Church.
Burial was in the church ceme
tary.
Fox and Weeks Funeral Home
was in charge of arrangements.
BIDS WANTED FOR
SCHOOL BUS ROUTE
Sealed bids will be accepted by
the Bryan County Board of Edu
cation for the school bus route
formerly carried by Mr, Lorin
Mason, deceased. The bids to be
opened on Tuesday, July 2, 1957.
The Board reserves the right to
reject or accept any bid. This the
4th day of June, 1957,
Bryan County Board
of Education.
Miller Scores
News "Speed
Trap" Series
(The following news story ap
peared on the front page of Tues
day’s Savannah Morning News. It
was written by Frank 0. Miller
of Pembroke.)
PEMBROKE, Ga., June 3. —
Pembroke Mayor F. 0. Miller to
day castigated the Morning News
for publishing a series of articles
on alleged speed traps along U. S.
Highway 17 in Georgia.
The mayor, a Bryan County po
litical leared as well as editor
and publisher of the Pembroke
Journal and Darien Gazette, issu
ed a two-page statement attack
ing the series which began in Mon
day’s Morning News.
The complete text of his state
ment:
“Your article appearing in Mon
day’s .Savannah Morning News and
which you say will continue for a
series of seven articles and in
which you are especially severe on
Bryan County, citing the number
of arrests the amount of money
that was received from these ar
rests, a'nd showing that it is more
than is paid in taxes by the citi
zens of Bryan County. Certainly
it appears that the Savannah
Morning News is trying to dis
credit the country counties, which
has helped make the city of Sa
vannah the great city that it is
"Fifty per cent of the money
spent by our people is spent in
the city of Savannah, yet you as
a great daily newspaper like to
throw off on the little country
counties, referring to the gold
coast, the nine miles in Bryan
County of Highway 17. You say
that Bryan County collects an
overall $32,188 from 988 drivers,
this includes all people, local citi
zens, citizens of Georgia and also
the crop of Yankees who are hell
bent through Georgia for Florida.
We do not doubt these figures, we
are sure that you have them right,
but you also fail to name one
single instance where any one was
not guilty who was stopped and
made to put up a bond.
“If these 988 drivers were ex
ceeding the speed limits and ran
afoul of the law, regardless of
whether they are local people, or
Yankees, we say that they got just
what was coming to them. If the
arrest of these 988 law violators
saved just one human life, then
it was well worth the price paid.
You forgot the most important
part of all, and that is whether
those arrested were guilty or in
nocent, if guilty, they got what
was coming to them. If innocent,
then it is high time something
should be done about it. But be
fore getting too critical of these
arrests, produce some one or more
who was innocent and wrongfully
arrested. Then you will have con
tributed something.
"It is easy to holler speed trap
and take the little country coun
ties to task for failing to do or
doing more than you think should
be done. Just look around you and
you will find much in Chatham
that can be improved, you have
more violations, murders, rob
beries, rapes and the thousand
and one other crimes right in Chat
ham County per capita than you
will find in these little counties
which you take to task so severe
ly. Just remember the old saying
that he thajt is without sin cast
the first stone.
"Yes, Savannah and Chatham
County is a great city and fine
county, but there is much sweep
ing around the doorsteps there
before you undertake to regulate
the country counties for enforcing
the law and making those that
dance pay for the music. Be fair
and give us evidence that some
one has been wronged, then we
too will join in and help eliminate
the speed trap if there be one.”
NEW BEAUTY SHOP
IS LOCATED AT
DASHER'S PLACE
The Ogeechee Beauty Shop
opened for hair styling and other
appointments Monday morning at
Dasher's Lodge.
Owned and operated by Mrs. E.
L. Meekins, the shop will be open
at all times for business. Mrs.
Meekins also owns Billie’s Beauty
Shop in Pembroke and asks that
her customers call there for ap
pointments at the Ogeechee shop.
Assisting with the operation of
the new place is Miss Toledo Sum
merford. A graduate of the Bryan
County High School, Miss Sum
merford has trained for approxi
mately a year under Mrs. Meek
ins. She is a licensed operator
and will stand the state board ex
amination m a fetv months.
THE PEMBROKE JOURNAL
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Bryan County’s
Sy Favorite Sport
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THE COLORED P.-T. A.
of The
PEMBROKE HIGH SCHOOL
Is for the Bond Issue 100% and we urge all of the good citizens of Bryan County to go
out and vote for Gymnasium Bonds on Tuesday June 11 th, which will give the colored people
at Pembroke and Richmond Hill a Gymnaisum and the White People at Pembroke a decent
Gymnasium for their fin eboys and girls to play in. Remember that nearly one-half of the
cost of these Gyms will be paid for by the public utilities, the railroads, the Western Union,
The Southern Bell, Georgia Power Company, Savannah Electric and Power Company and other
public utilities. Do yourself proud and join us in going out and putting over this Bond Issue,
which is an opportunity of a life time for all of us, both white and colored.
Thelma Field Etner Hines
Secretary P.-T. A. Pembroke High School President P.-T. A. Pembroke High School
• Bryan County Audit
Comparison of Income and Expenditures,
Feb. 1, 1956 to Dec. 31, 1956
Income:
Ad Valorem Taxes $20,571.79
Public Utilities . „ 16,488.50
Intangibles 971.95
Commissions Tax Collections—Other Agencies 1,128.43
Beverage Licenses . 7,900.00
Victrolas, Marble Machines, Rolling Stores 742.50
State Gasoline Tax 26,055.25
State Sales Tax 14,003.09
State Board of Health __ 5,251.70
Interest 118.06
Re-Deposits—Cash Drawn to Pay Jurors 463.12
Rent Old Court House 10.00
Clerk of Court 68.75
$93,773.14
Vouchers Approved:
Roads and Bridges . $44,196.58
Public Assistance 20.121.14
City Court 3,238.80
Superior Court 3,603.47
Vital Statistics 73.00
Cash Withdrawn for Jurors 463.12
Payment of Payroll Deductions 2,003.52
County Expenses 15,629.39
County Salaries 9.910.46
Total $99,239.48
Less: Payroll Deductions 2.000.70 $97,238.78
Operating Deficit $ 3,465.64
Miscellaneous:
Loans Repaid Pembrok State Bank $20,000.00
Less: Loans Pembroke State Bank 10,000.00
1955 Loans Repaid in 1956 10,000.00
Capital Expenditures 3,876.48 $13,876.48
Decrease in Operating Funds for Period $17,342.12
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