EDITOR’S NOTE: Looking Back features past articles from The Tidewater News with commentary by local historian Clyde Parker.

June 13, 1964

Richard Duck is the winner of the Jaycee sponsored and recently held teenage road-e-o. This is a contest to determine the teenager in the community that has the best automobile driving skills. Duck received a plaque from Franklin Vice-Mayor Floyd Briggs and Luther Dunlow, Jaycee Chairman for the event. Duck will enter the State contest next week. Coming in behind Duck were: Billy Cobb, second; Jimmy Walker, third; and Delbroe Johnson Jr., fourth.

RAWLINGS DISTRICT IS SAFE?

State Senator William Rawlings of Capron said the other day that he does not believe his district will be changed. He was referring to the recent United States Supreme Court ruling that seats in both houses of every State Legislature must be apportioned, as close as possible, by population. It appears that the 5th Senatorial District, represented by Rawlings, for the most part, is in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling. However, other districts in Virginia, obviously, are not and must be changed.

The State’s Fifth Senatorial District is comprised of the following localities: the Cities of Suffolk and Franklin, and Southampton, Isle of Wight and Nansemond Counties. According to the last census (1960), the total population in the district was 88,334 and it remains very close to that figure. The ideal population for a district, according to the Court, should be 99,174. “That’s within eleven percent of the ideal figure,” Rawlings said. A footnote contained in the decision referred favorably to a plan, suggested some time back, permitting variations up to 25%.

“It appears to me,” the senator noted on Wednesday, “that the rankest kind of injustice would be to disturb this district.”

“There are now 16 other senatorial districts in Virginia with far less population than this one.”

“There is a lot of room for juggling within and among those districts without bothering us.”

The language in the Supreme Court ruling implies that re-arranging districts in order to accomplish population standards is not a desirable thing to do. “However,” Rawlings noted, “there will be some problems with this; realistically, we know some districts will be redefined in order to achieve the numbers — the population standard. “Politics will enter the picture,” he asserted.

In restating his position on the matter, Rawlings went on to say that there is certainly no question about the compactness, community of interest, and closeness of the 5th Senatorial District; and, we are within eleven percent of the standard. “All of this makes for a good senatorial district,” he stated as he concluded his statement on the matter.

JOHN THOMAS IS PRINTING MONEY

John Thomas, Master Printer at The Tidewater News, Byerly Publications, in Franklin, is producing counterfeit Confederate money off the Company presses. This is being done with the permission of Publisher Hanes Byerly and in conjunction with the Franklin Chamber of Commerce.

On Thursday, forty-seven Franklin area merchants will be handing out more than a million dollars worth of Confederate money facsimiles to their customers in what should be the largest and certainly the most unusual business promotion ever staged in this community.

Under the sponsorship of the Chamber, the 47 participating business firms will pass out to their customers reprints of the confederate currency on a dollar-for-dollar basis. For every dollar a customer spends in any of the 47 stores, he will receive a dollar in confederate money.

The confederate bills may be redeemed at an auction sale on August 24 on one of downtown City lots. Several thousand dollars worth of merchandise will be sold at public auction; only the confederate money issued by the participating stores will be legal tender. Merchandise to be auctioned will be contributed by the retail members of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce who, starting June 22, must put up at least 10 items, worth a minimum of $5.00 each, every week right on up to the auction. The promotion is being handled by the Retail Division of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce under the direction of Chamber Vice-President Woodrow Livesay of Thornton-Livesay Furniture Co.

Franklin Police Chief Willie Burrow and Sheriff Ryland Brooks of Courtland have been designated as joint custodians of the “Confederate money.”

CLYDE PARKER is a retired human resources manager for the former Franklin Equipment Co. and a member of the Southampton County Historical Society. His email address is cpjeep99@yahoo.com