Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 19 May 1939 — Page 4

THE POST-DEMOCRAT

Fftl&At MAt 19, 1939. —i *U-~

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THE POST-DEMOCRAT ik Democratic weekly newspaper representing tie Democrats of Muncie, Delaware County and the 10th Congressional District, The only Democratic Newspaper in Delaware County.

Entered as second classc matter January 15, 1921, at the Poetoffice fit Muncie, Indiana, under Act of March 3, 1879.

PRICE 5 CENTS—$1.50 A YEAR

223 North Elm Street, Phone 2540 MRS. GEO. R. DALE, Publisher

Muncie, Indiana, Friday, May 19, 1939.

Circulates Petition To Wholesale Beer It is reported that Ernest Curtis who seeks a wholesale beer permit from the state alcoholic beverage commission is circulating a petition throughout the city of Muncie and Delaware county in order to influence the commission to grant him such a permit. Curtis has held wholesale licenses during past years but regardless of permits he is credited with having taken the law in his own hands and is said to sell beer whether it be legal or illegal. The commission can better regulate the distribution of alcoholic beverages through law abiding permittees than allow the business to be racketeered by those who hold little respect for the law.

Police Close Eyes On Circus Day The squad of police who stood at the opposite end of a side show at the circus in Muncie a week ago last Wednesday and permitted “gyp artists” to rob a young boy of his last dollar should be quite proud of themselves. Although they could see and were advised of the illegal practice going on under their noses with the old army game, the police made no effort to stop the swindling. Our police should remember that it is their job to protect the citizens and youngsters of Muncie rather than the confidence and gambling “slickers” who make their living preying upon the public.

Who Won Victory? When the 5,000 citizens of Indiana were dropped from WPA payrolls on May 8, someone won a glorious victory. Perhaps it will be the Republican members of the House from Indiana, who almost to a man, voted consistently for a reduction of appropriations. It may be that they will be very gleeful when they see these 5,000 marching from industry to industry, trying in vain to find the jobs which are said to be awaiting them. Perhaps the small grocers, who have been accustomed to delivering foods to these 5,000 homes, are very happy. When WPA pay checks pame in, they haye received their money. These grocers probably will be grateful to these Republican Congressmen for reducing the number of their customers. Perhaps not. Or, it may be the storekeepers to whom these men took their families to buy more clothes or shoes. The storekeepers may wonder what has happened to their old patrons, and see the results of the WPA appropriation cut reflected in their own cash register receipts. They may be grateful to these same Republican Congressmen for striking a blow at their business,. Perhaps not. But it was a glorious victory One more like that should be enough to educate the people as to whom is to blame. Or, perhaps, the people will come to the conclusion that the New Deal policy of increasing buying power by offering employment to all able and willing to ■work, may have its merit. They may ask the question as to what keeps business growing. The workmen who will be discharged may be able to stand it. They may grow a trifle thinner and their families may grow leaner. But business requires and demands a continuous flow of money. In striking at the President, because they hate him, his enemies may have hit a blow at business, which they try to court and please.

Eternal Vigilance At Last The old order passes, in politics as in all things, and the day of the short and hurried campaign before election has become a constant crusade of education. The insistence on short campaigns, it may be suspected, came from the party which for more than three generations controlled the government and was perfectly satisfied with things as they were. New politics is a matter of education and organization. It is a constant effort to keep alive interest, and what is of greater importance, enthusiasm for a cause. For that reason the movement started by Fred F. Bays, the Democratic state chairman, means more than appears upon the surface, for it is only through the meetings in every part of the state that the people can be enlightened. It is carrying government to the gross roots, not to the cornfield. It is sounding the depths of patriotism and is perhaps the only way of destroying propaganda with truth. When he goes to a community, he comes as a crusader and an evangelist, and inviting every citizen to join in the greatest of all causes, the preservation of this country and its principles and ideals. Only one who has supreme faith in the causes he advovates would dare to invite constant attention to his own party. Only one with the highest confidence in the people themselves would dare to challenge their attention, not for three weeks, but for every day in the year and ask them to compare it with what the opposition has to offer. Only one who has nothing to hide would dare be so bold. So the new chairman, in his trips around the state, does more than campaign for a party. He campaigns for a cause. Government, he believes, is with us all the time. He believes the old theory of a swift campaign and then lathargy for the other 22 months, is not only poor politics, but eventually leads to poor government. Instead of the old method of back-room conferences at 2 o’clock in the morning in a smoke-filled room—a description once made of a Republican convention by one of its insiders—there will be a constant campaign to enlist and enroll all the voters all the time. For there can be no more important business than government and the best government is that produced by an alert, informed and enthusiastic citizenship. Eternal vigilance is the price of other things than liberty, roots.

