Newspaper Page Text
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1979
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WM=DtAR EDITOR^=
Show The Mayor
He Has Your Support
Dear Mr. Branch:
When I wrote my letter
to you last week con
cerning your attack on
our Mayor, I never an
ticipated your printing it
... especially since it
contained derogatory
remarks against you and
the newspaper. However,
since you did print it and
gave it such a heading as
HHJ Reader Levels
Charges At Editor and
gave it the Editor’s cute
note at the bottom ... I felt
it necessary to sit down
and write you again.
First, I wrote the letter
hoping it would in some
way do some good.
Second, I want it made
perfectly clear that even
though you insinuated as
such, the letter was not
written due to the fact I
am the Mayor’s
secretary but because
I am a citizen of Perry. I
wrote the letter strictly
because I felt it was my
duty to let you know
someone in Perry
disagrees with your
Mayor Was Quick
To Criticize Editor
Dear Bobby:
We at The Leader-
Tribune really got a kick
out of the two letters to
the editor in your
November 15, 1979, issue
which were written by
Mayor James McKinley
and his secretary. It
somehow helps to know
that well-intentioned
gestures (such as the
headline in question)
Headline Must Have
Pricked Bubble
Dear Mr. Branch:
I noted with interest
this week that there is a
raging controversy about
one of your front page
headlines.
Years ago I came
across a definition of
Mayor’s Dispute With
Editor Helps Town
Dear Editor:
I do so enjoy reading
our local newspapers.
Maybe its got something
to do with my age, but I
do look forward to the
next edition like
Christmas presents when
I was a kid.
The crime stories and
politics really don’t do
much for me, but like
they say, “If you want to
sell papers, you’ve got to
have both.”
Now not many people
have affection for either
criminals nor politicians.
I mean even politicians
don’t appear to like one
another, no matter that
they belong to the same
party, religion or color.
tactics.
Since you printed the
letter and added the note
that I’m the Mayor’s
secretary, then let’s
elaborate on that briefly.
Due to this fact, I have a
first-hand knowledge of
Mayor McKinley’s efforts
to do what is decent and
right for his city. I think it
is high time WE as
Americans stand up for
RIGHT again. People
complain because of
crooked politicians, but
yet when we here in
Perry have one who is
unafraid to stand for
RIGHT; then MANY
seem to knock him for his
endeavors.
I challenge you, Mr.
Branch. STOP! THINK!
What would you do, if you
were our Mayor?
I think it is time we
realize he is under the
pressures of trying to do
his best and we should
support him with our
prayers and let him know
we still believe in the
RIGHT way of doing
things.
causes reactions in towns
other than in Fort Valley.
We wonder if Mayor
McKinley has been as
quick to praise you for all
the favorable publicity
you give him as he was to
criticize you for one
“bad” headline? We
notice that he has
received a lot of ink in
your paper in the past. Is
humor that I’ve always
considered a good one:
humor is pricking the
bubble of pretense. This
may be a bit painful for
the prickee; however, I
guess it wouldn’t be if
there weren’t at least a
In a small town, such as
Perry, personal ven
dettas and political up
smanship really does not
have a positive effect on
our daily efforts to im
prove our town.
With my unprofessional
observation now sticking
out, I now proceed to the
point.
HHJ cracking jokes
regarding the Mayor’s
stern reaction to the
recent crime spree and
the mayor’s feelings
expressed in a letter to
the editor, make it
crystal clear, they have
little time for one
another.
Although it doesn’t
make a lot of sense for
So, Mr. Branch, I
challenge you to print this
letter in your newspaper
because I also want to ask
the citizens of Perry to
take my challenge and
write Mr. Branch and let
him know how other
citizens feel. Let the
Mayor know (as well as
Mr. Branch), there’s
more people in Perry who
support what I’ve said
than just the Mayor’s
secretary.
Now Mr. Branch
let’s see if this hits your
paper. Will you meet the
challenge?
Mrs. Mary Jo
Cummings
1001 Park Ave
Perry, Georgia
(Editor’s Note:The
previous letter referred
to by Mrs. Cummings did
not state it was not to be
published. Letters
written to the editor on
subjects covered in the
newspaper are assumed
to be letters to the editor
unless specified other
wise.)
this accepted by the
mayor as his due?
