Letters to the Editor

What is ‘Flitting Day’?

To the Editor:

I enjoy reading your Opinion Page, which includes news clips from as far back as 125 years. On April 9, 1920, your clip said: “Thursday of last week was moving day …” As I read on, it seemed to indicate that the Herald had moved that day.

It reminded me of something I learned a while back about April 1, or the first week of April, being “Flitting Day.” Do you know what that is?

I asked my elderly uncle about it and he said he remembered his grandmother (my great-grandmother) commenting as a horse and wagon full of furniture went down the road near Rockhill in southern Huntingdon County: “There goes a flitting.”

Back in the days when families rented a farm by the year, April 1 was the agreed time that one had to move if one wanted to move from that farm to another. The event was called a “flitting.”

I wonder if any older readers of your fine newspaper can remember the term “flitting”?

C. Arnold McClure

Huntingdon County

‘Under Control’ Meant to Reassure

To the Editor:

A letter to the editor from Daniel Markel of Lancaster in the April 9, 2020, edition of the Herald invites comment. He criticized President Trump for the president’s encouraging statements such as, “We’ve got it under control.”

It is clear that Markel has never been a leader who had to encourage people in the face of danger.

I praise President Trump for discouraging panic and fear.

C. Arnold McClure

Huntingdon County

Housecleaning the GOP from Top to Bottom

To the Editor:

A memorial to Dwight D. Eisenhower is scheduled to be unveiled in Washington, D.C., on May 8, but may be delayed. The four-acre site off Independence Avenue will honor our 34th president and World War II general who was supreme allied commander in Europe.

The three Republican presidents who many historians credit with being exemplary role models are Abraham Lincoln, Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. They are celebrated for their political skills and personal qualities of humility, honesty and compassion. They were problem solvers who achieved their political goals and kept America united, admired and respected.

President Trump is the exact opposite of Abe, Ike and Dutch. What makes Trump an unfit president is the corruption, the ignorance, the incompetence and the stunning lack of a moral compass.

In brief, he lacks the basic intellectual and moral qualities that should be expected from our president.

There is only one path of accountability left to contain Trump: the election in November. This will be a test not just for the GOP, but the entire American electorate. It will be more than a referendum on the president. It will be a referendum on the moral and ethical standards “We, the people” apply to our political life. Will corruption, incompetence and coverup be excused and encouraged? Or will the boundaries of integrity, honesty and public spirit be reaffirmed? American voters will be put to the test.

I am a life long Republican who contributed money and voted the straight GOP ticket until Trump came along. I am so disgusted with the condition and direction of my party that I have joined like minded conservatives called the “Lincoln Project.” We seek the defeat of Trump and all his enablers, such as Sen. Patrick Toomey and Rep. John Joyce.

The stench of Trumpism can only be eliminated by housecleaning the Republican Party from top to bottom.

Ike would approve and be proud.

Capt. James E. Wentz, USN (Ret)

McLean, Va.

Morrisons Cove native

Editor’s Note: If any Herald readers can provide information about “flitting” or “flitting day,” please send to [email protected], 113 N. Market St., Martinsburg 16662 or fax to 793-4882. Thank you.