Newspaper Page Text
The Summerville News
The Official Legal Organ of Chattooga County
WINSTON E. ESPY
PUBLISHER
TOMMY TOLES
EDITOR
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The Espy Publishing Company, Inc., will not be responsible for errors in advertising beyond t
cost of the advertisement. Classified advertising rate 9¢ per word, minimum $1.75. Card of ,
Thanks, Memoriams, etc., same as classified advertising. Display rates given upon request.
Address All Mail to: THE SUMMERVILLE NEWS, P. O. Box 310, Summerville, Ga. 30747
Editorials
Governmental Series
This week The News is beginning a
series on one of the more important issues
that Chattooga County residents will be
called on to decide — whether to retain the
current sole commissioner form of govern
ment, or go to a five-member board with
a county manager.
The entire legislative act with a map of
the commissioner districts was published
Sept. 11 in The News for the benefit of
voters in the county.
The first part of the series today is an
interview with Dade County sole commis
sioner Larry Moore. The next part on Oct.
9 will be an interview with the county
manager and board of commissioners’
Survey Results
Chattooga Countians have had time to
digest The News' recent sampling of opi
nion in 21 different categories.
County government, primarily the
commissioner’s office, received a low
rating of 2.85. The News and the Chat
tooga County Library received the highest
ratings, 8.39 and 8.20, respectively. The
other 18 categories rated fell somewhere
between those highs and the low.
Comments by a number of people
responding were sometimes more reveal
ing than the numbers themselves.
While the commissioner was roundly
chastised in the remarks, there was also
a lot of criticism aimed at Oak View Nurs
ing Home in the ‘“‘hospital and health”
category. Clearly, those responding think
significant improvements should be made
in those two categories.
The Trion city and Chattooga school
systems received high marks from those
responding, as did ‘‘city government'' in
general.
Some people who gave relatively high
ratings to The News also criticized the
newspaper for its coverage of controver
sies involving the county commissioner
_@From QurEarlyFiles
39 YEARS AGO
The following are excerpts from the Thursday, Oct. 2, 1947 edition of The
Summerville News.
CITY MAIL DELIVERY SOUGHT FOR CITY — Summerville has the
population and the amounts of gross receipts necessary for city mail delivery,
according to J. J. Matthews, local postmaster. The only hinderance to federal
approval of delivery for the city, Mr. Matthews said, is the fact that all the
houses are not numbered and all the streets are not marked.
FAIR WAS ON STREETS THEN: NOW HAS “HOME" — Who could help
by being thrilled at the thought of attending a county fair; whoever, except
maybe a person who wanted to miss the time of his life. Yes, that's the way
it was 41 years ago when the fair was first shown in Chattooga County, and
that's the way it is today, in spite of the fact they are quite a bit different.
This year for the first time, the fair will have a home of its own. After the regular
fair association was organized last year, the county gave 27 acres of land in
North Summerville for the fairgrounds.
NEWLY ORGANIZED LYERLY SCOUTS AID IN FIRE — Less than two
weeks after being organized, Lyerly Boy Scout Troop 51 had the chance to show
its community some of the good the Scouts can do. A forest fire was endanger
ing some homes near Lyerly last Wednesday night and the Scouts came to the
rescue, bringing the fire under control in less than two hours.
LOCAL FIRES REDUCED AFTER FIRE DEPARTMENT ORGANIZ
ED — A modern fire truck, together with a well-planned system of reporting
fires in the city, has aided greatly in the reduction of fires in Summerville in
the last year.
DAVID T. ESPY, JR.
GENERAL MANAGER
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Within County . ..............56.83
Out-of-County Rates
Available On Request.
Published Every Thursday By
ESPY PUBLISHING CO., INC.
Second Class Postage Paid
At Summerville, Ga. 30747
PUBLICATION NO. SECD 525560
chairman of a county which has a govern
mental setup very similar to that propos
ed for Chattooga County. A third part will
discuss the trends in county government
in Georgia. A fourth part may also be
published, featuring questions and
answers on the issue.
The series is being published well
before the Nov. 4 election that will decide
the issue to give voters in the county am
ple time to review both sides of this impor
tant matter. It is too important to be
decided on whim, emotion, misinformation
or lack of information.
We commend the series to your
attention.
and the sheriff. They are tired of the
bickering in county government and, from
their remarks, would rather that it not be
reported.
All the results made interesting
reading, although they weren't obtained in
a scientifically valid manner. Still, they
probably give some indication as to the
general views of a lot of people. If the
survey leads to improvements in various
areas, the effort will have been worthwhile.
®
News Clips
ARE YOU?
Many a man who opened a conversa
tion with a girl years ago is now wonder
ing how to shut it off. — Jacksonville Air
News
* * *
WHAT?
