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Editorials
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John Frank McConnell
It is with much sadness in our
hearts that we record the passing
of John Frank McConnell
To soy that a person was a ded
icated son, husband, father and
citizen is a eulogy that befits few
persons. But Mr McConnell was
truly all of these things.
Precedent to Be Feared
The editor of the Asheville,
N C., Citizen has reported one of
the most disturbing federal busi
ness expansions that has come
along yet.
It seems that the Office of Eco
nomic Opportunity has provided a
grant of $179,000 to Community
Action, Inc. of Boone, N. C., to
publish a weekly newspaper and
distribute it free to everybody in
four counties including those
who can't read."
Weekly newspapers in the area
already cover community news.
The official objection is that not
enough people subscribe to them
to read them.
The Citizen comments that, "if
the OEO can publish a weekly
Georgia Highway Slaughter
Georgia's traffic fatalities are
up over last year when a record
1,602 people died on the streets
and highways.
The Georgia Safety Council re
ports that 755 persons have been
killed m traffic accidents in our
state since January 1 This com
pares with 720 killed during the
same period in 1966
The economic loss from these
accidents in 1966 amounted to
$288,180,000. During the first six
months of 1967, economic losses
total $135,900,000.
Experts tell us that approximate
ly nine of ten accidents could be
prevented We have a real problem
here in Georgia In order to solve it,
Freedom Shares
The "Freedom Shares" which
the federal government made
available May 1 on a one-for-one
basis to those who buy Series E Sav
ings Bonds under the payroll sav
ings or bond-a-month plans are an
excellent way to raise some of the
money needed to help finance the
war effort in Viet Nam
Officials hope the securities will
bring in an additional $1 billion
during the next year — money
which otherwise would have to be
borrowed from other sources.
The notes, which will pay inter
est ranging from 4 01 to 4 74 per
cent, depending upon how long
they are held, should be attractive
to all small savers and potential
savers, whether they are motivated
by patriotism or simply a desire for
personal security
The special notes will be offered
A Sorry Spectacle
According to a newspaper report
from Portland, Oregon a U S. com
munist party organizer, in speak
ing to a group of college students
on college property, said "Ameri
cans eventually will adopt commu
nism because the present political
system gives them no way to par
ticipate meaningfully in the deci
sions controlling our lives "
But most noticeable was the fact
that no college authority answered
this challenge No support was of
fered for our representative form
of government under which every
adult man and woman has the
right to vote on a secret ballot
What would happen to a U S
citizen who dared to address a Rus-
©hr summrrutlk Naus
JAMES D ESPY Managing Editor
DAVID T ESPY. JR General Manager
WINSTON E ESPY Co-Publlsher
WILLIAM T ESPY Advertising Manager
■' '-uW W ESPY News Editor
He will be missed by his family,
his relatives, his friends and his
fellow citizens.
Chattooga County has lost one
of its most respected public serv
ants, but may we all profit by his
example.
newspaper in northwest North Car
olina . . . Washington can . . . de
velop - gradually, insidiously -a
federal press, financed by taxpay
er's money and telling the Ameri
can people only what it wants them
to hear. That is not likely? No, it is
not likely. It is still possible. This is
the prime tactic of dictatorship,
with the controlled press the main
tool.''
This is an intolerable precedent
in a nation where individual liberty
depends to such a great extent
upon the independence and free
dom of expression of thousands of
weekly and daily newspapers. Their
role as the public conscience and
watchdog of government is abso
lutely irreplaceable.
all those persons who recognize the
problem must do their utmost to
help.
What can we do?
The safety council recommends
these rules: Obey all traffic laws;
be aware of surrounding condi
tions, be patient and courteous;
make sure you are physically able
to drive safely, and know that your
vehicle is in safe driving condi
tion.
