Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 23 February 1940 — Page 1

VOLUME 20—NUMBER 39.

PRICE: FIVE CENTS

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Boiling Point Reached In Local Republican Ranks / j

Party Nominees Expected to Be Re-Elec-tion Seekers But Growing Disfavor of City Administration Worries Organization, Democrats Demand New Leadership But No Further Apart Than G.O.P.; Campaign Enthusiasm Still Quite Within

Ten Weeks of Primary.

Within ten weeks of running off the primary election in Delaware county and the state of Indiana for political party candidates, there ~ still remains much uncertainty among prospective contestants for the various offices to be filled by the voters this fall. It is promised and most likely that all Republican officeholders who must face the test for re-election will file their declarations of candidacy within the next thirty days but those seeking berths on the Democratic ticket are limited in numbers to date.

The local county ballot will in-1

elude candidates for Congressman | from the Tenth District, prosecuting attorney, judge of the Delaware circuit court, tw T o state representatives, a state senator, coun ty treasureir, sherifC, coroner surveyor, two county commission ers, pre :inet committeemen, and state couiention delegates. Ray mond Sp’ .iger of Conners\illc w r ho was elected for his first twC year term in Congress in 1938 will seek re-election on the Republicai ticket. He is unlikely vo be opposed for the nomination. Judge h. A. Guthrie has been campaigning several weeks for renomination by the G.O.P. for a third term on the circuit court bench. He is opposed so far in the primary by Paul Leffler, former prosecuting attorney Fred Davis, present prosecutor, is unknown to have any opposition for re-nomina-tion by his party Former state senator Roy Friedley and Joseph Meredith have announced their intentions to seek the Republican nomination for this county’s representative InTnesthte setrafe.~State representatives of the lower house, Paul Brady and W. W. Wingate, , will no doubt offer themselves again for nominations to their re-

spective offices.

Otis Snodgrass for sheriff, Kenneth Foster for treasurer, Earl Parson for coroner, and John Watson for surveyor will unquestionably be the Repubiiean nominees to succeed themselves in their respective offices. County Commissioner George Brinson is expected to accept the G.O.P. nomination again for a second term. The other commissionership to be elected this year is now r held by Marion Hofherr, a Democrat, ami Republican candidates for this office will

be new r shooters.

There is no change publically knowm as to the definite line-up for candidates among the Democrats of the county. So far, Tom Cannon, former deputy prosecuting attorney and defeated candidate in 1938, will try again for the prosecutor’s office and Timothy Russell of Yorktowm has declared himself as a Democratic candidate for sheriff. Walter Hudgel, former county commissioner, has been talked of as also a candidate for the sheriff’s office on the

Democratic ticket.

A movement among labor groups and Democrats in the Tenth District would invite the candidacy of Claude Ball, local superior court judge, for the Congressional nom-

ination. It is believed that Ball may be interested in the acceptance to head the county ballot but no announcement has been forthcoming. Other candidates among Democrats for .local offices are subjects of guesswork. It is considered mat contests between party nominees for local offices will be very much personal campaigns since both political organizations seem to have little unity of action The growing unpopularity of the Republican city administration worries the county organzation for fear that results causing Democratic defeat in 1938 are apt to re-act this year from the voters. National and state campaigns are expected to influence local elections but party nominees for these offices will be unknown until after state conventions are held in the early sum-

mer.

Local G.O.P. politicians are divided on support for governor nominees and while a courtesy vote is expected on the first convention ballot for Clarence Benadum, Muncie attorney, it is rumored that the home-town candidates will be foresaken thereafter. A. C. Thornburg who is charged with being the guiding hand for John Lewis, Republican county chairman, is said to favor William Jenner, state senator from Shoals, for the gubernatorial nomination. The Thornburg faction among Republicans continues to command local organization and city administration functions whle other groups are strong for breaking this control. The majority of democrats in the city and county demand a revival of new leadership before becoming greatly concerned over an election and prospective candidates and they apparently are standing by amused by the grabbing of throats among Republican leaders. o A mailman who travels 10,000 miles in a second—but he doesn’t do it on foot. It’s all done through a powerful short wave station. Read about the fastest mail service in the world, in the American Weekly, the magazine distributed wih next Sunday's Chicago HeraldAmerican. o Ole Lee of Cashton, Wisconsin, has a 1940 auto license number 337-370, which is his name upside down.

