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Carolina’s Only TABtoid NEWSpaper The Roanoke Rapids Herald VOLUMN EIGHTEEN_ ROANOKE RAPIDS, N. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 9th, 1933 NUMBER FORTY-SEVEN Stubborn Floor Fight Friday To Give People Their Right To Vote - - - I SAYS PETITION NOT WORTH PAPER IT WAS WRITTEN ON UP AND DOWN "Ghc Avenue WITH THE EDITOR With “politics” crowding if off the front page, and Mr. Wilson’s absence from the city intervening, this column has been conspicuous by its absence the last couple of weeks, but we will see what can be done about it this week. The biggest thing “Up and Down —and All Around” the Avenue the last few days has been the ditch ing crew on the sanitary work. Merchants in the North ward, where in some instances streets have been temporarily blockaded, and the dirt piled high in front of the sidewalks, declare it is not the best thing in the world for their business, but recognize it is a “necessary evil.” Guess the South ward will get their taste in a few days. Our candidate for the “dumb est girl” title is the young lady who said that the Fiske Carter men certainly must be careless . . . she noticed they went away every night and for got and left a bunch of lighted lanterns around the ditches. She must have been from Lit tleton. Many Roanoke Rapids people at tended the Inauguration in Wash ington last Saturday, and doubt less many more would have gone had they not become “fed up” on politics from Raleigh. 11 c f , - (Cont“ .ued on back page, col. 2) In his address before the House Committee on Cities, Counties and Towns, Wednesday afternoon, Senator T. W. M. Long, author of Senate Bill No. 242, declared that the peti tion signed by 2,900 Roanoke Rapids citizens, asking the leg islature to kill the bill, or at least amend it, adding a refer cuuuiu au as lo anow tne ioiks back home the right to vote on this issue, “was not worth the paper it was written on.” The stenographers record con cerning this bit of testimony is as follows: SEN. LONG (Answering Mr. Pope) “I want to say to you this, with rare exceptions, the ladies and gentlemen who sit opposite me; the ladies of the Woman’s Club; the mem bers of the Parent-Teachers Association; of the Kiwanis Club — “God Bless ’Em;” the members of the Town govern ment, with rare exceptions ... all of them did everything unaer niffn Heaven prior to and even up to Sundown June 4th to keep me out of my seat in this Legislature.” MR. POPE: “Do you repre sent the 2,900 whose names appear on the petition that has been presented here?” SEN. LONG: “Yes -sir! I rep resent the 2,900 ... I certain ly do ... I have not question ed who circulated that peti tion or who wrote the names because I don’t want to go in to personalities. I want to say to you that those 2,900 names, with the exception of these organizations represent ed here, are not worth the paper they are written on.” At the city Western Union office, Beaman Helms, manager, stated his company had sufficient cash on hand to take care of money order transfers, but that they had been limited to $100 by his Co. Bank Holiday Has Little Effect On Business In City According to business men and officers of local banks, very little inconvenience has been encounter ed thru the National bank holiday in Roanoke Rapids. Business, for the most part, has gone on as usu al, and it would appear that there is a spirit of more optimism and confidence than in some time on the part of city business leaders. Many have voiced their opinion that the moratorium will keep a great deal more money at home that has heretofore leaked out to other towns, states and mail-order houses. Koanoke Rapids business men and bankers are particularly proud of the fact that North Carolina banks were the last in the Nation . to close, and only then by order of the President, and that at no time was withdrawals of deposits limit ed at either of the city banks or branches. When the moratorium is lifted, it will see Roanoke Rapids banks with really more deposits than when it was imposed since substan tial sums have been deposited since their authorization Wednesday. , Payroll checks are being cashed by city banks starting Thursday, when it is shown conclusively on the face of the check that the check is drawn for payroll pur poses, as are also checks for food shipments, the requirement here being that a bill of lading be at tached. The fight goes on for giving the people of Roanoke Rapids their right to vote on Senate Bill No. 242, which changes the form of City government and the city boundaries of Roa noke Rapids. Defeated in this before the two committees and by the Senate, the fight for the referendum will be waged on the floor of the House by Rep resentative R. Hunter Pope when the bill comes up for a second reading and vote before the House tomorrow. If this amendment is defeated on the floor of the House when Mr. Pope will make an im passioned, plea fcr the referendum amendment, the bill will come uo for th’rd -*ir«d probable fin d reading Monday. Should it pas' in its present form on the fin al reading, it is the law of the State, the Mill plants will be included in the new corporate limits; the present City officials will be thrown out of office and a new election of city officials will be held in Ms y under the direction of a spec ial election board consisting of Dr. W. E. Mur phrey, J. A. Lipscomb and W S. Saunders. The two-ward system will be wiped out and all candidates will run at large from one ward. Undaunted by set-backs, citizens at Raleigh and in Roanoke Rapids are continuing their fight until the last for a vote on these matters ~f such vital importance. ■ctrocuted Eddie Drake, 15-year-old colored farm youth who lived a few miles below Halifax, died in Roanoke Rapids Hospital this morning as a result of burns and injuries sustained when he contacted a high tension line of the Virginia Electric and Power Company late Wednesday afternoon in throwing a very small wire from a Ford coil over the line. It appears that the Negro youth and a companion had been cutting wood near the hi-powered line Wednesday. After completing the day’s task, the Drake boy started playing with a wire from a Ford coil. For some reason, he threw the wire over the line, suffering a shock which caused severe body burns. Doctors were summoned, togeth er with a First-Aid crew from the Virginia Electric and Power Com pany. After working diligently for several hours with the colored youth, an ambulance was called and he was brought to a local hospital for treatment, but the burns were itoo severe, and death came early Thursday morning. VALIANT EFFORTS OF V. E. P. CO. SAFETY CREW FAILS TO SAVE LIFE OF NEGRO County Farm .Youth Dies This A. M, From Shock From Hi-Tension Line(Details Above)