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THE SUMMERVILLE NEWS
DAVID T. ESPY—PUBLISHER JOHN S. HARRIS—Editor
Published Every Thursday by the News Publishing Co.
Entered at Post Office at Summerville, Georgia, as Second Class Mail Matter.
yuipAiirl
MEMBER
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Subscription Rate $2.00 Per Year
Telephone Service
We have not noticed any improvement
in telephone service since our editorial on
the matter a week or so ago. We did not
expect the editorial to work wonders but
since some telephone workers have ceased
reading this newspaper because of it, we
felt that they have a little more time to
devote to the business of giving service.
We are only kidding, of course. The
editorial was not directed toward any spe
cific employee or group of employees of
the Summerville Telephone Company. It
was directed toward the management of
the Company and we are still of the opin
ion that the utility should improve tele
phone service in this area. If the Sum
merville Telephone Company refuses to do
this, then we think that the Georgia Public
Service Commission should come into the
picture and force it to do so. We definitely
feel that this force should extend to afford
ing the Southern Bell Telephone Company
the opportunity of obtaining the operating
franchise.
This newspaper makes no apologies for
its fight against the Summerville Telephone
Company. Service rendered to its sub
scribers borders on the intolerable. We do
not like anything about it. There is only
one answer as far as we are concerned. The
Summerville Telephone Company should
either greatly advance its service or go out
of business. It is a public utility. Its cus
tomers are paying for service they are not
getting. It is as simple as that.
This newspaper refuses to live in the
bygone days of hand-cranked telephones.
It is true that we do not have hand-cranked
instruments but the service we are receiv
ing is not much better. Chattooga County,
the City of Summerville, and the entire
area in which the local telephone company
operates, deserves the very best of public
utility service. The service is being paid
for. We demand that it be forthcoming.
Post Office Revenue
In case you missed the news item, the
press is reporting that Postmaster General
Arthur E. Summerfield last Thursday pro
posed a one-cent increase in first-class
letter and airmail postage.
Summerfield estimates that the in
crease would bring in an additional 355
million dollars a year in revenue. He said
that the operating deficit of the Post Of
fice Department has been estimated at
more than 500 million dollars a year.
The proposal would raise the rate on
first-class letters from 4 cents to 5 cents
and air mail from 7 cents to 8.
Summerfield said that the increases
are needed to “provide additional revenues
in order to assure that postal revenue will
more nearly equal postal expenditures.”
Taking the Postmaster General’s figure
of an expected increase of 355 million dol
lars and subtracting it from the reported
500 million dollars deficit, it would appear
that the Post Office Department would still
be operating with a 145 million dollars def
icit. We can thus presume that following
this raise in postage rates, we will have
still another in a few months or so. The
Post Office Department’s financial troubles
can easily keep going until the American
taxpayer winds up paying Pony Express
rates of something like $5.00 a letter.
As one small voice, we are against this
proposed hike in postage rates. It ap
pears to us that other means could be found
to place the Post Office Department on
the black side of the ledger.
We have no quarrel with the Post Office
Department. We believe that a good job
is being done within its financial limi
tations. But we fully believe that some
other avenue could be opened without ad
ditional rate increases.
In Atlanta, for instance, there are two
large Post Office buildings and a myriad of
smaller ones. To serve the vast suburbs
of Atlanta, it is probably very necessary
The Summerville News
Is The Official Organ
Os Chattooga County
Address All Mail to
THE SUMMERVILLE NEW?
P. O. Bo.r 310,
Summerville. Georgia
NATION A L EDITORIAL
A Prize Winning
Weekly Newspaper
that the smaller sub-stations be main
tained. But we see no reason for the Fed
eral Government to maintain two large
Post Office structures in Atlanta. One or
both of the buildings should be sold to pri
vate industry and one large Federal build
ing should be constructed to house the At
lanta area’s postal operations and provide
office space for other Federal Government
agencies. We do not know how much this
single example would save but it would
likely be substantial. There are similar
examples all over the United States.
The United States Post Office Depart
ment has its problems. But instead of
forever saying “we need to raise the rates,”
why doesn’t the Department say, “we are
going to fully investigate all postal opera
tions, especially in the physical property
field,”
Again we say, why heat two buildings
when one will do?
The best household pet is a good wife.
There is some merit to the suggestion
that Georgia Legislators should be given
combat pay for the next few weeks and on
into a probable summer tax session of the
General Assembly.
Dogs have refused to talk. This indi
cates a high degree of intelligence.
$ * «
Service to youth is just about as fine
a contribution as any adult can make to
the improvement of Summerville and
Chattooga County.
