Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 44, Number 123, Decatur, Adams County, 24 May 1946 — Page 1

Ks XLIV. No. 123.

■Vatfon Is Staggered By Worst Strike InHistoiy

KAIL STRIKE NEAR 100 PERCENT EFFECTIVE

Rai7 Traffic Is Halted Here

b Begins To Bel Effect Os Lil Walkout Lht Express ■ssengcr Service ■tirely Disrupted ■jtur today was without all Kjr and practically all pat-M-rvirs- on im railroads, all Express traffic was comparalyzed. mail service curtailed, one plant ■ .hut down, and the danger and fuel shortages wan — all because of the rail strike. ■hr may Ite the laat passen-I Htrain until the settlement of Hrnk<- moved through Decatur Htly before noon today and the H'wht train wax marked up K at might laat night. ■ the Erie railroad, agent W. 1 said that the M'.'iitid passenger. manned by i of the company, came, thix morning. Although Mbh are attempting to mun K< on that road, he said it they would be able up any semblance of a ■■*< -' No freight traffic on that road today. the Nu kel Plate, attache* for agent Ed Highland Mtlut ‘he last freight train Sn through here at 1:15 a. m. I road han been offering no service. Mt the Pennsylvania, agent Harber stated the laxt train on that road stopped Wayne after panning here about 9:20 o’clock Miiltht. Officials kept the two trains moving laxt |Bt hat Mr. Barber xaid he did Ma[ie<t another train to move here on bis road until of the strike. yard crew at the Pennsjrl-! Mu quit work promptly at 4 Mt yesterday. when the walk-1 M vai scheduled. They returnMln* onto the pit. but did not Mi after 4 p. m. ■ Mail Curtailed for first class mail. Deand a SO mile or less area »ax practically isolated as mail deliveries are MktM. Carrell 11. Cole, aspostmaster, said today M> »*cond. third and fourth matter could be accepted ■ delivery only where star •« and trucks are available. M< offers service ax far south ■ Portland, west to Huntington. M* to Ohio City and north Io | jgff w *Fte Postal officials are an mall to prevent , M*t up at terminal points. Mattias* mail In letter form M-". To Pa«» 2, Column 4) K o — w. Graham Rites Mturday Afternoon M —— xervicce will be held at I V Fm. Saturday a? the home. ■J 011 *’* west and one and oneE r ntiieg north of Bluffton. E. , Helen Jean Graham, 24. ° ! Thomae W Graham, who ’’Menly yen terday Ilf lii! " H! be In the Elm Grove east of Bluffton. The ■'. ißajr be viewed at the GraBnt 'i time for the xerM Mr » Graham wax a native and rmlded here until E., years ago. when she county. ■ THERMOMETER ■e. ATURE Readings Mt® A m. .... M KL * "*• ••• m Mto. - TO M * w ‘ - -• 72 ■u-. leather ,h «wers and thunderMvtg *“***«•*• •"«* ■ku s? 1 *" •* P ’V to"ie»n. folMate, ** «btarinp and cooler Bn, h Saturday f[ 7 and cooler.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Urges Seniors To Battle For Peace Dr. Charles Prugh Graduate Speaker “I think I can speak for all ver-I j vicemen when I any we are disturbed by the things we see going on in America.” This was the declaration of Dr. Charles M. Prugh. dean of men 1 at Heidelberg university and elarmy major veteran of Pacific campaigns, ax he spoke to the graduates of the Decatur Junior senior high school during commencement exercises Thursday night. Hix wax “not the traditional kind of commencement address,*' he recallAl, "for things are diff erent this year." "The battle of peace must be fought now and won. Only months i ago half the world was enslaved by the monsters of paganism.! Let's not forget their song of hate. There is a danger. As the army terms It: morale Is low | Stiange and unpredictable things can happen," he warned. “I think now of walking among; I row upon row of crosses in a Pacific burial ground for war dead and know that the war is not over for these men until we come into a realisation of those! things for which they fought." Dr Prugh. a former Decatur pastor, asserted. "There Is a danger now If we stop hating the Japx the Ger mans. We may turn our hate into other channels, channels against Negroes. Jews, and so forth "I will not debate whether he wax right or wrong when that general said ‘We must hate to win a war.'" ho declared Speaking directly to the grad nates he urged them "not to worship false- gods nth to worship power, imperialism and military might. In this Job of reconversion think of all the things we have done without. Let’s not only Isi interested in raising the standard of living. Let* raise the standard ■ of life." Seventy-nine member* of the senior class were presented for graduation by principal W. Guy Brown and received their diplomas from Gregg McFarland, president of the school hoard. The j Rev, Carey R. Moser delivered the invocation and the Rev. Willt lam C. Feller the henediction. Musical Ttumherx were presented by the glee chib, directed by Miss Helen Hattbold and accompanied (Turn Tn Parr 4. Column 5( -0 Annual Memorial Service On Sunday Legion Service At Lutheran Church I All platw havd Iteen completed ' for the annual Legion memorial services to be held it the Zion Lutheran church Sunday morning., it wax announced today by FloydB. Hunter. Adame post No. 42, Amlertcan Legion commander. The Rev. Paul Stehultx will de liver the sermon in memory of deceased veterans during the service, beginning at 10 a m. Members of the Legion post have | been asked to assemble at the poxt Home ready to leave al 9:30 a m. They will march In a body to the church. An invitation has been extended i to members of the local Veterans of Foreign War poet by ‘be Legion to participate In the service and they have been asked to assemble at the VFW post home at 9:30 a m. also. All former servicemen and women are also Invited to attend. The Legion delegation will be joined by the VFW representatives in front of the VFW home on North Second street and the veterans will stay in formation to the alte of the service.

