Georgia Historic Newspapers

    Now Circulated Throughout The County
VOLUME 1
| FROM THIS CORNER |
¢ By Anthony Grey ‘
Alvin Foster Becomes High Censor Os Free Press
For Reasons Which The Facts Make Very Plain
Last week | discussed how Representative E. Alvin Foster
planned to rise 1o political power in Clayton County through pur
chase and control of the two newspapers which existed at the
time his plans were made.
How he planned to use the papers as a weapon against his
opponents, and as an assei to his friends, supporters and chosen
candidates was also discussed, as was the fact that he refused to
allow publication of a story in the Forest Park Free Press after.he
had purchased it, naming him and his brother Walter as having
a controlling interest. e i 7
This week | promised to give you some con- |
crete examples of how Mr. Foster took it upon
himself to become the censor of the paper,
and thus | will document my charges.
But first | would like to comply with the re
quest of a number of readers who said they
would enjoy reading the paragraphs which Mr.
Foster censored from the story which was writ
ten concerning his purchase of the Forest Park
Free Press in November, 1954, Here are the
paragraphs, reproduced verbatim:
“According to the petition filed with the Secretary of State,
Georgia Newspapers, Inc. (which would own the paper) will be
a closed corporation with alil stock held by three persons in equal
thirds. They are:
“E. Alvin Foster, of Forest Park, a representative to the Gecrgia
General Assembly from Clayton County and co-owner of Foster
Brothers Super Mariet; Anthony Grey, formerly of Atlanta and
now of Forest Park, former publicity director and writer at the
State Captol under the Talmadge administration and Walter
Foster, of Forest Park, co-owner of Foster Brothers Super Market.” ‘
The stery on the change of ownership of the Free Press ap
peared in the December 2, 1955 issue of the paper (on Page One,
Column Three) but with the above paragraphs censored out by
Alvin Foster, over my bitter opposition.
As stated last week, the proof of the original story, naming
the owners, set on the printer’s linotype machine, with the deleted
portions, is available for inspection. So is the issue of the Free
Press with the “‘censored” version as it was published. |
The desire of Alvin Foster to conceal the fact that he owned
and controlled the paper seems to indicate on the face of it what
his objectives were. It is hardly necessary to add, as was noted |
last week, that his explanation to me was that the paper would |
be more "effective” if the identity of its owners was concealed. ’
Now for some examples of how Alvin Foster, in his bid to
#3se the Free Press (and later the Clayton County News and Farmer) !
as an aid to further his ambition to become the political “boss”
in Clayton County. ‘
As discussed in on earlier column, Alvin Foster, who could |
not dominat: Commissioner Belton Haynie, introduced a bill in |
rhe general assembly creating a three man commission, as a means
" to cut Haynie's power before his four year term expired. Early in“
February thive were a number of citizéns considering making |
the race for one of these posts. i
Alvin Fasier asked his close friend and next door neighbor W.
H. Fleming to offer for the post, aitnough Mr. Fleming was not‘
particularly interested in making the race. (Mr. Fleming was a
Forest Park city councilman and mayor pro-tem at the time.)
Fleming announced. So did Harold Banke, an attorney, of
Route 1, Forest Park, for Post Number 1. ‘
- On Saiurday, February sth | requested staff photographer Ed |
LaChapelle to go to the courthouse in Joneshoro and shoot at
photograph of Mr. Fleming and Mr. Banke qualifying to make the ‘
race with Ordinary Frank Adamson. it seemed like a good news |
picture ‘and | scheduled it for use on Page 1 of the February 10|
issue of the Free Press. |
However, when Alvin Foster was shown the photograph he
flatly refused to aliow publication. His explanation: “It would b9l
giving free publicity to Harold Banke, @ man we want to beat.”
I explained to Mr. Foster that this was not a valid considera
ion; that | was running a newspaper and not a poltical prooa
ganda organ; that Mr. Fleming would receive equal free publicity. |
Mr. Foster said he didn’t care what | thought | was running, |
that he (with his brother Walter) owned controlling interest in the |
paper and | was taking orders from them. !
“It would be alright if just Fleming and Adamson were in the |
picture,” Foster said. “Then it would be fine to run it.” *
But it was impossible to trim out the portion Foster wanted
"censored” since Banke was between Adamson and Flaming. |
Foster suggested that | have Mr. LaChapelle shoot another
photo with just Fleming qualifying with Adamsen. | refused.