MRS. ROOSEVELT STUDIES HEALTH

First Lady Greatly Interested in Welfare of People of the United States If Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt were to* step tomorrow into the health department of any city hall or county court house in the country, she probably w r ould ask many of the same leading questions that she did on such a trip in Washington, D. C. The tour was arranged by Mrs. Thomas F. McAllister, Director, and 'Mrs. May Thompson Evans, Assistant Director of the Women’s Division of the Democratic National Committee who drafted Mrs Roosevelt for a series of demonstrations of how she finds out about the place w-here she lives, as part of the “Know Your County” surveys suggested by the Women’s Division to gather campaign ammunition for 1940. It is described by Bess and Lucile Furman in an article in the February issue of The Democratic Digest, publication of the Women’s Division. ( With Mrs Roosevelt as she visited the Health Department of the Nation’s Capital to investigate the vital problem of the city’s health were a group of Congressmen’s w ives from widely ,separated parts of the country: Mrs. Jerry Voorhis of California, Mrs. John Murdock of Arizona, Mrs. Frank Hook of Michigan, Mrs. John Rankin of Mississippi and Mrs. Herman Eberharter of Penn-

sylvania.

The First Lady touched on topics of national concern—the supply of public health nurses, the special needs of mothers of lower income brackets in childbirth, the need for hospital beds, and the campaigns against syphilis, tuberculosis and pneumonia. Many of the questions she asked w T ould be applicable to any town and could be asked by women in any part of' the country. “Would you say that basically your health problem is economic, centering in districts of poor housing, w r here there is overcrow'ding and the people haven’t the food to build up resistance?”, she asked. “Have you enough public health nurses?” was another question. A third interrogation, “is the real need more hospital beds or is it more public health nurses?” “I felt that I had acquired ’ a great deal of knowledge on this first trip,” Mrs. Roosevelt said. “It is planned to continue these trips, looking into a different phase of District government. It is hoped that this will be helpful to w r omen in other cities or rural areas who wish to study their own problems ” ODD JOBS MEN RIGHTLY NAMED

St. Paul, Mtnn.—JSven the oddjobs man might find some of these jobs odd. Philip Christman has been a soap-taster for 21 years—and he likes his work. He tastes the soap to determine the amount of free alkali it contains. Ethel Gorel is a phonograph listener. She tests them for a phonograph company and admits she no longer cares for the “BeerBarrel Polka.” Erwin Levenson c#mes from a long line of wine tasters, and he Is following the family tradition. He gets paid for it, too. Coffee-sipping is Leo A. Krumpelmann’s job. He has tested up to 500 cups of coffee every day for the past 39 years—and he still sleeps well. Edwin Jerabek quakes honest money by crooked dough. He is the dough-twiister that fashions those over-and-under poppy seed twists. Street-car chip counting is the lot of Hjalmer Johnson, who separates out-of-town car checks and sends them to their sources for redemption. Albert Worch smokes 50 cigars a day in his job as tester for a cigar company, and he never has considered giving up smoking. -— o NO “QUINTS” AT THE FAIR

Dr. Dafoe is credited with having made the statement in Chicago this week that the Dionne quints would not be seen at the New York Fair next summer. He says the five little girls have a fortune of about $800,000 that is invested in Canadian government bonds. The children are now almost 6 years old. o Costa Rica will abolish its export duty on nearly all products.

