Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 8 May 1931 — Page 2

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THE POST-DEMOCRAT * Democratic weekly newspaper representing the Democrats ot Muucu Delaware County and the 8th Congressional District. The only Democratic Newspaper in Delaware County. > JSntered as second class matter January 16, isai, at the FosloHicM Mancie, Indiana, under the Act ot March I, 1879.

PRICK » CENTS—92.00 A YEAR.

228 North Elm 4ireet—Telephone 2540 CHARLES H. DALE, Publisher. Geo. R. Date, Editor.

Muncie, Indiana, Friday, MayJS, 1931.

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Mighty Poor Susiness ; It’s too bad tnat Tod Whipple allowed his emotions to "tlead him into the error of writing his piece about the city l attorney and the city controller. v Of course nobody pays any attention to it here except >Bob Parkinson and his buddy, Big Wooten, but state pa- ♦ pers carried his statement that Muncie is broke and about • to go into the hands of a receiver. Local dailies, corresponding with the state papers put « the rot on the wire, thus broadcasting to the world the t filthy lie that Muncie is a busted community,. devoid of

cre dit.

If that’s what they call home pride, it fails to ‘square > with their constant tirade against those whom they term ' knockers. Muncie’s credit has been damaged by broadcasting the | slander reflecting on its financial condition. These papers are always whining about people who * whisper about banks and then proceed to misrepresent their ; own city’s financial rating, merely to create the belief over the state and in other states that I have steered Muncie j onto the rocks. “ ‘Tis a queer bird that fouls its own nest,” still holds good as a saying that tells its own story. Muncie never was in as good financial condition as it ^ is at present. The city council knows this, yet it orders the city clerk to spread the Whipple pipe dream on the permanent records of the city of Murtcie. It was this way: Whipple had a claim of forty dollars against the city. The city controller did not send the forty to Tod by special messenger so the conclusion was natural to one of Tod’s temperamental nature that the city was

broke.

It reminds me of the backwoodsman who looked up a tree and saw a grizzly bear and was just in the act of shooting it when his boy stopped him. “That hain’t no bear, pap,” said the boy, “it’s jest a louse on your eyebrow.” In the meantime if you’ve got a just claim against the city hop right up to the controller’s office and get your

check.

Ask any banker in Muncie whether or not Muncie is in good shape financially. Muncie was broke and ready not only for a receiver but an undertaker when I became mayor sixteen months ago. It was necessary the first week to borrow $50,000, due to the improvidence of the last administration. The money was paid back in four months and from that time on there hns been no more borrowing. There is now plenty of money in the city treasury and the city will not borrow a cent this year, something that never happened before in history. If you take any stock in the dope spread on the city records by the wild jasaxes of tH&Council ask Joe Meredith, county treasurer. Joe is a republican but will tell you the

truth.

At this time last year the advance draws from the treasurer’s office amounted to $153,000. As this is written Friday afternoon the records in the county treasurer’s office and the city controller’s office disclose the fact that this year’s advance draws are $50,000 less. The-council was more reprehensible than Whipple, the irresponsible who mistook a louse for a bear. Bob Parkinson, council foreman, invited Whipple to present his “charges.” I tried to stop Tod from slandering the city that welcomed him after he eloped from Portland but just try to stop Tod when the urge is on. I have nottiing in the world against Tod. But I condemn, most forcibly, the councilmen that led him into the folly and the newspapers that published the stuff as “news, after deleting one filthy expression that would have disqualified them from going through the mails. And I am wondering if the City Clerk, writing the charges in the permanent council record, will have the nerve to write the vile words that the newspapers did not dare to print. Every member of the council who had a hand in the conspiracy should be impeached and ousted from office for treason to the city, they are supposed to represent as coun

cilmen.

