Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 3 May 1946 — Page 1

r KIP RETRAIN DISABLED YETS BW BONDS DURING THE

THE POST-DEMOCRAT The Only Democratic Paper In Delaware County Carrying the Union Label

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VOL. 26—NO. 45.

MUNCIE, INDIANA, FRIDAY, MAY 3, 1946.

PRICE: FIVE CENTS

1ATE NEWS

Hong Out The Red Lantern, ES!?!

Oh. For a ’46 Panl Revere

'J

Voters Should Remember It Is Their Duty As Good Citizens to Exercise Their Right To Vote In the Primary—It Is Time To Replace the Men Who Are Reactionaries and Isolationists—Go Out To the Polls May 7 and Help Choose Their Successors.

EXPLOSIONS ROCK ALCATRAZ San Francisco — Six explosions shook Alcatraz island in rapid succession today as a band of desperate convicts, foiled in their escape plot fought back grimly from their isolated barricade against U. S. marines and prison guards. At least two guards were dead. One was killed in the early rioting. The second died before 8 a. m. at the Marine Hospital, to which he was taken last night. Fourteen other guards were wounded, several of them having been shot in cold blood after the convicts captured them yester-

day.

o

NO PLAN TO SEIZE MINES Washington — Washing ton

sources indicated today that ^ „

ate^huIsVo'serze'th 1 ^ strUt'e-Zm^md corcle(i in Chicago and Cook county was the" lowest

m 15 years — only 32 per cent of the voters exercised

their citizenship rights by casting a ballot.

GUFFEY COUPLE OPA-FDR FIGHTS

Tells Democrats That Reactionaries Won’t Budge Truman

Sen. Joseph F. Guffey recently

C of C President Bucks Board In Plea For Price

Control

Atlantic City—Eric Johnston, president of the United States Chanmber of Commerce has come out emphatically for continuance of Federal price control—at least

until next year.

In doing so, he split with a majority of the board of directors of the organization, which opened its 34th annual meeting

here this morning.

“Business to Suffer.”

If Federal price control is

3d Public Hearing On Farm Purchase By City

With the date of the Indiana primary drawing I decl a r ed the fight against OPAi wiped out in the immediate fu-

near, the need is for someone to hang out a lantern

and page Paul Revere.

A grave and dangerous apathy seems to have gripped the average citizen, which is of the greatest danger to good government. The primary vote just re-

ate plans to seize the strike-bound coal mines as the growing fuel shortage reduced the country’s largest steel producer to nine per cent of capacity threatened railroads and caused a partial curtailment of electric power in Il-

linois and Indiana.

Meanwhile 12,500 Briggs Manufacturing Co. employes in Detroit authorized the United Auto Workers (CIO) to set a strike date after a 30-day cooling-off

period.

NAZI INTRIGUE REVEALED Washington — Official U. S. government figures revealed today that Spain and Argentina are the two remaining world stronghold for “adobnoxious” and “dangerous” Germans — spies, saboteurs and economic undesirables. Despite months of effort, the United States has made no progress in its attempts to uproot undesirable Germans in the two countries and get them back to Germany under allied military control.

HOUSING-SHORTAGE ACUTE Washington. — The housing shortage is so bad in Washington that a family has moved right in on President Truman. The Presi-

dent didn’t mind at all.

The family consists of one Mrs. Variably Robin and four blue eggs which are believed to be near the hatching point. The robin built her nest atop one of the white porch pillars just outside the President’s office. He makes a personal check every morning to see whether the

eggs have hatched.

The same thing can — and very well may — happen in Indiana. Though it is hard to understand how people can care so little what happens to them. State, county and local officials are to be nominated — also members of both Houses of the State Legislature, and eleven members

of Congress.

True, it is “only” a primary. But it is in the primary that the voter has the democratic right of saying who shall run in the fall. Next fall it may be too late to pick a good man — you will have to take what is offered, whether

it is your “pick” or not.

If the people of Marion County get another administration run by political bosses and dominated by Jimmie Bradford, the Liquor Baron, they have only themselves to blame,” said an editorial in the Indianapolis Star on April 30. “On May 7 they will either yote for free and unbossed candidates or they will lose the fight for a people’s county government by default. The selection of primary candidates rarely brings out a heavy vote. Thus the machine in-

wins, because the

machine politicians make sure their voting team gets to the

polls.”

