Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 45, Number 215, Decatur, Adams County, 12 September 1947 — Page 1

y O ||XLV. No. 215.

yLaunches Campaign For Wnination HL W Deal Invasion |f State's Rights Jored By Senator |^K a , Crc:. Calif.. Sept. 12 — .ppV- Sen. Robert A. Taft, R., undeclared candidate for "^ nt started his campaign for JtfXstern support today by acthe new deal of grabbing from ’he states until Amerties were at stake. Wsaid the new deal had tried all power in Wash■ngtgMand that the great issue toone of freedom against fSotalitarian state. the west to test his es for the 1948 presidential nomination. Taft first put himself K inspection in the politically pivotal state of California. He spoke at the state bar association conhere He appeared with hotiee Republican leader Charles A. Halleck of Indiana. Rep. Ray Madden, D-. Ind., and Sen - James A - Murray. D- M° nt - Tin foursome was billed for a panel discussion of “states rights vgjtderal control” this afternoon and of the Taft - Hartley labor retailor tonight. ' In a statement prepared for del|«y at the first sesion, Taft said the country had lived for 160 years under dual soverneignty with control divided between the state ■ and federal governments. |HBhe new deal tried to get rid ■ of Hates’ rights as far as it could ■ and concentrate all power in Wash- ■ iagtr he said. “In my view the issue today is that of a free K people against the totalitarian state. IKift asserted that federal offiregarded themselves as expert. and believed that the people were “too damned dumb” to understand. Hence federal action is detemi ned he said, by “propaganda and by theory" rather than by the votee of the citizens. Halleck told the convention that the federal government should not engage in any activity which was not of national concern and which the states were functionally capable of handling. Madden said states rights were ,g gone ally recognized but charged I that the issue was sometimes used “B by politicans and political parties W to promote their own interests. He K insisted that the states and the government have demontheir ability to work in har- | many. B Kin too many instances, special ■ Wileged groups are the first to ■ Btest the encroachment on state when federal cooperation ■ might be necessary to release the ■ fltizens of the various states from or aid in an emer- ■ Acy,” Madden said. ■ ■' a «- "ho can hope for no more 1 A ll second choice support from * wlifornia Republicans, conferred ■■fterday with Gov. Earl Warren, gEBm has first claim on CalifornRepublican contention vote. ! MThe Ohion’s tour will carry him I | (Turn To Page 5. Column 8) ■ O Service jßisrupted Today S light and power circuits in S He city were down for nearly half * lollr td ’ s morning while workBK 8 at tke city plant made repairs KB a breaker. H ■Most of the west section of the jESty was without lights and power g the interruption and the gH* 1 " 6 **Bl>t at Monroe and Second ■ B reets was not working, creating • Seattle problem for city police. k£ ° — g ” oc kwell Funeral Afternoon ■ Funeral services will be held at IB pm ' Saturday at the Thoma ■ti * n B ' ußton for James GarIW e a Rockwel1 ' 64 , Who died Wednesday night at the home of a liK I,pr ' Mrs - Doris Resh ’ six miieß ■a r h and six miles east of BluffMT n ’ Burial will be in Fairview |Kemetery at Bluffton. ''j deceased was formerly emEin oo tke enei 'al Electric plant I ian.m CUy Snrvivor ß include three RE „ erß, Mrs - Resh, Mrs. James |B t eaoott and Mrs. Robert Elliott, IK , 01 Fort Wayne; two sons, |KL of Bluffton and Merl of EhorJ ayne: a eister ' Mrs. S. IK B ° f Fori and I, n grandchildren. WEATHER | I ni„u? tly . Cloudy and cooler tof I aho-' Wlth ’ f,,w scattered I I ea « Potion late toj I urdiy. C,ear,n » and cooler Sat-