S: #
The influence of the power of money
upon men is never better illustrated than
when it is illustrated.
$ -I’
There are some actuated by the fight
to get money and the battle to keep it.
;|:
The opinions of your neighbors are not
important to anybody but your neighbor.
Your respect of his opinion make you a
good neighbor.
4- ste rfc
Life has its disappointments but there
is no reason for us to be one of them.
❖
A delegation from Chattooga County
attended the initial meeting of the newly
formed Coosa Valley Area Planning and
Development Commission in Rome last
Thursday. The local delegates named
John D. Bankson of Summerville and J.
W. “Bill” King, Jr, of Gore to serve as local
directors on the commission. We think
that the choice was wise and wish Mr.
Bankson and Mr. King well as they co
operate with other directors from the 12-
county Coosa Valley area in attempting to
enhance the economic picture of Northwest
Georgia.
* * *
Some women are impossible, improb
able, and imperative! The old adage that
they are the weaker sex will not hold true
with us. They combine the three ingredi
ents named here and come out pretty nice
and if you don’t watch out you will join
us in becoming their number one fan.
* * *
Current discussion leads us to wonder
how a monopoly can flourish at the very
time when most business enterprises are
conscious of severe competition.
* * *
Underdone teenagers are just as un
appetizing to their companions as they are
to their elderly uncles.
* * *
How nice it is when the dentist finishes
a cleanup and checkup and says all is well.
Dentists, who practice in towns with water
fluoridation, are saying this more fre
quently these days.
THE SUMMERVILLE NEWS
MAN TALMADGE
■A
Reports From
WASHINGTON -
ALMOST FIVE YEARS to the
day after the Supreme Court
usurped the constitutional right
of the people of the South to run
their public schools as they see
fit, the South this week was ac
corded its first opportunity to
make an affirmative presentation
of its viewpoint before a commit
tee of Congress.
The Sub
committee on
Constitutional
Amendments
of the Senate
Committee on
the Judiciary
on Tuesday
opened three
days of hear-
F 1
If l
»isl
ings on the proposed constitu
tional amendment which eight of
my colleagues and I are sponsor
ing to restore state and local con
trol over public education. The
chance to be heard for a change
as proponents instead of oppon
ents of a measure pointed up the
many possibilities offered by tak
ing a positive and realistic ap
proach to seeking a solution to
the grave crisis with which we of
the South have been confronted
as the result of the Supreme
Court’s illegal school desegrega
tion decision.
• * *
SOME 20 PERSONS, including
the Governors of Georgia and
Alabama and the Attorney Gen
eral of Louisiana testified in favor
of the proposal. Among the wit
nesses were some of the nation’s
foremost lawyers and the organi
zations represented included the
National Society of the Sons of
the American Revolution, the
Committee for Constitutional
Government, the U. S. Daughters
of 1812, the American Taxpayers
Association, the Defenders of the
American Constitution and the
Sons of Confederate Veterans.
(not prepared or printed at government expense)
Berry Speakers . . .
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CHARLES A. DANA <
•
BERRY SCHOOLS ;
SET GRADUATION
STARTING MAY 24
‘
Commencement and baccalau
reate speakers and Alumni Day
activities at The Berry Schools
were announced today by Dr.
John R. Bertrand, the schools’
president.
Commencement exercises for
| Berry College and Mount Berry
| School for Boys will be held at
I 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 25, in
Mount Berry Chapel on the col
lege campus. The commence
ment address will be given by
Charles A. Dana, New York in
-1 dustrialist.
Baccalaureate services for the
। college and high school will be
held at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 24, I
in Mount Berry Chapel. Rev
erend David B. Collins, chaplain
of The University of the South,
I Sewanee, Tennessee, will deliver
the baccalaureate sermon.
On Saturday, May 23, Berry
Alumni Day activities will in
clude alumni meetings, an
alumni council luncheon, high
school and college class day
I gatherings, a tea and reception,
I climaxed with an alumni ban
। quet and dance — all on the
I campus.
• In addition to those who ap
peared in person, a number of
other individuals and groups sub
mitted statements for inclusion
in the record of proceedings. The
fact that many of the partic
ipants and statements came from
states outside the South indicates
the strong latent feeling through
out the country that schools
should be controlled by the states
and the parents of the children
who attend them.
• » »
THE SUPREME COURT has
held that states may no longer
classify students by color in the
public schools and, even though
this is contrary to the Constitu
tion of the United States and a
long line of decisions interpreting
the Constitution prior to May 17,
1954, the decision has been
handed down and there are only
three ways by which it can be
overturned — amendment of the
Constitution, removal of the juris
diction of federal courts over
school questions or reversal by
the Court itself.