This is equally true over the state, since the “beer and patron-

Frank J. Loftus, district director of OPA in Pennsylvania,

sidkc ohhjc me ucci emu auuu- mars ! ia n ed facts and figures to

ation e of h0 pr e i C e h c 0 ont P rols Se COntinU ' In a radio address, Loftus ar-

URGES A NEW CAPITALISM Atlantic City, N. J.—Warning that business must be liberalized or face the threat of “economic liquidation,” Eric Johnston, retiring president of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, last night urged American businessmen to form a “new capitalism.” Speaking at the closing session of the Chamber’s 34th annual meeting, Johnston said that the new capitalism must “recognize the supremacy of the individual” and put men “above machines.”

OSCAR SHIVELY INJURED

Friends of Oscar Shively, Democratic Chairman of Delaware County, will be glad to know that he is improving from injuries received in an automobile accident last Tuesday.

ganized at the county level, and is in full control over the state, as will be seen when with Jenner at the driver’s wheel, it rides over the state convention, flattening

all opposition.

Voters should remember also that members of the last Legislature voted the highest tax rate in Indiana’s history—and that there is little to show for it, except in salaries for the Republican pat-ronage-appointees including those generous salaries dished out to incumbents of the 21 new bureaus created by the “bureaucracy-op-posing” Gates, who talks one way and does another. Voters should also bear in mind that at this time it is possible to name candidates to oppose those stubbornly defiant Indiana Republican reactionaries and isolationists in Congress who have stood against the people and against President Truman, who is the people’s champion, on

Make Democracy Function Most citizens of the United States wish to avoid inflation as as they would wish to avoid a plague.' But they are not getting the co-operation of many private groups just as they are not getting the co-operation of many public officials. John L. Lewis is one individual who is doing much to promote inflation. The shft coal operators have never reminded us of angels, but it is hard to see how anyone could come to terms with a man who has been acting as Lewis has. Lewis has done nothing to indicate that he has given a thought to the general welfare of his country and the starving peoples abroad. Slowly but surely the soft coal strike is choking off American production. Lewis not only keeps his miners idle, but he is throwing employes in other lines of industry out of work. The situation is becoming more grave each day. Now we are face to face with the threat of two railroad brotherhoods to go on strike May 18. No one need be told what a nationwide strike on the railroads would do to production. The opposite number to Lewis in business is the group which is trying to frighten and force Congress into killing the OPA and which threatens to curtail production if it cannot have its way. Those on both sides of the fence who are working directly or indirectly for inflation are wrong and should be stopped. They are helping to throw our whole economic machine out of gear. It is high time that the American people became aroused to the power of public opinion to make our democratic system work. Even so arrogant and dictatorial a man as John L. Lewis can be whipped into line if the citizens get active enough. And if enough support is mustered in behalf of the OPA it can be saved until production reaches a point where it is safe to remove the controls. The members of both parties must come to their own rescue in these trying times. It is foolish just to drift along toward chaos and inflation. Never did the people have a better chance to demonstrate the fact that they can make democracy function by intelligent action in focusing public opinion on the trouble spots.—Journal-Gazette.

such vital measures as Price Control, Housing, Full Employment, FEPC, continuation of the draft, labor legislation, and various reconversion issues on which these Republicans, with their fellows, have either stalled, keeping the

legislation off the floor, or have l from the people themselves, from voted in direct opposition to the I their ideals of a Government reexpressed will of the majority of j sponsive to their needs, their the people of Indiana and of the i hopes and their aspirations, nation. ; “I Say It Again . . .” It is time to replace these men. j “I have said it before and I Go out to the polls on May 7,1 say it again. If the Roosevelt and help choose their successors! I haters continue to pursue RooseVote for good government — \ velt to his grave, if they conprogressive government — from tinue to attack the program he

gave his life to achieve, they will find that Roosevelt will rise to defeat them—for even in death he lives in the hearts of the Am-

erican people.”

Guffey praised Philadelphia’s six Democratic Congressmen and their up-State colleagues for refusing to be stampeded by “the black marketeers working in sordid profiteering alliance with big business” against OPA in the recent House vote. “Not one vote for inflation was was cast by any Pennsylvania Democrat in the House of Representatives,” he said. “People Should Remember.” “The people should remember that this fall when those men come up for re-election. They should remember that the Democratic Congressmen in Philadel(Continued On Page Four) TRUMANSEEKS PRAYERS OF U.S. Unnecessary T r o u b 1 es Laid To Selfish Men Claims President

ture, Johnson warned in a preconvention interview, “business will be back in the national doghouse within a week, and I mean the last stall in the doghouse,

too.”

Johnston’s statement followed adoption of a resolution by a majority of the Chamber of

recom-

price

controls by October 31 „ 1946. That resolution, .along with 28 Others, will be presented on the

The’ more they "try, ~ the" more i 1 flo P r _ c ? n , ven i^’ .which is

they realize that his great strength is the strength of a great liberal and humanitarian movement given form and expression by President Roosevelt but springing

“is merely part of an all-out battle to destroy the Roosevelt pro-

gram.”