Full Impact Os “ Walkout Strikes Entire Nation Lives Os Millions Disrupted By Worst Strike In History By United Press The nation was struck today by the full impact of the railroad walkout which disrupted the Ilves of millions, threatened their food supply and dealt commerce and Industry the severest blow they ever suffered. As the nirat crippll.ig strike in the nation's history spread over the 22'.<hhi mile network of rails, .these were the major developments: 1. Millions were stranded but some roads managed to run a few trains manned by supervisory employes and railroad officials. 2. Steel mills banked furnaces i almost Immediately and the flow lof metal was reduced drastically. I 3. Coal mine* began dosing. again and industry xpokcomen said* fin percent of bituminous produclion would be halted by nightfall.. 4. Government authorities planned to impose a severe brownout ' on 21 eastern and midwestern states next week if the atrlke continues. 5. Large citiiw such ax Chicago.' New York and Pittsburgh suffered shortages of fresh foods and meat almost immediately with the prospect of almost none at all within a day or two. Railroad stations, the scene of milling throngs lato yesterday, were deserted today. At Chicago trains stood in long rows In the silent xhedo and yards of the na-| lion's greatest rail center. (Turn To Page 3, Column 4) c To Construe! Drier House Al Soya Co. Approval Granted To Company By CPA Work will begin next week on the construction of a concrete drier houae at the Centra! Soya Company, Inc., approval having been given by the civilian production administration for the 271,572 project. Paul Berg, engineer for tha local industry, said the building would be constructed by the MacDonald Engineering company of Chh ago. it will be located east of the driveway which leads to the old sugar factory office and aoulhaaat of the j towering new silo* recently completed. The building will go skyward 197 feet. 27 feet wide and 47 feet long.! It will lie the highest structural point in the county, cut ranking the superstructure atop the new soybean elevator by several feet. Three large driers for the drying lof grain. Including soybeans will ibe Installed in the building. Mr. Berg utated. The grain drying process will be steam, a change from the oil method formerly used. Mr. Berg explained. Construction of the building will be by slip form method, the same as used in the building of the 42 storage directly west of the drivej way. This unit has a storage capaI city for 2.090.000 bushels of beans. o Informal Embargo On Troop Movements Washington. May 24— (UP> — A War Department spokesmen said today an Informal embargo on all troop and prisoner of war movements by rail is in effect. Troop trains, along with milk aifd hospital trains, were exempted from the railroad strike hy the anglneers and trainmen

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Friday, May 24, 1946.

Stages Atomic Bomb Preview 1 Imlw' 4. ■ -»K Mr J 1 1 W-.i' - ' ■ IN AN EFFORT to ascertain the type and size of waves ’hat produced by the underwater explosion of the atomic bomb at Bikini Htoll, scientist and oceangraphic officers of the Joint Army-Navy task force have been making experiments at the Patuxent naval xta lion near Washington. D C. At the left, the column of water and gases from the explosion rise into the air. while at the right ,s shown the wave motion set up by the explosion.

Nation Meal Supply | Is Near Exhaustion Some Areas Without Meat In Two Days Chicago. May 24.—(UPl-The American ineat Institute announced today that the nation will be out of meat within four day# If It la forced to depend upon the supply now in storage. In some areas the supply will run out within two days, the meat Institute reported. A spokesman for the Institute* said that trucks cannot take the place of trains to keep animals moving into the slaughter houses.| Trucks can bring animals to packing houses, but the extremely limited number of refrigerated trucks will be able to supply only a tiny percentage of the country’s cities and -towns, he said. The Chicago packers today were working at only 25 percent of ca(Turn To Page 2. Column 4) Veterans Honored By St. Mary's Parish Rev. Aloys Dirksen Speaker Thursday The Rev. Aloys Fllrkeen, (TPS. Fort Wayne, was the speaker Thursday night at a homecoming banquet for ex-servicemen of the St. Mary’s Catholic church pariah, staged In the auditorium of the Decatur Catholic high school More than 20U veterans of the parish swelled the large crowd in 1 attendance at the banquet, held in their honor. Severin G. Schurger aerved as toastmaster, Vernon Hebble a.« song leader and Miss Clarice Rumschlag as accompanist. The Very Rev. Msgr. J. J. Seimeta, church pastor, also spoke briefly. A musical program Includ ed a trumpet solo by Cletus Rumaching, a girls’ double trio and group singing. The banquet was prepared by members of the St. Mary’s a-x iety i of the church and served hy high school boys.