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

New Pastor ZB The Rev. Ralph A. Carter, above, is the new' pastor of the Decatur Church of the Nazarene, coming to this city recently as successor to the Rev. J. T. Trueax, who was transferred to Anderson. Rotarians, Ladies Lawn Party Guests Ex-Senator Willis Speaker Thursday Decatur Rotarians and their wives and sweethearts were guests of Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Bell at a lawn party an/, dinner at the Bell country home east of Decatur last night. The group, totalling more than 80 men and women, heard an inspiring and optimistic address by former United States Senator Raymond E. Willis, Angola newspaper publisher who related experiences of a recent visit to Germany. Senator Willis is not only sold on America and the American form of government but he claims in no uncertain terms that “northern Indiana is the garden spot of the world.” Senator Willis, who also is a former governor of Indiana Rotary, centered his address around optimism and faith in our form of government. He urged all people to take an active part in government and he paid a tribute to the United States senate as the last great group of men who could give free expression to.their thoughts, unshackled by dictators. The speaker was introduced by Will Barr, Bluffton, also a former district governor of Rotary. Lawrence Templin, president of the Bluffton Rotary club, also was a guest. Mr. Bell opened the program following the dinner and welcomed |hjs guests before turning the program over to club president William Feller. Rev. and Mrs. Feller flew to Decatur from Cleveland, where they were attending a church meeting, and arrived at the Bell home just as the dinner started. Mrs. Feller, accompanied by Mrs. L. A. Holthouse, sang two songs following the dinner. The spacious lawn at the Bell home was the setting for the event, which will be recorded as one of the highlights in 30 years of Rotary in Decatur. Small tables were arranged around the lawn, with a huge outdoor fireplace as the background. The dinner, which was prepared by Miss Verena Niblick of this city, assisted by Mrs. Bell and a committee of Rotaryanns, included an opening fresh garden vegetable salad and melon course, cafetera style. After the guests were seated, (Turn To Page 2. Column 4) O Local Man's Sister Is Taken By Death Jones Funeral Rites Saturday Afternoon Funeral services will be held Saturday, afternoon for Mrs. Tula Jones, 54, a native of Adams county who died Thursday at the Fort Wayne Methodist hospital, following an illnees of three days. Mrs. Jones had resided in Fort Wayne for the past 25 years, after leaving this county. Surviving are the husband, Ira and a brother, Harry Poling of Decatur. She was a member of the Pleasant Hill Methodist church. The services will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Mungovan & Sons mortuary and burial will be in the Decatur cemetery. The body may at the funeral home until ®Kme for the services.

Shie Away From Any Revival Os Food Controls Voluntary Rationing May Be Necessary To Send Aid To Europe Washington, Sept. 12. —(UP) — Government officials today shied away from proposals to revive compulsory food controls. But they indicated that voluntary rationing may be necessary if Europe is to get substantial supplies of food this winter. In the face of shrinking United States food production prospects. President Truman’s advisers at the state, agriculture and commerce departments were desperately exploring ways to assure a high level of exports without upsetting the domestic economy. Chester Davis, member of a special government committee on foreign aid, bluntly put into words yesterday the alternatives that officials have discussed privately for some weeks. This nation, he said, soon must choose between voluntary reduction of meat consumption or re-instatement of government controls. Europe already has been warned that U. S. grain shipments will be reduced below last year in view of a 750,000,000-bushel drop in American grain production. Agriculture department officials said it would be a “conservative” estimate that exports would be reduced 10 percent. They said the drop might be more than 20 percent in the absence of price or allocation restrictions in this country. Few officials, however, consider any broad renewal of wartime controls either practical or possible. Secretary of commerce W. Averell Harriman said rationing probably could not be reinstated in time to help Europe this year. Other government spokesmen pointed out that neither congress nor the public is likely to be receptive to renewal of drastic restrictions. On Capitol Hill, Sen. Scott Lucas, D., 111., said he did not favor a return to general price controls but that some sort of regulation was indicated on grains. One alternative to compulsory controls would be so-called voluntary rationing—appeals to the public to conserve food and go easy in buying scarce commodities, and to farmers to use less grain for feed. But officials are doubtful as to the effectiveness of a voluntary program. The public, they said, is still hungry for meat and has the money to buy it. As for urging farmers to cutback livestock feeding, they said: “With eggs a dollar a dozen and butter and beef a dollar a pound, what would you do with your grain if you were a farmer?” One of the most alarming prospects of the tightening food situation to officials here is the steadily (Turn To Page 6. Column 7)

Green Seeks To End Hollywood Dispute Seeking To Settle 11-Month Dispute Chicago, Sept. 12 —(UP) — AFL president William Green stepped into HollywoodTß union jurisdictional squabble today and attemped to settle the 11-month dispute by bringing all concerned into conference. Green hoped that representatives of major movie studios and five motion picture unions would come here tomorrow for a meeting with the American fereration of labor executive board. He sent invitations yesterday to producers and unions and admitted that the impetus for the meeting came from studio executives. The unions, he said, are probably “in a better frame of mind now” than when the trouble began. He attributed the smoothened feelings to the time elapsed and not to the threat of penalties under the Taft-Hartley law. He said it was hie understanding the law did not provide for penalties for iuricdictional disputes. As the AFL executive board ended its quarterly meeting. Green was pessimistic about, chances of an immedite merger of the CIO and the AFL. He claimed the merger was needed immediately, if the la(Turn To Page 7, Column 7)

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Friday, September 12, 1947

Repeats Vows —Kills Wife

Br'w' •.Si. « F CHARLES GEISLER, 23, (left) Denver University student and former GI, sits in Denver police headquarters after allegedly confessing to shooting his 17-year-old bride of 19 days, Gertrude Sue Geisler (right) in her home. Separated from his wife, Geisler said he fired five times into her body, slowly punctuating each word of his marriage vow, “ ’til death us do part” with a shot.

