The Tulia Herald (Tulia, Tex.), Vol. 68, No. 52, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 23, 1976 Page: 2 of 37
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Tocker Foundation Grant and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Swisher County Library.
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PAGE TWO
VL @ ® i i¥si ¥ Ts ® b¥® ¥"
H. M. BAGGARLY
(Continued From Page One)
munities to a certain extent, but to a greater
extent in some than others.
It's something like the old "chicken and
egg" argument! Which comes first?
People are going to trade where they
darn please! They arc going to trade where
they feel they get the best deal. Perhaps one
person in 500 is like Mrs. O. D. Dinwiddie,
formerly of Hart. She told us once that she
and Otto religiously refused to buy anything
out of town if it w as available in Hart! If Hart
didn't have it. then they went to Dimmitt.
their county seat. Then if Dimmitt didn't
have it. they looked elsewhere.
But there aren't enough Dinwiddies to
sustain a town's commercial life.
Otto was superintendent of schools at
Happy when we were a freshman in high
school.
The merchant must make the customer
WANT to trade with him.
TOWN’S CITY competition has great
|ni111nu pom r. the allure of sheer size
and a different atmosphere, a wider choice
of merchandise, and sometimes the advan-
tage of lower prices due to volume, a wider
quality range.
A smalltown merchant should put
himself in the place of the potential
customer. He should constantly compare his
own store or service with that of his
competition. He must learn that his potential
customer just couldn't care less about his
ow n problems, his lower volume which may
not be offset by lower overhead.
And he must never overlook the
advantages he has OVER the city mer-
chant. . .the personal relationship, oppor-
tunity to capitalize on friendliness and good
and courteous service, opportunity to display
merchandise attractively, the opportunity to
exploit higher travel costs to the more
distant competition in a day when transpor-
tation costs more and more.
HERE ARE MERCHANTS here and
there who do everything within their
power to capture EVERY potential sale.
They carry the widest selection and lowest
prices consistent with volume, remembering
that lower overhead is something in their
favor.
They do everything possible to woo
customers into their stores. They utilize
smalltown friendliness and neighborliness to
the maximum advantage. They make every
effort to be competitive in every aspect of
merchandizing. . .and still there are people
who pass by their stores on the way to
Amarillo or some other city to buy an item of
the same kind available in Tulia and at the
same price if not lower.
^ l FRIED, I III Sf out-of-town shoppers
nw variety nt rmotn (or their
shopping habits: There is the recreation
incidental to '-'going somewhere." an excuse
just to “get out of town" and perhaps
window shop or cat. There is the disposition
to assume the item isn't available in Tulia
and it requires too much effort to find out.
There is the preconceived notion that
"everything” is invariably “higher” in the
small town. There is pettiness. . .“he has
never been in my store, so I’m not going into
his." (Your patronage might be just the key
to getting his trade, and besides. . .has the
Amarillo merchant with whom you trade
ever been in your store?)
■%OINT IS, It’s a two-way street so far as
the merchant and potential customer is
concerned. Both stand to gain if each
performs his role well; both stand to lose if
either fails to do so.
If we all choose to make Amarillo our
"regional shopping center.” then there’s no
justification for a town here in the center of
Swisher County. Oh. we might need a small
courthouse, a small post office, a small
school and church for the public workers and
their families, but that is about all. We don't
need a lumber yard, grocery store, drug
store, appliance shop, bank, implement
house, automobile agency. A filling station
and small store, such as Vigo has. might be a
convenience when we forget to "fill up” in
Amarillo.
Fact is. that's why we have places like
Vigo Park and Wayside. . .there's just not
enough local trade to support what it takes to
have a thriving town.
MRITII NO TOWN of any consequence
WW here in thi center of Swisher County.
Swisher farmers will also find that instead of
liung from 1 to perhaps 15 miles from town
when they have an emergency or perhaps
want to advertise their farm for sale, they
will suddenly live 50 miles from the nearest
town, just like some of the ranches in the Big
Bend country or perhaps in New Mexico or
Arizona.
