Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 4 April 1930 — Page 1

THE POST-DEMOCRAT

VOLUME X—NUMBER 9.

MUNCfE, INDIANA, FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 1930.

Price 5 Cen lei—“12.00 6 Ye*jr

PRIMARY FILING ENDS

H RUSH OF ASPIRANTS

HAMPTON COUNCIL ANNEXATION ACT BRINGS TAX GRIEF

i-

Voters in the territory annexed to Mancie last July found this week when they :->'d their taxes that the ITnmpio •onnc.il charged them extra for the privilege of voting for Mayor I ale. This poltical annexation move of the Barnes !lampton-Unity league crowd in an effort to bring more voters to their support, turned out to be a boomerang to the Republicans. For in their brazen reach for votes they annexed much territory that had previously been paying taxes on the Center Township rate. When they received their tax duplicates this spring the rate applied was the city rate and it was put There by the Hampton council. Votes Fooled Council. Barnes-Hampjon-;IInity boys in an effort to defeat the editor of the Post-Democrat when he received the Democratic nomination last May decided to annex several hundred more votes. They thought the voters would be so tickled to think that they coul give Muncie as their address that they would flock to the Republican banner in full strength. Now in order to perpetuate this gag on the voters it became necessary for the Hampton council of which Barnes was a member to annex the territory and then have the property listed on the city duplicates and transferred off the Center Township rolls. Their first move was to order

Max Shafer, auditor, to make the transfer, but Max objected. He consulted the state board of tax commissioners and learned that such a thing had been done in other communities and that the responsibility was with the Hampton council and not with the auditor. So the assessment roll finally found its way on the city tax duplicates. The Center Township rate is $1.12 while the city rate, is $1.94. So since the matter applies only to personal property it isn’t a very big item to the individual, hardly more than a Ford tire and tube, but nevertheless it is an item of interest to the new property owners. Max Tells It Wrong. Now Shafer, who is known as a most, loquacious story teller and spinner of yarns, of late has become a candidate for renomination on the Unity ‘League slate. Several times it has come to the attention of the editor of the Post-Dem-ocra that Max has informed the taxpayers calling upon him for explanation that it was due to the Dale administ‘nUmi that they had to pay he increase. The new administration went into office Jan. fi, and had nothing to do with what happened last July and the subsequent months as far as the city was concerned so when you inquire of Max as to “how come” please have him lay it onto the Hampton administration and new administration.

MANY DEFECTS ARE VETOED BY MAYOR

CONSCIENCE’’ BID F ALLY TURNS OUT ‘01 DENYING HE IS FA

With their conscience hurting them for robbing 1 the property owners of Muncie out of several hundred thousand dollars during the last four years the local paving trust last Tuesday played a further “April Fool’ on the citizens by coaxing their ally the Barber Asphalt Company of Philadelphia, Pa., to submit a most unusual bid for the resurfacing of Walnut street from Ninth street south. One would think that alter these years of gyping the property owners as revealed in Circuit Court last Monday afternoon that the local paving barons would retire and clip coupons instead of trying to “clip” the citizens some more. But apparently the trust feels secure in its belief that the public will never get next to them. This time the public is

ahead of them.

Resurfacing the Walnut street project is under the gasoline tax refund and the Board of Public Works, after investigating the two bids submitted let the contract to the Andrews Paving Company of Hamilton, O. Its bid was $1.17 per square yard for surface and $5.50 per ton for binder. This “April Fool” bid submitted by the ally of the paving trust thinking that the people could be hoodwinked by their type of figuring was 74 cents per square for surface,

but $5.95 for binder.

Now this Barber asphalt bid is like the “shave and hair cut” proposition where at one shop the “shave” is twenty cents and the “hair cut” is forty cents while at the other the “shave” is twenty-five cents and the “hair cut” is thirtyfive cents. Take your choice, for it is going to cost you sixty

cents for a “shave and hair cut” at either shop.

Furthermore the Barber Asphalt Company bid was brought over by William Birch of the William Birch Com pany, who testified in Circuit Court that although he was unable to tell just what profit his company figured in mak-

ing a bid it was at least twenty percent.