Safety experts state that the use
of seat belts would drastically re
duce deaths and serious injuries —
yet, somehow, enough people
haven't been reached to make this
information vital to them.
for only a limited time — until the
end of the Viet Nam war or two
years — whichever is longer. They
can be purchased at 81 per cent of
face value.
The net effort of the offering of
the "Freedom Shares" should be to
encourage others to save on a reg
ular basis. Once a habit of thrift is
established, there is a good chance
that it will continue to be prac
ticed.
There is no better — and cer
tainly no safer way to save than by
the purchase of savings bonds un
der the payroll savings or bond-a
month plans. Quite apart from
whatever money the offering of the
'Freedom Shares' may raise to help
finance the war effort, it will con
tribute to economic stability for the
nation as well as financial security
for the small saver-investor
sian college audience in a like
manner and criticize the commu
nist system? A U.S communist, un
der the protection of the U S Con
stitution, has the privilege of crit
icizing the US political system
which guarantees his right to free
speech, which he wouldn t have in
Russia. o
We need a few "organizers" to
teach United Stateism in our edu
cational system to counteract the
isms that have the privilege of try
ing to tear it down Lack of such
teaching leaves our young people
at seo and open to the w i I e s of
those who would destroy us under
the cloak of academic freedom
- *
:r-_ Rather active planet, it seems’’
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1 ’VL W/L/
A beneficial by-product of the clos
ing of the Suez Canal is a renewed
awareness of the importance of the sea
route around the Cape of Good Hope
and of the Republic of South Africa
which serves as the sentinel of the
West at the southern tip of the conti
nent.
Less than a year ago, the U. N. glass
palace on New York’s East River rang
with the angry words of Afro-Asian
delegates demanding a crackdown
against South Africa and its friendly
neighbor to the north, the new inde
pendent nation of Rhodesia. The John
son administration, to the distress of
Americans concerned with the stra
tegic interests of the U. S., added its
weight to pressure applied against the
two progressive African states which
are under European leadership.
Today, that same Afro-Asian major
ity in the United Nations is too busy
railing at Israel to devote any atten
tion to South Africa and Rhodesia.
And both the United States and Eng
land are deeply concerned about the
continuing flow of Middle East oil, in
which South Africa plays an important
role which should not be forgotten a
year or two hence.
No sooner had the Suez Canal been
closed than oil tankers and merchant
men loading in the Middle East were
diverted around the Cape of Good
Hope. Immediately, 20 British tankers
were scheduled to put into Cape Town,
South Africa, for refueling and replen
ishing. This initial group of ships, how
ever, was only the beginning of a vast
movement of merchant vessels around
the Cape, with hundreds scheduled to
drop anchor in the South African
gorts of Durban, East London, Port
lizabeth, and Cape Town. Approxi
mately 1,500 ships regularly use the
Suez route, and now will be using the
Cape Town route. Many of these ships
will need fuel, stores and repairs at
South African ports.
There is a lesson here that the West
ern maritime nations should never for
get: namely that South Africa’s har
bors are vital to the free world in peace
and war. Imagine the results if South
Africa's ports were closed to Western
tankers and freighters! Many of the
tankers employed in the Suez route
are not equipped for the long voyage
to England and Europe, without stop
ping en route.
And what would happen t 6 those
j&tw Me Editol
Editor
The Summerville News
Dear Sir:
I would like to take this
opportunity to thank you for
your excellent coverage of
my recent diving trip to the
Summerville area Articles
of this type help to Inform
the public about Scuba div
ing. and give a tremendous
boost to the sport
The people of the Summer
erville area are indeed for
tunate to have such a news
paper as The Summerville
News The excellent printing
The Summerville News
Is the Official Organ
of Chattooga County-
Address All Mail to
THE SUMMERVILLE NEWS
P. O. Box 310
Summerville, Georgia 30747
• 8 6
Sensing the News
CONTROL OF THE CAPE
By Thurman Sensing
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Southern States Industrial Council
ships which, though capable of an un
interrupted j ourney, suffered mechan
ical breakdown? South Africa has the
only major drydock on the African
continent —a drydock large enough
to accommodate an American cruiser
or light aircraft carrier. Obv ously,
closure of South Africa’s ports would
be a disaster for the West.