They simply can’t have the schools,
churches, hospitals, doctors, lawyers, stores
like Heard <Sc Jones. Gibson's, the various
food stores, newspaper, department stores,
service centers, and all the other stores we
have here out at Vigo Park or Wayside.
The person, for instance, who doesn't
use a Tulia doctor except in a dire
emergency doesn’t deserve to live closer
than 50 miles from the nearest doctor. Of
course. Tulia doctors have all the practice
they can handle and if all local people relied
on them, we would need more doctors than
are now available; nevertheless, the prin-
ciple still applies.
We never note an incoming ambulance
rushing here with an emergency from
Silverton, Kress or Happy that we don’t
breathe a prayer of gratitude for being
within a stone's throw of a doctor and
hospital should an emergency strike.
III K lAIRIMh FROM what .. ..
%^d( ■- ribed is the commumn composed
of Sue Dinwiddies. In the case cf Tulia. it
would mean that we would perhaps be a
town of 10.000-15.000 persons and what all
that means to a community in the way of
better living.
Kind of community we have is largely
up to us If we have the potential to double
our retail trade by trading at home and
exercised it. the bigger and better stores
that would result would also draw out-of-
county trade from a wide area—and we'd
see our growth mushroom.
Strangely enough, not all Tulians want
growth. "I like Tulia just like it is.” some
said when the Industrial Foundation was
being promoted. "What advantage is
growth?”
The advantage lies in the fact that
growth means larger and better stores with
wider choices at competitive prices. It means
that we would not have to drive 100 miles to
get something that would now be available
within 10 blocks. If there is no advantage in
bigness, why do so many local residents
drive to Amarillo so often?
AJOR PROBLEM OF farmers these
■^Wdays. in addition to low market prices
for what they produce, is high cost of
production. And at the top of the list is
energy, or in our situation, natural gas.
Farmers and the natural gas industry
have been battling it out at Austin. The Gas
Users Association is appealing to state
legislators via the Senate Natural Resources
Committee to place natural gas for irrigation
purposes under the regulation of the Public
Utilities Commission.
Unlike natural gas sold to residents ot
municipalities, there arc no price controls on
gas sold to farmers. The Plains Irrig’^nn
Gas Users Association would like to place
natural gas for irrigation under the regu-
lation of the Public Utilities Commission.
A touchy issue with both city and rural
gas users is the “pass through” which
means that when the gas company experi-
ences an increase in its overhead, the
increase is automatically passed on to the
consumer.
HIS IS A BEAUTIFUL thought, sug-
■ gestive of the millennium! For The
Herald it would work this wav. If we
experienced any kind of a cost of production
hike, all we'd have to do would acquire a
computer and add on that increased cost to
our advertising rate card. The rates on our
card would have no meaning except to
indicate a minimum starting point as of the
day the card was printed. From then on. the
cost to the advertiser would be the base
listed on the card plus the cost increases
since the day the card was printed! The cost
might vary each month.
Even though it is a beautiful thought, it
is fair ONLY when EVERYBODY is operat-
ing according to the same plan! If EVERY-
BODY is passing on his increased overhead,
fine! If not. then that is something else. Why
should the utilities people enjoy something
unavailable to anybody else?
IRRIGATION FARMERS have seen their
m gas costs constantly spiraling upward
since the innovation of the cost pass-through
system.
Numerous farmers feel that gas has
gone up more in proportion to their other
inputs, and add that gas expenses have gone
up 300 to 400 per cent over the past three
years.
U|ITH FARM PRICES down and all
WW expense items, including gas, UP, it
is little consolation to the farmer to know
that some gas companies charge even more
than Pioneer!
With the depressed farm economy of
today, many farmers are on the verge of
being forced to abandon irrigation alto-
gether. if their fuel costs continue to rise.
Many bankers are saying that their
banks can no longer cover farm loans, due to
the high price of gas.