X 8 %g
wwm’”’@f R 7
.2 . '
BANNED PHOTO, PUBLISHED FOR THE FIRST TIME: Al
vin Foster, high censor of. the Forest Park Free Press when this |
writer was editor, refused to allow publication of the above photo |
on the grounds that it would give “free publicity’’ to a candidate }
Foster opposed. Photo shows W. H. Fleming (right) and Harold
Banke (center) qualifying to make the race for county commis- |
sion posts last year, At left is County Ordinary Frank Adamson, ’
whose job it was to qualify candidates. Fleming withdrew from
the race at Foster’s request when Foster was unable to dissuade !
Edwin Echols from running, in order to avoid splitting the anti- |
Haynie voters. Foster later complained that this writer was act- ‘
ing contrary to Foster’'s “best interests” when a lengthy bio- |
graphical skelch concerning Banke was printed without censor- |
ing. : :
* Mr, LaChapelle, an enterprsing photographer, had shot nn-}
other picture while in Jonesboro. It was of a large tree coated
- ‘with ice. Water had blown from the storuge tower and frozen to
the tree one cold windy night. Mr. LaChapelle had included Mr.
Fleming in the photograph to give it “life.” Foster suggested that
t’a this photo be used on Page One, and I not having another suitable
" one, used it. S 0 Mr. Fleming got his free publicity and Mr. Banke
iwas censored. Adolph Hitler and his propaganda chief Herr
i
. . Continued on Page 2
The Forest Parlt News
PENSIVE POLITICIANS PONDER . odds
at the pelitical rally held at the Clayton Coun
ty Courthouse last Friday evening. Each
candidate was allotted five minutes to explain
his platform and give a resume of his back-
SRR T Y
Purco Appliances Adds
" )
' Compiete Radio-TV
- .
‘Service To Operation
A complete television and radio
repair shop has been added to the
| services offered by Purco Appli
| ances, Inc. of 1102 Main Street,
according to H. M, (Harry) Smith,
| Purco’ manager. >
" dack n}"«kfig.m 182 Digie High
way, ountain View is service
’managex‘ of the shop, Mr. Smith
said, Parker is a graduate of the
'Amerjcan School of Chicago, Illi
nois, where he studied a course
in radio and {television the
ory while working towards his
high school dipioma. For the past
| year, before joining the Purco firm,
Parker was a radio-television tech
nician for a TV-radio service re
i pair firm in Forest Park.
‘ Parker will be assisted in ser
vice work by Bruce Slimp of 164
‘West Warren Drive, who also was
| formerly employed in Forest Park
with TV-radio repair firm. Slimp’s
experience in TV service dates
from 1947, when he opened his
own shop. Prior to that time he
specialized in radio work solely,
receiving his; training during
World War Two, during which
time he served as a radio techni
cian and inspector in the U. S.
Air Force,
Parker told the News that the
shop will specialize in auto radio,
i phonograph and high fidelity ad
justment, service and repair in
addition to regular TV and radio
work.. .
Basehall Team Plays
*
First Game March 27
By DORIS GIBBON _
If you ride by the football field
any afternoon now you can hear
the crack of a bat as it meets
ball, the chatter of the catcher as
he talks to his pitcher, the sound
of the ball as it mecets leather
.and the voice of Coach Al Pat
[ terson as he calls instructions to
his team.
Spring baseball practice is now
in full swing for the high school
team and the first league game
lis March 27.
| Coach Patterson said that he ex
!pects to field a pretty fair team
| this year and thinks his weakest
| position will be his pitching staff.
| The pitchers he lost last year‘
| were speed-baller Ray Bryant, who
iwon the Greater Atlanta All-Star
| game last Season, Donald Know
|les ‘and Mitchell Hamby. His only
returning moundsman is Douglas
i Knowles.
Missing will also be first base
‘man Mickey Nunnally and second
sacker Eddie Cason. Returning out
fielders are power hitter Herman
{ Smith, Billy Williams, and Larry‘
Watkins. |
The backstop chores will be well
taken care of with Bobby Mitchell
and Larry Earle at this position.
Coach Patterson said that third
base is still open but second and
short will probably be filled by
Walter Cheaves and Richard Crisp.