I don’t intend this as a
letter of criticism of
Mayor McKinley - just as
an expression of sym
pathy for a fellow editor.
Sincerely,
C. Wilton Walton
Editor-Publisher
The Leader Tribune
Fort Valley, Ga.
little bubble of pretense
there to start with.
Wherever would we be
if we didn’t smile at
ourselves and our
troubles just a little?!
Sincerely yours,
Carol Cummings
either the Mayor or the
Editor - Publisher to pull
anything of value in
opposite directions, it
does make interesting
reading.
It may be a bit
premature, but it does
seem that these two
gentlemen have com
plimented one another.
As unwitting as it may
have been, since the
Mayor declared War on
Perry’s crime scene and
Bobby printed the
declaration, its been a
quiet success, Keep up
the good work men!
C.A, Hague
317 Carroll Blvd
Perry, Ga. 31069
Mayor Was Right
In Stand On Crime
Dear Mr. Editor:
As manager of one of
the convenience stores in
Perry, I would like to
make some comments on
the recent armed rob
beries in Perry and also
publicly express my
appreciation to Mayor
McKinley for his concern
and his initiatives in
helping to curb such
dastardly acts.
I feel certain, and I
hope the citizens of Perry
realize and feel the same
way, that the Mayor’s
actions have been
responsible, at least in
part, for Perry not ex
periencing an armed
robbery since such ac
tions were publicized in
the news media - Thank
you Mr. Editor for that.
Officials and members
of of the Sheriff’s Dept.,
Georgia State Patrol and
the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation should be
commended for their
favorable response to the
Mayor’s request to assist
the Perry Police
Department in providing
personnel for more
surveillance, especially
during hours of darkness.
As a working mother of
three children, I know
how important it is to feel
safe and secure in a job in
order to provide for a
family. Since the in
creased patrols and
surveillance, I have a
much better feeling of
security. I’m sure that
other working women
and men as well, have
that same feeling.
I would also like to
thank Mayor McKinley
for asking the con
venience store owners to
provide more than one
person in the stores at
night and to have alarm
systems installed. Since
then we have hired
another person for night
duty and the store owner
is in the process of having
an alarm system in
stalled.
The criticism of Mayor
McKinley by some of the
City Officials for
publicizing his actions is
unjustified and should be
totally rejected by the
citizens of Perry.
Publicizing such actions,
in my judgement, is a
deterrent to criminal
activity and serves as a
prevention rather than as
a detection. In other
words, we, who work in
businesses at night, won’t
necessarily have to act as
“sitting ducks”, waiting
for the criminal to strike
and then be caught by the
police. This could be too
late -for one of us. I
would challenge any of
those people who were
critical of the Mayor to
come forward and justify
their criticisms. I was
formerly a Policer
woman and a Security
Guard, who received
training including
studying Police Manuals.
No where was there any
indication that such
actions taken by Mayor
McKinley is detrimental
to crime prevention.
When I read Mr.
Hague’s letter to the
Home Journal last week
concerning this subject, I
could not help but recall a
recent incident. Mr.
Hague suggested that, “If
you observe anyone or
anything of a suspicious
nature, call the Police
immediately and be a
good witness”. It just so
happened that I had
recently gone into a store
where a friend was
working. While I was
there, I observed two
men acting suspicious,
picking up items and
putting them back down
again and again, etc. The
store clerk said she had
been watching the two
men, as they had been in
the store for quite some
time just wandering
around. She had become
upset so I called the
Police Station to report it,
but was told that it was
none of my business and
that the store manager
should call. I understand
that these same two men
were later picked up at
another business
establishment. This is
certainly not intended to
be an indictment of the
entire Police Depart
ment, or any other Law
Enforcement Agency, but
only to cite an example of
an unfortunate act by an
individual. I might add
that I later received an
apology from that in
dividual.