Complaints of farmers to the Texas
Railroad Commission have long fallen on
deaf ears. This commission has ALWAYS
been the tool of Big Oil. That’s why we
needed Lane Denton so desperately when
he was running for the commission last
summer! Big Oil just never loses such a race
because it can always count on the support of
the conservative nutheads out in the sticks.
Maybe farmers would get a better deal from
the TUC than from Pioneer or from TRC. At
least there is no direction to go but up. No
agency controls the price of gas to farmers.
VHE GAS COMPANY defends Its pass
R through, whatever the ultimate price,
on the ground that it DESERVES a profit.
Farmers are asking for the right NOT to
make a profit but JUST TO BREAK EVEN!
If the farmer can break even, he unlike Big
Gas is willing to take his chances on making
a profit.
Oil and gas demand the incentive to
produce. It's time the farmer demands at
least the cost of production as a minimum
and hopefully 90 per cent of parity which is
only 90 per cent of a fair price.
^■INANCIAL GAP between what the
■ farmer makes and what he pays for
overhead, particularly natural gas, is simply
too great. Something has got to give. He
must either decrease his overhead or
increase his income.
The farmer has been told everything but
the truth by the USDA. He was encouraged
to UP his production because the world faced
a serious food shortage. He complied. The
markets weren't there, and a surplus that
threatens to bankrupt American agriculture
is all the farmer has netted for his efforts.
When Arab oil prices zoomed upward,
everybody "passed-on” the hike—all. that
is. except the farmer.
If farmers got anything like a FAIR
price for their produce, they'd be delighted
to pay the cost of gas. of a new tractor, of
fertilizer, of all other costs of production.
It’s much more logical to bring the price
of a bushel of wheat up to the point that the
farmer can afford the price of natural gas
than to bring the price of gas down
artificially to what the farmer can afford to
pay.
The farmer is due this fair price even if
it must be in the form of a direct subsidy,
THE TULIA (Swisher County) HERALD
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 23. 1976
v-
WiM
paid for by the public. After all. the
American public owes the farmer the same
"fair price" which Big Gas demands. It's all
the same whether the public pays this "fair
price" in the form of a tax each April 15 or at
the grocery store each time it shops.
COMPANIES can't be blamed for
looking after their own interest-, And
farmers who lack the guts to look out for
THEIR OWN INTERESTS don't deserve to
survive.
Those farmers being led around bv the
nose by BIG OIL. BIG GAS. and BIG
BUSINESSMEN, imagining that thev are
AGRIBUSINESSMEN instead of FARMERS
don't deserve to survive either.
If farmers spent half as much time
looking after their own best interests as they
spend parking their pickups at the coffee
house, cussing labor, shedding tears over
the alleged problems of Big Business, and
imagining themselves to be AGRI-
BUSINESSMEN. then maybe they'd sec a
little more for their efforts.
There MUST be a farm bill which will
allow the farmer to function at a parity level
within the economy come Jan. 20. This must
be done for the good of the country if not for
the good of the farmer whom we sometimes
think must be saved from himself!
WHE SAME FARMER who approves a
■ cost-plus, or guaranteed profit, for
Lockheed, a pass-through policy for Big Gas
and Oil "because we must preserve the free
enterprise, profit system." will still demand
his “'ight" to over-produce, to "go it
alone.” to stay clear of "government
interference" w hich is only trying to do what
he cannot do for himself.
There's no way known to man or GOD
whereby agriculture can bargain as docs
business, labor, and all other segments of
the economv, short of the FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT Only a federal farm pro-
gram can keep supply and demand in
balance and maintain a degree of fairness
among all concerned.
A legitimate function of government is
to act for man when man cannot act for
himself, and only a fool would suggest that
highly individualistic farmers, despite their
smallness in numbers (we've lost three
million during the past 25 years), can
voluntarily discipline themselves to produce
just the right quantity of a needed product.