They will compete against every
team in the league one time and
the team leading the league at the
end of the season will win the
Continued on Page 2
For And About The Citizens Os Forest Park
FOREST PARK, GEORGIA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1956
ground. Despite chill and blustery weather,
upward of a hundred people gathered in the
second-floor courtroom to hear and evaluate
the speeches. There was an air of cordiality
and warmth to the meeting, notwithstanding
o .
Seniors Take Wine And
Gold Gume 12-2
The Seniors caught fire in the
last half of the Wine and Gold
Game Monday night, March 19,
at the Kiwanis Athletic Field, to
‘lelaim a 12 to 2 vietory over next
| year’s varsity,
| The only Varsity score eame in
the late minutes of the firste half
| Jhelt - they - canght qu‘a.wéfba'&
| Harold Sewell in his own end Zone
| for a safety. The Seniors kicked
'lof[ after the safety and two plays
(later haltback Richard Crisp went
| over on a dazzling 40 yard run,
‘tbut a penalty brought the ball
| back and the run was nullified.
| The first Senior touchdown came
{when Sewell fought his was over
"lon a five yard plunge, about mid
‘lway in the third quarter. Half
back Bill Barton accounted for
‘| the second when he broke loose
for a beautiful 55 yard run.
| The Seniors won the toss and
' elected to receive as the game
| got underway, bul the first quart
ler saw no score. Both teams bat
' |tled hard but failed to go deeper
‘ Continued On Page 2
; R
| Holley Insists He Is
s ofe
| Fully Qualified To Run
® o
| For Solicitor General
.| In a press release to the Forest
| Park News late last week, William
,| P. Holley, Jonesboro attorney and
candidate for solicitor general
stated that he was a fully qualified
candidate, despite prevalent ru
mors to the contrary.
Mr. Holley said that it had come
to his attention that it was under
stood he was not qualified to offer
for office. He denied this, stating
| he would not have offered for the
|office if he had not been fully
| qualified.
Mr. Holley said he made his
statement ‘‘to dispel any doubts
which may have arisen to con
fuse the issue at hand.” !
o
Large Sum Available
For Vets To Purchase
Rural Homes Says VA
The Veterans Administration now
has on hand SB3-million for the use
in direct loans to GI Home buyers
in rural areas.
I In addition, the VA will receive
another SIOO-million for the same'
use from Congress before July of
this year.
| These figures were revealed by
Pete Wheeler, Director of the State
Department of Veterans Service as
|a portion of a recent report on
the VA's loan activity given to the
|senate currency and banking hous
| ing subcommittee.
| Wheeler said the Veterans Ad
ministration has been in the direct
lloan program for five years and
{the interest rate on these type
|loans now stands at 4% per cent.
| “During this period, Wheeler
| commented, “losses on Foreclos
| ures have been but $46,000. ©On |
| the other hand, income from dir
‘lect loans has been slß.l-mililon
| more than the expenses and 108s
|les incurred by the program. This
tmoney is held as a reserve . for
fture losses and expense .
| Annexation Commitice
Blasts Foster Pgtj_ijgp_ ’
| The solicitation of signatures to
| a petition thanking Representative
| Alvin Foster for “allowing’’ citi
zens on the outskirts of Forest
| Park the privilege of voting on ane
f ‘LT ukioty wran described -ag bty
fi’;fisr-ilse“'hy' {he chairman of the
eigroup which spear-headed the
|| drive to defeal the annexation pro
| posal.,
William V. George, Forest Park
: ' attorney and chairman of the Cow
| mittee to Defeat Forest Park An
nexation said in a statement to the
_- | Forest Park News that it had come
|lO his altention that a petition was
| being circulated for residents of
| the affected areas to think 'Mr,
| Foster for allowing them to vote
| on the bill.
Mr. George said that Mr. Fos
ter deserved no thanks for doing
(what he was pledged to do. . . .
| represent the people, and that the
| petition was equivalent to:
: “Thanking a man who pushed
you in front of an oncoming fre
ight train for not having pushed
you hard enough to get hit.”
Mr. George said it was his un
derstanding that Mr. Foster would
have been perfectly in accord with
the desire of Forest Park city of
ficials to pass the bill without re
ferendum ‘‘exactly as he had done
| two years ago’ if it had not been
for the insistance of Rw"svntu
tive Edgar Blalock that a referen
. A
ey :
oy R
L T
L L g BN,
i R B Y
o N
A S
W 01 TR Yy oAR A GEPG R
WILLIAM V. GEORGE
dum clause be attached.