Adjustment Board In Annual Session 1948 Budget To Be Reviewed By Board BULLETIN The county tax adjustment board made only one recommendation before closing Its annual session this afternoon. They recommended a $1.25 poll tax levy In Berne be reduced to $1.24 to enable an even split in the tax for spring and fall payments. Ail other budgets were approved Individually, including those of the towns, libraries, townships, the city of Decatur and Adams county. John B. Stults was elected chairman of the board and Charles Burdg, vice chairman. The Adams county tax adjustment board convened this morning in the commissioners’ room of the county courthouse. The board will review the 1948 budget and is expected to complete its session before the close of the day. Members are Otto Hoffman, representing the county council; Charles Fuhrman, representing the trustees; Mayor John B. Stults, representing the city of Decatur; auditor Thurman I. Drew, who serves as clerk of the board and' the following men appointed by Judge Earl B. Adams: Floyd Myers, John B. Stoneburner, Charles Burdg and Brayton Pyle. o Several Cases Set For Court Action SIO,OOO Damage Suit Sept. 30 Several cases, including the jury trial of a SIO,OOO damage suit, have been set down on the docket of the Adams circuit court by Judge Earl B. Adams, the court calendar revealed today. The jury trial is a damage suit brought by Robert L Shoner against the Standard Oil company and Sidney Beauechamp, which was venued here from Allen county. Shoner. a post office mechanic, contends in the suit that he was badly injured when a guard rail on a Standard Oil truck broke as he was inspecting a shipment of gasoline and that he fell to the ground. The incident occurred at the post office garage on Baker street in Fort Wayne. Following is a list of the cases already set down: Sept. 13—Frantz vs. Frantz. Sept. 16 —Merriman vs. Merriman. Sept. 24 —Geiger vs. Myers. Sept. 26 —Geyer estate. Sept. 30 —Shoner vs. Standard Oil (jury). Oct. 7 —Case vs. Marshall. This afternoon Judge Adams was to hear the divorce case of Ella vs. Clyde Rhodes. In the divorce action of Richard against Donna Fairchild, Myles F. Parrish entered an appearance for the defendant and filed an application for a restraining order. The judge assigned the construction of the William I. Journay ditch to William T. Corwin, Jay county (Turn To Page 2. Column i)

Cooler Weather Is Forecast Saturday Cooler weather is promised for tonight and Saturday after a heavy rainfall which struck the city late Thursday. The city today was slowly drying out under cloudy skies from a rainfall of 1.66 inches reported by Herman Meyer, official precipitation observer. o Selections Are Made For 4-H Club Trip Choices Are Named From Each Township The Adams county 4-H executive committee met in the county extension office last evening, and made selections for the Farm Bureau 4-H club trip. One boy and one girl were picked from each township on the achievement basis. Alternates were selected in each case. Following are the results: Preble township—Gloria. Koeneman * apd Russel Kruetzman, Mary Ann Ewel and Richard Werling as alternates. Root —Carol Kirsch and Jim ■ Crosby, Thelma Daniels as alternate. Union—Evelyn Gerke and Wilmer Grote, Legora Markle and Herbert Marbach, alternates. St. Mary’s —Berpeice King and Bob Sprunger; alternates, Ruth Roebuck and Lester Backhaus. Washington — Waveland Lehman and Tom Miller; alternates, June Teeple and Jim Ahr. Kirkland—Alice Dick and Bill Arnold; alternates, Barbara By-1 erly and John Parrish. French — Beulah Bertsch and 1 Godfrey Bertsch; Elizabeth Bertsch and Jerome Rauch, alternates. Monroe — £oleen Wagner and Leonard Schwartz; Shirley Striker and Max Lehman, alternates. Blue Creek—Rose Raudenbush and Charles Ripley; alternates, Vivian Buchanan and Billy Sipe. Jefferson— Patsy Johnson and Paul Stolz; Floreine Luginbill and Melvin Wall, alternates. Wabash—Phyllis Riggin; Clara Baker, alternate. Hartford — Ruth Graham and Tom Wagley: Maxine Dubach and Jerry Augsburger, alternates. Selections were also made by the committee on the winner of the trip to the National Club Congress, Chicago given by Corvin Briner, Area Surge Milker dealer, to the dairy 4-H club members having the best achievement records. Evelyn Gerke of Union township was selected as the winner with Wavelene Lehman of Washington township as first alternate and BUI Arnold of Kirkland, as second alternate. o Three Are Held In 1944 Death Probe Bloomington, Ind., Sept. 12 — (UP — Three men were held today in a renewed Investigation of a three-year-old slaying. Monroe county prosecutor Robert S. McCrea said he would ask a grand jury investigation of the slugging of Sherman A. Fisher in 1944. Fisher died months after was beaten, apparently with aB automobile crank. Sheriff Noble identified the men arreete™ as William Hamtm 40, his son. Roger, 21. and Ralp9 Griffin, 32, Bloomington stone workers.