Birch Was loud in his protest that he was not the fiber

"n¥ 7ITI 1 w ouen wiis io»u in ms proiesi inai ne was not ihe fib I 1 U °f fhe Barber Asphalt Company “April Fool Themfielve:

JflUl III '

ml he merely acted as ^-messenger b«w- hr ingmg -th i<j^ orphan” to the doorstep of the Board of Public Works andi

then avowing all responsibility.

Never before in the past four years has the Barber Asphalt Company submitted a bid here or any of their rep-

M PAVING TRUST HAN’ WITH BIRCH ER OF DOCUMENT

?sentatives come here to obtain specifications or proposals far as can be learned. And, further, prior to the receipt the bid a-la Birch the Board of Public Works had never jeived word from this ally of the local paving trust that ley desired to hid or even an inquiry if there would he any

having.

Now the name of II. Wells, who signs as agent for he Barber Asphalt Company, appears on the bid. No H. ,L Wells has ever appeared before ihe board or even conducted any correspondence with the board. Just how much consideration should be given to a bid of this character is probmatical, but the Board of Works didn’t feel that the Barber •Asphalt Company was interested much in the bidding, only trying to further the “April Fool” tactics of the local paving trust by attempting to confuse the citizens. Investigating the financial statement required to be submitted by the Barber Asphalt Company it is found that it was notarized by Jacob Lennington, who has offices in the Wysor Block, not far from the William M. Birch Company office. notarized the statement and placed his seal on it under dat'e of March 31, 1930. H.* .1. Wells’s signature to the data and financial statement bears the date of April 1. Now notary publics are permitted to affix their names to documents testifying that jpn the date affixed by them the statements contained in the document was sworn to by the person named therein. It would be hard to find a law that would permit Jacob Lennington to affix his signature and seal of notary on a (blank document to be filled out later by anyone. Just how his discrepancy can he explained by H. J. Wells or Notary ublic Lennington remains to be seen, but this most brazen

ror is filed with the bid.

Instead of the certified check required by law there was led a cashier’s check on the Merchants National Bank signd by Chester Wingate. This cashier’s check naturally preents revealing whose money is behind that check. Since ade on the bank w^ere Birch does considerable busi-

b-e rntmer-fm-

Declaratory Period Closes With Lively Interest Among Democrats In County for Places On Various Tickets—Sees Victory for Party In November With Program of Harmony -Unity League Will Continue Its Attempt To Grab Delaware County and Plunder Ahead for Faithful.

Close of the primary filing period today saw a rush of aspirants for* the many places on the county and township tickets. Among the scores of Democrats seeking places on the fall ticket there appeared an unusual spirit of optimism for with the splendid victory of last November it is felt that party success will be continued here and throughout the

state.

Unity Leaguers headed by George Cromer-Billy Williams, the suburban postmaster-Jim Fitch, who placed Vestal virgins on the census jobs instead of any number of exservice men—Lon Thornburg, the big room and bath man— and their cohorts are champing at the bit to raid the county and township officers. Their slate has been filled event——* * —— 1 ——* down to precinct committeeman|Scott Garnett of Oakville, has filed and from the basement of the Hotel i for the Thirty-third precinct. Roberts the poison squads are pre-| Four are in the race for commitparing' to spread out on the voters teeman in the Third precinct with in effort to bamboozle them into re- Lewis E. Hot'her, 530 Wilson ave-

turning to the Unity League fold.

Spirited Races Seen

Interest in the Democratic phase of the primary has increased during the past two weeks and the last minute rush of aspirants indicate spirited races in many places. Charles Indorf, a member of the

nue; Gernie Mattingly, 1117 West First street; Burl Dowling, 615 Pierce street, and Clement Hobbs, 523 Wilson street, already filed. This quartet will have a lively scrap for the precinct post.