Spring Is In Blossom It’s Springtime, the season for professional baseball, for the blossoms. It is the morning of the year, and all nature is awake. Visitors to Washington are coming up through the beautiful Shanandoah Valley, or around by Williamsburg, Richmond and other historic regions of our Southland. Their cars are likely to head northward and many will stop at Atlantic City for a few days of genuine comfort at Haddon Hall, for strolls and chair rides on the boardwalk, where the Gulf stream always assures delight in climate; or they may be guests at the Chalfonte, where thousands have expressed their joy to the effect, “I wish home was more like this”— not by way of complaint, but in appreciation of its gracious atmosphere. As they go on their journeys their highways diverge to the North, and to the West. Many will take in the two great fairs of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Over three thousand or more miles of highways they will add to'their understanding of the progress of America these days when “Spring is in blossom.”

LaGuardia Asks for “Five Freedoms” Naturally, there was much oratory at the opening of New York’s World’s Fair last Sunday, but as usual one speech stood out. It was delivered by Mayor F. H. LaGuardia. He was dedicating the “Plaza of the Four Freedoms,” which he described as “the heart of the fair.” This, he said, was the greatest honor that had ever come to him, and he emphasized the kind of freedom each pillar symbolized—freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedob of speech, freedom of religion. “Here are the four freedoms upon which democracy rests,” said the mayor, “but before long there will be a fifth, a new idea, so well typified by the President of the United States. The press, assembly, speech, religion, cannot be fully enjoyed without economic security. “Before long we will find there will be five pillars of freedom—the press, essembly, speech, religion, and the right to live properly and decently and happily, and to give your children a chance in life to enjoy the other four freedoms. “Here, indeed, we have the climax of the greatest point of the entire fair, dedicated to the “World of Tomorrow,’ to the dawn of a new day. And the prayer of every American in giving thanks to God Almighty for the freedom which we enjoy, is that He may grant like freedom to all the people of the world.” The first World’s Fair in America was held in New York in 1853. It had a 350-foot wooden observation tower, and a Crystal Palace of iron and glass. Its theme is “The World of Tomorrow” and the cost of the fair is estimated at $156,000,000. Mayor LaGuardia attempted to impress on the great crowd which listened to him last Sunday—that if we are to safeguard our other freedoms we must have economic freedom. It is the idea that will save American democracy.

IDLE DOLLARS AND IDLE MEN A man without ‘whfk goes hungry. An idle dollar merely loses its interest. For the dollar does not eat. It has no children. It needs neither clothing nor shelter. However, there is a distinct relationship between the idle dollar and the idle man. For a man cannot work under modern conditions, without machines. It requires money to build these machines, one estimate being that it requires $8,000 to build and equip the mechanism of a great plant that will put men to work. That enables him to produce ten times what he formerly produced by hand labor. It multiplies his power and his capacity. At present the dollar is on strike. The control of vast sums is in the hands of those who hate Roosevelt, and hate worse what the New Deal stands for. They resent the thought of the working man having the right to collective bargaining, unemployment insurance, wage and hour legislation. So they will keep their dollars on strike until the working man is “shown his place.” The truth is that the working man knows his place and does not like it, especially the long period of continued idleness. He wants a job and wants it badly, but knows that there will be no work for him until those idle dollars can be put to work, building machinery and equipping new and needed plants for industries. The worker understands that there could be work for all, to create the comforts of life for all the people. The spectacle of a nation with half its people well fed and well clothed, and the other half on the border line of poverty, does not appear to him to be sensible. Two years ago workers were highly criticised for their sit-down strikes. They denounced an unstrikes. They were denounced as unAmerican. But now the dollar is on strike, in its gigantic effort to wipe out the New Deal, and no one suggests that it is either unAmerican or crazy. Will this hatred of Roosevelt and the New Deal from high places be permitted to destroy the nation itself, or will there be an effort to compel these idle dollars to go to work?