Buyer Resistance Grows Across Nation Against Mounting Food Prices

Sen. Lucas Opposed To Special Session Democratic Whip Sees Politics Bar Washington, Sept. 12. —(UP) — Senate Democratic whip Scott W. Lucas said today he opposed a special session of congress this fall because members would forget about the two big jobs of foreign aid and domestic prices. “Much as I hate to say it, there is no way to keep a special session of congress from talking politics, hooey and bunk,” the Illinois senator said in an interview. “A special session would give too many people in the house and senate a chance to bring up their pet, sectional projects, forgetting the big issues.” For those reasons, Lucas said, he could not go along with the proposal of Sen. Francis J. Myers, D„ Pa., that congress be summoned back for a special session in November to consider the related subjects of aid to Europe and U. S. inflation. “If we could have a special session devoted only to domestic prices and foreign aid—without any red herrings or politics—it would be most worthwhile,” Lucas said. “Unfortunately, any such hope is a dream that is far short of reality. There could be no agreement readhed among Republican and Democratic leaders that any special session would be confined to the top problems of aid and prices. “That Is because the Republican leadership already has passed the ball to President Truman. They have said that there is no need for a special session so far as they can see. and that it is up to the White House to call one if such is required.” Despite his coolness toward a special session, Lucas emphasized that "we can’t continue to cope with high prices and wages in this country without facing the serious danger of the total collapse of our economy.” , lS,bme’times,’ , he added, “the answer is more production, as in the case of steel. But often it lies in products that can’t be pushed harder. In that connection, I am thinking of the grains—corn and wheat —whose production cannot be iaereased right now by pushing another factory button.” Lucas said farmers with whom (Turn To Pag-o 2. Column 7)

Heart Attack Fatal To Curt Fritzinger Funeral Services Sunday Afternoon Curtis N. Fritzinger, 58, prominent Root township resident, died suddenly of a heart attack at 6:30 o’clock Thursday evening while sitting in the yard of his home, four miles north of Decatur. Although in failing health for several years, death was unexpected. A well known farmer and carpenter. he had worked in Decatur all day Thursday. He was born in Carbon county, Pa.. April 12, 1889, but had lived in Adams county since 1893. He was married to Miss Vera Hammond Nov. 28, 1911. Mr. Fritzinger ,was a member of the Zion Evangelical and Reformed church. Surviving are his wife, his mother, who lives in Decatur; two daughters, Mrs. Helen Sauer and Mrs. Virginia Bertsch, both of Decatur; three sons, Robert and William Fritzinger, both of Root township, and Arthur, at home; one brother, Charles O. Fritzinger of Royal Oak. Mich., and three grandchildren. One brother and one sister are deceased. Funeral services will be held at 2 Pg, m. Sunday at the Zion Evangelical and Reformed church, the Rev. William C. Feller officiating. Burial will be in the Decatur cemetery. Friends may call at the Zwick funeral home at 7:30 o’clock this evening until time of the services.

U. S. Willing To Compromise On UN Veto Report U. S. Now Ready To Consider Some Concessions Lake Success, N. Y., Sept. 12 — (UP) —Reliable quarters reported today that American policy makers now were willing to “corisideif” fundamental concessions to the small nations on the controversial great power veto in the United Nations security council. The new American aStjtuiV was said to be tentative and subject to modifications in com' ing weeks. It represents an im-< portant break in the solid front which Russia and the United States have maintained against all attempts to tamper with the big five voting privilege. Persons familiar with the state department’s present view of the matter said the United State* now appeared "willing to consider” how the veto might be eliminated so far as the "peaceful settlements” activities of the security council are concerned. The veto would, in the U. S. view, still apply in its entirety ■to all actions under the punitive chapter of the charter —the one providing for economic sanctions and the use of force against aggressors, the United States always has insisted on this protection against the day when it might be outvoted consistently, as Russia is today. The willingness to discuss veto change, these persons added, conceivably could go as far as American support for formation of some committee or commission, or even a full 55-nation conference, to consider ways ot effecting the changes. The calling of such a conference could not be vetoed. Such a stand, it was pointed out, would commit this country to talkirig about a change in the veto power but not to any actual amendments of the charter. If the veto were eliminated from tl|e. peaceful seltlemenfs section of the charter, the council activities which have drawn most of Russia’s 18 vetoes and France’s two would be moved out of veto rangqi The Balkans trouble-shooting commision vetoed repeatedly, by» Russia, or the Indonesian /nvey expedition vetoed recen/y by France would not be subject to the veto. Also a ’single big power "no" would wy be sufficient to black(Tu>/ To Pae-p 5. Column 7)