Georgians have amended their
State Constitution to authorize
tuition grants for children to at
tend private schools and Georgia
can, of course, get around the
ruling by abolishing its public
school system and subsidizing all
children to attend private schools
of their choice.
In order that every other ave
nue short of that course of last
resort might be fully explored, I
have introduced my proposed con
stitutional amendment and juris
diction bill. If those measures
serve no other purpose, they al
ready have afforded us a valuable
national forum for an effective
presentation of our viewpoint be
fore the rest of the country.
Letter to
The Editor
Editor
The Summerville News
Summerville, Georgia
Dear Sir:
On behalf of the entire Chat
tooga Garden Club, I would like
to express our deep appreciation
for the wonderful publicity your
paper has given us these past
few weeks on the “Grand Tour”
spring flower show.
We had many visitors to the
show from out of the County
and this was due in part to the
publicity in your paper.
We want to thank your pho
tographer for his cooperation
and for his time spent in cover
ing the show.
Sincerely,
MRS. T. J. ESPY, JR.
Secretary
Macon, Georgia
4085 Marse Allen Rd.
Dear Mr. Editor:
On a recent visit to Chattooga
County, I had an opportunity to
see one of your special editions
of the Summerville News. It was
interesting to see pictures of
buildings and names of people
and pictures that I knew 60
years ago.
The picture of Dave Henley
with two unidentified men be
side him. One is Lum Godwin.
I remember well the old colored
man who hauled water and
things with his ox, Jerry. He
was a respectable colored cit
izen together with West Drew
and Smith Knox. Mat Neal was
a fixture around Summerville in
the 1900 s. I remember Smith
Knox, the shoe cobbler, was a
member of the white Presby
terian Church and I have heard
him lead in prayer at their
prayer meetings.
The Deacon Rush home was
interesting and I remember
arising at 4 a.m. one morning
in 1910 to view Haley’s Comet as
it streaked across the Heavens.
It was a sight well worth while.
I went with The News in 1900
and helped get out its Peach and
Industrial edition, all hand set.
Most of the old-timers are
gone. A few are left: Jim Mc-
Ginnis, Mid Allen, George Mor
ton, Delos Mallicoat and others.
Mr. Editor, you are giving
your subscribers a fine weekly
paper. It is one I am sure they
are proud of.
Good luck and best wishes.
JOE PARHAM SR.
REGIONAL LIBRARY
RECEIVES BOOKS
Miss Aline Allen, Librarian of
the Chattooga County Regional
Library, said today that 50 new
books have just been received.
The volumes include works for
adults and children and are fic
tion and non-fiction.
A partial list of the new books
will be found on the Society
Page of this issue of the News.
Local Solon
In Objection
To Tax Jump
Chattooga County Represen
tative James 11. Floyd has gone
on record as opposing any spe
cial sales tax session of the
Georgia General Assembly.
Floyd said this week that
“Governor Vandiver should cal)
in those department heads who
are ‘beating the drums’ for a
special tax session and tell them
to try to economize and operate
their departments on the money
they now have.”
The local legislator said that
the public should get behind
Governor Vandiver’s program of
honesty, efficiency and economy
in government to assure that no
tax increase would be neces
sary.
Floyd estimates that an in
crease of the sales tax from its
present 3 cents to 4 cents would
“take from the pockets of the
taxpayers of Georgia some 40 to
50 million dollars a year.”
He said that if department
heads of the State government
are not willing to work with his
program, Governor Vandiver
should remove them and replace
them with people who are “will
ing to economize in State gov
ernment and give the very best
of service to the people.”
One of Floyd’s five-point ar
guments against an increase in
sales taxes is repeating Revenue
Commissioner Dixon Oxford’s
assertion that tightening up of
the collection of the present
taxes would increase the collec
tion by 10 to 15 million dollars
per year. He also pointed out
that the Senate “Watchdog”
Committee stated that the State
Purchasing Department could
save some $5 million a year i n
purchases for the State.
FOUR MEN GAIN
(Continued From Page 1)
for investigation. He also said
that he believed that the names
“Mitchell” and “Kilgore” were
aliases.
At press time the men had not
been recaptured.
Absence of the men was first
noticed early Saturday morning,
the Sheriff said.
There were five additional
prisoners in the jail at the time
of the break.
Vast Coosa Valley Area
Points To Big Future
Area Planning and Development Group
Formed at Rome Meeting of Delegates
A Coosa Valley Area Planning [
and Development Commission
was formed last Thursday of
members from 12 northwest
Georgia counties with two local
members on the board of direc
tors.
