Indianapolis Times, Volume 38, Number 185, Indianapolis, Marion County, 9 November 1926 — Page 6
PAGE 6
'Phe Indianapolis Times ROT W. HOWARD, President. BOYD GURLEY, Editor. , ' WM. A. MAYBOBN, Bus. Mgr. Member of the Scrippa-Howard Newspaper Alliance • • Client of United Tress and the NBA Service • * * Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations.. Published dally except Sunday by IndiaunpolW Times Publishing Cos., 214-220 W. Maryland St., Indianapolis • • • Subscription Rates: Indianapolis—Ten Cents a Week. Elsewhere —Twelve Cents a Week • • • PHONE—MA In 8500.
No law shall be passed restraining the free interchange of thought and opinion, or re stricting the right to speak, write, or print freely, on any subject whatever.—Constitution oJ Indiana.
MOST INTERESTING Certainly members of the Legislature, who will soon meet, must be Interested in the rather Remarkable happenings before the grand jury. The jury itself will of course determine what crimes have been committed and who committed them if it is able to discover the necessary legal evidence. Most of its evidence and its conduct is secret under the lav/, but the public has had two glimpses of what is going on that may furnish the basis for legitimate comment. The first was the campaign speech made by Attorney General Gilllom at Vincennes when he declared, after state-wide advertisement as being in the secrets of the grand jury and therefore more than usually interesting, that the convict, Stephenson, had tried’ to blackmail his way to freedom. That definitely made the charge that the notorious political leader who had charged that he was being kept from appealing his case in order that political secrets which he held would die with him behind prison walls, had attempted to force his way to liberty by disclosures. jThe curtains were drawn for aT'hioment in the open court room when the witness, Julian, former business associate of Stephenson, cried out to. the judge that to force him to answer the simple question of whether he had been given two boxes, presumed to contain Stephenson documents, would be to incriminate himself. The judge thought otherwise, at least for the present, and later it is disclosed that he did testify that he had such boxes, but that to tell where they are at present might bring him into the danger of the law. His lawyer, ready at hand, suggests that there is danger ahead of his client being robbed of his constitutional rights if he is forced to tell what he did with these boxes. It is very important that citizens be protected in their constitutional rights, one of which is that no one may be forced to give evidence against himBelf. Age old tyrannies lie in that direction. It is not justification that this particular citizen disappeared for four weeks when the jury wished to interrogate him concerning these documents. But the State Legislature may well make 6ome investigations in which the rules of evidence are not so rigid and in which the truth about fitness to hold public office, not evidence of positive crime, may be the object. In such an inquiry these circumstances might be illuminatinfi as they must be to the public. The conduct of Julian then might be given its proper perspective as would the open charge of Gilliom. It would show that Julian had no difficulty in obtaining an audience with Stephenson at a time when every other citizen of the State, including six State Senators, were refused admittance. It would show that he disappeared immediately after that conference and for nearly four weeks remaimed away from those who hunted him and did not notify even his wife of his whereabouts. It would show that he had at one time boxes given him by Stephenson, of a character whfch he himself believes might incriminate him for having them in his possession. It would show that someone, somewhere, is mightily interested in preventing those boxes from being found. It would indicate, at least, that the convict had some weapon when he tried to blackmali his way to liberty, if he did make such an effort, as charged by Mr. Gilliom. These things should interest the Legislature, just as should the widely heralded charge that Stephenson is now being kept in solitary confinement, and has been in such a state since he' was brought before the grand jury to testify. The Legislature ought to be interested in that charge, for such a punishment is reserved for the most obstreperous and uncontrollable and is permissible only for breaking the rules of the prison. No court in this country has the power to sentence men to this form of brutality, under which the strongest may break mentally in a few weeks and which means death If long inflicted. There are many things in this matter which are subjects for other bodies than those of grand juries, and alert members of the Lfegislature should be reminded that the public will expect them to exercise all their rights and powers in cleaning up Indiana.