Officers Elected By Church Os God Annual Business Meeting Is Held The Church of God elected officers for the coming year in the various departments of the church and Sunday school at the annual congregational business meeting Wednesday night. Space for four new Sunday school class rooms has been added and two more class rooms will be available when the main sanctuary is enlarged in the near future. A full Basement has been completed and the foundation for the church addition has been finished. The heating system has been completely revamped and a new stoker installed. Following are the officers chosen for the year: Trustees —C. W. Strickler, chairman: Floyd Mitchel, John Chilcote, Gilbert Strickler. M. P Irvin and the Rev. Dwight R. McCurdy. Finance board —Robert Strickler. Emery Hawkins, Kenneth Mitchel. Treasurer —Kenneth Mitchel. Secretary of church—Edith Mattox. Vice chairman of business meetTo i’M« 4). • • •

Price Four Cents

Hogs, Wheat, Corn Drop Slightly From Record Levels As Resistance Shows By United Press Hogs, wheat and corn dropped slightly today from their record price levels at Chicago as scattered buyer resistance developed across the nation. Grains continued yesterday’s downward trend at the opening of trading on the Chicago board of trade, but after the first hour | they started moving upward again. Some of the early decline was attributed to increased margin requirements announced by the board yesterday. Hogs, which set an all-time high of $30.50 per hundred pounds at Chicago’s huge union stockyards yesterday, opened 25 to 50 cents lower today. At Essex, Conn., Chester Bowles, former head of OPA, predicted that public resentment would force high prices into line, as it did after World War 1. “It is high time that the elfrent average American faf|iil}' which has suffered so drastically from inflationary prices in last 15 months rose up on its hind legs and said ’we’ve had enough’,” Bowles said. At Perry, N. Y„ village trustee Paul Neff, proprietor of the village meat market, advertised in the local newspaper that he would accept new radios, refrigerators. automobiles or pianos “as down payment on one pound of meat.” He said so far he was offered ati old gtatnaphone as part payment on a pork chop. Housewives, alarmed at the steady rise in prices, determined to quit talking about high prices and do something about them Labor unions in many parts of the country got behind the housewives. The idea of forcing prices jown caught on rapidly. The buyer resistance developed along two lines —one old, the other new. The first was an old method: tighten the belt and refuse to buy anymore than absolutely necessary. Individual housewives boomed this method with chain phone calls, urging neighbors to tie up their pursestrings. The secund method was new. It was the formation of cooperatives by buyers, usually sponsored by unions. Their plan aimed at eliminating middle-man profits. They bought in bulk, and sold food at cost. One way or the other, the average man appeared determined to halt runaway prices that spiralled up. up. and up. Union officials in Detroit started the cooperative movement. But an official of the St. Louis consumer federation sounded the keynote. “When consumers tried buyers’ strikes against meat, butter and milk they seemed to be ineffective," he said. “They did not prevent an increase in those prices when ceilings were lifted. Cooperative buying rather than a buyer's strike probably is the best hope for pulling high prices down." A CIO United Auto Workers local represenlting 16,000 workers at the Briggs Manufacturing company at Detroit authorized the expenditure of SIO,OOO to open a grocery store in the union halt: Groceries w-ill be sold at cost by union officers. They will serve as grocery clerks without pay. Mrs. Nellie Strong in Springfield, 0., took up the housewive’s resistance movement. She called other housewives selected at random from a phone hook. She asked them to buy only essentials and ask others to do the (Turn To Page 8, Column 5) ; o —— Terminal Leave Bjnd Cashing Decreasing Washington, Sept. 12 —(UP) — The treasury reported today that World War II veterans have cashed $642,000,000 worth of terminal leave bonds since Sept. 2, and added that daily redemptions now are declining. ® Redemptions last Wednesday, for which figures were available, totaled slightly more than $57,000,000. That compares with $88,000,000 on Tuesday.