The Charlotte News
Tuesday, December 31, 1957
ONE EDITORIAL
Site Ed. Note: The front page reports that in Gettysburg, the President virtually completed his work on the 1958-59 budget this date in a front porch session with two top advisers. Indications were that the budget would reach about 74 billion dollars, the largest peacetime spending program in the nation's history.
House Republican leader Joe Martin of Massachusetts said this date that it appeared almost inevitable that Congress would have to increase the national debt limit.
The threat of a New Year's Eve
In Jerusalem, it was reported that Israeli President Itzhak Ben-Zvi this date had accepted the resignation of Premier David Ben-Gurion and his five-party coalition Cabinet.
In Singapore, it was reported that Australian destroyers this night had taken up positions beside a Dutch liner in Singapore amid reports that an Indonesian gunboat was waiting to seize it.
Four traffic deaths in Kansas and two in Missouri had been attributed to snow and ice on the highways during the winter's first major snowstorm which hit most of the Midwest this date.
In Raleigh, it was reported that Florida Governor LeRoy Collins would be the speaker at the annual Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner to be held in the capital city by North Carolina Democrats on February 1.
In Amonate, Va., it was reported that the West Virginia Department of Mines opened a hearing this date into the coal mine blast which had killed 11 miners the prior Friday in a Pocahontas Fuel Co. mine which straddled the Virginia-West Virginia border.
In Belgrade, Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav News Agency announced this date that President Tito had "successfully completed medical treatment" and his doctors considered his health completely satisfactory.
In Algiers, the first oil output from France's new Sahara Desert field at Hassi Massaoud was reported en route to the Mediterranean this date.
In West Palm Beach, Fla., the second man wanted in a double slaying in a Washington bar, had been arrested by a patrolman making a routine check of transients. The shooter in the incident, who had been wanted for murder of two individuals and the wounding of a third, had been killed after a chase by police the previous day, winding up in a head-on collision, killing also the other driver. The second individual was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution for murder, kidnaping and transporting of a stolen car across state lines. The man had been hitchhiking the previous night and showed a patrolman, who stopped to question him, a wallet containing pictures which matched FBI circulars, and a driver's license bearing the name of the wanted man. He was then arrested.
In Clarksburg, W. Va., the Clarksburg Exponent this date printed a form to be used by persons who might wish to offer anonymous information regarding the fatal shooting of a prominent local merchant. The "secret witness" method had been instituted by city and state police in the hope of turning up clues in the unsolved murder, which had occurred the night of December 18. The man had been shot through the stomach after answering the back doorbell at his residence. He had then managed to telephone for help, but died 24 hours later. Whether they got the idea from the episode of "Tales of Wells Fargo", which had aired the previous night, is unknown.
In East Liverpool, O., the mayor-elect was discouraged over his inability to obtain a salary cut. The salary was $2,400 per year, but the new mayor did not need it. He was a retired pottery executive and president of an electric company and had enough private funds to provide for himself. He wanted to use his salary to hire a better safety service director for the city, who had to spend more time on the job than did the mayor and received $4,200 per year. Explaining his idea to the City Council on Friday night, the Council voted on his proposal to cut his salary to a dollar per month, applying the remainder to the other job, but the vote came out 4 to 3 against the proposal. One suggestion was to accept the salary and then hand it back to the City treasury, but that would mean a loss of a large amount of income tax. By the following day, any legislation would be too late, as the new mayor would be sworn in and under present law, public officials could not receive salary changes during a current term.
In New York, the name of the brokerage house of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Beane would be changed as of March 1 to add Winthrop Hiram Smith, henceforth to be known as Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith.