The liberals in power in Washington
and London should have thought of
this several years ago when they began
their campaign of abuse against a
loyal wartime ally. These liberals have
attempted to promote revolutionary
regimes throughout Southern Africa,
thereby ignoring the strategic inter
ests of the U. S. and England. If a
Castro or Lumumba were in power in
Pretoria, one can be sure that South
Africa’s ports would be closed in sym
pathy with the revolutionary Arab na
tions. Indeed suppose the South Afri
cans, outraged at the abuse directed at
them, had a neutralist government on
the lines of the DeGaulle government
in France. Even a mild policy of non
cooperation could have disastrous ef
fects on the Western powers.
Without ready access to Middle East
oil and without continuance of its oth
er vast sea traffic, England would have
an overnight fiscal crisis. Its solvency
could disappear, and the United States
suddenly would be confronted with a
gigantic and enormously expensive
financial rescue operation.
These realities concerning South Af
rica — and they apply generally to the
strategically important inland country
of Rhodesia (which is a barrier to rev
olutionary advance in South-Central
Africa), show up the folly of policies
adopted in the past by the Johnson
administration in the U.S. and the Wil
son government in England. One is re
minded of the incredibly foolish and
offensive decision by the' White House
not to allow crewmen of the aircraft
carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt, return
ing from the Vietnam war, to enjoy
liberty in Cape Town.
Clearly, it is time that the Johnson
administration make a public state
ment, repudiating the anti-South Af
rican policy which endangers the vital
interests of the United States and oth
er friendly maritime nations. Control
of the Cape must remain in the hands
of a stable, European-type government
which will stand by the West in a time
of crisis.
and the clarity of the photo
graphs stand head and
shoulders above any of the
larger newspapers that I
have seen.
Joe Davis and I plan to do
some more diving in the
area as soon as I have an
opportunity to return.
Sincerely,
Ron Saxon
Sec.-Treas.
Southern Council of
Skindiving Clubs
Editor,
The Summerville News
Dear Sir:
Thank you for your recent
editorial, "The Federal Elec-
Pubhshed Every Thursday by the ESPY PUBLISHING COMPANY
Entered at Post Office at Summerville. Georgia 30747, as Second Class Mall Matter
The Espy Publishing Company will not be responsible for errors In advertising beyond
cost of the advertisement. Classified advertising rate 3c per word, minimum 75c. Card of
Thanks. Memoriams. etc., same as classified advertising. Display rates furnished upon re
quest.
SUBSCRIPTION RATE — IN COUNTY, $3.09 A YEAR - OUTSIDE COUNTY, $4.12 A YEAR
trie Bank: A Costly Scheme."
As was pointed out in the
editorial, the proposed
"bank" would be the largest
federally owned banking in
stitution in history and
would come at a time when
the treasury is already under
a tremendous strain. Alsd, as
the editorial stated, many
persons who are struggling
to make ends meet will won
der why this "bank" is nec
essary.
You are providing an im
portant public service in
bringing these facts to the
attention of your readers. As
a result, you may be helping
to save taxpayers many mil-
B’Eursdify^
COMMENT
By WOODROW ESPY
A Dedicated Public Servant.. .
If you would see his monument . . . look around.
John Frank McConnell will be remembered
in Chattooga County for many things, but the
thing that will stand out in the memory of most
of us is his sincere desire to make our commu
nity a better place in which to live.
He had not been in public life but a few years.
During that time, he had endeared himself to an
overwhelming majority of the people of Chat
tooga County.
John Frank was not only our county sheriff,
but he was a friend to whom we could talk ... a
person ever ready to help his fellow man.
He has set an example of public service that
will not be excelled in the years to come.
Evincible Sincerity ...