“With Roosevelt gone, the reactionaries think they can put it over on Harry Truman,” Guffey told 1400 persons who overflowed the Bellevue-Stratford ballroom at the annual Jackson Day „

dinner of thfe Philadelphia Dem- i Commerce directors to ocratic organization. mend eliminatioh of all

“But President Truman has stood against them, solid as a rock and they can’t budge him

YOU ARE RIGHT MR. LAFULLETTE

the top to the bottom—from Congress, to the township trustee. OPAHASAlDED U.S. PRODUCTION

Director Declares Increase Is 51 Percent Over 1939

gued that price control neither interferes with production nor makes production unprofitable. Production Doubled. To support his contention, he pointed out that: 1. During the war, with price control, production more than doubled, whereas during World War I, without price control, production rose only 25 percent. 2. Today, both employment and production stand at record peacetime peaks. Production, he said, is 51 per cent above 1939 and going higher daily, and there are 6 Mi million more people working and receiving pay checks than there were in 1939. 3. In 1944—la^t year for which complete profit figures are available—corporation profits, both before and after taxes, topped all previous record. Before taxes, they totaled 24.8 billion; after taxes 10 billion—more than twice as high as in 1939. In 1944, industrial profits on the average were 450 percent above pre-war levels, and wholesale and retail profits exceeded those of pre-war years. The average increase for department stores was 609 per-

cent.

4. In 1945, business failures reached an all-time low of 810, as compared with 14,168 in 1939. Polls Show Favor. Loftus declared that public opinion polls indicate that 80 to 90 percent of the general public is in favor of continued controls. “On the other hand,” he stated, “a minor number of manufacturers, retailer and real estate associations have been extremely vocal in press, radio and Congress in their opposition to an extension of the Office of Price Administration.” Opponents of OPA, Loftus said, have camouflaged their charges into an argument that “might at first appear ratlxer plausible to many people.” Stabilization Needed. “This argument,” he said, “concedes that over-all stabilization is necessary. But just a little inflation would stimulate more production because there would be more profit. “If America were made up on isolated units, this argument might have some merit,” Loftus /declared. “But one of the big facts Of our modern specialized economy is that most groups are inseparably inter-related. “We must hold the present price line. The pressure against (Continued On Pace Four)

Washington, May 3 — President Truman appealed today for the prayers of Washington churchmen, 300 of whom crowded into the rose garden of the White House to greet the Chief Executive. “I need your prayers,” the Chief Executive told them. “No one ever needed them more.” He asked them to help him make sure that one of the “Four Horsemen” does not triumph “over the victory which we have won for the welfare of the common man.” “Right here at home now we are having a lot of unecessary troubles, brought about by selfish men who are thinking only of their individual welfare,” the President asserted. 50-50 Plan Urged “There has never been a system of morals equal to the Sermon on'the Mount. When we find something wrong with our neighbor, often it is a 50-50 proposi tion. If you meet a man halfway nine time in 10 he will come halfway.” The President told the clergymen that the world “is at the crossroads.” “Either we are facing, as I have said time and again,” he asserted, “the greatest age in history or we are facing the absolute destruction of things as we know them now.” . Responsibilities Dropped “The United States as a nation (Continued On Pace Four)

being attended by 2000 businessmen representing every state in

the Union.

Johnston’s position on the retention of OPA is directly contrary to that of the National Association of Manufacturers. NAM has been pressing for complete elimination of OPA after its present powers expire 60 days from

now.

Must Be Educated. “It would be suicidal if price Control was abolished immediately,” said Johnston. “Businessmen haven’t been conditioned for such a step. They must be educated to hold prices in line. “The worst thing that could happen to us would be for prices to spiral and for us to have a period of boom and bust.” Johnston said he felt a definite should be set for abolition of OPA, but added that he believed the expiration date should be “sometime next year.” On the basis of information he picked up during a round of conferences in Washington, Johnston said he believed the Senate will plug up a lot of the holes the recently enacted House bill shot in OPA’s authority. Unemployment Seen. A warning of an unemployment problem of “rising proportions” unless jobs are obtained for four or five million veterans during the next months was sounded by Gen. Omar Bradley, Veterans’ Administration chief. Bradley told the business men that more than $7 billion will be spent for veterans’ benefits during 1946 and 1947, and declared that while this will increase national production, ,it will “also boost inflationary pressures.” He pictured the VA as one of the biggest businesses in the country. Its personnel has expanded 130 percent within eight months, he said, and now totals 133,000. The organization occupies office space equivalent to four and a half times that contained in the Empire State Build-

ing.