In Fort Worth, Tex., a man, who had been a resident of Sheffield, Ala., in June, 1919, had written the Navy a letter offering to explore space, saying in part: "Give me the machine I want and all the equipment that I would find, by exploration of the air, that I need, and I will show the world another stunt that Americans can do." The head of the Navy's aviation division had answered on June 12, 1919: "Your letter of June 7 … will be filed for further consideration. Thank you very much for your interest…" The man, now 71, a laundry operator in Fort Worth, had dropped the matter for a time, and then eight months earlier, as space stories began popping up in the news again, had written to the Navy asking about his earlier letter. It had taken awhile for the Navy's filing system to find the letter and the answer. The man said he was not taking an attitude of "I told you so", but thought that it was nice to be able to prove he was ahead of the Russians.
In Mount Airy, N.C., a 55-year old operator of a beer parlor on the Mount Airy-Flat Rock highway had died the previous day at a hospital following an accidental, self-inflicted pistol wound. The man died about 20 minutes after being rushed to the hospital. Before he died, he had told the doctor in the presence of several nurses that he had shot himself accidentally while trying to remove a gun from the glove compartment of his automobile.
Ann Sawyer of The News reports that local educators who could be reached this date said that the President's plan for bolstering scientific education was good, but that Federal help ought not stop with science. Dr Elmer Garringer, City school superintendent, said that they were interested in the humanities as well as science and mathematics. One high school principal had said that it was a pity that the Administration program came as a result "of what Russia has done, not because of concern for American youth." Some state leaders gave their approval, but with reservations about the program, while others said they needed more time to study the plan which had been announced the previous day.
J. A. Daly, business editor of The News, "a businessman's business writer" who also had "the human touch for the man on the street and the woman behind the stove", would present answers the following day for readers anent the outlook economically in 1958, suggesting that it would be favorable. He may not be quite as savvy as they proclaim him.
During the trial of 14 youths who had been arrested for their part in a gangland-style "war" at a westside grill in Charlotte, the testimony had stalled because of fear on the part of witnesses that something would happen to them. A County police officer had said he talked with several of the boys and they had told him that they were afraid to say anything because something might happen to them when they got home. Most of the cases involved assaults with deadly weapons. All 14 of the youths, except one, had entered pleas of not guilty, the one exception, charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, having entered a guilty plea.
Julian Scheer of The News tells of Carl G. McCraw, president of Union National Bank in Charlotte, having been named the News Man of the Year for 1957, elected by the previous Men of the Year. A non-drinker and non-smoker, he was an active member of the First Baptist Church and had served it for many years. The piece provides his various civic memberships and the following editorial indicates his distinguished service during the year.
On the editorial page, "Carl G. McCraw: Man of the Year" indicates that Mr. McCraw had been a molder of progress in Charlotte during 1957, having been a key booster for extension of the city limits in the General Assembly and in the election which followed. The result of that effort was that Charlotte would have room to breathe in the future when the annexation would take effect at the start of 1960.
A piece from the Nashville Tennessean, titled "The Bridegroom, Alas, Is Lootless", finds nothing more superfluous at a bridal shower than a bridegroom. While the bride was treated to all kinds of loot, from potholders to silverware, things of little use to the groom, he seldom received at his stag party any such loot.
But during the week, a University of Tennessee student who was a groom, was given a shower by his friends, replete with receipt of lots of handy gadgets for use around the house. It salutes the friends who had thought it up and hopes it might catch on.
Drew Pearson, in Sidi Slimane, Morocco, indicates that on the runway of the airbase were two dozen sleek, speedy, windswept B-47's, each loaded with an hydrogen bomb, poised and ready to take off, with their destination being Moscow, reachable at 600 mph in just four hours. He had been allowed to climb into the cockpit of the lead B-47, only feet away from the hydrogen bomb which contained more explosive power than all the bombs, artillery shells, and other firepower detonated during World War II. Every minute of the day, one or more of those bombers with their hydrogen bombs was in the air ready for "eventualities"—perhaps, less pessimistically, contingencies, to be consistent with Mr. Pearson's generally hopeful message for peace through appeals to the better angels of the Soviet people. The jets were constantly lined up on the runways of Morocco ready to strike if needed.