Manford Seeks Post

In the Fifth precinct, Erland P.

board of public safety, has filed fori Reed, 210 1-2 East Main street, filed the Democratic nomination for | and in the Fourteenth precinct, county treasurer. He expects to con-j Robert W. Manford is in the race, [duet an active campaign for the;Frank Purcell, 2225 Russey street, 'nomination if opposition to his! seeks the committeemanship in the

candidacy apepars today. So far he Twelfth precinct,

is the lone candidate for the nom- From Gaston came the filing of ination. J candidacy of Carl Hedgeland for Several precinct committeemen j committeeman of the Thirty-first

filed during the last minute rush i precinct.

the list including Chester A. Paxton I Carey L. Richmond entered the 1320 East Willard street, for the! list of aspirants for trusteeship and

the check and not the Barber Asphalt Company after all. In addition with this secrecy of check it becomes a question whether or not H. J. Wells, agent, has authority to bind his company to a bid of this character. He failed to estab-

(Confimied to Pag? Two)

Many of the ordinances passed by the city council were found upon examination by the mayor to contain some glaring defects and he vetoed them. With the veto message went the suggestion to the council that memiters of that body should consult the city’s legal department and thereby save much time and trouble in the preparation of ordinances. In vetoing the animal shelter appropriation the mayor pointed out that the original ordinance named a sum of $3,500 while the items totalled under it did not aggregate that amount. Then on the margin of the ordinance appears in pencil the notations $2,500 and later $2,300 and some of the items are crossed off with pencil. Veto Message After several hours trying to match up the ordinances and their phraseology the mayor applied the veto to most of them. In the animal shelter ordinance the mayor’s message back to Hie council was as

follows:

“I have applied my veto to the attached ordinance and am assigning as the reason for such action; “First—That the document is meaningless and wholly unintelligible by reason of numerous alterations, pencil notations and discrepencies in figures which, leaves the amount to be appropriated in doubt. ‘‘Second—That it did not pass through the legal department of the city of Muncie before presentation to your honorable body. ‘Third -That Section 4 is improperly worded, and that the date of its passage is left blank. “I believe this ordinance to be wholly inoperable because of its apparent defects, which you yourself may easily discern by inspection, and recommend that if you have the desire to keep it alive that you permit this veto to stand and present to the mayor a new ordin-

Legal difficulties resulting from the improperly drawn and worded ordinances might tie up city business for many months until they could be straightened out. Meanwhile, the mayor asks the council (o make use of the city legal staff and avoid these complications. SEC. FIHELD MAY BE OPPOSED FOR RE-NOMINATION

Republican Leaders Not Harmony Over Ticket To Be Nominated.

Real Truth of ‘"Vestal’s Vision For $210,000 Postoffice Annex

Twenty-first precinct.

In the Tbu'ty-fourtfi precinct, El\

and in the Thirty-fifth precinct the name of John- R. Moore, R. R. 1,

has been listed.

Harry L. Bales, who lives in Hie Forty-second precinct, has entered the race for that locality. Joe Dangler, 1204 East Ninth street, of the Twenty-second precinct has tiled for committeman there.

he filed for that office in Salem

township.

land, seeks renomination for commissioner in ihe third district. He is the county * chairman around whom much dissatisfaction has centered for the past two years. More than two hundred candidates have filed for places either on the Democratic or Republican tickets. In many of the races there • are as high as five opponents and a

(By BEN STERN)

Written for the United Press Indianapolis, April 4. -(UP)—Opposition to Otto G. Fifield’s rc-nom-

i nation

secretary of stile is

brewing within the ranks of his own party, it was learned at the statehouse, Wednesday, and party leaders are worried about what course to follow. Several combinations of Republican state convention delegates are being organized to carry on an anti-

Fifield war.

One group has begun a definite boom to i>on)inate Jesse Eschbach of Fort Wayne, former state accounts hoard head. The movement got under way in Indianapolis last week and although Eschbach declared he had no intention of becoming a candidate, the campaign is gaining ground. Even regular G. O. P. organization men controlled by the George V. Coffin group with whom Fifield lias been allied closely, are pessi-

ance, submitted first to the city at-|mistic over the secretary’s chance

torney prior to its introduction to

The council.”

Few Were Proper Other ordinances vetoed by the mayor which will he returned to the council at its meeting on Monday night include the $125,000 airport bond issue and the plumbing inspection under the city board of health with master plumbers giv-

to win this fall, ^ven if nominated. “Fifield is a losing horse, hut we may be forced to back him because he has sixty employes belonging to our organization,” a Coffin loader

declared.