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THE FOX AND THE GOOSE During- the past several weeks, the county commissioners have been receiving bids and letting contracts for numerous supplies to be used by the county, especially materials for road improvements.' An unusual number of bids were received and likewise let, due to the keeness of thought by Commissioner Hofherr, lone Democratic member of the board. It was found that some bidders, especially one of which a few city officials appear to be greatly interested inasmuch as they lobbied for the contractor, chose to bid exceptionally low on one kind of road materials and just the opposite on another type of materials. It was perhaps expected that total contracts would be let to one successful bidder and then it would be a process of selling the profitable materials to the county instead of recommending one which may lose them money. Instead of allowing material contracts to one bidder, the board selected the lowest bids on each type of materials and allowed the contracts to several bidders. It appears now that some of the successful bidders will not solicit business from the county inasmuch as instead of making a profit, each deal may lose them money. The road superintendent now becomes the target for those bidders who can sell certain materials at a profit and the high pressure salesmanship begins. The boys who underbid on materials which they preferred not to use but who are now caught with contracts will probably be missing in the waiting room of salesmen who call on the road department. The commissioners may have pulled a fast one on the bidders who thought they were setting right by having political officials included in their lobby but they also may have discouraged future bait bidding on some products in order to pick the grapes on other materials.

MUNCIE, INDIANA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1940.

Senator Arthur Vandenberg has cast himself for the role of dignified statesman in this unhappy time of pre-Republi-can convention maneuvering. Let the impetuos young men, new to the game, chase the nomination, “with view helloi, yoicks and the baying of the hounds.” Let them beat the bijshes and leap the fences, but none of that for the sedate Senator from Michigan. He is old at the hunting. He has stalked the nomination before and knows that there is ijnuch to be said for the policy of waiting under cover at the leross roads. One .advantage of the process is that if it happens to come his way he has a chance to look it over—and determine whether it is a trophy worth having. If it doesn’t look good enough he can pass it up. That is what he is said to have done four years ago when Governor Landon took the buck—and carried Maine and Vermont. * ; So the Senator announces himself again as a candidate for his present office; that does not bar him from the big adventure if it looks promising. Senator Warren G. Harding did the same thing—holding on to the Senatorship while campaigning for the big prize. But this waiting at the cross roads is tedious work. The hunt might not come his way at all, so gradually the Michigan man’s passive pose has weakened. He saw Senator Taft balancing the budget, without a balancing pole. He saw District Attorney Dewey getting his booties muddy amid sticky statistics—and he saw the headlines in the Republican newspapers of the enthusiasm of the crowds that listened to them. It was too much for a political addict to stand and he fell off the office-should-seek-the-man wagon and let loose a speech at St. Paul. Nothing New There % was nothing new in what he said, but it did give notice that there was such a person as Arthur Vandenberg and he would like a little attention. . He followed the classic pattern of shock at the New Deal —the bureaucrats, the payroll barnacles, and the boondoggling. Of course, any Democratic official in charge of a governmental department or agency is a bureaucrat, in the parlance of a Republican candidate. Every Democratic governmental employe is a payroll barnacle according to the same authority. and every relief project, the appropriation for which, incidentally, was voted for by Senator Vandenberg, is a boondoggle. Naturally, when and if a Republican administration comes in, these jobs will be filled by super-efficient, conscientious, patriotic and industrious officials, and every work relief project will be the acme of social and economic benefit conducted by paragons of skill, iwsdom and honesty. There is no use thinking of a former Secretary of the Interior, Albert B. Fall, or the Teapot Domesters to spoil this picture of serenity and perfection. A guess might even be hazarded that if the Republicans come back they will put the unemployed actresses, beautyshop operators and kindergarten teachers to work digging ditches and laying roads in order that boondoggling should The Vandenberg Plan Senator Vandenberg has, of course, a comprehensive program to redeem the nation. Stripped of the names he calls the New Dealers, his plan boils down to this: He would return to the old days of “prosperity” which culminated in the Hoover panic, except that he would protect the public from exploitation and stock swindling, and take care of the unemployed if any existed after business had been rehabilitated by a restoration of its old-time privileges. He insists that we stay out of war—who doesn’t? Inferentially, he is in favor of the Ten Commandments, but the implication is that only under Republican rule could these be properly administered, in a world infested by Democrats. He Would return to the gold standard, but when and how he fails to say, and he loves the farmers, the labipr unions, the business group and, in fact, all other aggregations of voters. In general, he is in accord with both the high and the primary schools of Republican thought, inasmuch as he wants to retain what is good in the New Deal but realizes that no Democrat is capable of making these laudable objectives workable, and that only by taking them out of the hands of the present regime can the ideals be accomplished. Cautious But Willing In short, the Senator has made his bid for the Republican nomination in the spirit of the veteran politician, who wants to tread on nobody’s toes. Now we are advised that Mr. Vandenberg will return to the austre statesmanship of his post. He will wrap his toga about him and if the Republican convention does not take the hint, he is always in a position to say that he is content to be a Senator. Perhaps there ought to be a string to this conclusion. As their preconvention fracas becomes more acute it may be that the Senator may feel called upon to give his party another reminder that he is still waiting at the cross-roads.

