El Campo Leader-News (El Campo, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 82, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 4, 1984 Page: 4 of 26
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Page 4 A
El Campo leader News, El Campo, TX, Wed., Jan 4. iy84
Viewpoint
In Plain English
A new national organization has been formed to combat
the divisive bilingual movement in the United States. It’s
called U.S. English, and it is none too late.
The goal of U.S. English, co-founded by former U.S.
Senator S.I. Hayakawa, is to make English the official
language of the United States by form of a Constitutional
Amendment. The need for such an organization is a little
ridiculous since English has been the customary language
of the country. After all, the Declaration of Independence,
the Fledge oi Allegiance, the Bill of Rights and the U.S.
Constitution and the constitutions of all 50 states are writ-
ten in English, not in Spanish, German or any other
language.
The push for bilingualism in the United States has gone
far enough. If English speaking people go to Latin America
or Spain to live, they must out of necessity and convenience
learn to speak Spanish. If people want to come to the
United States to live, they should, for the same reasons,
learn to speak English. It’s that simple.
Along with its primary goal, U.S. English wants to
eliminate bilingual ballots and limit bilingual education to
a short-term transitional role. If a voter cannot read an
English ballot, he probably does not know what the issues
are, and therefore cannot vote intelligently.
For almost 200 years immigrants to the United States
had to learn English, which has long been the main unify-
ing force of the American people. Now there is a strong
movement, which has been gradually gaining ground, to
change that custom.
Sen. Hayakawa said our nation has enough problems
“without having to talk through an interpreter,” and he
feels U.S. English has a chance of succeeding with its mis-
sion.
If you did not receive a letter in the mail about U.S.
English, and want to know more about how to help, just
write to: U.S English, P.O. Box 14181, Washington, DC.,
20044.
English is a major factor in keeping the United States
united.
Parade Success Lauded
Editor, the Leader-News:
On behalf ot the El Campo Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture I
wish to express our gratitude for your generous contribution in time
and effort to this year’s Christmas Parade. We appreciate the publicity
that you gave it.
Only with the enthusiasm and cooperation you have shown and the
good will of civic-minded people such as you. can a project like our
parade be successful.
We sincerely thank you for a job well done!
Yours truly,
Don Davis, Chairman
Parade Committee
School’s In!!
Remember to stop
for school buses . . .
and
watch
for
children at crosswalks.
Sound-Off...
1983 was a
tumultuous year in
many respects, with
high unemployment
and an unruly
Mother Nature that
brought Hurricane
Alicia to nearby
Harris County and
monsoon-like rains
that destroyed
crops in Wharton
County. Indeed,
many people were
celebrating the end
of 1983, rather than
a new beginning in
1984. This week
Sound-Off asks:
“What was the big-
gest thing that hap-
pened to you in
1983?”
Jack Shiplette
401 E. Norris
Building Inspector
“The biggest thing that happen-
ed to me was that I got a job with
the city (Oct 3). Other than that,
all I can say is that we survived ”
Bruce Dorn a k
3103 N. Mechanic
El Campo Bottling Co.
“I got laid off — that was the
worst thing that happened in 1983,
but I got another job. It hasn’t
been all that bad, but it hasn't
been very good either. It could
have been worse. Nothing very
good happened, at least not that I
can remember.”
Mario Cruz
411 N. Washington
City Operator
“I was saved, and came to know
Jesus Christ Life has been great
ever since. Now we know we’re
not out here by ourselves ’’
Michael Cunningham
DSR Box 50
Construction Worker
“My wife bought her own
business, and has been doing real
well with it. Work has been slow
for me, but things are looking a lot
better. I work so much out of state
that coming home for Christmas
night is one of the biggest things
that happened to me.”
Robert Martinez
1219 John St.
Die Head Operator
“I was finally able to afford my
own house. It was a good year in
general for me.”
THE /§ys\
OBSERVER
By HARLAN HOBB8
Now that the ancient year 1983
has tottered into history and the
brash, young 1984 strides so
confidently ahead, there are
compelling tasks which must be
undertaken by El Campo and its
people.
Quickly, before time steals the
hours and days of a promising
new- year, the work must begin so
that the promises may be kept.
Certainly a prime priorty must
be that the business and industry
of El Campo and Wharton County
be returned, not simply to their
earlier strength and importance,
but to even greater prosperity and
influence.
During the year now gone, the
industrial and economic agencies
in Texas government laid plans
for an inventory of existing
business and industry with the
objective of coordinating their
goods and services so that each
might benefit from the efficiency,
availability and proximity of the
others.
El Campo has been mentioned
as a community to be studied as
one of the first models for what
may become statewide. Perhaps
this has come about because El
Campo leadership thinks first of
the health and welfare of the
business and industry already a
part of the community before it
seeks more. Even then, it has
proven wise to seek business,
industrial and agricultural
compatability.
There is another area of El
Campo endeavor which requires
high priority. 1984 offers the last
clear chance for adequate
planning and proper preparation
of a meaningful celebration of the
Texas Sesquicentennial in 1986 in
our town.
On several occasions this has
been mentioned and there ap-
pears to be general agreement,
but our town needs a plan. It
needs a plan soon!
Let us observe that El Campo is
blessed with teachers of
languages, history, literature,
music and art. Our town has
artisans, writers, poets, artists
and entrepreneurs.
And, while it may be pinched at
times, El Campo is hardly the
poorest town in Texas Would it be
preposterous, therefore, to
suggest that if these people
blessed with talents were to blend
themselves and seek a common
goal, they might well produce an
El Campo Sesquicentennial ob-
servation to rank high in quality
among all Texas towns?
Suppose that a great pageant
were to be written and presented
by all that talented group, a
pageant in which hundreds of El
Campo people participated? And
suppoe .* Ricebird Stadium were to
become a great stage with the
scoreboard area turned into a
huge backdrop and the football
field into a magnificent stage’’ A
stage across which pioneer
wagons might be driven0 Or an
orchestra perform for scores of
dancers9 And a great choir9
These are observations, it is
true Not extravagant, nor even
improbable, provided El Campo
chooses to celebrate the
Sesquicentennial along with sister
cities throughout Texas
With such a reservoir of talent.
El Campo will have its choice of a
wealth of ideas
1984 is the time to make the
plans To write the script
Have A
Feature Idea?
Let's DiftcuHR It.
('.all
Thr Leader-News
543-3363
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Barbee, Chris. El Campo Leader-News (El Campo, Tex.), Vol. 99, No. 82, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 4, 1984, newspaper, January 4, 1984; El Campo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1017822/m1/4/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Wharton County Library.