The Women's Study Club
met in the sanctuary of the
First United Methodist
Church and enjoyed a pro-
gram of Christmas carols and
folk songs by the high school
choir, led by Tommy Ste-
wart. The soloists for the
occasion were Linda Starnes
and Millie Murff. Pianist was
Pcrri Patton.
The group then went to the
church parlor for the refresh-
ments served by the social
committee: Mrs. R. H. Braly,
Mrs. L. H. Drake. Mrs. G.
Gatewood, and Mrs. Lois
McMullen.
Miss Linda Jeffers, presi-
dent. presided over the busi-
ness meeting. Mrs. R. L.
Little announced a program
by the elementary pupils at
the high school auditorium,
on Dee. 21. A love offering
was taken for Girlstown. and
Miss Leila Petty reported
their need for book:, to read.
Miss Jeffers invited the
Dear Editor:
Your continued use of Trail
Dust in quotable quotes is
very gratifying — so many
people have told me they are
glad that I am reprinting the
column. To me. it is surpris-
ing how many of the para-
graphs are still timely, after
20 years.
LILA MEADOR
Matador, Texas
Locals Named
To Committee
Local Good News Texas
steering committee chairman
Dr. Carlos McLeod initiated
the first meeting recently for
local leadership, and an-
nounced the directors of the
various committees for area
emphasis in the state-wide
evangelistic thrust.
"Through Good News
Texas most Texans will hear
the message of God's love at
least 40 times, but they will
still need to hear it in person
— from you,” said McLeod,
pastor of Plainview's First
Baptist Church, as he talked
with Staked Plains Baptist
Association pastors and oth-
er Baptist leaders. He also
serves as the associational
evangelism chairman.
Good News Texas is a
state-wide evangelistic effort
by Southern Baptist churches
which is coordinated through
the Baptist General Conven-
tion of Texas (BGCT). and
local Baptist associational of-
fices. It is designed to pre-
sent the New Testament
message next spring through
a massive news media effort
to all Texans, and to be
followed locally by simultan-
eous revivals in local church-
es. and other efforts.
Steering Committee mem-
bers are Dr. McLeod, chair-
man; Ms. Julie Masten. sec-
retary to Dr. McLeod, revival
secretaries director; J. C.
Farrand. minister of music.
Tulia, revival music director;
Hubert Frizzel. layman, First
Baptist Church, Lockney, re-
vival prayer director; Alston
A. Morgan, director of public
relations and journalism.
Wayland Baptist College, re-
vival publicity director; Jim
Goins, pastor. Vigo Park
Baptist Church. Tulia. revi-
val attandance director; and.
Stan Kickerson, minister of
youth and music. First Bap-
tist Church. Kress, revival
youth director.
Floydada’s Dr. Floyd
Bradley, pastor. First Baptist
Church, led pastors in their
first major orientation. "I
believe that this is one of the
most tremendous opportuni-
ties ... nothing has excited
me more in my personal
ministry than Good News
Texas." Bradley, one of sev-
eral key leaders trained by
the state convention, has
been in the ministry since
1950.
Pointing out that there are
some 12 million Texans,
Bradley explained that about
four million, or more arc
'lost' or unchurched without
a personal knowledge or
acceptance of the Saviorship
of Jesus. Also noting that the
role of the church has always
been to reach these 'lost'
peoples, Bradley said many
people will question this
thrust by saying, "So what's
new?"
He added that “in theory”
this has been the role of the
church, but in practice it has
not. "Let's be honest. We
don’t do enough about it,”
he said, challenging the pas-
tors present to become total-
ly committed to the new
evangelistic thrust.
Bradley said he knows that
many persons will say, ‘This
is an impossible task.' and he
was quick to point out that
"business as usual will not
get the job done."
The speaker, emphasized
Mike Haught
Hosts Party
By Jerry Brown
On a quiet Thursday even-
ing, December 16th, the
beautiful home of Bill and
Twila Whitten was not so
quiet. Twila’s mother, Mike
Haught. had invited the offi-
cers of the three women’s
leagues of the Tulia Wo-
men's Bowling Association,
and representatives of the
mixed leagues, including all
committee workers of the
association, to a delicious
traditional Christmas dinner,
turkey and all the trimmings,
prepared by none other than
Mike.