Two Are Killed In Missouri Tornado I Kansas City. Mo. May i 4 HP' Two dead were reported today In the wake of a tornado which I ripped through the southern suburban area last night leveling l>om«w and commercial buildings In Holmes park. — -—-o— Senale Angered At Rail, Coal Strikes Byrd Asks Truman Speak To Congress Washington. May 24 - (CPI Sen Harry F. Byrd. II . Va. said today that President Truman Iglving "full consideration” to Byrd’s request that he appear before congress and ask additional powers to cope with the strike crisis. Byrd first made his request in a statement last night. He repeat cd It directly to the President to-, day when he went to the White House as part of a group to witness the signing of legislation raising the pay of federal employes. Asked when he thought the President should appear before a | joint session of the House and senate. Byrd said, "the sooner the j belter.” Byrd offered no prediction on whether the President actually would appear before the congress The senate, angered by the coal and rail strikes, was making a determined drive to enact strong er union-curbing legislation. Advocates of strike restrictions foresaw speedy victories as the aftermath of a 14-hour session which lasted until 1:15 a. m to-| day and saw them batter one major triumph through opponents who had stalled action for two weeks. The senate met an hoar early at 11 a. m. today to resume their drive for a ialtor bill. The first victory came early this morning on a proposal by Sen. Byrd, to outlaw the welfare fund demands of John L Lewis In the soft coal dispute. It was adopted by a vote of 48 to 50. It would ban employer contributions to such a fund unless It was administered jointly by (Turn To Page f, Column 7)

Strike Leaders, Owners Called Into Conference By Government Leaders

Postal Service Is Ordered Cut To First Class Drastic Ban Issued Against All Mail Except First Class Washington, May 24 H'Pl The postofflce department today Issued a drastic strike emergency ban against all mall except first class letters and postal tarda. Even the firxt (lass mail must be limit'll to one pound With few exceptions, the embargo bans second, third and fourth (lass mall. These classes ! comprise principally publications and parcel post The nationwide embargo, first ‘ of Its kind in the long history of | the I'. S mails, will remain in effect until the railroad strike lx i settled or until a belter system can be worked out. Poxtmaxtcr General Robert II ; Hannegan said only the following type of service would not be eff ected by the embargo 1 Mall for local delivery 2 Mail whose origin and destination lx entirely within an area not affected hy the rail strike or which Is normally served by such <ar(t><x as inter«nrban a|e«rlc lailwayx. highway star routes and highway post offices. Hannegan said the embargo would halt the vast bulk of the 10.750 tons of non-local mall which are normally handled each day. Non-local letter mail and airmail lepresetitx only 779 tons of the average dully mail load "The post office department recognizes fully the serious consexnentes of the limitation.” Ilan negan said. "We have taken this (Turn T« Page 3. Column k) - _— Dr. Charles Prugh Is Rotary Speaker College Dean Speaks To Local Rotarians Dr. Charles M. Prugh, dean or . men at Heidelberg college, who delivered the commencement adi dress to the graduating class of j the Dccautr, junior-senior high school Thursday evening, was the guest speaker &t the weekly meeting of the Decatur Rotary \ club last night. Dr. Prugh, who was recently, discharged with the rank of maj jor form the army chaplain corps, delivered an interesting and inspiring address on the G. 1., his problems and hlx attitude following the war. The speaker, while pastor of the Zion Evangelical and Reform ed church in this city, was active in Rotary club activities, having I served both as club president and secretary The college dean while in army service served In Panama and was then sent overseas to combat areas in New Guinea and the Philippines, where he was stationed at the time of the Japanese surrender last summer. He related some of his experiences with the soldiers and also his interviews with the ex-G. I.’s in connection with his college ■ work at Heidelberg. Leo Kirsch was chairman of the program. Cal E Peterson, prexlden*, announced that the <|ub will not meet next week as the tegular meeting date falls on the * Memorial Day holiday.

