Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 30 September 1921 — Page 1

THE ONLY DEMOCRATIC NEWSPAPER IN DELAWARE COUNTY THE MUNCIE POST-DEMOCRAT

VOL. L. NUMBER 38

MUNCIE, INDIANA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1921

SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.00 A YEAR IN ADVANCE

HERE’S THE KIND OF A “DEMOCRAT” AT HEAD OF BUNCH CAMPAIGN

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f ' , Bill Danels, president of the “Bunch for Mayor Club,” who seems to have been selected as the keynoter of the present municipal campaign for the democrats, never voted the democratic ticket in his life. In 1916, the year before America entered the war and the year of the presidential campaign which ended in the election of Woodrow Wilson, the democratic newspaper in Muncie conducted by the editor of the Post-Democrat, granted to the socialists the right to use a column each week, the department being conducted and edited by Daniels. This was not granted because the editor believed and advocated the theories advanced by Daniels, and the statement was repeatedly made that the management of the paper did not subscribe to the utterances of Daniels, but merely published them in the interest of fair play, and on the theory that every man and every party ought to have the right of free speech, and the right to express their convictions publicly. Just to give the public some little idea of Bill’s patriotism and his “democracy” we herewith produce a few specimens of his brand of writingjust about the time we were preparing to enter into the war with Germany : For instance: “We claim to have a Democratic i government. But what kind of de- . mocracy do you call it, when one man can plunge 10J,000,000 people into war without their consent? “Peace on earth, good will to man, The preacher cries on Sunday. But his thoughts are on preparedness. When the sun says it is Monday. The present democratic government means one man rule. Why not vote the Socialist ticket and get real democ racy ? If Wdlson says its war, Then to war, we're sure to go; And the blood of American workers Upoi=Hdrrgroti- J will flow. So if you American workers Would keep your blood in its prop-’ er cell, You must all join together And tell the war-lords to go to h—1.” And here is another beautiful little patriotic, and democratic piece of writing put out by the man who is assuming to run the democratic party: “Wilson has kept this nation out of the European struggle so far, but he let the profit grabbers have their way in Mexico. Blood has been shed by American troops in Mexico, that should not have been shed, therefore, Wilson is a dangerous man to have at the head of our nation, and it is a sure thing he will be the next nominee of the Democratic party. We are not, so sure who will be the nominee of the Republican and Progressive parties, but whoever he is, look up his past record and if there is one spot of blood upon it, turn him down. There is one nominee for President who is positively against bloodshed in any form. He stands for a civilization not built upon blood. That man is AI len Benson. Why not vote for him and have civilization that is civilized?” And how does this sentiment appeal to Democrats and to the boys who fought in the world war? Bill wrot"it and now he is trying to tell the people of Muncie how to vote. Read it: “The Democratic party is not as strong for preparedness (at present) as the Republican party, but in order to keep in power and feed at the government pork barrel, the Democrats 'are willing to make this nation that the war god will be pleased to call his home. You, who are cursing the Ger-

man government for its militarism and at the same time have made u your mind to support the Republican or Democratic parties, do not complain if your son becomes food for cannon, the same as thousands upon thousands of the German working class have become food for cannon in order to keep the god of mammon seated frmly upon his throne. The Republicans are for preparedness (militarism). The Democrats are for preparedness (militarism). The Socialists are for peace and against preparedness (militarism). Which will you support next fall? Then, arguing that work was plenty and men scarce, on account of the demand for munitions across the sea, Bill advised workers to take advantage of the situation as follows: “There is only one way, now, M.r Worker, for you to get yours, and that is to demand that the owner of the machine with which you work, give you a just share in the wealt you produce, and, if they refuse to grant this demand, then strike. “Take this method now, but when you vote next November, vote the Socialist ticket ang get control of the machine; then you can get what belongs to you at all times without any strike. “Posperity is here now, but it won’t

stay,

So now is the time to get your pay ; For molding brass and lead into; shape, To make some workers’ wife wear

crepe.

It’s a bloody business. I’ll allow, But you can’t help it anyhow; For you are forced by the powers that be, To make shell to kill the workers across the sea.” Bill felt awfully sorry for the German “workers across the sea”. Are the patriotic people of Muncie goint to stand for a candidate who stands fo'r Bill Daniels ?