Anti-Coffinsisfn ia loud in disapproval of Fifield. have advanced the name of Lawrence F. Orr, incumbent accounts hoard head, it Etch-

ing the examination to persons who bach is not. received favorably.

later may be named inspectors. Few of the ordinances passed by the council were in proper form for signature and all of them were

The latter was a candidate for

Governor in 1928 and long has leen

an outstanding Republican. Orr has been receiving favorable

presented to the mayor without the mention because of his investiga-

signature of Hubert L. Parkinson, president of the council. He returned them all to the city clerk and after a day or two President Parkinson affixed his signature to

them.

tion of Laxe county graft charges. With 1,957 delegates to the G. O. P. convention the winner mart receive 979 votes. So a large number of delegates is expected to prove

unwieldy to t manage.

LATE BULLETIN Communication received last night from United States Daily newspaper at Washington reports that no appropriation has been made for the “Vestal Vision” postoffice addition. Further, that there are no plans for it drawn in the offfice of the supervising architect of the Treasury Department. LATER BULLETIN Muncie Press admits editorially that there is some merit in Mayor Dale’s stand that some investigation should be made as to status of the “Vestal Vision” before rushing into legal processes to obtain additional ground before any appropriation is made or plans drawn. Real truth of the “Vestal Vision” of the $210,000 postoffice addition for Muncie has been revealed and it is simple. First—He has applied to the Treasury Department for $210,000 addition here. ; Second—Budget Bureau next week will hear the application. Third—Congressman Vestal thinks that if the city of Muncie will deed Federal Park or at least a greater part of it the Budget Bureau will feel better toward his application. Fourth—The City of Muncie could sell Federal Park or a part of it, but under the law it couldn’t donate the land as the “Vestal Vision” contemplates. Now it can readily be seen how simple the postoffiee situation is despite the fact that the daily newspapers raised such a vociferous hullabaloo and proceeded to misrepresent the facts to lead citizens to believe that “without the deed there would be no postoffice addition.” Officials of the Chamber of Commerce and the mayor are now ascertaining just the status of the “Vestal Vision” and eagerly are awaiting word from the Treasury Department as to its intentions. Congressman Vestal, three times to the knowledge of the editor of the Post-Democrat, has “built” the postoffice addition just before the primary. This third time is the “showdown” for Albert and his previous alibis are now checked. Not only the editor of the Post-Democrat is “checking” Albert, but citizens here are in the same frame of mind. Two years ago just before the primary the news despatches from Congressman Vestal got the people of Muncie all “hot and bothered” with the thought that a $150,000 addition was to be built for the city to the postoffiee. With the primary over and Congressman Vestal safe with the nomination and later the election the Unity League favorite here apparently lost interest in his application for the $150,000 and nothing more was heard of it.

Just a few months ago with the primary in view, Congressman Vestal again hauled out the “postoffiee addition bugtiboo” as a bait for the voters and raised the ante to $210,000. This application, like one made in 1926, 1928 and this year, was Jed with the Budget Bureau and it is their action that will count. Apparently not certain that his “$210,000 Vision” will be any more successful than the other two applications conceived the theory that according to plans in “his mind” an additional five-feet will be needed from Ihe park to add to the present site and then because he says the government wouldn’t build closer than 25 feet to another structure, added the additional footage and communicated with the Chamber of Commerce to do the job of getting the footage. Now Congressman Vestal can’t remember all his letters and telegrams for news despatches from Washington were so positive that the live feet was needed according to the plans. It was Vestal’s own proposal and let’s see how it

turned out.

When the Post-Democrat rublished a story from the mayor that he would balk at giving away Federal Park the honorable Congressman Vestal countered with the statement that according to plans the building would extend over the present property line by just five feet. It is odd that only such a small amount of space was needed for spending such a large sum of money. Now it -develops that under date of March 14, Congressman Vestal writes that on that date he has asked the chief architect of the Treasury Department to draw plans for the proposed

structure.