Mr. George said that at'least
one of the persons who went
door to door with the petition ap
parently mispresented its true
nature by stating that it was pre
pared by the committee which he
heads. i
“This is a falsehood,” George
said. ““The Committee to defeat
Forest Park Annexation has had
nothing to do with the petition,
and feels that Mr. Foster has so
poorly represented us, by trying to
railroad a bill on annexation into
effect which had been soundly de
feated two years ago that we are
strongly opposing his election to
the State Senate.””
According to Mr. George, many
of the signatures on the petition
‘were obtained under false preten
ses since it was represented that
his Committee was sanctioning the
| petition, and that it must thereiore
be disgarded s an attempt to ‘‘de
lude’” the voters.
; Wfi on Page 2
a frank dissertation eof views by éach aspi
rant. Nearly ali candidates running for office
are shown in the above views. News phlioto
by LaChapelfe.
| SRS R Ro St Y S T
. b, e NTRSR R R SRSR S e i
| . GPI e R e
| iw%&%‘***%@&é;«n OO T
AR S b R
L e e SRR R
E T T EmEER Vibanseai
R e RS 2 T D g L
|RR%o R o e T
i7 « ~’?) " ::2‘3:-’.- _:3?_- )-r ::y eo( B % ‘.l \ , ‘5" £ e &"w “‘\ ’.r ) ‘
B SNt 0 |
| i o )«4', f;'.'J‘:,;v;, h, L™ ; k. n G
TR e { g Cal il
e e ¥ AT
LB e R B T |
WA s L e R S RI s et g2iAAR TS e
R e B e kel oTR "’i#m:”“ ;
‘ sbl L R RN, £s e e R R e 5
R s S e SSReI e e R |
| ’«)’?Mfi;‘?’”“"; oy T SRR e s
R R S N s e
| ONE OF MANY BASKETS OF OCEAN PERCH which went into the
deep fryer last Saturday at the Forest Park lunchroom is held by Mr. |
| Grady Granade, Troop Committee Chairman for Boy Scout Troop No._f
1169, The troop, which is sponsored by the Forest Park First Baptist
‘| Church, hopes to make the fish fry an annual affair. Interviewed short
|ly after three p. m., a spokesman for the committee anticipated a to
| tal of 700 customers by closing. The committee is composed of Mr. W.
| . Waldrop, Mr. Grande, Mr. H. B. Cruce, Mr. E. ¥. Trammell, Mr.
| Homer Parker, Institutional Representative, Mr. H. G. Elliot, Mr. Fred
Jobson, and Mr. M. B. Gurin, News photo by LaChapelle.
To Our Valued Advertisers
And Readers:
5 ® i
During the post several weeks we have experienced con
siderable difficulty printing the Forest Park News in the small size.
Many you you have noticed this, particularly in regard to our in
ability to adjust the press te provide equal margins on all pages.
This has caused some pages to be published without margins and
occasionally some papers have been printed with pages without
margins and the outer portions of the ads trimmed off.
This difficulty is not encountered in printintg the News in the
| large size on the same press, since adjustments are less than
| half as hard to make and maintain. |
For this reason we are changing to the larger size paper on o
temporary basis until repairs and adjustments can be scheduled
with pressmen who must be contacted well in advance, since
they are constantly traveling from one city to another through
out the Southeast, doing this maintenance work, and since parts
must be ordered from Chicago for the press.
To the many advertisers and readers who prefer the smaller
size paper we ask that you bear with us until repairs can be made.
Your comments on the larger -size Forest Park News will be
appreciated, however, since, if we continue to grow in size, it
will probably be necessary, sometime in the future, to convert to
the large size paper permanently, in order to increase the overall
efficiency of our operation.
We would like to take this opportunity to again thank our
many thousands of readers and hundreds of advertisers for your
continued warm response to our efforis to provide a good news
paper for the community. ‘
Respectfully yours, |
ANTHONY GREY,
’ Editor and Publisher.
Largest Circulation In Clayton County
Community Health Week
ToßeSponsored Here
By Junior Chamber o
v 1
' Methodist Men's Club To
i "
Meet Next Tuesday Eve
. I i
At Jones Memoriai |
The Methodist Men's Club of the
Jones Memorial First Methodist
Church, will hold their regular
monthly meeting Tuesday March
27th., 7p. m., in the Church din
ing room,
The Program Committee has
done a wonderful job in securing
Reverend Henry J?n('s, an out
standing speaker, for the meeting.