Rather than pull
against one another, we
must all work together in
Perry Police Officer
Praised For Concern
Dear Bobby,
Since I moved to Perry
many years ago I have
always believed that
most city officials and
employees perform their
duties in an outstanding
manner. This belief was
confirmed a few days ago
when my son was in
volved in a traffic ac
cident.
Hidden Unemployment
Is Very Real Problem
Dear Editor:
Hidden unemployment.
That’s a phrase I ran
across recently that set
my thought waves
moving. Some 20 years
ago I interviewed
workers of a fertilizer
mixing plant in San
Angelo, Texas. Their
mixing department
consisted of a concrete
floor and six laborers
with scoops. The corporal
or man in charge opened
bags of the needed
ingredients, spread the
material on the floor and
they went to work.
The next year I was
back in the city and
stopped by the fertilizer
plant. This time only the
corporal was working. He
sat at a console pushing
buttons that did the
mixing automatically.
“Where are the other
five men who were here
last year?” I inquired.
“I don’t know,” the
corporal replied. "On
welfare I guess.”
Since that experience I
have been interested in
what happens to those
displaced by modern
technology. The phrase
“hidden unemployment”
gave me a clue. For
several years industry
was able to absorb the
extra man-power. But as
the U.S. began to ap
proach over-development
it was apparent that some
‘Meals On Wheels ’
Holiday Blessing
Dear Editor:
Thanksgiving came a
day early, Wednesday,
November 21, for the
"Meals on Wheels"
participants. A program
sponsored by the Houston
County Council on Aging
Inc., president, Milo
Medlock of Perry.
Anna Marie Meens, the
Director of Food Services
for the Perry Hospital,
where the "Meals on
Wheels” are purchased
at cost for the Perry area,
planned the real feast.
The many cheerful
volunteers delivered to
the shut-ins an old
our crime prevention and
detection efforts.
Thank you for letting
me express my views.
Sincerrely,
Ms. Patricia A.
Houghton
Rt 2, Moss Oaks
Perry, Ga. 31069
P.S. Due to this and the
past robberies, she quit
that night. This just
happens to be the very
same store councilman
Gene Smith was brutally
stabbed in.
The officer who in
vestigated the accident
could not have acted in a
more responsible or
commendable way. In
stead of the expected
cold, impersonal manner,
the officer demonstrated
compassion, concern and
a genuine interest in the
well being of all involved
parties. His actions
turned what could have
other means of taking
care of the unemployed
would be necessary. The
welfare program came
into being. The huge
government bureaucracy
on the national, state and
local levels has added to
the number in hidden
unemployment.
Toward the end of the
Vietnam conflict I recall
a letter in a Dallas
newspaper protesting the
ending of the war. "I will
be out of a job,” the lady
wrote. She had nothing to
fear. The military has
kept its armaments
contracts alive and well.
It provides a vast pool for
the hidden unemployed.
Others represented in
the pools of hidden
unemployed are students
delaying their entrance
into the labor force,
especially in college and
graduate school. Retired
persons are one of the
fastest growing groups.
A study on this subject
in England showed that of
4 million new job op
portunities, not full
employment but hidden
unemployment was in
dicated. Only 5 percent of
these job opportunities
were created by industry.
Bureaucracy accounted
for 45 percent, govern
ment purchasing created
20 percent and non-profit,
non-economic institutions
accounted for the
remainder. The study
fashioned Thanksgiving
treat of turkey, corn
bread dressing, cran
berry sauce, candied
yams, Harvard beets,
green beans, pumpkin
pie, and milk.
Marguerite Doyle, the
Nutrition Director,
stated, the “Meals on
Wheels" program is
serving more and more
persons daily, as monies
are available. The
Council is funded by the
United Way, Middle
Georgia Community
Action Agency, and
private contributions.
Welcome Mrs. Edward
fincou/taging
okd
Rev. Dan Arioil
‘‘o give thanks unto the
Lord; for he is good: for
his mercy endureth
forever.” - Pslams 136:1
To entirely too many
Americans, Thanks
giving Day is anything
but a time of
thanksgiving. It is largely
a day of feasting, foot
ball, family gatherings,
and Santa Claus parades.
God scarcely gets a few
words of grace at the
heavily over-laden table.