He says that a month earlier, he would not have been able to write about that fact, as the entire airbase at that location had been top-secret. But in November, General Tom Power, chief of the Strategic Air Command, had announced in Paris that since October 1, the Air Force had giant bombers, loaded with hydrogen bombs, on 24-hour alert, ready in 15 minutes to take off toward enemy targets in case of war, referring to the airbase where he was visiting.
It was located between Rabat and the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. There were 38 klaxon alarms to alert the pilots of their need to board their planes and speed toward a target. There were three men to each B-47 and each crew had a jeep. They had to stick together, with that jeep ready to rush to their plane. If one man went to the barber shop, the other two had to go with him, while the jeep stood by. If one visited his girlfriend, the other two had to go with him. Once every 16 days, the crew flew its B-47 back to Barksdale Field in Shreveport, La., about a third of the way around the world, making the flight in between eight and ten hours, fueling in the air en route, with the purpose of performing maintenance at the home base in the U.S. rather than at an advanced base in Morocco, also serving to provide the pilots overseas flying time, which they might encounter during wartime. Armed air police stood beside each B-47 on the runway at the airbase and even the base commander had to show his identification before the guard would let him and Mr. Pearson crawl into the cockpit of the giant bomber.
Bombers of the past had been built so that the crew could sleep or walk around inside, with a dozen members for each crew. But in the current bombers, the three crewmen could not walk around, could only crawl a few feet, put one leg down from the pilot's seat and could not even get down from their seats to go to the bathroom.
Quotes of the Year appear, from local, state, and national figures. Samples are:
Adlai Stevenson said: "Running for office is something like being inebriated. If there's anything bad in a man, it will bring it out."
Actor and pianist Oscar Levant
John Steinbeck, regarding the current situation, had stated: "Mankind has now achieved the grandeur of a child with stolen dynamite."
Carl Sandburg had said: "The Thirty Years War could [now] be fought in about 30 minutes."
Mobster Frank Costello, after being wounded in the head by a bullet, said: "I haven't got an enemy in the world."
Jean Kerr had said, in parody of Mickey Spillane's prose: "I was going into Longchamps when this tomato waltzes by. She was a tomato surprise. A round white face with yellow hair poured over it like chicken gravy on mashed potatoes. Her raccoon coat was tight in all the right places."
Arthur Krock of the New York Times, regarding White House press secretary James Hagerty's angry reaction to a columnist's spoof, said: "It was as if the Supreme Court had demanded of George S. Kaufman, the two Gershwins, William Caxton and the producers of 'Of Thee I Sing' that they take the play off the boards and substitute the proceedings of any Monday in the temple of justice."
Charles M. White, chairman of the board of Republic Steel, regarding the current situation, had said: "I have been told that we learn only by making mistakes. If that is so, we ought to be a hell of a lot farther ahead than we are now."
Leonard Spease, after being charged in Winston-Salem with hitting a man with an ax, had said: "I thought he would duck."
Robert Frost had said: "I stand here at the window and try to figure out whether American men and women swing their arms more freely. There cannot be much to fear in a country where there are so many bright faces going by. I keep asking myself where they all came from, and I keep thinking that maybe God was making them up new around the next corner."
Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri, regarding defense cuts, had said: "President Eisenhower is determined to meet the enemy at the border with a balanced budget."
Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina, regarding 'modern Republicanism', had said: "A modern Republican is an elephant trying to make a jackass of himself."
Charlotte's Peahead Walker, former head football coach at Wake Forest, presently coach of the injury-riddled Montréal Alouettes, had stated: "I didn't have a football team. I had a hospital ship."
Former Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson, regarding basic research, had said: "It's the study of what makes the grass green." He had also said: "The National Guard was sort of a scandal during the Korean War—a draft-dodging business."
Rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, regarding basic research, had said: "Basic research is when I am doing what I don't know I'm doing."
Capt. William Hanrahan, chief of San Francisco's Juvenile Bureau, after being asked if the Bible would be banned in a drive to clean up the newsstands, had said: "No … [but] what King Solomon was doing with all those women wouldn't be tolerated in San Francisco."
