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— The Official Organ of Chattooga County —
WINSTON E. ESPY Publisher
DAVID T. ESPY, JR General Manager
WILLIAM T. ESPY . * Advertising Manager
TOM KIRWAN News Editor
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Address All Mail to THE SUMMERVILLE NEWS, P. O. Box 310, Summerville, Ga. 30747
Editorials
Energy Problem
just this week, Gov. Busbee called a
press conference to declare the growing
natural gas crisis as the worst single
problem to plague his administration.
Busbee isn’t kidding. Nor is he
trying to scare people into cutting their
energy use with a hunch of doomsday
rhetoric about conservation.
Busbee is, however, shooting straight
from the hip. There is little doubt now
that we are just beginning the worst
modern economic period of our state’s
history, with an estimated 70,000 men
and women currently out of work and
some S3O million in revenues being lost
each week.
Busbee's message was clear: either
cut down now or be prepared for utter
chaos. Busbee pointed out, and rightly
so, that if we do not cut down on our
natural gas use now it will soon be
depleted. Once it is gone that much
more of a burden will be placed on the
gate’s power companies, a fact which
will surely lead to its collapse too.
Like a newly-discovered cancer, the
problem right now seems serious but not
devastating. The problem is that the
cancer is growing and unless we do some
thing about it, it will cripple us.
We don’t want to be alarmists, but
at the same time we think it should be
known what we are facing. It appears
that it will be a month or better before
natural gas is available to local industry
as it was before. Those consequences are
clear
By using our imagination, it’s not
hard to see what else may also be on the
A New Detente?
Fhe most far-reaching decisions Pres
ident Jimmy Carter will make in his first
term of office involve U. S.-Soviet rela
tions.
Will the President, Secretary of State
Vance and Secretary of Defense Brown
increase emphasis on detente? Do they
feel NATO in Europe is roughly equiva
lent (in military power! to the Warsaw
Pact nations?
there are some early indications
Brown is taking a softer line on the
Russian threat than recent O O P. Secre
taries of Defense. Carter, ol course,
helped win the November election with
pledges to reduce defense spending.
But a lot of hedging on this pledge
seems to be going on. Some in the Carter
camp are quietly admitting cutting the
defense budget might prove impossible,
as President Ford warned. But akrng
with this is a developing tone of hve-and
let-live, with the Soviets.
In short, it seems though it’s not
yet certain that the dominating philoso
phy at the Pentagon in the next four
years might be more political, aimed at
detente with the Soviets, on the assump
tion the Russians aren't planning an
attack on the West. This worries hawks
on the Hill.
Fair-Weather Prophet
The American Association for the
observance of '“Ground Hog Day" might
as well begin lining up its legion because
the advent of Feb. 2 reminds us that the
traditional occasion, when the little
animal comes out of its winter burrow
for a look about to see if it is time to
resume normal activities, is upon us
I he ground hog is perhaps our most
horizon. The cold weather is here to stay
for a good while, the forecasters say, and
that indeed is more bad news.
What we are talking about here is
not just a few cold nights but the possi
bility of economic breakdown, total
havoc, and complete chaos.
What irks us is that many gas users
are continuing their wasteful habits
despite the almost certain dire conse
quences.
What bothers us even more is that
the local radio station, after announcing
the possibility that schools might be
open again this week, went on to tell its
listeners that they could, if they wished,
turn up their thermostats once again.
The station interpreted news that
Southern Natural Gas Co had raised
Summerville’s residential allocation from
90 percent to 100 percent as an indi
cation that the shortage, as far as resi
dential customers are concerned, is
nothing to worry about.
Nothing could be further from the
truth’
How this nonsense could reach the
airwaves at this critical time is un
thinkable and grossly irresponsible.
At no time has any local munici
pality, or the gas company, to our
knowledge, told local gas users that the
natural gas crisis was solved. Yet this was
the direct implication of this twisted
report.
These are critical days for Chattooga
County as well as the rest of the state.
Unless we reserve the little bit of natural
gas left, we may find shortly that there
will be none left to conserve.
The hawks have often been wrong,
admittedly. The danger in taking
comfort from false wolf cries in recent
years is that the doves need only be
wrong once to doom western Europe to
Communist slavery. And western Europe
is the key to the struggle between the
free enterprise systems and Communism
today.
Carter’s weakest field is foreign
policy. He has almost no experience in
this vital area, though now leading one
of the world’s two superpowers at a vital
time in world history. What concerns
some is that Democrats have tradi
tionally been more prone to gullibility
about Communists than Republicans.
FDR thought he could handle
Stalin. Truman stood up to the dictator.
But Kennedy had a poor record and LBJ
went off the deep end in the wrong war
in the wrong place, with the wrong allies.
LBJ too was inexperienced m the foreign
policy field.