What, do you suppose, is
the reason for the
been a rather traumatic
moment into a bearable
situation for my 17-year
old son.
I want to express my
sincere appreciation to
Officer Ratterree and
recognize him as a credit
to the city of Perry Police
Department.
Sincerely,
Ed Rodgers
concluded that had not
the government opened
its gates to them, 95
percent of the 4 million
would have been idle.
When Secretary of
Agriculture Earl Butz
encouraged policies that
swept the countryside
clean of small farmers,
thousands of workers
migrated to cities where
the government has been
taking care of many.
It is interesting to note
that efforts to save the
Chrysler Corporation are
to avoid increasing the
unemployed. Could this
be still another method of
increasing hidden
unemployment? It ap
pears to be a start in that
direction.
Where will it end?
Perhaps when energy
costs become too high,
human energy will
become valuable enough
to provide all the energy
the nation needs. Maybe I
could make another trip
to San Angelo, Texas and
find that fertilizer dealer
with six men mixing
fertilizer on a concrete
floor. I would ask,
"Where is that fancy
automatic fertilizer
mixing machine?”
He would probably
answer, "I don’t know.
Out on the junk heap I
guess.”
A.B. Kennerly
Perry
(Elizabeth) Bonner, an
aid to Mrs. Doyle in the
Perry area. For services
or wishing to volunteer to
help, please call Mrs.
Bonner at 987-3332.
Mrs. Paul (Jessie)
Hardy has curtailed some
of her volunteer work.
She shall be missed by
everyone, however she
will remain a member of
the Council.
"Thanksgiving Bles
sing” to all who,
"Bring a Bit of Sunshine”
to the ill and lonely.
Thank-you
Marguerite Doyle
923-2820
PAGE 5-A
diminishing devotional
dimension of
Thanksgiving?
I feel that it probably
has a close kniship to
prayer; as Leonard
Ravenhill has stated:
“The self-sufficient do
not pray, the self
satisfied will not pray,
the self-righteous cannot
pray.” The spirit of
gratitude is also driven
away by personal pride.
Henry Ward Beecher
put it: “Pride slays
thanksgiving, but an
humble mind is the soil
out of which thanks
naturally grow. A proud
man is seldom a grateful
man, for he never thinks
he gets as much as he
deserves."
And pride is a vice, said
Samuel Johnson, “which
pride itself inclines every
man to find in others, and
to overlook in himself.” It
is easy to see - and to
condemn - the pride of
others; it is hard to admit
that we are ourselves
vain and proud persons.
It is said that Plato was
entertaining some friends
in a room where there
was a richly ornamented
couch; Diogenes came in
very dirty, as usual, and
getting up on the couch
and trampling on it, said:
"I trample upon the pride
of Plato."’ Plato mildly
answered: “But with
greater pride,
Diogenes!"
It is true that as a
nation and as individuals,
we have much to be proud
of; it is equally true that
we have much to be
humble about and that all
of our sources of pride
are gifts from God. The
proud always hate to
admit that they are
dependent upon any
other; but we are all
dependent upon God. And
we have so very much to
be thankful for.
One H
A Week
Better
Dear Bobby:
I am not adverse to
change but two copies of
the Houston Home
Journal is not a change
for the better.
It used to be I looked
forward to the mail on
Thursday and the Journal
was a little “event” for
me. I allotted time that
day to read the paper
front to back. Now that it
comes twice a week, I
find I barely glance
through them.
I vote for a return to the
once-a-week hometown
newspaper.
Sincerely yours,
Betty S. Hafley
1015 Country Club
Pilots
Thank
The HHJ
Dear Bobby:
The Pilot Club takes
this letter to let you know
how much we appreciate
the coverage you gave us
in the paper for our
Fiddlers and Peddlers
Fair. The fair was a
success and we owe a lot
to you for it being such a
great success. We are
proud of Perry and the
people who make it such
a fine place to live and
raise our families.
The Home Journal
always does a fine job
whenever it is called upon
to tell the people of
Houston County about
what the civic clubs are
doing to make Perry a
better place to live.
Sincerely,
Bptty A. Ragan
For: Norma Wilson
President