The King and the Queen Former Secretary of Commerce Daniel Roper has been designated as Minister to Canada with the expectation that he will lead the procession for the United States in welcoming the King and Queen of Great Britain. When the royal pair get to Washington they will find everything all “dolled up” for their coming—providing that they look at the new.gloss of glory and decorations at the Union Station, made at the expense of the United States taxpayers. Even the White House has undergone changes to improve it as a hospitable place for the King and Queen. George VI will do a lot for us. He will lay a wreath at the tomb of George Washington, the American boy who made good and licked the stuffin’s out of George II. But Great Britain is a democracy and nothing will be left out in the welcoming ceremonies.

Indianapolis Water Works The Indianapolis Junior Chamber of Commerce is making a strenuous fight to have the city of Indianapolis have the city of Indianapolis have an independent survey made of the Indianapolis Water Co. before the city takes it over as a municipal utility, apparently feeling that the existing data may be biased and not reveal a complete picture of what the city is getting into and what would be a fair price. Complaint is also made that it is proposed to finance this purchase with revenue bonds, and that there is no assurance that the bonds will be sold on the open market to the best bidders, rather than be sold privately at a previously agreed interest rate where there might be a possibility of a large promotional profit in the resale of the bonds. S. B. 179 was introduced into the last session of the legislature to force competitive bidding on revenue bond's, but this bill was blocked by tremendous pressure on the part of those whose activities it would have restrained.

Those Northmen Love Liberty Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Martha of Norway who, the other day, opened the Norweigian exhibit at the New York’s World’s Fair, are making a most pleasant impression on Americans. Newspaper commentators speak of their “democratic ways.” There is nothing surprising about that. As Senator Shipstead pointed out in a recent address, the kind of democracy we cherish got its start in Norway more than 1,000 years ago. It was transferred from there to Ireland, where the first Parliament in Europe was set up. The idea was carried to France by the Northmen; William the Conquerer transplanted it to England. He conquered that country but he also gave it its first Parliament. Norman barons finished the job when they forced King John to sign the Great Charter at Runnymede. Of course, they were not concerned about the rights of plain people, but that came later. From England democracy crossed the Atlantic to America. Norway has a king, but he knows that if he develops any queer ideas he will be restrained by a nation of liberty-loving democrats.—Labor.

Indiana Farmers Approve Seventy per cent of Indiana farmers have approved the agricultural program inaugurated by the Democratic party. During Republican administration they continued to sell in a competitive market and buy in a protected market. The Democratic party set about to again restore the American farmer to an equal basis with industry. They have finally found a formula that appeals to the farmers, as evidenced by the number who have signed AAA contracts for the coming

year.

There is nothing compulsory about the program. There is no regimentation of farmers. But there is the long view which will restore the soil and permit the world to eat when it becomes more and more populated. The plan will give tired soil a rest until it can be made productive. It will offer to those who permit the use of their

acres for this purpose.

May 1 ends opportunity for farmers to take advantage of

the 1939 AAA program. It is expected that another 10 per

cent will study and understand its advantages. Any program that can obtain 75 per cent to agree upon its soundness and Americanism vindicates itself.

The more the farmer studies this plan the better he likes ^ the Democratic party and the Democratic way of government. | M a a y y 0 x9^26 y ’ 1939 '

Bronze Jap Statue Arouses Interest

Cleveland, O.— Martin Esser, chief engineer of a bronze comested in bronze” until he encounpany, didn’t become “really intertered a bronze statue, “Japanese Lady Walking Against a Strong Wind.” “I saw the Lady for the first time in a second-hand shop about 10 years ago,” he said. “Then I started collecting bronze, and today I have 10 bronze chairs, chandeliers, tables and about 50 pieces of bronze statuary.” But once Esser began to collect, be accumulated ancient swprds, knives and rapiers. He has throwing knives from Persia, daggers from Turkey and lances from .India, • . j • L-r O DISEASED BEES ARE SOUGHT IN CHECK-UP The annual inspection of Hoosier apiaries to discover diseased bee colonies and prevent the spread of foul brood, is now under way with five inspectors in the field, Virgil M. Simmons, commissioner of the Department of Conservation, announced today. Disease control, one of the functions of the Division of Entomology, is necessary to safeguard healthy colonies and assure a profitable honey crop.

NOTICE OF PFBT.IC HEARING AMENDMENT OF ZONING ORDINANCE

Notice is hereby given to the citizens of Muncie, Indiana, that public hearing on an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance, which is now pending before the Common Council of the City of Muncie, Indiana, will be held in the city council chamber in the City Hall at 7:30 p. m., on the 5th day of June, 1939, at which time and -place any objections to such amendment or change' will be

heard.