John D. Bankson of Summer
ville and J. W. King, Jr., of Gore
were both named to the commis
sion by Chattooga County dele
gates who attended the initial
conference.
Approximately 500 delegates
attended the meeting, held at I
the Ford Auditorium on the
Berry College campus.
D. L. McWhorter, president of
the Farmers and Merchants
Bank of Summerville, acted as
chairman of the Chattooga
County delegation, one of the
largest to attend the conference.
T. Harley Harper of Rome was
named temporary chairman of
the organization.
Doctor Kenneth Wagner, who
heads the Georgia Tech depart
ment of industrial development,
was the keynote speaker. He
outlined an area development
program in which he stressed
the importance of accounting
and evaluating area, resources.
He cited a need for employment
expansion and for a need to
eliminate weaknesses in the
area.
Chattooga County Represent
atives Joseph E. Loggins and
James H. Floyd attended the
conference. They were joined by
several other State solons from
various counties in the Seventh
Congressional District.
Col. Robert Love, Mobile dis
trict engineer of the Corps of
Trion PTA Hears
Loggins Discuss
Civilian Defense
In a meeting of the Trion
Grammar School PTA Tuesday
night, more than 50 members
heard Civil Defense head Joseph
E. Loggins in a discussion of
Civil Defensb measures for this
area.
Loggins was introduced by A.
J. Strickland, Trion School Su
perintendent.
The meeting was held in the
Trion High School Auditorium.
A resolution of the group
called for other civic bodies in
Chattooga County to appoint
members to a County Civil De
fense Committee.
Round-table discussions fol
lowed Loggins’ appearance be
fore the parents and teachers.
John s Corner
By John S. Harris
~ •' - * ■ ' i
It has been reported that two of the present City Coun
cilmen favor passage of the new City Chaitei on May 23.
By deduction, it would not be too hard to guess which
of the unidentified Councilmen favor the Charter. It might
be Wales Goebel, the First Ward Councilmen, who was not
present at the last three Coun
cil meetings and who evidently
does not have any interest in the
affairs of Summerville except to
collect his pay for services not
rendered. On the other hand,
Mr. Goebel may be seeking to
return to Summerville and cam
paign for the Mayor’s job should
the Charter receive a mandate
of the voters.
Councilman James Crouch is
already an announced candidate
for Mayor under the Charter,
provided it passes. He told this
writer that he intended running
for Mayor if the Charter became
the governing law of Summer
ville. Therefore, I would say that
Mr. Crouch favors the Charter.
We have a ? for Mr. Goebel
and a positive affirmative for
Mr. Crouch. That makes one
and a half.
The report said two Coun
cilmen were backing the
Charter.
Since this is true, we must
get another half from the re
maining two Councilmen, Roy
Alexander and Will Stephen
son.
Your guess on these two gen
tlemen is as good as mine. Just
for the sake of making a choice,
I would say it lies with Mr.
Stephenson. I could be entirely
wrong but at this stage of the
game he would be my pick.
If either one of the two re
maining Councilmen favor the
Charter, we would wind up with
two and a half instead of the re
ported two.
It has been said around town
that this writer cannot read.
Evidently this is because of my
opinions on the proposed Char
ter. In my own defense I would
like to say that I do pretty well
once I have put on my bifocals.
However, an illiterate could
smell the odious passages in the
City Charter. It is true that I
am getting along in years and
am not as keen as I once was.
But I am not completely with-
। Engineers, outlined the history
of the development of t h eI.
Coosa-Alabama waterway sys
tem and told of plans under way
for development.
Other speakers heard during J'
the afternoon session included :
J. W. Fanning, agriculture econ
omist of the University of Geor- :
gia; M. W. H. Collins, director
of the department of law and I
government, University of Geor- |;
gia; Burton J. Bell, chief liaison :
officer, Corps of Engineers;
j Sidney F. Thomas, director of
Rome-Floyd County Planning
Commission, and Howard Men
hennick, professor of city plan
ning at Georgia Tech.
The conference, which cli
maxed several weeks of inten
sive planning, came about as
the need for an effective over-
I all planning and development
program for the 12 northwest
Georgia counties became appar
ent. Harry M. Oldham, vice
president and Rome division
manager of Georgia Power Co.,
hosted a barbecue at Berry
Schools at noon for the group.
SEVEN LOCAL
(Continued From Page 1)
church.
The youths answered 220
questions on the Catechisms and
memorized the Bible’s Book of
James. They also learned the
Ist, 23rd and 100th Psalms. They
studied six additional religions
and learned the Beatitudes.
