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Lookin' and Listenin' Cape Support For Smugglers By DOROTHY D. FREAS Looking al recent accounts of the smuggling of drugs into our country tells of a sad occurrence, because of the use of the contraband goods. Going backward in time to 1699, smugglers were working at their trade all along the islands that face the Atlantic Ocean, from the Mullica River south And as their w ork increased, new landings w ere found along Delaware Bay. as far as Cohansey. At that time. Cape May and Cohansey were in the same British Revenue district. Before 1733, smuggling had little interference. In fact, protection for smugglers in New York state was available at $100 value per man. Molasses and sugar as raw material for manufacturing rum were the usual items brought from the -4 Caribbean ' area, although rum itself was often smuggled in. SMUGGLING WAS THE REPLY to British efforts to collect revenue on all kinds of imports. The taxation ■ without representation was to bring on the ‘American Revolution and. of course, many patriots either aided or loqked favorably on the smuggling. About 1765, a British customs collector w as appointed •*- a man disliked both for his position and for his own obnoxious ways. He had his headquarters in Cohansey, but after several years he came to Ckpe May, to check on smuggling there s He did not endear himself to the town after naming sbme well-known and respected officials in Cape May as siding with the lawless group. Now the British collector tried boarding ships in the Bay, but the first time he backed off in his boat, after being threatened. He finally boarded a different smuggler's vessel, where he and his group were beaten and then set ashore. Defiance is a mild term for. the support which the smugglers found in this area. After all. it-was the rebellion of people whose liberties' were being taken, and that rebellion led to the Revolution. APOLOGY: With all the ice around us a couple of weeks ago. this writer seemed to believe that Sea Isle City had slid across Townsend’s Intlet to Seven Mile Beach. We’re happy to report that every town on Ludlam Beach Island is situated where it has always been.

opinion

Herald & Lahlern 15 February '84

Our Readers Write

"My Prograrr. To Abolish Crime Js Simple. We Legalize Everything."

Whoops; Well, Back To Old Data Bank Most of us are enjoying the economic recovery, but not, we must asstime, the nation’s economists. Seldom in the field of human discourse has so much miscalculation been committed by so few. Fed monetary-restraint policies were supposed to send the unemployment rate upward this fall; instead, it has dropped nearly a full percentage point in just the past two months. “High" interest rates were supposed to kill off the housing* market; instead, sales of new, single-family homes have been'climbing briskly, with the October level 37.2 percent above a year before. If this keeps up, the profession’s mystique, and even possibly its high consulting fees, would seem threatened. But, on the other hand, it seldom hurts to give the market what it wants, and both Wall Street and Washington have plenty of willing listeners to anyone who claims the Fed is not pumping out money generously enough. — Wall Street Journal V

‘Winter Itch’ Only State of Mind

To The Editor: . I read with amusement and a slight chuckle Joe Zelnik’s column on "Winter Itch” or how Cape May County is "the pits in February.” I’d like to point out that "Winter Itch” is only a state of mind. Let’s stop putting dow n Cape May County! Many of us moved to this area to be "bored”! In the last 12 years (I moved here in 1972) 1 have seen the county grow by leaps and bounds, yet still be country enough to provide us with the simplistic pleasures of an era gone by. Where else can one go and see for miles and miles a clear blue sky? Where else can one take a deep breath and not have his lungs gasp for clean air? And where else can - one have the solitude of a pristine beach to think and communicate, within one's soul? No. Cape May County doesn’t have dozens of huge, enclosed malls to pass away boredom. I thank our county planners for realizing the folly of enc*^ I shopping. Good thing they (county planners)-like fresh air. Did^you ever notice the people in those malls? They all look like robots. YES. WE ARE LACKING in the cultural advantages available to those living in the more urban areas, but we are less than a two-hour ride from the “finer things in life." Make a day of it. We might not have a lot of activities down here in the

winter, but that's okay, iriake up your own things to do. Try reading: the libraries have wonderful delicacies to feed the mind. Better yet, try to get to know your family and friends. Do things together, whether it’s a potluck dinner, a walk along the beach, or just sitting by the fireplace. It’s a great time to get to know one another. SUE KARASO Cape May Court House