I ■ ’ lHII ' 11 1 common stock of the General Utilities Company in May 1928, (three years ago) has to date a sabs price of a Book Value of $3,000, and hasjrgceived a cash dividend of $205—OVER TWICE THE .ORIGINAL $100 BACK IN CASH. ' " - “The General Utilities Company is a complete unit in the natural gas industry, one of the greatest and fastest growing industries in America. It owns the outstanding Capital Stock of 20 subsidiary companies, which produce, transport, and distribute Natural Gas to homes and industries in 32 cities and hold franchises granted or pending in 20 additional cities. “Its earnings for 1930 were more than FOUR TIMES’ the requirements for Preferred Dividends. Its earnings in 1930 were $150 percent greater than in 1929. It is conservatively estimated that earnings for 1931 will greatly exceed the earnings for 1930.” Now that kind of a statement of big earnings would challenge our intelligence if it were for a corporation outside of the Utiltiy field, hot with the various states PROTECTING the Utilities through exorbitant rates its hard to tell that the General Utilities Company ..common stock is anything but an attractive offer. But it is illustrative of what the Utilities are permitted to get away with. Other corporations sending through the mails such a statement would probably be promptly hauled up before the various state securities commissions and dealt with accordingly. But not so the pampered and pro-,

tected Utilities.

We can’t tell from Ihe folder whether or not Muncie is one of the cities served by the General Utilities Company subsidiaries, but from the earnings of the local gasmen here we could almost feel that the activities must be a part of that great fabric of Utility Gold Mine. Last week we explained how the Insull Utility kite flew to a great height in the balmy, April breezes whereby $210,000 Indiana Railroad suddenly grew to the possible $7,500,000 stock selling enterprise and perhaps the General Utilities Company common stock is another Miracle of that

Utility fashion.

Verily prosperity must be in the offing for the financial geniuses are beginning to prepare for the slaughter of American dollars for their fatted calves from the unwiry investors who believe the stock salesmen’s picture of rosy wealth on the dotted line.

mmm

WATER COMPANY ONLY LOCAL

(Continued From Page One)

Baseball With Us Again Although the baseball season doesn’t officially open here in Muncie until June 1, and the ushering game with the Strauss Says nine of Indianapolis, the Muncie baseball team will journey to Frankfort tomorrow for a game with

the hurlers of that city.

Karl Tuttle, recreational director, and manager of the Muncie baseball team has arranged an imposing schedule for the local fans throughout the summer. There will be several new faces in the lineqp and a stellar brand of the national game may be expected by the fans. Last summer demonstrated that there were thousands of baseball fans in Muncie yearning to see the national pastime for between 5,000 and 6,000 persons attended every game of the 1930 schedule. Bleachers seating more than 3,000 persons were filled up early and the overflow of fans reached all around the field, even out toe the gardens. Joe Campbell will again be field manager this year, Tuttle announces and the lineup of Muncie players includes, McCracken, pitcher; Williamson, catcher; Adams, fi.'^t base; Smith, second base; Morrett, third base; George, short stop with Evans, Gill, olsinger, in the three field berths afid Satrayan and McCoy as utility men. The team will have new uniforms ready for the official city opening and plans are being completed for a more strenuous schedule than last year. May will be a training month for the players for with tomorrow’s game at Frankfort, the next week at Lafayette, the third game at Fort Wayne, the boys will receive warming up before appearing on the local diamond.

reached that point through the process of rate making which included such an exorbitant FRANt

CHISE valuation.

Exclusive of this FRANCHISE valuation the company claims a figure of about $783,000 as its cost of plant and equipment, which figures should be the basic one for rate making purposes. This figure of $783,000 includes the cost of the pumping equipment, mains and extensions and all other physical property of the company utilized in the condut of the business. Now exclusive of the original investment years and years ago it is more than likely that earnings of the company were used in the building up of the property so that the citizens themselves through the paying of their water bills month after month certainly paid in Enough to permit the company to make its extensions, buy new equipment and in reality very little of the owner’s cash went back into the business at a sacrifice to the owners. The water company now has reported a depreciation reserve of well over the $200,000 mark, that reserve being built up each year by setting aside 8 percent on the depreciable value of the water property. Interest on this reserve annually reaches

nearly $7,000.

Since this depreciation reserve is built up year after year from the customers payment of their bills it can readily be sen that outsejd of this actual cash NOT GOING into the pockets of the Wall Street owners of the water company, at least these owners otherwise didn’t place a dime of their own money in that fund. It so happens that now the depreciating reserve fund totals about one-third of the actual cost of building and equipment so that this fund being' available for replacement of depreciable property leaves the owners with just that much cash on hand for such purpose without advancing a nickel from their own pockets to pey for replacements in this

classification.