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BORAH DISSENTS

Washington, Sept. 29—Senator William E. Borah will lead Republican opposition to the Harding-Hughes peace treaty with Germany. Borah has made lip his mind that he cannot vote to ratify the treaty because, in his opinion, it ties the United States into the Versailles treaty. Having led irreconcilables in their successful fight against the Versailles pact, Borah feels he cannot reverse his position now. Borah’s opposition, like that of other Republicans who will oppose the treaty, is based or. clauses which give the United States all the rights it would have had under the economic and reparations clauses of the Versailles treaty had it been ratified. If the United States exercises the rights it thus claims, it must take part in administering and enforcing the reparations settlement, Borah holds. “If this is not entanglement in European affairs,’’ Borah asks, “what is it?” The economic clauses involve similar interference if the new treaty is to be carried out, Borah believes.

OBEYS FATAL SIGN Nice, France—M. Louis Prouvost, a millionaire 'revolutionary, who had deserted the “cause,” received a code letter from an Anarchist organization ordering him to kill himself. Three days later his body was found in a deep cistern.

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ALAS, THE EGG DID NOT HATCH

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The Post-Democrat is elated to announce, in this issue, that the project of starting a new democratic newspaper in Muncie, to put us on the everlasting blink, has died in the shell. The cute little egg, from which the strange bird was expected to emerge, was set in the Grand Hotel, but there must have been something the matter with the incubator, for it failed to hatch. Several newspaper men who were approached on the subject of playing mother to the ugly duckling, held their noses long enough to listen to the proposal and then came to the suface for air and declined to undertake the job. The theory of those who enthusiastically fathered the movement was that they were about to fill a long felt want, but a canvass of the situation developed the fact that while the want may have been long felt, it was not widely felt. In fact, it seemed to be confined entirely to the promoter^. Running a newspaper is the easiest thing in the world. All you have to do is to get it out every so often, pay the bills, and take your money to the bank two or three times a week in a market basket. And besides it doesn’t take brains or experience fo run a newspaper. All that is required is a Washington hand press, a nickel’s worth of ink and some dub to run the outfit who, like the good coon dog, ought to be a good newspaperman, because he had tried everything else, including horse shoeing and writing bum poetry, and failed at that. Maybe there will be something doing yet in the project. The raw material is all in Muncie. The experiment will be

™ interesting.

The Post-Democrat is not posing as a great family reformative agent. It is not an enemy of Sunday picture shows or Sunday base ball or is it going to set the world on fire by trying to extinguish the fire that is burning up several thousand cigaretts and cigars in Muncie every day. It has not even arrived at'the pious stage where it is ready to declare that a good old fashioned set-to of draw poker, played on the square, is the worst sin in the world. The eighteenth amendment did not put a stop to the manufacture and sale of liquor nor will the election of either of the doctors carry with it the assumption that the thousands who go to picture shows on Sunday and the many who follow the natural bent of the average American to “take a chance” vill be legislated into a spiritual state which will alter their manner or mode of living. > What we do object to, though, is the evident intent upon the part of a gamblers’ trust and a white mule monopoly to establish an autocracy of power which is to carry with it the power of political life and death over all who dare to criticize and oppose their

methods.

A movement was set on foot here throe weeks ago, when Dr. Bunch secured absolute control of the police department, to make Muncie the Monte Carlo of Indiana. Certain gamblers and moonshine dispensers wer’e to be given a franchise to run their places of “business” unchecked, while others not favored of the gods we\ to be driven out of the city. Only those who were “right” we?’e to be given a franchise to operate and official collectors were named to exact a revenu e from the franchise holders. It is needless to state that the revenues derived from this source will not go into the general fund of the city, nor will any municipal record be kept of these proceedings. In making these statements we merely assert a thing which is known to hundreds of people in Muncie. The gamblers themselves do not like the situation. They would much prefer to take chances on being pinclied occasionally for operating gambling houses rather than be involved in a dangerous conspiracy which will ultimately destroy them. There has never yet been a time in this city or any other city in America, where “protected” gambling is permitted, that all those concerned did not ultimately find themselves in a “jam” with prison doors and bankruptcy staring them in the face. For the good of these men, who are now contempiating this fatal move, as well as for the good of the city in general, we beg that they abandon this hazardous undertaking The men who are organizing this movement have been through one terrible and disastrous experience. Have they no more sense than the moth which flutters in the flame? The people of Muncie, almost without exception, were saddened and grieved when their mayor, whom they had elected by a great majority, was convicted of a federal crime and sent to penal servitude. He returned from prison a popular man. “Let’s all get behind Roll and let him see that we are still his friends,” was heard on all sides. Thousands voted for him at the primary believing that he had abandoned the associates with whom he had got in trouble and that if he ever had been guilty of indiscretions in office they would not be