Cute little Toy Whitten
greeted the guests as they
arrived and after dinner was
served, a business meeting
was held. The meeting con-
cerned the Women’s City
Bowling Tournament to be
held at the Tulia Bowl the
week-ends of February 12-
13th. and 19-20th. Those
appointed to assist with the
tournament are Rozella Can-
non-secretary with the assis-
tance of Gennie George.
Mary Norris and Ester
Reeves-decorating commit-
tee. Louise Woods-chairman
of score keeping. Jo Ann
Teafatiller-chairman of lane
drawing with the help of
Mary Lou Evans and Marilyn
Burelsmith. Delores Rossi
will be in charge of the door
prizes with Donna Morris
and Penny Sturgess assist-
ing.
At the end of the meeting,
the door bell rang, and lo and
behold, w ho else but Mr. and
Mrs. Santa Claus had arrived
(none other than Delores
Rossi as Mr. Claus and
Jenny Tucker as Mrs. Claus)
with a bag of goodies. Num-
bers were drawn and gifts
exchanged-who knows how
many times-as the next num-
ber drawn could take any-
one’s gift. One thing for
sure, everyone had a won-
derful evening, thanks to
Mike. Toy. and Erma Hunter
who assisted with the festivi-
ties. Those attending were
Mary Norris. Betty Hickman,
Ester Reeves. Dovie Har-
man. Mary Del Toles, Thel-
ma Evans. Jo Garrett. Eula
Brown. Wvnona Bates. Gen-
nie George, Carley Cosby,
Betty Fry, Mary Tucker,
Corky Workman. Gloria Bry-
an. Florea Jones. Norma
Lambert. Debbie Golden. Pat
Kinser. Lucy Culwell. Rozel-
la Cannon. Sandra Butcher,
Wilma Hale, and Mike's
team members (such as they
are) Jenny Tucker. Delores
Rossi. Hazel Davis, and Jer-
ry Brown-their team booster.
Several were unable to at-
tend and were missed by all
•
Nothing makes it harder to
find a good hiding place than
having children.
It lakes someone
who's not in polities
lo lake politics apart.
THE STATES United They Fall
by Frank Tnppett
**. full of ml and ironically under-
stated outrage. Mr Tnppett tells the
mostly scandalous story of stain
governments ... he pokes ahout u>
the murky monkeyshines of the leg-
islatures like a jovial coroner per-
forming an autopsy . , . fascinat-
ing ■ ■ ." •
— Virginia Kirkut 5ere<ee
*. . . timely reading . . . would bo
smart for taxpayers to secure a
copy ..."
ISM I treat# Journal
TkokorJ a-rr.agee tr
THE TEXAS COUNTRY EDITOR
A grass roots look at
National politics
compiled by Eugene W Jonea
“It s nut to know that in the age ot
McCluhan a man with a typewriter
and honest convictions can still
make people listen .."
— The New Lender
"A pungcntly written commentary
for popular leading . .
••-St - f.ibrerg Journal
THK OSWALD AFFAIR
A' T immition of the
Contradictions end Omieelow
of the Warren Report
by Leo Sam \ age
I “Sauvage writes with the mtee-
■ sify of an olJ fashioned lournalut in
■ pursuit of a vlory His arguments
■ raise troubling questions not likely
I sooo to be answered "
■ Hi S - The A lie wt«e
I Af »four book it ore
■ THE WC
[^Gavels
THE WORLD PUBLISHING CO.
Cleveland and New York
(iMMttiwJ -
TWIG SMITH. Sammie and Charlie, have selected one of Twig's scratchpoint
drawings for their Christmas greetings this year. She calls the drawing "Bunkhouse
Meditation.”
that Texas Baptists ha\e
"set out an unparalleled
effort." State-wide a mini-
mum of SI.000.000 is pro-
posed as a goal. The funds
arc to be used to support the
media evangelism and other
specific convention-wide pro-
jects.