Clemson football coach Frank Howard had stated: "What's football? I'll tell you. Football is 'Rah! Rah! Rah!' And a busted bottom."
Alfred Bester had described Jayne Mansfield as: "A girl with baby fat in her bosom and baby fat in her head."
Tallulah Bankhead had commented on the contemporary T-shirt school of acting by asserting: "They are just wasting themselves. They're just learning to be a bunch of apes. They'll never be able to perform the classics or Shakespearean dramas. They're just learning how to pick their noses." She had also said: "Sex is the American obsession. We have it on the brain too much. That's no place for it."
Sir Thomas Beecham, British
orchestral conductor
Vice-President Nixon, in concluding his annual dinner at the Women's National Press Club, had said: "It's time for everybody to go home, take a Miltown, and dream about the budget." (Given his middle name, it could have been taken as a subliminal invitation to an improper assignation.)
William Faulkner had said: "I like Virginia and Virginians. All Virginians are snobs. I like snobs."
Cartoonist Al Capp, in commenting on certain types of modern art, had said: "It's possible for an idiot of 11 to splash some colors on a canvas, have it hung upside down and excite the wildest raves from critics."
Actor Paul Douglas, regarding the American mentality, had said: "There will always be an audience for slobs like Arthur Godfrey."
Actress Katharine Hepburn, regarding age, had said: "Nothing makes me more furious than generalities about anything, particularly age. It's not only ridiculous. It's downright stupid and a frightful waste. Actors and actresses are crucified on this bugaboo of age, actresses particularly."
Elvis Presley, after having eggs thrown at him by college students during a performance, had said: "The egg who threw these eggs will never make the Yankees."
Novelist Nelson Algren, when commenting on contemporary writing, had said: "Now take Norman Vincent Peale: his approach is how to get rich through prayer."
Baseball great Frankie Frisch, regarding old-time team owners, had said: "When they wanted a new manager you were simply told to 'get outta here, you're fired!' Owners are more polite nowadays. They announce you have resigned."
Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, in commenting on actress Marlene Dietrich, had said: "I always was a great admirer of Marlene, but so was my mother and so was my father."
Novelist James Jones, regarding his next book, had stated: "The book is 300,000 words longer than From Here to Eternity. The last six months I lived on gin and Miltown while finishing it… It's a great novel… It's the greatest novel we've had in America."
Representative Brooks Hays of Arkansas, during the Little Rock school integration crisis, had said: "I heard a story about a double translation. Little Rock was translated into Russian and from Russian back into English and came out 'Small Stone'. I said, 'Let him who is without sin cast the first small stone'."
A Southern governor, commenting anonymously on Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus at the height of the Little Rock crisis, had said: "He's really lapping up the glory. There were 23,000 people at the [Georgia vs. Texas football] game, and every time they cheered a play, Faubus stood up and bowed."
Poet Randall Jarrell, regarding modern taste, had said: "A great many people are perfectly willing to sit on a porcupine if you first exhibit it at the Museum of Modern Art and say that it is a chair." He had also said, regarding contemporary culture: "In the old days, if you wanted to appear cultivated, you read Pope. Today you buy a Lincoln Continental and go to the Stork Club."
Bob Considine, regarding the current situation, had stated: "If Lincoln were alive today, he would turn over in his grave."
James T. Farrell, regarding literature, had said: "In recent years I have not been able to keep up with literary developments as I once did. But from time to time I do a little catching up, and each such fishing expedition gives me the feeling that I have caught some stuffed carp in a park lagoon."
Humorist Robert Q. Lewis, regarding his definition of marriage, had said: "A constant test to determine if the husband is faster on the deposit than the wife is on the draw."
Lance Reventlow, who had a $500,000 Hollywood hideaway courtesy of his mother, Barbara Hutton, had stated: "I'm a playboy but I like what I'm doing and I'm never bored, like many people who work all the time."
Seventh day of Christmas
Framed Edition
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