Bi-partisan foreign policy in the next
few years is therefore highly desirable,
and President’ Carter would be wise to
regularly call in congressional and G.O.P.
leaders in the fashioning of a unified,
balanced foreign policy.
famous weather prophet, but, unfortu
nately. not the most accurate to be
found. The theory is that if the ground
hog sees its shadow, it retires for another
six weeks of sleep, but, according to the
legend, if the sky is cloudy, it remains
outside, with the assurance of an early
spring.
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I pulled an old friend out of my
bottom dresser drawer the other day.
Livid pink, my old chum was limp and
had obviously seen better days.
This isn’t a column about some
drunken cohort who fell into my dresser.
It is a story about long johns, those
comical-looking garb which have been
the butt of millions of cartoons through
out the ages.
These particular long johns, it
should be noted, hold a special place in
the Kirwan family history. Their exact
source is unclear, however it is known
they are a Sears brand, possibly over a
dozen years old.
My first recollection of this pair of
long underwear is a bit foggy. 1 do
remember, however, that their stature
was elevated in 1968 when they drew
public acclaim. At the time, in the
waning years of my high school career,
they became the focal point of a produc
tion called “The Emperor’s New
Clothes.” As you may recall, the play is
about a king who traverses his kingdom
in his birthday suit, garnering praise and
admiration for the tasteful style and
inspiring design of his new “clothes.”
Not as bold as the high schoolers of
today, the production crew quickly sur
mised that our community was not
« From Our Early Files
a
25 Years Ago This Week
Sfc. William White Jr., 451 N. Commerce St., and Sfc. Jess L. Stallings,
Box 123, Lyerly, arrived Jan. 16 from Korea at the Seattle Port of
Embarkation, announced by Headquarters Ga. Military District.
♦ * *
James E. Alexander of Trion has been cited by the Military Department
at the University of Georgia for scholastic achievement.
• * *
Enies Madany, a Syrian elementary school principal who is studying
schools in this area, was guest speaker of the Summerville-Trion Rotary Club
last Wednesday.
♦ ♦ ♦
The sale of U. S. Savings Bonds in Chattooga County totaled $262,972
in 1951, it was announced.
* * *
Chattooga County Draft Board has issued its largest call since Oct. 30,
lOSCI when 50 men were called uo for dutv.
39 Years Ago This Week .
One of Chattoogaville’s club ladies, Mrs. W. W. Cook, received a
scholarship for keeping the year farm record. Through her efforts, her
husband was awarded the prize for Chattooga County and stands a chance to
get state prize.
* • •
The quarterly executive meeting was held Jan. I 1 in Summerville at the
home of Mrs. N. S. Rich.
* * •
Chattooga County stands a good chance to win the cup by going over its
quota in the fight against infantile paralysis, it was reported.
• * •
The fifth Sunday meeting of the Chattooga Baptist Association will be
held at the Trion Baptist Church next Sunday.
♦ * •
R. E. Echols, a prominent pioneer citizen of this county, died at the
family residence in Lyerly Monday evening, after a several weeks illness.
• * •
The Mento PT A will serve an oyster supper at the Welch building
Saturday. Feb. 5. beginning at 6 p.m. At this time the winner of the
popularity contest will be announced and prizes awarded.
TOM KIRWAN
Off the Newsdesk
ready for an “Oh Calcutta” version of
the classic. Finally, we came up with a
compromise: the king would wear a pair
of pink long johns.
In Tallahassee, pink long johns are
about as common as penguins. My re
sourceful mother, however, dredged up a
pair of those much-needed legwear from
our family cedar chest, where my father
had deposited them from colder
climates.
The underwear was dyed a day-glo
pink, a color usually reserved for clowns’
nosesand hunting jackets.
On stage, to say the least, they were
a big hit. The children’s audience we
performed before immediately leapt to
its feet as the king strode in wearing his
pink tights, pointing at the actors while
they roared with laughter.
Today the long johns in question see
little action each year. They are tom
now, riddled with enough holes to make
them look like they were once used as a
bazooka target.
Despite their holey appearance, their
bedraggled shape, their garish color and
their decrepit age, this pair of long johns
has a special place in my heart.
And when it gets cold, and the
mercury drops below freezing, they have
an even more special place, which makes
them even that more valuable.
Observations
By ELBERT FORESTER
Editor, The Dade County Sentinel
LET ME SEE-How is the best way to begin this column? It is
reasonable to assume that all my 670,000 readers, more or less,
know that Jimmy Carter is now the President of the United
States. It didn’t take him long to become President-It was the
before and after that took up the time.
It is said that of the total bureaucracy, there are 2,237,551
full-time employees in executive agencies whose jobs are pro
tected by law . . . Bureaucrats can set their own pace and ignore
or sidetrack presidential orders with impunity.