Roosevelt To Win Again If Third Term Is Chosen

BIG INSURANCE CONCERNS HOLD GREAT WEALTH

Policy Holders Secure, But Are Paying Too Much For Protection

PREDICT BOOM FOR OIL DRILL

Department of Conservation Sees Good Year For Prospectors. With more than forty permits for oil and gas drilling issued in the past six weeks, pi’edictions of another boom year in the search for these mineral resources were made today by Virgil M. Simmons, commissioner of the Department of Conservation. Reports from the Division of Geology indicate that the return of suitable weather will see a record number of wells being drilled in Indiana, particularly in the southwestern part of the state where extensive leasing has been in progress for more than a ypar. Winter xveather has resulted in an almost total suspension of drilling activities and many of the operators ’will wait until after the spring freezes and thaws to resume work. While a majority of the permits issued to date for oil and gas drilling has been for wells located in the southwestern part of the state,

several of the wells will be located out of the producing area and represent attempts to discover new fields. Successful drilling in the southwestern area during the past year has resulted in a revival of activity in the former Trenton field in the northern part of eastern Indiana as well as in other

scattered areas.

During the past year 375 wells were completed in Indiana, 218 of,

which were producers, while the studying

value of the oil and gas produced during the year y was estimated as in excess of three million dollars.

The Presidents Birthday Fund Conies In Handy The information comes from Ball Memorial Hospital that there are several cases of Spinal Meningitis being treated there, also several cases of the dreaded infantile paralysis. Unquestionable the several hundred dollars that was raised at the President’s birthday ball and turned over to Drs. Butterfield and Moore, is being put to good purpose. o Mining of minerals in Yugoslavia is rapidly increasing.

WHERE MONEY GOES Of each dollar paid for life insurance, how much does the averaeg policy holder or his beneficiaries get back? How much of his dollar does the insurance company pay out in “expenses,” and how much does it put in its pocket and keep? These and other interesting questions were answered this week at the O’Mahoney committee hearing by the total figures for the 26 largest life insurance companies, covering the 10-year period from 1929 through 1938. In that period,, the companies took in $42,679,000,000, and paid out for all purposes a total of $32,094,000,000. Thus they kept $10,585,000,00, or 25 cents of each $1 they took in, and increased their wealth by more than $1,000,000,000

a year.

The policy holders received—in dividends, “surrender values,” and benefits to themselves and their beneficiaries— a total of $23,000,000,000, or only 54 cents of each $1 the companies received in premiums and income from their in-

vestments.