Late Bulletins Washington, May 24—(UP) —"The situation looks dark,'* a government spokesman said today after two mediation conferences on the railroad strike. Washington, May 21 tl'Pt President Truman today called an extraordinary conference < f high government leaders "Io canvas* the whole strike situation." The President summoned the, j«ecretarlM of stall, treasury, war. I i interior, labor, the attorney gen-j ••nil and acting secretary of navy , John L. Sullivan. Also reconversion director John W. Snyder. ODT director J Mon roe Johnson and John R Steel man. assistant to the President ■ who has been directing mediation of the railroad strike Chicago, May 24 H’Pt Prices on all fresh vegetables scared up- ] ward in an unprecedented advance on the wholesale markets today, as Chicago braced it«eif for a food pinch. Alexander Farlinger, market ape clallxt for the I’. N department of 'agriculture, xaid the general price advance on all coinin' diilex wae "unprecedented" In hie 12 to 15 ; years on the Chicago market Washington, May 21 (I P) The navy today ordered all con! manding officers in the I'nited States to make all Immediate -urvey to determine ’he naval personnel who have had any experience in railioad work. Savannah, Ga . May 21 (I'P) Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, army chief of staff, today cut short a vacation on the Georgia xeacoaet and announced he had been order ed to Washington immediately for an emergency conference on the railroad strike. Washington. May 21 (I'P) Secretary of Lalair la-wis It. Schwellenbach today called a conference here for next Wednesday to try to avert a nationwide shipping strike He xaid that the call to the conference had been sent to the war shipping administration, the maritime uniotM and ship owners, Im purpose wdl be "to dixeuss the work stoppage scheduled for June 15 io the maritime an.l longshore (Turn To Page 3. <*olumii 6) — o - Observe Poppy Day Here On Saturday Legion Auxiliary To Sell Poppies Here —— .. Tomorrow lx Poppy Day in Docatur and In thousands of cities and town.l throughout the nation Milllonx of Americans will pay tribute to the nation’s war dead I by wearing memorial > poppies. .Millions will make contributions to aid war’s living victims, doubled veterans and families of the dead and disabled Preparations for the oherrvance of Poppy Day her* have been com pleted under the leadership of Mrs. Tom C. Nmith, Poppy Day chairman of rhe Adams Post 1,3 American Legion auxiliary. Volunteers will be on the streets early tomorrow morning with baskets of popples, which they will offer to be worn in honor of the dead of both world wars. Distribution of the flowena will be continued throughout the day. No price will be* asked for the poppies but contributions will be accepted for the welfare and rectum To Page 4, Column T)

Price Four Centq

Chief White House Labor Mediator In Confab With Heads Os Roads, Unions Washington, May 24 — (UP)— The government brought railroad strike leaders and operators together in new conferences today in a desperate effort to halt the nation’s worst railroad strike in history. The strike wax nearly 100 percent effective throughout Hlfl I country. A few passenger trains ran, but they provided only a shadow of . normal service. The freight blockade wax tighter Industries already were beginning to be crippled. The American meat institute predicted a meat famine in four days 111 the strike continues. The chief White House labor mediator. John R. Steelman, met beads of the two striking railway unions, the trainmen and the «ngineers, and representatives of the railroad managements. For the present, his sessions were confined to those two group*. A committee representing is non-striking rtii urilon* was called Into yesterday’s long but futile negotiating session. President Truman reviewed the crisis in hlx usual Friday morning cabinet meeting, which lasted longer than usual. He cancelled a tentatively schedukd new* ((inference on ground* that he did not want to talk about tmtail strike while negotiation* were under way. Before the formal negotiations began, Nteelman met for an hour with A F Whitney and Alvaniey Johnston, heads of the two striking union*. There wax no Indication that the iwo sides were any rioser to agreement than they were yesterday. when the 25ft,(>O(t trainmen and engineers walked off their Job* at I p. tn at the end of a five day truce. The Association of American Railroad* considered the strike practically IMF percent effective except for two small railroads with no-strike contract* and the Illinois Central, which was under government opera’ton-before the strike call wax Issued. Many steel mills banked their furnaces, idling thousands of workers 50.000 in the Pittsburgh district alone. President Charles E Wilson of General Motors corporation *aid the company would have to shut down within two weeks if coal and rail strikes continue. The Htudebaker corporation anroumod It could continue operation* only until 2:30 p. m. (CRT.) The office of defense transportation mobilized air and truck transport to do the most essential hauling Jobs Navy small craft and army planes and trucks were pressed into service. The postoffice department said it wa* moving what mail it could with whatever facilities were available. That means trucks and planes instead of trains. The <T irn Ti> Page 3, Column 5) Four Train Guards Acquitted By Jury Bloomington. 111.. May 24—(UP) Four truln guards for the Toledo. Peoria and Western railroad today were found innocent of manalaughter charges in connection with the slaying of a picket in a fight on the strikelHiund railroad at Gridley. 111.. Feh. «. A Jury of seven women and five men returned the not guilty verdict at 9:25 am. They took the case for dell Iteration yesterday after* noon and considered the evidence until 9 p.m Iwt night. After spendIng the night locked In McLean county courthouse chambers, the Jury relumed deliberations thia morning.