Now it is no wonder that profits as high as 30 percent dividends and lucrative financial charges

are

lie

RASY m *yANSAw SAVED . KV “BREATHING MACHINE’'

IfuJ.r~May 8.—A resua-

cltdior purchased recently by the city of Warsaw was credited with saving the life of a child born Monday at a local hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Mathia. The

baby apparently had stopped breathing when the breathing machine was applied. After a few minutes’ appliaction respiration was restored and the baby now is reported out of danger. ; O Experiments indicate that bab^eV under six months of age do not show interest in colors.

possible from the water company while the pubservice commission sits at Indianapolis and by remote control permits the Muncie citizens to be exploited by these high rates year after year.

CHILDREN KILLED AS ENGINE STRIKES LOADED SCHOOL BOS

Just Ask Max Shafer-Bobs Bob Parkinson, Bob Tumeison and their coterie of council cohorts have introduced into that body an ordinance to ^appropriate $3,000 for the council to employ legal advice. And one of the things the councilmen in the ordinance want to pay $3,000 for is to determine the tax rate. Actually that’s one of the main points to be sought by the councilmen in the ordinance. For a whole lot less than they are asking Max Shafer, the county auditor will inform them of the tax rate for the city of Muncie. This tax rate was established by the state tax board when Parkinson, personally circulated a petition appealing the tax rate which was the continued 1930 rate, tinuance reported to the county auditor. ^ Now it seems that after these few months Bob Parkinson and his friends have forgotten what the tax rate is and need $3,000 or any part of that sum to find out that information. If this doesn’t draw the prize for assinity we miss our guess. Also the council boys want the three grand to get legal advice as to what budget the city is operating under. Likewise City Attorney Taughinbaugh advised the council last fall that owing to the fact no budget was passed by the council the city would cpntinue to operate on the 1930 budget as is clearly provided by law so it seems the council boys should know that point clearly without spending any great sum of money, to get it retold to them. These council boys, however, it seems don’t exactly like what they hear if it is counterwise to their preconceived notions of throwing every obstacle possible in the path of the administration. Wow! Whatta Opportunity We received this week a most welcome piece of literature that has come during the depression period. It is from the Utility Bond & Share Company of 141 South LaSalle street, Chicago, that makes the celebrated Alpha not even a Roman Holiday for its enticing allurement of big returns on your investment. This Utility teaser says; “An investment of $100 in the

(Continued to Page Two) Muncie was the notorious Pete Barlow, who rode the wave of prosperity, high, wide and handsome, but who is now serving a sentence in Michigan City for a felony, having been arrested by Massey’s police and convicted on their testimony. Chief Massey merely went on the witness stand and denied that he had borrowed money of Walburn. That should have been enough. But ten men are willing to go on record as believing the word of notorious law breakers against the word of an honest police officer who has made a record as being the best police chief in the state of In-

diana.

They ought to be ashamed of themselves, (but probably are not) and the daily newspapers of Muncie are remiss in their duty in not telling their readers what their editors really think and know about this case. I suppose if 1 were to assume to advise Judge Murray and Judge Guthrie to guard and protect the jury box-as they would their lives .Big Wooten or some other prominent citizen would promjtly accuse me of taking in too much territory. ' But taking the risk of censur§ and confident that these two upright judges will be first to stamp out any taint of corruption in the jury box, I am free to state that in looking over some of the court room hangers-on I am sure I saw and smelled some of the skunks that infested the corridors during the infamous Dearth regime. The court house officer who picked up Durward Sharp to serve on a jury trial in which I was even remotely interested could not help but know that Sharp would find adversely to my interests no matter what the evidence might be and an attempt to place him on the jury is an insult to decency and an affront to the trial judge. Personally I am willing to submit any cause in which I might be directly or remotely interested either to Judge Murray or Judge Guthrie with full confidence of fair and impartial consideration of the law and evidence, but I don’t mind saying that until some of the atmosphere is purified I don’t “banker” to be a party at interest in a jury trial. 1 The court house premises are haunted by too many of the old timers who just can’t break themselves of the habit of sticking around for the purpose of making a few dollars sitting in judgment on their fellow man. The regular panels drawn are generally citizens of the right type, but by the time nine-tenths of them get themselves excused for various causes the “pick ups,” looking for a meal ticket, flock to the feast like Turkey buzzards and stand around in prominent places like cigar store Indians, waiting to he “picked up.” To me there is nothing more detestable than a professional juryman, and take it from ofie Who was legally lynched a dozen times or more tljjs type of carrion crpw, a rattlesnake is a gentleman compared with his kind.