As both the premium money and the money which the companies have invested came from policy holders, these figures mean that the policy holders are getting back little more than half of each dollar they put into insurance. Senators 0’Mahoney‘s Monopoly Committee has tackled some big jobs of investigation, but it outdid itself this week when it began a probe of the giant, life insurance companies, which own $28,000,000,000 of this country’s; wealth, and have about 124,000,000 policies outstanding in the hands of 65,000,000 of the American people. The hearings are expected to take three weeks. As a foundation for the proceedings, the committee published a monumental report. It not only gives elaborate facts and statistics about the 26 largest insurance companies as a whole, but also compares the 26 with each other in scores of ways, which some of them will not consider flattering. Much of this information has never before been available to the public. Propagandists Get Busy That the companies are nol pleased at this publicity is indicated by some propaganda which has been spread around the country against the committee misrepresenting the purposes of its probe. Spokesmen of Big Business, and of the “American Life Convention,” representing insurance interests, published charges that the committee is preparing to propose substitution of “government life insurance” for private insurance, or at leat will recommend Federal regulation of the insurance companies instead of the present system of regulation of the states. Just Seeking Facts Senator O’Mahoney has repeatedly denied this, and he again did so this week. He declared that the committee is simply after the facts about insurance, and that it is up to Congress to decide what, if anything, should be done. So far, nothing has indicated that the policy holders of the great majority of companies have anything to worry about. On the contrary, the £ig question is whether the life insurance concerns are not gathering into their hands too large a share of the nation’s wealth particularly the funds available

for investment.

That is why the' committee is

them, O’Mahoney Ex-

plained. The committee is simply carrying out the purpose for which it was created—to find out why we have both “idle men and idle money.” As so many billions of dollars must be invested by the insurance companies, they are an important part of that problem.

Switch Their Positions

Nevertheless, it is amusing to hear the life insurance magnates protesting against regulation by Uncle Sam, on the ground that this is a job for the states. Formerly they took just the opposite stand. \ More than half a century ago, when the states first attempted to tax and regulate insurance, the companies pleaded that their business was interstate. They carried the question to the Supreme Court, which decided in favor of the states, largely on the ground that Uncle Sam had not entered that field,, despite the broad power

(Continued On Page Four)

Recent Gallup Poll Shows 60% of Opinions That President Would Be Re-Elected If He Accepts Nomination; Talk of Third Term As Being Contrary to American Custom Is Political Bunk; Masses of Voters Know Benefits of New Deal and Welcome FDR In This World War Crisis.

Recent results of a Gallup poll throughout the nation concerning the possibility of a third term for President Roosevelt reveals that while a slight majority do not believe that he will be a candidate again, yet, a greater majority say that if the President will accept re-nomination by the Democrats, he will be reelected. The announced opinions were that 5% of the voters feel that Roosevelt will not accept a third term nomination as against 48% thinking that he will be the candidate. Sixty per cent of the same opinions favor the Presidents re-election, if a candidate, while 40% state that he would be defeated.

It may be remembered that the

Gallup poll forecast the 1936 election most accurately and the recent collection of opinions denote that the President still retains a nation-wide popularity regardless of all the Republican propaganda being spread against him. The masses of people of this country know well that the President has continuously strived to offer a better living to all families and did avert a probable civil war among ourselves due to widespread starvation and despondency during the

depression.

No other president has ever been so active to help the majority of people through such a trying era. While having early in his administration avoided a civil war, Roosevelt may be accredited with keeping us out of another world war in foreign lands. He stabilized the banking indusry of our nation immediately upon becoming President in March, 1933, which saved millions of dollars in lost savings to depositors and restored confidence in all fniancial institutions. President Roosevelt saved the loss of thousands of homes to property owners who were faced with mortgages foreclosures. His program of making possible needed improvements throughout the nation by work projects gave millions of unemployed an opportunity to earp a rightful living. He has spared no time in his efforts to help everyone in need, the farmer, the laborer, the industrialist and business persons who lacked financial reserves, the youth of America, and our entire economic system. He did not and lias never forsaken his duties to the unfortunate in favor of those who already had reaped fortunes and were capable of caring for themselves. The cry of political antagonists against a possible third term because of an American custom might well be considered political bunk. Bank presidents, corporation heads, business executives, mayors, and all brands of employees are permitted to exercise their abilities in their respective jobs for life, if they are able to hold the same. It is not un-American for these men to continue in serving the public and neither should it be mentioned as such for a President to render service longer than a customary period of years. Experience has taught that the Presidency is a man-killing job and because of this none have cared to serve longer than two terms. It is known that although eight years have been added to the age of President Roosevelt and lines of hard work have formed on his countenance, yet, he is physically a strong and healthy man. Should he be willing to assume the responsibilities of our government for another four years, the voters could not db better than to retain his services, especially during the world war crisis facing