repeated.

These people are now undeceived. His first act was to secure control of the board of safety, and surrounding himself with a coterie of gamblers and resort keepers, proceeded to demonstrate, two months before election, just exactly what he intends to do for the next four years, in case he is elected and qualified. Notwithstanding the great majority by which he was nominated, and laying aside the question of whether he can serve as may or, in the face of the prohibitory text of the Tucker law, can the democrats of Muncie r ^ord to put their official seal of anprovrd on the things that are going on right now in Mtitncie ? The greatest calamity that could possibly befall Roll Bunch would be his re-election to the office of mayor in November, and it would prove a blow to the democratic party from which it would not recover for years

to come.

The Post-Democrat believes in plain speaking in these matters. Some well-inten-tioned democrats have found fault with it for its boldness in sounding a note of warning. One of the best democrats in Muncie, a man for whom we have a profound respect, and one who is always found, without hope of reward working for the success of the ticket, objected to the tone of the Post-Democrat on the ground that Dr. Bunch had been elected by a vote of fourfifths of the democrats of Muncie and that he should therefore be supported by all democrats without question. To this man and thousands of others like him who voted for Dr. Bunch we will ask

these questions:

Are you in favor of placing the machinery of your party, unreservedly, in the hands of four or five ex-convicts who care nothing for the party and only hope to use it in order that they may have the exclusive gambling and bootlegging privilege in the city of Muncie? : . ! Did you believe Dr. Bunch when he told you, before the primary, that Mayor John Kelly was a failure, had sold out to the commercial club, was an enemy of labor and had violated his pledges to the people, or do you believe him now, when he says Kelly is all right, the Bunch O K not coming until after Mayor Kelly had permitted him to name two members of the board of safety? , : . , : : - It is said that Mayor Kelly has been promised an important post in the city administration by Dr. Bunch, in the event of democratic success? Do you think, if Dr. Bunch was telling the truth about Kelly in the primary, that he is honest with you how, who believed him then, in giving an important political appointment to one whom he had led you to believe was utterly unworthy? Do you want to see Dr. Bunch appoint a man to office who has sold out to the commercial club, as Dr. Bunch declares he has. Does it not look like he was playing on your credulity, now that he has embraced the man whom he had taught you to abhor ? Are you going to permit Dr. Bunch to be a perennial weathervane, who changes his policies as the whim strikes him and demands that all other democrats change with him, blindly obedient and without question? - , h : i Do you really think Dr. Bunch is such a great friend of labor, when his first act, after the primary, was to cause the appointment of two men on the board of safety, neither one of whom were from the ranks of labor? Are there any two laboring men in the city of Muncie, who, if given control of the board of safety, would permit a bunch of gamblers to pull off the stunts that are going on here now? Can labor count any man its friend who would sanction the organization of a gamblers’ trust, which openly boasts that its operations will be immensely profitable as soon as the factories start up and the men get back to work? u-p m- v, i , s Again, fellow democrats, does the party owe any particular loyalty to the man who nominated Horace Murphy and elected him, thereby causing the defeat of an entire county democratic ticket? , ; Is there any reason why Dr. Bunch should demand allegiance and loyalty and give

nothing in return for it?

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CITY AND COUNTYXOUNCILS PLAY HOB WITH SALARIES OF HARD WORKING OFFICIALS

May Be Some Merit m the Idea of Direct Action as Suggested by Bill Daniels

During the primary campaign the central figure of the Bunch organization was Bill Daniels, a renegade socialist. Bill was the keynoter at every meeting and it is assumed that the candidate is now willing to take the blame, or the credit, as the case may be, of being in perfect accord with the ideas expressed by the delectable

Bill.