They prepared maps showing
locations of missions in the
Presbyterian world and home
mission field as well as maps lo
cating 27 schools and colleges.
In community enterprises, the
Scouts visited the sick at homes
and in hospitals. They painted
a garage at the Presbyterian
manse and kept the Presbyter
ian Church’s grounds and flow
ers. They worked to entice oth
er youths into the Scout program
and into their church.
Special ceremonies at the
Presbyterian Church were held
last Sunday at the morning wor
ship hour when Reverend Hotch
kiss presented the awards. (See
picture elsewhere in this issue.)
Members of the group receiv
ing the award were:
Johnny Agnew, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Agnew.
Davjd Espy, Jr., son of Mr. and
Mrs. D. T. Espy.
David Houston, Jr., son of Mr.
and Mrs. D. O. Houston.
Sam Jones, son of Mr. and :
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1959
out my faculties. AND I DO NOT
FOR ONE MOMENT BELIEVE
THAT I AM ALONE IN MY
’ THOUGHTS REGARDNG THIS
PROPOSED CITY CHARTER!
J It has also been said that I
. should shut up about the
1 Charter because I cannot vote
, in the City of Summerville.
That is indeed trpe. I have not
. been here long enough to
’ qualify as a voter in the City.
But the qualifying law does
not include throttling the ex
’ pression of my opinions. Only
J the voters can shut me off
about the Charter. If the peo
ple want the Charter, so be it.
BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE
THEY DO and my job, as I see
it, is to show them the sections
of the Charter which, in my
opinion, are not in the best in
terest of this City.
It has been said that Summer
ville needs a change. I agree
that it does. BUT WOULD YOU
GET OFF THE BACK OF A
GENTLE HORSE IN MID
STREAM AND CLIMB ON THE
BACK OF A BUCKING BRON
CO?
Summerville needs a Charter.
: The present one has about as
. many patches in it as does the
. telephone book in the News of
’ fice. But it doesn’t need this pro
■ posed Charter. There is abso
lutely nothing in it that would
help this City one iota. There is
■ plenty in it to allow that “po
i litical breeze” to whip into a
maelstrom and provide Sum
merville with a “strong” over
paid Mayor and five un-needed
. Councilmen.
If the handwriting on the
wall is there, I can read it. I
can use my bifocals to get to
the small print and I can use
my smellivision to decipher
the rest. The majority of us
are imbued with these facul
ties. For those who can vote, I
I believe they will be put to good
use in defeating the Charter
on May 23.
Jordan Expected
To Take Jaycee's
Top Spot Tonight
The Summerville Junior Cham
ber of Commerce will hold its
annual officer election tonight
in an outing-type meeting
scheduled at Selman’s Cabin.
A Jaycee nominating commit
tee has previously announced a
slate of officers.
Kelly Jordan has been picked
for the top Jaycee office now
held by outgoing President San
ford Dunson.
George Lane and Smiley
Gregg were nominated for Vice-
President and Roy Joe Thomas
was picked to succeed himself as
Treasurer. The Secretary’s spot
is expected to be filled by the
present office-holder, Jim Haw
kins.
Jordan is now the Jaycee Vice-
President. He is expected to be
elevated to the head Jaycee posi
tion although members will be
afforded floor nominations at
tonight’s meeting.
BYRD SPEAKS
(Continued From Page 1)
Betty Davis and Larry Durham.
Following Lt. Governor Byrd's
appearance on May 22, the
eighth grade graduates will en
tertain with a banquet for their
parents, members of the faculty
and the local Board of Trustees.
Students graduating are Eva
Nell Norton. Vickie Tucker, La
nelie Duke, Charlotte Bullard,
Sue Gentry, Carolyn Cochran,
Marvin Hartline, Ronnie Smith,
Betty K. Nelson. Larry Durham.
Linda Glass, Jimmy Dennis,
Jerry Skelton, David Dixon, Bet
ty Davis and Wayne Pope.
All Pennville students will re
turn to classes May 26. The
teachers will continue Post Plan
ning through Friday, May 29.
CLEAN-UP DRIVE
(Continued From Page 1)
aside for trash collections in the
downtown business district.
Sitton urged all householders
and business establishments to
prepare in advance for the big
clean-up effort.
Mrs. John Jones.
Olney Meadows, Jr., son of Mr.
and Mrs. J. O. Meadows.
Randy Taylor, son of Mr. and
Mrs. John D. Taylor.
Bill Whisnant, son of Mr. and
Mrs. John B. Whisnant, Jr.