us today.

The Democrats of Indiana will support their former governor; Paul V. McNutt, for the Presidency in the event that Roosevelt chooses to decline another term. McNutt possesses the qualifications for a national leader and has obtained a wide experience in governmental affairs through his positions as governor of a great state, High Commissioner to the Philippine Islands, and as the present Federal Administrator of our *Social Security program. The Republican party has yet to propose a candidate for the Presidency who meets with the qualifications of either Roosevelt or McNutt. There have been numerous reputable and commendable district or prosecuting attorneys such as Thomas E. Dewey of New York but that alone does not fit them properly for the responsibilities of a President. Senator Robert Taft of Ohio who was elected in

1938 and has served a little more than a year in Washington is as lacking in being presidential material as Jimmie Roosevelt, son of the President. Taft may claim a few votes because he is the son of an ex-President but that alone is not enough to merit the ruling of the masses of people. The independent voters of the nation will decide between the two party nominees for the Presidency. These voters do not hold to party lines but seek to support the most capable and especially the most earnest candidate. They do not fail to overlook the service records of both candidates and on this basis, it is firmly believed that President Roosevelt would be reelected if he chooses to succeed himself.

January Report ^ of Unemployment Here In Muncie

Muncie, Feb. 23. — Payments amounting to $725,443.06 were made to Indiana workers in January in the form of job insurance checks resulting from total or partial unemployment, The Indiana Unemployment Compensation Division announced today. The number of payments made in January increased 31 per cent over December, but the checks issued were 49 per cent fewer than in the previous January Increases in the number of payments were registered from December to January in all but three of the 25 field office territories in the state, the exceptions being Kokomo, New Castle and Connersville. Temporary slackening in the automotive industries located in those cjties had sent benefit payment unusually high in December. "Experience has shown that it is normal for temporary unemployment to rise aftei 1 the year,” said R. E. Haugh, Division field office manager for the Muncie area. “Because job insurance payments are based on earned right, it therefore is normal for benefits to rise and provide an economic cushion for eligible employees who experience layoffs. A good indication of relative business conditions, however, is’comparision with the same period last year. Division records show that in all sections of the state benefit claims were far lower this January than last, the degree of decline varying from community to community. “In the Muncie field office territory, which covers Delaware, Blackford, Jay and Randolph Counties, Manuary benefit payments totaled $38,421,21, compared with $26,367.08 in December, and $76,719.01 in January, 1939. The average number of persons drawing weekly benefits in the area was 835* in January, 590 in December, and 1660 in January, 1939 “For the state as a whole January payments amounted- to $725.443.06; December, $564,914.53, and the previous January, $1,487,890.82. The average number of persons drawing benefits per week in the state was 16,500 in January; 12,650 in December, and 32,900 in January, 1939 ”

Manganese deposits in South Serbia are to be exploited. Japan has an average of four earthquakes daily. — o Millions, Murder, Misery—Will they haunt the motion picture beauty forever? Adela Rogers St. Johns, famous motion picture commentator, tells why the former stage star may never escape the ceasless feuds and tragedies which shattered the career she never really wanted. An illustrated feature in The American Weekly, the magazine distributed with next Sunday’s Chicago Herald-Ameri-can.