Reverend Jones is now the ex
ecutive secretary of the North
Georgia Conference Board and the
Methodist Conference Claimants
(Retired Preachers and their
widows). Reverend Jones served
as pastor in a number of the
largest churches in North Georgia
Conference, and was the District
Superintendent of the Griffin Dis
trict at the time he accepted his
present position.
Reverend Jones is well known
by many in Forest Park and the
Methodist Men’s Club is looking
forward to a very entertaining ev
ening.
MqMUfa
g\ P
W by .. e W |
srlNEs .
i3L : i
L . ;
fi’:,\,’ Q‘ '. D “,'i;- ' }
: ) 33‘4 o |
G e ‘~r ..‘—»‘:!, Y i
B B OB 5 0D R R
e et Tl | ;
{ELP CRPPLED CHILDREN -
llb_ it i |
NUMBER 47
The Forest Park Junior Cham
ber of Commerce and the many
[ health agencies affiliated with the~
| National Health Council are uniting
i their efforts March 1825 to further
| the possibilities of improving heal
{ th facilities in Forest Park.
‘ A special committee headed by
| Mr, George C. Christian was ap
-I,vummi it the last meeting of the
| Jayce by Seth Youngblood, pre
| sident of the local chapter,
{ Plans are under way to provide
| the services of the mobile chess
[ x-ray unit. A tentative _(i:alr'?‘(lt :
{aside by the state and ¢ unty heal
;l]l authorities for the' arrival of
(the mobile x-ray unit is approxi
[ mately the 7th of May. "
| We ask that _\nu/\.~h your
local newspapers for further chan
| ges of the scheduled date. During
this week, won't you do what you
{ can to improve the health condi
tions within our city? They need
| your IH‘V\]!‘ i
| At the last meeting of ti .
cees plans were laid for the
ing Teen-age Roadeo. All the 1
[ mittees were review and o1
were rearranged.
The president asks that all me
| bers become familiar with h
| present committee setup. The next
meeting of the Jaycees is the 27th
March at 7:30 in the Youth Cen
| tery :
i A ,
Forest Park School
7w §
Band Ruted “Excellent”
At State Band Meet
The annual Muslc Festival was
held in the auditorium of the War
ner Robins High School, Warner
tobins Georgia. The Forest Park
| band received a rating of Excéll
ent
Rating for the special solo com
petition are as follows: Peter Leis
tl Fiute, Supgrior, Mary Lou
Anderson, Piano, Excellent; Thes
resa Lyons, Piano, Excellent; Ken
| ny Springer, Voeal Solo, Good: Ro
ger Chatam, Trombone; Good,
i Douglas Stephens, Tuba, Good
i A saxaphone Quartette with Joe
| Tucker, Chandler Smith, Shafter i
i Pierce, and Douglas Strickland p
peived: 2 tating of «Gaody v
- ricla Dennett veeeived an B
“ent rating for Baton Twirling
Susie Crouse played a vielin So
j 10, Hea rating wnas not come thro
- ugh yet.
s@ s 2 ’
Cluyton County's
N g Be -
Republican Convention
T 2
For 1956 Is Called
The Republican Party of Clay
ton County is called to convene
on Saturday, March 24th at 12 noon
in the Court Room at the Clayton
County Court House in Jonesboro.
Business to be transacted will be
election of County Officers for the
coming four years, and the elec
tion of Delegates to the District
and State Republican Conventions.
[ For further information please
call Mr. D." P. Spiker, County |
Chairman, PO 1-2391. 5 }
\
|
|
{
|
|
|
l
|
r
}
.
' €. 0. Simpson Opens
, l Jewelry Store Here,
| Reperts Response Good
l Forest Park’s first jewelry shop
’\\;.. opened. in a corner of the
‘| McKown and Mostey store late
| last week by C. O. Simpson, local
;u.‘ttuh repairman, and Mr. Simp
| son reports business is already
| booming although -he is starting
;‘ off with a limited line of merchan
| dise.
| Mr. Simpson, who has been in
}Hu- watch repair business for 'the
‘| past 20 years had been consider
| ing opening a jewelry shop here
| for about a year. A resident of
Forest Park since 1951, he now re
sides at 105 Foster Street, and has
(had a watch repair shop at the
McKown and Mosley store for sey
eral years. ; §
Although the jewelry shop, known
as Simpsons Jewelers, occupies
less than 200 square feet of floor
. Continued on Page 2