At several meetings, after being all jazzed up bfk the music of the great impresario, Haystack Jones, and his talented band of musicians. Bill promised the workless public that if Bunch was elected nobody would go hungry in Muncie. Bill said Doc would K simply bust in the front door of some 4* other man’s provision foundry and hand out beans and bacon to all comers, without money and without price, world without end, amen. The sentiment was applauded by some as being the utterance of a statesman and pastmaster of economics. Heretofore, in Muncie, people had been in the habit of working for a livelihood. But no more of that in Muncie when Bill becomes grand vizier to the bean potentate. Why work, with groceries crammed with free food, banks overrunning with somebody else’s money and clothing stores, soda fountains and picture shows scattered all over the city? Since Bill and Doc promoted the idea of taking somebody else’s beans and somebody else’s coal and taters, it stands to reason, of course, that they are possessed of the courage of their conversation and wouldn’t ob-

Councils will be councils. There are two bodies of men functioning in Delaware County who are entitled to the prefix “councilman” before their names. One is the city council, composed of thirteen men, eleven democrats and two republicans. -The other is the county council, less in number, but all republicans. There might have been a democrat or two in the county council, but in the last general election the democrats forgot to enter in the race for county councilmen, so the republicans took the entire council, by default. Both the city council and the county council are strong for economy. The city council whacked the daylights out of the salaries of city officials for the ensuing year and the county council, not to be outdone by their democratic brethren, used the pruning knife on the county budget, and then sat back and looked wise. The action taken by both bodies semmed to be predicated on the idea that taxes would be lowered mightily by reducing salaries to the point where county and city officers would either have to borrow money to pay their grocery bills, or make modnshine mule in order to keep the wolf from the door. The county auditor, clerk and treas • urer were the ones who were the most seriously affected by the spasm of economy which overtook the county council. Simultaneously with the granting of an appropriation of $2000 to construct cement sidewalks around the court house., the council lopped off $750 from the clerk hire allowance for the three county officers

named.

Reduced to exact terms, therefore, County Clerk Frank Barber, Auditor James Dragoo and Fred Reasoner. the incoming county treasurer, will have the extreme pleasure of paying for the new cement sidewalks around

the temple of justice.

Officials who perform, actual work should be paid for their services. Any one entering either of the three offices named will generally find everybody hard at work. There are thousands of details to be looked after constantly and the heads of the departments as well as all of the clerks.

ject for an instant if an enthusiastic

mob, all primed up with their busting]are always digging away, trying to

in suggestion, would first try their V1 *“ 4 ' 1 '" ~

hand at busting in on the promoters

of the great original idea.

For instance there is Bill Daniels. Bill runs a blacksmith and machine shop out on Kirby Avenue. Bill is a good blacksmith, is an expert in the art of welding, and does a thriving and profitable business. He is therefore

not one of the beloved proletariat, would deem it advisable to b^iild an TT„ • _ 1__j.1_.Jl __i 1 j 1 . • i i* i 4-/'v 4-I-i/-v Ftt -i n -Fiy'W'i o vxr oir

He is a. loathed and hated capitalist. He and his employees are workingwhile thousands are idle in Muncie: Can this be right? Certainly not. There are men in Muncie in Bill’s $ line who are out of work. They have no shop of their own. What is the

answer?

Simple enough. All the workless and foodless mechanics have to do is to kick in the front door of Bill’s shop, grab Bill by the back of the neck and seat of his trousers, cast him out in the cold, cold world and go to work. Bill wouldn’t mind it for he believes in direct action. And how easy it would be for some poor fellow out of work and money to grab one of Roll Bunch’s automobiles, drive out to the doctor’s fine 240 acre farm in Blackford County, take on a free load of punkins, taters and yaller legged chickens, drive back to Muncie and move his family in the doctor’s big house on East Jack-

son St.