Farm Problem Feared. Secretary of Agriculture Clinton P. Anderson was another speaker at the chamber meeting. He urged “nationwide high productivity and full employment.” Otherwise, he said, the time will come when farmers will have to resort to restricted output to protect their prices. “Unless people are able to buy at fair prices all the balanced production that agriculture can turn out,” Anderson said, “farm(Continued On Page Four) O Federal Budget Is Almost Balanced Governor Gates and 29 other Republican Governors who are planning to make “balancing the budget’ a major slogan for the coming election, may unwittingly be playing into their political opponents’ hands. As the Washington correspondent of the New Republic said in the last issue of that magazine: “The Federal Budget is practically balanced. The administration is in a position to announce the glad tidings and it will make a good talking point in the fall elections.”

Reporter’s Research Backs Up Congressman LaFolIette’s Charges “I charge that Gates is support- | ing Jenner, notwithstanding his professed impartiality,” declared Representative Charles M. LaFollette in a statement issued yesterday, “because when I was in Lake county the Republican machine there raised $25,000 from the liquor distributors for Jenner’s candidacy. This cannot happen without Gates’ approvafr. “Jenner and Gates are tied up in this deal completely, and everybody in Indiana knows it.” At the same time, Ralph Brooks, staff correspondent of the Republican Indianapolis Star which is campaigning to clean up its party’s political house, wrote from South Bend further exposures which back up La Follette’s own statements. Brooks said in his signed column, “tales of Republican politicians squeezing themselves in as partners into lucrative wholesale beer firms .... were unfolded today as part of St. ‘Joseph county’s contribution to the sordid story of the Hoosier Beer-Politics Alliance . . . They added other evidence to the tieup here between the beer business and the Republican political party organization in this county”—a situation equally true in other counties over the state, it may be stated, since the closely knit beerpatronage Republican political organization starts at the county level, and is state-wide. Mr. Brooks’ article names names, and ends with a significant warning: “Incidentally, here in St. Joseph county, just as in Marion county, the politicians are predicting a very light primary election vote, which means that the organization supported candidates will have easy sailing.”

Gates A “Captive”?

La Follette, in his statement, asked county candidates to “call on Governor Gates to quit being the captive of (Charles M.) Red Maston and Doc (Elmer W.) Sher-

(Continued On Page Four) O

City Administration Still Determined To Purchase Farm for Burying City’s Gar-bage-Proposal Has Been Rejected On Two Previous Occasions—Plan Begins To Take On Suspicious Atmosphere Due To City’s Determination—Other Persons Wanting To Purchase Farm Have Been Refused By Owner—City Doesn’t Want An Incinerator—Large Crowds Expected At City Council Chamber Monday

Night.

TREND TOWARD THE DEMOCRATS

. * jl

Next Monrlav nio-ht. May GtK tbe citv couneil meef^ in regular session. For a third time a rmhlie hesrinp- is scheduled on the nronosal of purchasinoa farm fo>’ the nurpose of hprvin^ "arbap'e and trash nnd as a eitv dump. A similar ordinance was presented twice before in recent months and both times the nronosal was rejected hv a minority but the administration policy seems to he trv and try aeain. A month ago at the April regu- j — — — —-——— ;1 „ o + her at+ompt is made for the citv

to acquire the grounds. Why’’

lar council meeting a representative of Sin equipment company presented a series of moving pictures before the council showing the procedure and operations of his company’s equipment under the “trash burying” plan which is being used by some communities for the disposal of such wastes. At the some council meeting another ordinance was read to adopt such a plan and to provide for the purchase of grounds for the project. The public hear-

ing was set for May 6th. The plot of ground which ap-

pears to be the center of attraction by the city to buy is an eighty acre farm lying along the eastern boundary limits of the city and now owned by H. C. Kuhner. The farm extends from near East Jackson street south to 12th street which is surrounded

Other tracts of land were cited as probable locations by remonstrators at the last public hearing on this isstte before the council but so far as known only the Kuhner farm bears approval by city officials and the plans seem to have become a “must” item

with them. Why?

Several months ago, Councilman Joseph Douglas proposed the building of an incinerator by the city for the disposal of wastes, trash, and garbage. It is conceded that such a plan would have a greater original cost but that it would provide for a permanent solution to such a problem for the city and also be far less objectionable to health conditions and property values in the community. Little or no credit has been given

, , to this proposal by the city adby many hundreds of homes and j ministration although it is known

residents. It is proposed to expend $250 per acre for this farm and an equal amount or more for the purchase of equipment to operate

the city dump.

use such a

NOTICE YOUNG DEMOCRATS There will be a joint meeting of the Young Democrats and the Democrat organization, Sunday, May 5th at 2:30 P. M. in the Circuit Court Room, Delaware County Court House. OSCAR SHIVELY, Chairman BEA WYSONG, Vice Chairman.

