Evening star., 1953-12-16
Ohio County Explains
Rejection Of Federal
Funds for Disabled
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page.)
for the disabled program. The
Commissioners say they would
have to pay a civil service en-
ploy $4,000 or more year; he
would have to have an assistant,
they would have to set up sepa-
rate files and maintain a sepa-
rate Office.
One Way Out.
Sources in Columbus said they
doubted all this would be nee
essary. Why not let the present
relief director take civil Serv-
ice test, the Ohio Welfare De-
partment asks, and then handle
the Federal program?
The commissioners answer
that they have a solid Setup
for handling relief in Harrison
County, and they're not going
to let the possibility of a civil
serVcie test failure disturb it.
Even under the State proposal,
they said. they would have to
add at least one more employe.
And, they add finally, they're
getting along all right under the
present system, so why change?
Dwight Cunningham, chair
man of the Board of Commits
sioners, standing on land owned
by his father and grandfather
before him, and before that by
Gen. George A. Custer of Little
Big Horn fame, declared:
1--WE get too much Federal
money already. They're trying
to force this on us. and if that
isn't the Welfare State, don't
know what is. There are too
many people around this country
who think the Government owes
them a living"
Mr.. Cunningham, a rugged
farmer with weather. beaten fea-
lures. expressed himself with
QeCefmlndClOn.
IF it goes to court, and even
If we lose, we are going to win,
because it will show what kind
of Government we have-a die
tatorShip."
Commissioner Agrees.
Commissioner j. B. CBing)
Mallernee concurred.
IF they'd put it on the basis
Of need, we'd have no objection"
he said. But they're trying to
force us to take the money when
we don't need it. We're not 60
ing to surrender in this thing
unless the courts tell us we're
wrong"
Mr.. Mallernee indicated that
more than principle is involved.
1T would cost the country
$4,000 to take that $780," he
declared. I'VE are not aggressive,
we are not obnoxious, we are not
contrary" he added. I'VE feel
that we have a right to make our
own decision. We made that de-
cision, and now they won't let
us alone"
Mr.. Mallernee and Mr.. Cum
ningham are Republicans. Their
colleague, Stuart Henderson. a
Democrat, had no public COM
ment on the relief issue. Other
sources limited he does not see
eye to eye with his fellow COM
misSioners.
"a Couple of Words"
Speaking generally. he de-
clared:
II don't know much what peo-
pie mean when they talk about
the Welfare State. You've got
welfare, and the State comes
into it, and it looks to me like
someone has just put a couple
of words together"
Mr.. Henderson, a Lincolnesque
young man whose height of six
feet, six inches leads his friends
to call him Shorty. will be up for
reelection next fall.
The courthouse here, where
the commissioners meet to delib-
crate problems such as this, has
a memorial to World War II vet
Grams standing in the square in
front of the building. An in
scription at the bottom reads:
Americas Proudest Small
Town."
A part of the community'S
pride stems from the fact that
during the depression, when
nther COMMITTEES were issuing bondS