There are plenty of spare rooms in

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Expect New Tax BID to Yield $3,324,000,000

Shrinkage of More Than Billion In Income and Excess Profits Levies

Washington, Sept. 29—A shrinkage of more than $1,000,000,000 income and excess profit taxes this fiscal year was reckoned upon by the senate finance Committee in revising the hohse tax bill with a view to raising $3,324,000,000 in internal revenue in the 12 inonths ending next June 3i). This was disclosed by thg majority report approved by committee Repubi licatis and made public. The estimated total of revenue under the bill

is $136,000,000 less than treasury experts have figured would be returned this fiscal year under the present law, but is $84,000,000 more than the re-

vised total under the house bill. Anticipate Big Shrinkage

Estimated returns this fiscal year from income and profit taxes are $1,880,000,000 According to the report as against approximately $3,000,000,000 of actual collections in the fiscal year ended last June 30. Only about $50,000,000 of this differghce of $1,120,000,000 proposed in the present law. Treasury officers committees is accounted for by changes explained that the remainder is charged off the shrinkage on account of business depression, diversion, 1 of funds to tax exempt securities and other causes.

Margin of Safety Small *

Declaring that the $3,324,000,000 total proposed under the revised bill was only $52,000,000 more than the

be raised through internal taxes, the report said that this Was “0 margin of safety none too large for the fiscal year 1922 in view of the existing business depression and the uncertainty attaching to the yield of the income and profits taxes”. ■ • ; i ~.- 1 r- , STRENUOUS POSTMASTER WINS Wimbledon, Eng. ^Frederick Marriott) a grocer; 'criticized the postal service in the\bffice of Postmaster Lemuel Allen. Allen thrashed Marriott and ejected Hipi. Marriott had Allen arrested. Allen had Marriott arrested. Allen was freed. Marriott was fined $2.50 “'

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REACTION m. RUSSIA

'Riga,—Swedish travelers report wild excitement 1 aftd Yhthusia'sm in many section^ of Russia over reports that Czafrism Will bg rehUored Under, leadership of Prince Dimitri! cousin of the

treasury had estimated w r ould have to *’ murdered Czar Nicholas

give the public the service it is en-

titled to.

The county officials will either have to hire the usual number of clerks and stand the loss themselves or reduce their force of employees and leave

part of the work undone.

It would be tough on the court house employees if the county council

addition to the county infirmary. They wmuld probably all become dollar a

year men.

ROBBERS BOB HER HAIR New York—Because she refused to tell where her money was hidden, two robbers bound and gagged Mrs. Cole Sandle and cut her hair off short. Then they searched the apartment and found $90. “POTATO KING” DEAD Glasgow—John Brown, the former plowboy who became known as the “potato king” of Great Britain during the war because of his immenste transactions, has died as the result of a fall.

when rent is so high and houses so estasy would be his to permit such venience the doctor ome, but what ectasy would be his to permit such a practical demonstration of the

new way things are to be done in

the big house, so why pay house rent, Muncie after he gets to be mayor.

| HIGH FINANCE OF THE GREEN CLOTH A real democrat is one who holds the view that all |j men are created free and equal and that special privileges H to some and curtailment of the same privileges to others is y not democracy, but autocracy. * Since a certain group of gamblers have attempted to P set themselves up as the democratic party in Muncie, they | ought, at least, to act in a democratic manner and refuse ^ to become parties to any conspiracy to allow some gamblers M to run and exclude others. H It is said that an extensive gamblers’ trust is now bell ing organized. The first act, it is said, is to raise a ten thousand dollar slushfund. Ten gamblers are to put up | the money and take notes for it. This flat sum is to guarantee protection until the first y of January and will do away with the weekly collections up A to that time. After the first of January the collections will \\ begin and the notes will be paid off out of the collections. | One of these “rats ate the cats and cats ate the rats” H sort of a scheme, you see. It is said that the gamblers are not taking kindly to H this nice little flyer in high finance, and that considerable * difficulty will be experienced in floating the paper. Howy ever, as Lawyer Tutt says, “you never can tell.” m The consideration is, of course, that the ten men who p float this liberty loan are to have a monopoly on the business | in Muncie. 1 Mentioning these things may be further evidence that H the Post-Democrat is not a dyed in the wool -democratic H newspaper. Ask Bill Daniels or some of these other new * laid democrats about it.