Heavy Democratic Gains Were Chalked Up In

Southern Illinois

Though citizens of Illinois, in the first primary to be held in the country this year, cast a discouragingly light vote, the figures on the Chicago and Cook county vote, as just made public by County Clerk Michael J. Flynn of

Cook county, show a

that numerous cities

system. Why?

It may be agreed that the city is faced with solving the garbage

. . I and trash problem but usually the

The same site was considered in objections of several hundreds of the last ordinance which the our citizens is respected by local council was requested to author- j governmental officials. The resi-

ize but a two-third majority failed to favor the plan and the proposal was defeated. Councilmen Douglas, Raisor, and O’Neill, all three Democrats, voted' against the scheme after vigorous remonstrances were made at the hearing. Should the same councilmen continue to oppose the measure as it is hoped they will do, the duplicated ordinance will again

fail to pass.

The plan begins to take on a suspicious atmosphere when the city administration makes continued efforts to shove this deal through final adoption regardless of concentrated opposition from hundreds of residents whose prop-

definite * erty ’ health > and living conditions

[ would be imperiled by a city

Democratic trend.

“With 2,381,836 registered in the < dump at their back doors - A city county, an all time record,” com- / offlcla l ls reported to have warned

menfs the Chicago Sun, “the vote in Chicago, suburbs and county total was: •Democratic —Chicago, 485,047; suburbs, 41,649; city total, 527,956. Republican — Chicago, 186,311; suburbs, 65,284; city total, 251,595. “The record low” (it was the lightest primary vote in 15 years) “was made at the expense of the Republicans whose vote in Chicago fell approximately 60,000 below their primary total. Democrats ran 10,000 ahead of their total two years ago in Chicago and 20,000 above the 1944 mark in the suburbs. “The total vote cast, 779,191, was about 21,000 short of the 800, 973 recorded in the county in

1944.

“While the Cook county vote was setting a new low record, heavy Democratic gains downstate, with some increase in the Republican vote, may bring the state-wide total up to the 1944 mark of 1,429,705. “The down state canvas, almost complete, shows that the Democrats polled upwards of 200,000 votes as compared with 139,563 in the presidential primary of two years ago. The GOP total appeared certain to be above the 500,000 mark downstate as against 489,169 cast in 1944”—making the total Democratic gain about three times that of the Republicans. —o— In 1935 the first flight using the radio compass as the control for the automatic pilot was made by the Army Air Corps.

one of the remonstrators following defeat of the proposal two months ago that the plans would be finally passed anyway whether he

liked it or not. Why?

It is also reported that other purchasers have inquired concerning buying the farm land from the owner but that an answer has been delayed until an-

dents who would be closely effected by the project of a city dump within their midst, and whose numbers are well near a thousand have repeatedly expressed their displeasures but yet the city insists on this program in spite of their wishes. Why? The city problem is one to dispose of garbage and trash. To do this the present city administration officials suggest and insist that they be permitted to spend $40,000 with which to buy an eighty acre tract of land and trenching equipment with which to bury the wastes. It is most definite that a part of the refuse will be burned and considerable odors will be prevalent regardless of the burying process so the project actually becomes a city dump although it is intended to place the trash under ground by bury-

ing.

In years to come, perhaps not too many, the grounds become filled as a dump and another farm must be purchased where garbage and trash may also be buried. Another expense then faces the city. The surrounding neighbors lose (Continued On Page Four)

Will They Listen? Congressmen are hearing from the people.

The people’s voice, almost unanimously, favors extending the OPA, letting it keep real power to.fight inflation. The mail that swamped the Congressmen’s desks was called the greatest flood since Roosevelt proposed reorganization of the Supreme Court in 1937. Almost without exception, both friends and foes of OPA said the mail overwhelmingly favored continuing OPA without the crippling amendment tacked on by the House. On Friday the nation’s biggest farm organizations—the National Grange, the American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers’ Union—told the Senate Banking Committee that the House went too far in its amendments. In Philadelphia, former GI’s attending the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania went vigorously on record against emasculating OPA. They know what inflation wqiild do to their GI allowances.

Banking Committee now

The people are watching the Senate considering the House amendments. Congress must listen to the voice of the people and not the screams of pressure groups. The people have said time and again they want the protection of a strong OPA.—Philadelphia Record.