The proposed amendment or change to be made is as follows: To amend, supplement and change the present Zoning Ordinance of said City of Muncie, Indiana, so as to transfer to the business district, to the six hundred (600) square foot area district and to the eighty (80) foot height district the following described territory in said City

of Muncie, Indiana, to-wit:

A part of the Northwest Quarter (1-4) of the Northeast Quarter (1^4) of Section Twenty-three (23) Township Twenty (20) North, Range Ten (10) East, more particularly described as follows, to-wit: Three hundred sixty (360) feet of equal width east and west off of the entire east side of the following described tract: Beginning at a point thirtyseven and one-half (37 1-2) feet south and fifteen (15) feet east of the northwest corner of said Northwest Quarter of said Northeast Quarter aforesaid: running thence south on a line parallel with the west line of said Northwest Quarter of said Northeast Quarter Section three hundred sixty-five and one-fifth (365 1-5) feet: thence east on a line parallel with the south line of said Northwest Quarter of said Northeast Quarter Section, five hundred ninety-six and forty-three hundreths (596.43) feet: thence north on a line parallel with the west line of said Northwest Quarter of said Northeast Quarter Section to a point directly east of the place of beginning; and thence west five hundred ninety-six and fortythree hundreths (596.43) feet to the place of beginning; estimated to contain five (5) acres,__more or less. Said proposed ordinance for such amendment or change of said present Zoning Ordinance has been referred to the City Plan Commission of said City of Muncie, and has been considered, and said City Plan Commission has made its report disapproving the same; Information concerning such proposed amendment or change is now on file in the office of said City Plan Commission,

for public examination.

Said hearing will be continued from time to time as may be found neces-

sary.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of

the City of Muncie, Indiana,

SEAL J. CLYDE DUNNINGTON City Clerk, and Clerk of the Common Council of the City of Muncie, this 17th

COAL MINES IN STATE SEALED

Action Eliminates Sulphuric Acid From Indiana Rivers

Indianapolis, May 17.—A total of 29,560 tons of sulphuric acid has been eliminated from southwestern Indiana rivers under the Works Progress Administration’s mine sealing program, John K. Jennings, State WPA Administrator, said today. “The task of shutting off the flow of thousands of tons of noxious sulphuric acid a year from Indiana’s abandoned coal mines is one of WPA’s most important projects,” Mr. Jennings asserted. “Coming in rivulets from hundreds of coal mines which honeycomb southwestern Indiana, this acid strips the creeks of all fish; makes them unfit for drinking or stock watering; plays havoc with plumbing, water works and industrial plants; cripples government dams, boats and dredges with corrosion. It causes damage in the Ohio River basin estimated at $10,000,000 a year.” The mine sealing program in this state has been directed toward reducing the mine acid from tributaries of the Wabash river, west fork of White river and other streams flowing into the Ohio, according to Mr. Jennings. The greatest acid tonnage reduction was accomplished in Patoka river, Pike county, according to the State WPA Administrator. Sealing of the mines in Pike county by WPA workers started in September 1935, at which time engineers estimated the total acid flow at 18,442 tons. By January 1 of this year, the acid content had been reduced by 11,901 tons, leaving a sulphuric acid mine drainage of only 6,541 tons. Extensive reduction of acid drainage was made in other southern Indiana streams including Otter creek in Clay, Park and Vigo counties; Busseron creek in Greene and Sullivan counties; Eel river in Clay county; Black creek in Greene and Sullivan counties; Big Raccoon creek in Parke county; and Ohio River tributaries in Warrick county. In explaining the mine sealing operations, Mr. Jennings said that acid is created in mines by the action of air on iron pyrites, present in large quantities in the ore materials of nearly all bituminous mines. “The iron sulphate thus formed is taken up in solution by water seeping in from the surface and is then converted into sulphuric acid,” he stated. “The quantity of this water is so great that in most active mines pumps have to be kept going in the abandoned mines this water with its burden of acid accumulates until it overflows the mine entrance. “Sealing operation in relatively simple. It is based on the theory that if air is excluded from the

mines, oxidation of the pyrites and the resultant formation of sulphuric acid Will bfe checked. The usual practice is to build a stond Wall within the shaft opening it tightly to the walls all around except for an opening about two feet square at the bottom. “A box-like structure, open at the top, is built around the outside of this aperture and a foot or so higher. Thus, as the water accumulates behind the will, it escapes through this trap, yet no air can get in from the outside.” The United States Public Health Service and the State Board of Health have cooperated with the Indiana Works Progress Administration in carrying forward the mine sealing program, according to Mr .Jennings. Total expenditures up to December 1938 have been $207,198, under which 142 complete mine units and 2,480 mine openings have been sealed.