Regional Tops In Wrestling

Re: Jan. 18th "On the Mark” by Mark Mattem. As past wrestling coach and present athletic director at Lower Cape May Regional High School, I am disturbed at the statements made, "Teams in Cape May County are so poor ...” and "The only time one of the local teams get a victory, it seems to be against another Cape May County school.” Going into this season. Lower Cape May Regional has a varsity team record of 151-38-2. The junior varsity teams have lost fewer than 25 times in 13 years. Lower Gipe MayRegional has won seven League titles, two District titles, one South Jersey title, and five Christmas tournaments. For eight consecutive years, Lower Cape May Regional has been in the top 20 in South Jersey wrestling. Three of those years, Lower Cape May Regional was in the top 10. Because of Lower Cape May Regional’s fine wrestling accomplishments, its head coach was honored as Coach of The Year in Region 8. (Region 8 has 44 schools that compete in wrestling.) Lower Cape May Regional is indeed an established wrestling power in Cape May County as well as South Jersey. FOR THE RECORD. Lower Cape May Regional has defeated Absegami, Atlantic City, Buena, Bridgeton, Cumberland, Hammonton, Middle Township, Mainland, Millville, Oakcrest, Pleasantville, St. Augustine, Ocean City, Vineland, St. Joe, Wildwood, Wildwood‘Catholic, Cape Henlopen (Del.), Sea ford (Del.), Glass boro, Clearview, Cherry Hill West, Bordentown, Florence, Southern * Regional, Penns Grove,‘Willingboro, Toms River South, Moo res town, Egg Harbor Township, Kingsway Regional, Salem, Delsea, Admiral Faragett (Prep School), Lawrenceville (Prep), North Catholic (Philadelphia), Gateway, Woodbury, J.F.K. (Willingboro), Cherokee Regional, Camden County Vo-Tech (Berlin), and Camden County Vo-Tech (Pennsauken) in scrimmage, match, or tournament. Our varsity team this year supports seven' underclassmen. It is by far the youngest team Lower Cape May Regional has ever had. We are proud of their accomplishments! They have defeated opponents from Shawnee, Steward, Vineland, Absegami, Egg Harbor Township, Southern Regional, Wildwood Catholic and Millville. Their two losses are to the number one and number two Group II teams in South Jersey — Delran and Penns Grove. Surely a team that has. and is still, bringing such positive recognition to our area deserves more than the slanted comments made by Mattern in the Herald and Lantern on Jan. 18. BILL W. GARRISON JR. Athletic Director Lower Cape May Regional

rOne White Lie Won't Hurt-

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Year-Round Tourism Needed

By JOE ZELNIK Last month I advised a Villas couple having trouble paying heating bills to get some rabbits because their body temperature is 102.6 and their ears radiate heat. C.C. of Villas wrote me this week: “We took your advice and got 200 rabbits to heat our home. Now we have 1,600 rabbits, the temperature has climbed to 86 degrees, and we’re up to our anklesdn rabbit manure. Dear C.C.: Like so many-Cape May Countians, you seem to have a negative attitude. It's understandable that people who lose their jobs every September would be depressed. But you folks have to fight this attitude and think positive, like me. ^ Consider the advantages of your situation. Now that heating is no longer a problem, this wpuld be the perfect time to enlarge your home. Rabbit stew recipes abound, of course. IF YOU STILL HAVE more rabbits than you can use, sell some through the Herald-Lantern classifieds. Just call 465-5055 anytime. Filially, take rabbit manure. It is a mineral-rich fertilizer. Create a compost in your yard and put it on your garden in the spring. Count your blessings, for crying odt loud. What if you had 1,600 elephants instead of rabbits? Actually, Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey circus has 22 elephants, which create a problem similar to 1,600 rabbits. And the circus is doing just what I recommend. It pushes the elephant manure into a pile, calls it "Pachyderm Pooh,’ and offers it to people for manure. You even have to bring your own bag. This is a real windfall, depending on which way the wind is blowing. I DON’T MEAN TO BE critical, but negative attitudes and lack of vision are crippling this county. On my daily dawn walk on the 7-Mile Island beach, I saw a breathtaking sunrise reflected on dozens of, windows. But there was no one to enjoy it except me and a

couple hundred sandpipers, breakfasting. J Incidentally, did you ever see one sandpiper? I hate to eat alone, too, but they're ridiculous.) At any rate, I was struck at the waste of all those empty houses with no one in them to enjoy the beauty. Why are they vacant? Why doesn’t anyone, except Cape May, try to promote winter tourism? Have you seen the TV commercials boosting-Alaska? The sun hasn't been seen in two months, the winds blow at 30 knots off the Arctic Ocean; the wind-chill factor is 50 degrees below zero, and it’s inviting tourists. Or take Nepal. Twenty-five thousand mountain climbers go there every year just to scale Mount Everest. Why not invite people to climb our water'towers, every bit as exciting 9 WE SHOULD BE ABLE to get tourists to come here between November and May. Same ocean. Same beaches. Same boardwalks. And the shops, restaurants and clubs would be open if the tourist were here. Look at the special year-round attractions we could offer. Unusual architecture: the Social Services building in Rio Graixfe. Historical aberrations: people fighting to serve on a hospital board. Social phenomena: four realtors for every piece of property in the county. Even a step into the past: the one-man Erma Car Wash. One problem — the temperature. So maybe it’s 60-70 degrees cooler in the winter than in the summer. Why not publish the Same tourist brochures and make a pitch to the Latin Americans liningup to go to Miami Beach? SEND THEM THE SAME county vacation guide with photos showing people enjoyiftg the sun, sand and surf. Just don’t mention the average temperature. So what happens? The tourists arrive and it’s 20 instead of 80. Tell them an unusual cold snap has hit. What’s the harm —one teeny, wfeeny white lie. How are they going to complain? Most of them don’t even speak English If they’re cold, let them go to the movies. Maybe we year-rounders could get a second theatre that way. Do I have to think of everything around here?