With Ihe admission by the Congressman that no plans existed, except in his own mind, it is easy now to see just why he was so busy making a smoke screen on the additional footage of the park land. If the land were not right on hand, donated, then his alibi would be that it was due to lack of land and not anything else. That’s old stuff' in polities and just because the mayor remembered that four and two years ago Vestal pulled the same “Vision” as bait it was decided to checkup and see if the Congressman from the Eighth Congressional District now a primary candidate intended to make good or was just bluff ing as per two other times. In regards to Federal Park the law specifies that it may be sold after appraisal by three persons named by the circuit court._ Congressman Vestal knows full well or should know by this time that the land can’t be donated by the city. It may be purchased by the government or citizens can raise the purchase price and present it to the government. Through correspondence, telegrams, press reports and telephone conversations Congressman Vestal has implied that the reported $210,000 addition to the postoffiee here rests with the city providing a deed for most of Federal

Park.

Diiviil M. Howell, R. R. 8, seeks

the committeeman's post in the | most interesting primary race can

Twenty-eighth .pi’GciJict and Waltenbe expected.

MISHAWAKA PLACE FOR 1931 MEETING

Hartford City, Ind., April 4.— (UP)—Mishawaka was selected us the meeting place for the North i Indiana conference of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1931 at the morning session of the conference

today.

Mishawaka was supported by

Richmond Man Gets Rid of Housekeeper

Richmond, Ind., April 4.—(UP)—•

, IT . Richard Long, negro, Richmond,

104 votes; Muncie, 89, and Hunt- j s j.j ( j housekeeper,

ington, 5.

I Frances Hamilton, but it took four

While the conference was meet- ejectments, four bricks, four broking in the Grace M. E. church, four en windows and a court appearance other meetings relative to the gen- 4o s how the- woman she no longer eral conference were being held,! was j n Long’s employ, the conference cabinet, the lay-j Four times Long put out his men’s association, the Women’s housekeeper. Each time she reForeign Missionary society, and turned and hurled a brick through committee meetings of statistic- a window in her former employer’s

ians and treasurers. [home.

Bishop Raymond J. Wade, Stock-j Long took his troubles to city

holm Sweden, was the principal court after the fourth' brick crash-

speaker at last evening’s session, jed into his living room.

He told of the problems of enforc-i Judge B. A. Ball fined Ihe woman ing prohibition in Norway, Swe-i$l and costs and sentenced her to den and Denmark. Those countries, 130 days in the womans prison. The he said, are experiencing the same sentence was suspended on the conproblems as the United States iuldition that the defendant pay lor

trying to keep out liquor runners, i the broken windows. Bishop Edgar Blake. Indianapo- j o

lis, afternoon speaker, told of Methodism’s growth, in Europe as well as in America. He said the M. E. church is financially indenependent and strong, and alone, he said, easily could support the $10,000,000 burden assumed by all Protestant organizations for the advancement of world service

Files Perpetual Injunction

Indianapolis, April 4.— (UP) — —Suit for perpetual injunction was filed in federal court by the Simonds Saw and Steel Company, Fitchburg, Mass., against E. C. At-

Christianity’s gain in Japan was kins f- Company, saw and steel

manufacturers, Indianapolis. The Indianapolis firm infringes on the Simonds trade mark, and manufacturers a product so similar to the Simonds saw that the latter concern has suffered, the suit de-

clares.

reported by Bishop James C. Baker of the Seoul area, Korea. The work there is loosening the Oriental bonds upon women, and raising them io the level of European and

American women he said.

The cogfarence was entertained with a banquet last night at Taylor

University, Upland.

Rev. Jesse Fox, Gaston, was elected president of the Taylor alumni, succeeding Rev. John W.

Rose, Anderson. o—

Nurse Says Inmate Beaten

Fort Wayne, Ind., April 4.—(UP) —Thelma Arnold, a nurse employed at the Allen county infirmary, testified at Fort Wayne, that an In-

Frank Hawks Reaches Indiana i mate, an aged man, was beaten

— [with a stick by an attendant.

Terre Haute, Ind., April 4—(UP)| The testimony was introduced at —Capt. Frank Hawks was overja hearing before Special Judge Terre Haute at 9:40 this morning,!Jesse C. Sutton in the fight of W. on his towed-glider flight from Homer Young, to regain the super-coast-to-coast, and was to depart'intendency of the infirmary, from for Indianapolis, soon after land- which he was ousted by county

ing. commissioners.