DODGE THESE FACTS, PLEASE Against the criticism and attacks upon the New Deal, one fact stands out as an answer. Deposits in the banks of the state, in the aggregate, have doubled since the Democratic party came to power in 1933. Bank deposits mean savings and profits. It is money which can be drawn at will and spent. It belongs to the citizens who have been able, by thrift and economy, to amass these funds. It does not measure the vast sums which have been spent tor farms and homes, or new factories. It is money, real money. If you go eack to the days of Republican supremacy, these deposits in banks, even if safe, amounted to only half the sum now placed there by the citizens of Indiana. So those who see only the darker side, will have hard work to explain just how so many citizens have been able to prosper and save. One of the results of this increase in bank deposits is the decreasing interest paid on savings, which means that the banks are finding it more,and more difficult to make loans. That means that there will be more and more investments in homes and productive enterprises. Likewise, the people are paying their taxes this year as never before. The list of delinquents that became so long and large that county officials did not dare to print them, are dwindling. A state whose bank deposits double and whose tax payments are made on time, is the answer to the charge of failure of the administration and failure of its policies. When you hear some one singing the blues, point to the bank deposits. These are facts hard to dodge, o POLICE REWARD CITIZENS

Webster Groves, Mo. — Police Chief Andrew McDonnell says 60 per cent of the arrests made by his department in this community of 20,000 result from residents’ tips. He encourages the practice, he explains, and gives $10 to $25 rewards for usable information.

Blind Slayer Asks Pardon To Aid Blind

Philadelphia—A blind prisoner serving a life term in the eastern penitentiary for the murder of his sweetheart has applied to the state pardon board for a release so he can devote the rest of his life to the teaching of Braille to the blind. Norman Morrison, 40, of Carlisle, was convicted of the murder of Mrs. Frances Bowermaster McBride on July 12, 1926, when she spurned him. He then turned the gun on himself, fired a bullet into his head which ultimately caused his blindness. “When I was taken to the Harrisburg state hospital, I decided that 1 would repay society for my sin by devoting the rest of my life to helping blind people enjoy their lives as much as possible,” Morrison said.

^TpRAFFIC authorities say A we can cut our Stop-and-Go driving 25%! To do it we must get rid of “Screwdrivers” and their traffic boners. Join the Shell Share-the-Road Club today! It’s'a nation-wide crusade for common-sense driving practices. Let me attach the handsome metal Share-the-Road emblem to your car. I’ll also give you a booklet showing how “Screwdrivers” pile up needless Stop-and-Go. Remember, for the Stop-and-Go you CAN’T avoid, you’ll save with Super-ShdL Glenn Butts, Mgr. Kilgore and Jackson Streets

if"pop"md THE WASHING!

EVERY HOME WOULD HAVE AN g&cfoic WASHER and MANGLE ■ 'm ENDING over a tub or steaming and sweating—the only word for it—-over a hot stove and a sad-iron that weights you down, too hot one minute, too «ipld the next, •‘Pop” would dream of modern laundry equipment, miraculously simple to use. Modern, improved washers thoroughly launder everything from the heaviest, hardest to handle linens and bedding to the sheerest, daintiest lingerie. Then think of dispatching an entire day’s ironing in a few short hours while actually sitting down with a modern mangle! This month your Electric Dealer is showing and demonstrating the latest in Electric Laundry Equipment. INDIANA GENERAL SERVICE COMPANY

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THE PROGRESSIVE RATE REDUCTION

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The new reduced domestic charges per kilowatt hour

are:

First 30 Kw. Hrs 6c each Next 30 Kw. Hrs.. ..AVic each Next 240 Kw. Hrs../.2 , / 2 c each Over 300 Kw. Hrs.’rP! 1 Vic each ’ On July iTthe^ first block of 30 Kw. hrs. drops to 5%’ cents a Kw. hr., and, finally, after December 31,1939. will be reduced to 5 cents.'

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RATE SAVINGS

IN TIME-SAVING APPLIANCES...