When a state taxes bachelorhood, it's
a levy on unimproved property. — Onawa
(la.) Sentinel
WILLIAM T. ESPY
ADVERTISING MANAGER
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Viewpoint
By Tommy Toles, Editor
Bigfoot And Polities
Without a couple of political controver
sies and Bigfoot to discuss in recent
weeks, Chattooga Countians would almost
be without a topic of conversation. The
weather hasn’t been much to talk about.
And Georgia and Tech haven't been set
ting the football world afire this season.
David Brown, the Summerville man
who said he saw Bigfoot on Taylor's
Ridge, really set tongues to wagging when
he reported the incident to the sheriff’s of
fice. It even resulted in a visit and inter
view by channel 11 in Atlanta but equip
ment and technical foulups resulted in the
video clip getting on the air only once —
at 6:30 a.m.
Like most folks, I don't know what
David saw that Sunday morning in
August. But unlike some, I'm convinced
he saw something. Neither I nor the chan
nel 11 reporter could sheke David's story.
Since all the publicity, some folks have
said privately they think that David saw
a tall, bearded man with mental problems
atop the ridge. Others think he saw a
deformed bear of some sort. But David re
mains convinced that what he saw was
neither human nor bear.
A ginseng hunter for a long time,
David now carries a weapon and a camera
whenever he goes to the woods.
Bigfoot or ‘‘Sasquatch” — which is
painted on the front of David's son’s four
wheel drive truck — has been reported all
over the world for years and years. The
sightings have been reported in the
On The Funny Side v
By Gary Solomon p
Jimmy’s Done It Again. ..
Uh oh, Jimmy Carter did a no-no! The
former president said a naughty word!
What's worse (don't read this out loud
while the kids are in the room) he told
Jerry Falwell where to go.
Why, Jimmy! Where are your man
ners? What happened to that warm
Southern charm? And more importantly,
what took you so long?
A lot of folks were up in arms over Jim
my's statement, saying it was unthinkable
that he would condemn anyone to a fiery
eternity. But I have to wonder, did Jim
my honestly mean he hoped Jerry would
go to hell? I doubt it. Jimmy's too strong
a Christian to wish that on anyone. If we
asked point blank whether he cares where
Jerry spends the hereafter, Jimmy would
surely reply, ‘‘Yes I care. I hope everyone
gets to heaven, even Jerry.”
True, he might hope they are in dif
ferent departments so he doesn’t have to
watch Jerry on celestial television, but
he'd want him to be there just the same.
So why the uproar? Well, it seems to
center around Jimmy's choice of words.
Some people ignore the sentiments he ex
pressed and focus instead on the way he
said it. And because he used ‘‘cuss words,”
many people are upset. If Jimmy had said,
“Jerry can go jump in a lake,” probably
no one would have noticed. But since he
told Falwell to “‘go to hell,”” there's a big
flap.
I don’t understand that. I mean, every
day in politics and public affairs — even
in religious circles — we hear folks telling
each other basically to “go to hell.” But
because they use nice words, no one gets
steamed.
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Himalayan Mountains, where he's known
as the Abominable Snowman. A strange
creature has been sighted on numerous oc
casions in Oregon, Washington State and
in British Columbia.
There is even an Bmm film taken by an
amateur photographer years and year ago
which seems to show a creature similar to
that described by David.
My nephew, Scott Buffington, Com
merce, has a good file of materials on
Bigfoot. After hearing about David's
sighting, Scott loaned me the books and
material.
Surprisingly, I found that there is — or
was — a Bigfoot Information Center at
P.O. Box 77, Hood River, OR 97031.
Another fellow wrote a book about Bigfoot
and appealed for notification of any future
sightings. He is Rene Dahinden, P. O. Box
94124, Richmond, British Columbia,
Canada.
In the late 19705, a group of scientists
got together in British Columbia to
discuss the Bigfoot issue. One of them
summed up the feelings of the scientists
when he said, ‘“Most ... were worried
because their colleagues think the whole
thing is ridiculous. No one was willing to
stand up there at the podium and say, ‘I
go on record as saying Bigfoot exists.’ "’
Whether Bigfoot, or something or so
meone else, visited Taylor's Ridge in late
August is still unknown. But the topic
beats having to talk about the
weather . . . or politics.
In Washington, congressmen rise to
the microphone again and again to say, ‘‘lf
my esteemed colleague had an ounce of
decency about her, she could not in good
conscience support this bill.”” Now, do we
really believe the speaker holds his col
league in esteem when he has just attack
ed her personal integrity and called her an
amoral slug? No. But because the criticism
is couched in acceptable terms, it passes
without comment.
Another example: not long ago I wat
ched a program about the current battle
being waged between factions of a par
ticular religious denomination. What I saw
was people smiling, simply oozing with pie
ty, while in so many words telling folks of
a different persuasion to ‘‘go to hell.” One
man called members of the opposing camp
“‘parasites,’”’ and the contempt in his voice
made the charge more obscene than any
curse.