Merced, Cal., May 8.—five separate inquiries were under way herp today to place the blame for a collision between a Santa Fe Railroad freight train and a school

bus.

Merced, Calif., May 8.—A heavy freight locomotive crashed into a bus loaded with 44 small school children late yesterday, killing four

and seriously injuring 21.

The children, all between six and 10 years of age, were enroule to their home in a nearby agricultural district. Trapped hope* lessly, some of them were crushed inside the bus, others were thrown

under the trucks of the

five.'

Six, taken to Mercy hospital, were not expected to live. They had fractured skulls or concussion of the brain. The other IB in the hospital were suffering with broken bones, cuts, bruises, abrasions and possible internal injuries. Two adults in the bus also were hurt critically. The remaining 19 passengers either escaped injury pr were released after first aid treatment. The capacity of Mercy hospital was overtaxed when the injured

childre were taben there in ambulances gifd private aptomobiles. School teachers joined nurses in trying to case the pains of the youngsters and a call was sent to San Francisco for a child specialist to hurry here by airplane. Most of the sfudepts were trapped in the bus. Others wepe thrown to tlje side of the tracks and some fell directly under the trucks of t)ie locomotive. J. R. Ivregger, driver of the bus, lost consciousness shortly after the crash. His first words after the accident were that he did not see

the train.

Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Wipkland were in an automobile directly be-

loeomo hind the bus as it started across

the tracks.

“I saw the train coming,” Wickland sajd. ” The children in the bus screamed. Then their cries were drowned out by the impact as the train slashed into the bus. Just befoi-e the collison the,whistle of the engine blpw once. The train was travehug only eight miles an hour, having slowed down for a switch at the crossing, according to J. A. Holmes, the conductor. The bus was carried along the tracks ipr 51) feet and then slid to one side. , ^

KENTUCKY GUARDSMEN USING BOX CARS FOR HEADQUARTERS

Evarts, Ky., May 8—(UP)—Col. Dan Carrell quartered 370 officers and enlisted men of the Kentucky National Guard in box cars and cabooses here last night and after a survey, announced the riotous conditions which toi/K 12 lives in this mining community in two weeks appeared to have subsided. ‘‘The town is not under martial }aw,” Col. Carrell told the United Press soon after his troops ar rived here. ‘‘Personally, I see no 'reason for such action at the present time. Of course, if martial law is declared it will come from Governor Flem Sampson.” Threats of violence which were frequent .throughout the past 24 hours were as so-called “reactionary,” or "left-wing.” Mine union members met in groups about the area, seemed to evaporate when the guardsmen, cavalry and infantry units, arrived in this small southeast Kentucky mining town. “There were no unfriendly gestures of any sort when we ar-

izens here apparently want -to cooperate vtith us in bringing order to the tow n. If such, a condition continues we will not be needed

here very long.”

But earlier today mobs, which at one time numbered upwards of 1,000 men, demonstrated here and at Harlau against the calling of troops to the district where two weeks of terror were climaxed Tuesday by tire killing of fomv-mek when sheriff’s officers were am-

bushed by the striking miners. Sheriff John Henry Blair of Hai

lan county, whose specjal deputies were busy today dispersing' the small crowds which threatened violence because they feared" the' troops would prevent recognition of their union, had expressed con* ceru for what might happen when the guardsmen reached Evarts. “Anything may happen then,” he had said, early today, after tell ing of the mob which expressed its determination to oppose the

entrance of the soldiers.”

An explosion which shook Harlan, the county seat, 12 miles from here, was the only violence

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Mountain Seenery Tf—VIrttf

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