Bradley said the key to the
suecess of the eampaign will
be found in 4.400 churches
and missions across the
state. Resident members are
contributing 60 cents each to
the program. "We’ve never
latched on to the media in
this way, nor spent the
money.”
He described the media
blitz as a "seed sowing”
effort. The churches, he add-
ed. will "water the seed and
harvest the growth.”
The local steering commit-
tee will meet again on Mon-
day. December 20. in the
Caprock-Plains Baptist Area
Center, 10th and Utica
Streets. It will lead out in a
variety of strategies design-
ed especially to meet the
needs of the local communi-
ty. said Dr. Strauss Atkin-
son. center director.
Club Hears
Yule Carols
members to tea at her house.
Sunday afternoon. Dec. 19.
Mrs. Burgess closed the
meeting with a prayer.
Those attending were:
Mrs. Bob Drake, a guest and
17 members. Mesdames V.
Black. R H Bralv. F. J.
Burgess. L. H. Drake. G.
Gatewood. R. L. Little. C. I.
Massey, Lois McMullen. K.
T. Mitchell. A. D. Parker.
Lvle Robinson. E. F. Sweatt.
Kathleen Smith. H. E.
White. Misses Linda Jeffers,
Leila Petty, and Pat Porter.
A Cowboys Cw^ist^as Pqayeq -ly
I ain't much good at prayin aw You imav not know ime.Loro--
I ain't/much seen in Churches where Thev preach Thv Hoiv WoRO,
BcT Nbu /mav have observed me out here on Cue lonElv plains,
A-LOOKIN AFTER CATTlE, ECELIN THANKFUL WHEN IT RAINS,
Ad/MiRiN' Thv GREAT HANDIWORK, ThE MiRACLE OF GRASS,
AwARE OF Thy KIND SPIRIT IN THC WAV IT CO/WE fa To PASS
That mired mem on horseback ano the livestock That we TV no
Can look up at the stars at night and know weVe got a Friend
So MERES OL ChRiST/MAS CO/MiN ON, REMINDIN' US AGAIN
Of Hick whose, cowing brought good will into The hearts of wen
A cowOov aint no preacher, Lord, But if You'll hear wy praver,
III ask as good as we have got fot} all /mfn evEbvwMtqt
DoNT let no HEARTS BE BiTTER, Loro, DOnY let no chilo be cold.
ANAKC EASV BEDS FoR TmE/m ThATs SiCh AND TmCiM THATS WEAk AND OLD
LET KINDNESS B
less lUz. “n?AiL
w£
ride
. , NO /MATTER WHAT WE RE after
And sorter hfi
[P US ON YOuf}
Side
, in 1
rtARb
) well as laughter.
I've seen old c<
.)Yx)S
and
I IT 1
Aint Ni
) HAPPY Sight
Please dony l
£ AvC. NO ON£ HUNG'
RV. Li
ORO, ON
Thv good ChRiST/mas nighT-
(V)0 /KAN, NO CHI
LD, NO WO/MAN
AND
NO
CRlTTCR
ON FOUR FEET--
III Ai/m IB do MV BEST to help You Find E/m chuck to CAT
I/m just a Sinful cowpoke, Lord--ainT got no Business PRavin'--
BuT STiLL I HOPE VOULL ketch a WOOD on Two OF WHAT Ir\ SAviN
WE speak of /Kerry Christmas, Loqo-- I reckon Yocll agree
There ain't no /Kerry Christmas for nobodv that ainY fc?ec.
So one Thing /more III ask You, Lord: just help uS what You can
To SAVE SO/Mt SEEDS OF FREEDO/M FOR ThE FuTuRC SONS OF AKAN ;
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Baggarly, H. M. The Tulia Herald (Tulia, Tex.), Vol. 68, No. 52, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 23, 1976, newspaper, December 23, 1976; Tulia, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth506963/m1/2/?q=music: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Swisher County Library.