But back to the issue at hand, even ol’
Jerry himself couldn’t resist a barbed
retort. After hearing of Jimmy's state
ment, he snidely remarked that Jimmy
had *‘obviously gotten his mouth in mo
tion before his brain was in gear.” In other
words, ‘‘Jimmy, you're an idiot and you
don't know what you're talking about.”
Which, in my opinion, is as rude as what
Jimmy said.
However, Jerry's reaction drew little
criticism. This would seem to indicate,
then, that the moral of the story is not that
we ought to quit saying mean things to
each other, but that we should merely
disguise them in suitable language so no
one can accuse us of being profane.
Guest Column
By Kenneth 6. Musselman
Don’t Park There
Not a parking place in sight, you're in a hurry, and it
looks like it might rain. Wait. There's an empty spot right
in front of the supermarket. You pull into it, run into the
store, take care of your business, and you're back in your
car as the first raindrops hit your windshield.
You look into your rearview mirror as you get ready
to back out of your parking spot, and you notice someone
starting the trek from the far corner of the parking lot in
a wheelchair. This prompts you to check. And, sure
enough, there's a sign with one of those little wheelchair
symbols right in front of the parking place you used.
Embarrassed, vou pull out quickly and drive away. Im
agining the person in the wheelchair struggling back
across that lot in the rain with a bag or two of groceries,
you feel like the biggest heel in the world.
You make up your mind you'll never use a
“handicapped-only” parking place again in your life. After
that humbling experience, you probably won't . . . unless,
someday, you need handicapped parking yourself.
Most people who don't need handicapped parking
places — but occasionally use them anyway — have never
had an experience like this. Perhaps they don’t even
understand why handicapped people require special places
to park their cars. There are even a few odd souls in this
world who resent what they see as a *‘special privilege”
for disabled people.
A handicapped parking place isn’t a special privilege,
though, for a disabled person. It's not even a convenience.
It's a necessity.
Before I explain why that's so, let me stress that the
Disabled American Veterans is not asking for sympathy.
Handicapped people don't want or need any pity. But they
do want a little understanding about things like handicap
ped parking zones.
So, why are signs with that little wheelchair figure —
the international access symbol — used to reserve the best
spots in many parking lots?
First of all, people whose disabilities make it tough for
them to get around — who have *‘mobility impairments”
— need to park close to where they want to go. It may
be a pain in the neck for an able-bodied person to walk a
hmucém longer distance with a loaded shopping bag in each
and.
But think about someone carrying a heavy load over
that same distance on artificial legs. That can cause
serious pain, perhaps even bleeding. And a person wear
ing prosthetic legs is more susceptible to falling than an
able-bodied person.
Second, people with wheelchairs, walkers, leg braces
or artificial limbs need ramped curbs near their parking
places so they can get to the sidewalk. Just as very few
able-bodied people have the physical prowess of a football
superstar, very few handicapped people are like the
yvheelchai‘r athletes you've seen on television or read about
in magazines.
_ They don’t “'pop wheelies™ with their chairs, pole vault
with their crutches, or skip over obstacles with their canes.
Third, you can’t squeeze your car in right next to
another car in a tight parking spot if you have to jiggle
a wheelchair out of the backseat and set it up on the
ground before leaving your car. You need room alongside
your automobile to get all that done. People with crutches,
walkers and similar devices need that room too.
That's why handicapped parking places are set up with
extra space on either side of the automobile. When so
meone parks too close to a wheelchair-bound person’s car,
ghg person in the wheelchair could be stuck until the other
wl;lvlferr Srectixfllcs}; The sanfie holds true for those who use
ol thef:’ ;;zost fet;lc l‘egs and other mobility aids.
ol iln b safety LonSlderatlons.. People with
bodisd beokle. Thew eo ox move a 5 dilighlic ss aisle
ed people. Ihey can't just jump out of the paths of
negligent parking lot drivers. Nor can they avoid other
hazayds as easil.y. as able-bodied pedestrians.
autgrl:xl:ll)lfilésn:s)k;l}lxletii, 'lmlpafxred people are stuck with their
P gL on tyl' l(zrm of transportation, and they
otk et Justlixe everyone else. They have to
g 0 to the store. They need entertainment, social life, and
everything else that all of us need.
They don’t want to be prisoners in their own homes
any more than you would want to be. But they can’t just
lget up and walk any place they want to go. Further, near
y all bus and subway systems, regardless of the law, are
not}s{et I:i‘.’ to accommodate people who can’t walk up steps.
spcily lmad s, ei, an they pad
they're going, g places when they get where
I come from the Los Angeles area, where parking can
be a trying experience fpr anyone. Competitionpfor angt)pen_
pfi;fimg spot where [ live can be as grueling as the
challenge for a world-class sporting title. But I've seen
see GUEST COLUMN, page 5-A i