There’s a classic story about the late President Lyndon
Johnson being outraged over an administrator putting the skids
under something the President wanted done. An assistant sug
gested that LBJ fire him. “Fire him?” Johnson yelled, “I can’t
even find him!”
Quite a few of the boys will be out looking for jobs, though, I
just imagine. I can imagine, too, a fellow who has been around
Washington for several years, turned off the payroll and out
looking for a job.
Just suppose he came to The Summerville News and talked
with Gene or some of the boys there, or on up to Joe Hall and to
Jim and Juanita Caldwell. I don’t mean no harm by saying this,
but just imagine: “I’d like to get a job.” “What can you do?”
“Well, the first thing I think I could do best for you would be to
adjust your business to the proper perspective.” “I see-Now,
how would you go about doing that?”
“The first thing, of course, would be to make a thorough
study of the various aspects of your business, which I think 1
could do within a period of no more than six months. Surely you
realize that the operations of your firm must be escalated to the
proper image of 1977. This, I assure you, would be done before I
finalized my basic study.” Be that as it may. Actually, I hope
those who are fired can get jobs right soon, but not jobs paying
$42,500 and all expenses, ’cause that’s getting up near my
bracket, and I work like a blue-nosed mule. (I just put that
“blue-nosed” in there for emphasis, you understand.)
• • •
ONE OBSERVER SAYS: “Some politicians are still trying to
figure out whether they lost the election because they lied too
much, or not enough ... Cuz Charlie says that with politicians,
after the swearing in-comes the cussing out . . . Harold says: “My
wife buys such expensive shoes, she costs as much per foot as that
Alaska Pipeline.” (Frances, you and Marguerite might ought to
get after him about that). ~.,A loyal reader vows: “Sometimes I
think it would be a good thing to have a constitutional provision
that says no idiot can be a member of the U. S. Senate.”
» » »
THE COLONEL-Noticed where the telephone company is
requesting higher charges. Well, after all, they have to pay for all
those ‘out of order’ signs... “You can always tell when a man is
out dining with his wife. He counts his change." . . . “Saving
money these days is harder than playing a trumpet from the
wrong end.” ... “The pastor discovered at the last minute that he
had forgotten to invite one lady to his garden party. He phoned
her-urging her to attend. ‘lt’s no use,’ she told him. ‘l’ve already
prayed for rain.’ ”
• • •
CUZ ALMA—Passes these lines of inspiration along: “Laugh a
little-sing a little .. ~As you go your way .. ,Work a little .. ,
play a little . . ,Do this every day . . . Give a little . . . take a
little ... Never mind a frown .. . Make your smile a welcome
thing ... All around the town .. ..Laugh a little ... love a
little .. . Skies are always blue ~. Every cloud has silver
linings . . . But it’s all up to you.”
• • •
BRO. R. O.— Opines: “I’ll try to be optimistic this coming
year. However, keep this in mind-if you act too optimistic,
people figure you don’t know what’s going on.” Then he adds:
“When the going seems easy, make sure you’re not going down
hill.” (Right.)
• • •
JUANITA-Tells about the young woman who was very
embarrassed about giving birth to a baby in a hospital elevator.
The nurse said, “Oh, don’t feel so bad about that. Why, two years
ago, a woman gave birth to a little girl in the hospital parking
lot."
“I know," sighed the unhappy mother. “That was me, too."
• • »
BRO. GRANT REMINDS: "A stitch in time is better than no
stitches at all.” (That don’t sound exactly right, does it, Bro
Eaker?)
• • •
PA DAVE-Rehashes the story of the old fisherman who got
such a reputation of stretching the truth that he bought a pair of
scales and insisted on weighing every fish in the presence of
witnesses. One day a baby was born next door and the doctor
borrowed the fisherman’s scales. The baby weighed 47 pounds.
(Oh, me.)
• • •
KATE ALLOWS "It’s no particular concern of mine that
these ERA ladies want, but this is a fact-Hay hauling is no fun
and even less fun, heaving those bales into a barn. I prefer to leave
a few chores to the men!"
• • •
LEO AIKMAN-Atlanta Constitution, notes: “George Gray
says when a certain college professor was asked why he never
changed his exams, he replied, "I'm waiting for someone to pass
the ones I have.”
• • •
JOHN B BRIDGES-Noted this on a university bulletin
board: "Old Dean's Never Die They Just Lose Their Faculties ”
• • •
MY MAN-At Rossville, Bro. Powell, reports a friend who
said “My son has found away to save money He uses mine "
• • •
MOUZON-Tells of the fellow who announced that his church
had built a new sanctuary . ...and it was so modern that it had
bucket seats.
• • •
BE SEEIN'-With this thought: This cold weather has gotten
to be not funny.