Yesterday was the first time we have had the
opportunity to observe Gov. Lester Maddox at
close hand since he became governor of our
state.
Mr. Maddox is a forceful speaker and holds
his audience well. Probably the most noticeable
attribut in his evincible sincerity in his aspira
tions and determination of what he intends to
do for our state during his administration.
If the governor's plans for Georgia are ful
filled, our state will have profited by his steward
ship.
Quote of Note...
To absolutely ignore a local government .
when the local government is ready to furnish
assistance needed, and is amply able to enforce
the law, not only insults the people of this state
by imputing to them an inability to govern them
selves, or an unwillingness to enforce the law,
but is in violation of a basic principle of our in
stitutions.
"The question of federal supremacy is in
no way involved. No one disputes it for a mo
ment, but, under our Constitution, federal su
premacy and local self-government must go
hand in hand, and to ignore the latter is to do
violence to the Constitution." —Gov. John Peter
Altgeld of Illinois in a communication to Presi
dent Grover Cleveland in 1894.
r The_—,
| Minister Speaks |
By D. F. NORMAN
Pastor First Baptist Church,
Trion
Men are like boats . . .
they toot the loudest when
they are In a fog, when they
cannot see where they are
going. Webster defines fog
in one way as “a state of
mental confusion.” It is
ironical, but true, that in
our day when so much stress
is given to mental achieve
ment there is so much men
tal confusion. This only
underscores the fact that
man is basically a finite
creature.
With so much to be done
and with so many resources
with which to accomplish
our tasks in life, we still,
very often, lack the ability
or will to make decisions.
The brain-washing tech
niques that the oversized
“Cult of Conformity” have
used on us are getting re
sults. It seems, that in a
nation where the value is
supposed to be placed on the
individual, that we have lost
our ability to be individuals.
It does not take much effort
to conform. The price one
pays for being a carbon copy
is almost nil. Our nation is
too full of carbon copies.
How much better it is to
seek to be an eagle and soar
in the heights than to be a
mocking bird, a mere mimic.
I believe that this same
minicry, so current in our
entire society, has invaded
the church of God and
stifles its effectiveness by
making a frontal attack on
individualism. Demands are
made that every member of
every church be run from
Hons of dollars.
Thank you again for the
fine editorial Best wishes to
you and your staff.
Sincerely.
Edwin I Hatch
President.
Georgia Power Co.
the same stencil or the same
mimeograph machine. Any
one who does not agree with
what is considered to be the
orthodox point of view is
labeled, castigated, shunned.
The church had better get
its feet on the ground again.
It had better seek to become
more than an extension of
the culture in which it
exists. It had better realize
anew that its task is to
transform the world, not
conform to the world. God
does not bless the church
when those in it aspire to no
higher goal than becoming
a “Sir Echo” in the madness
of me-too-ism. God never
asks us to sit in the grand
stands and applaud: He
asks that we step up and
get in the game. By strong
decision and commitment
we can move mountains. We
must stand for something,
lest we fall for anything.
The prime cause of the
fog that we often find our
selves in, undoubtedly, is in
decision. We are like the
patient being interviewed by
his analyst. The analyst said
to him, “You are a rather in
decisive person, aren’t you?”
The patient, after a mo
ment’s hesitation, remarked,
“Well, yes and no.”
The fog of indecision is so
great that we find ourselves
withdrawing from society
rather than participating in
it. To participate would
mean being involved in dif
ficulty, to pay a price. In
our efforts to be left alone
by our world and its ills, we
are like a certain beatnik
who raced up to the psy
chiatrist at his Army physi
cal and pleaded, “take me
right now! Forget about
basic training. Just give me
a rifle. Send me to the front.
I am power and strength. I
am the conquerer!”
Said the doctor, "You’re
crazy!”
“Write that down, dad,
the beatnik urged. “Write
that down.”
a w f d c UMA
|m
MEMBER