WHEN NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE FAILURE You’ve seen those farce comedies where, starting off with some slight complication, the hero, to •xtricate himself, gets in deeper and deeper until, for the life of you, you can't see how he’ll ever pull out. Now Premier Mussolini of Italy is no farcecomedy hero. And there is nothing either farcical or comical about the drama now unfolding so thrillingly on the Kalian stage. Nevertheless every day seems to complicate the situation still further for the dictator and for Italy until the crowd in the gallery are holding on to their seats wondering what will happen next. The bombs and bullets of would-be assassins are not the only danger Mussolini faces today. There is another, altogether different, but every bit as serious, so far as his political life is concerned, in an entirely new direction —namely what is happening as a result of the rise of the/llr<i. There is such a thing as being too successful. When the lira slumped with the French franc and some other European currencies, it brought good luck to Italian industry. You could buy a whole lot more for your dollar —say 30 lire —than you could for your dollar when it was five lire. So business in Italy flourished accordingly. Her foreign trade boomed magnificently just as foreign trade always does when the exchange favors the buyer. The failure, so to speak, of Italy’s money spelled successs for Italian commerce. But inflation is like a long and happy jag. It may be great while it lasts but, oh, what a headache after! And there must be a sobering-up sometime, else the D. T.’s. Russia, Germany and several other old world countries bad economic D. T.’s as a result of Inflation following the war, and one of Doctor Mussolini’s job®'was to keep Italy from, having them,
too—to check inflation and get the lira back on a sound basis before too late. This the dictator has done, at least partially. But the cure is not yet complete and is becoming terribly painful to the patient. The lira is now worth between four and five cents, whereas a couple of months ago it was down almost to three. Complications are setting in. Business is complaining. Folks are not buying so much nowadays. If you buy Italian products today with your dollars, jiuite obviously you have to pay at least 25 per cent more for them than formerly, because your dollar now purchases 25 per cent less Italian money. * Quite naturally, therefore, orders are falling off. Italy’s foreign trade rivals have the advantage. Very often they are enabled to undersell her. Industry is slowing down. There have been some rather alarming business failures- There Is almost bound to he unemployment. And a lot of people—big business men as well as the laboring classes—will suffer if this sort of thing keeps up. What to do? Will Mussolini keep hammering at the lira? Will he keep up the cure? Will he be strong enough to hurt the big fellows as well as the small ones and take the gaff? Above all, will he be able to get away with it —this on top of all his other troubles? If he is then he’s every inch the wizard his partisans say he is, and then some. , LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION Do you remember the "man that corrupted Hadleyburg.” Now comes, in real life, a counterpart of Mark Twain's famous fiction charactery The man that corrupted Hadleyburg laid a trap to catch the smug and sanctimonious citizens of a town which long had preened itself on its virtue. • Nineteen symbols of incorruptibility fell, and great was the fall thereof. The lure of lucre was too much for the negative type of purity that had been nurtured for three generations by a process of avoiding temptation. When temptation was foisted on the community, Hadleyburg caved in. * * * The same sardonic humor that characterized Mark Twain’s sfory is brought to bear in the will, just probated, of Charles Vance Millar, millionaire Toronto sport/man. The will revealed that Millar left to the heads •of the reform bureau who had been most active against racing, large quantities of stock: in the Ontario Jockey Club, with the proviso that the reformers accept the shares for a specified number of years and draw the dividends. Another block of stock, amounting to $750,000 and representing the Millar holdings In a brewery, was left to seven Methodist ministers who had been most active in the prohibition movement—with the stipulation that the ministers, in order to benefit, must not only receive 'he dividends, but also must participate in the affairs and operation of the brewery. ✓ * * * Mark Twain’s moral was a reversal of the old Biblical admonition—“ Lead us not into temptation.” Virtue untested is no virtue at all, he said—and the real trial comes when one is called upon to practice what he preaches. Such a test is now presented in Toronto. And it will be interesting to see whether virtue will or will not go the same route in Ontario that it went In Hadleyburg.
THE HALL-MILLS MURDER CASE ■ By N. D. Cochran—— ■ ■ What are we really interested in when we read our newspapers? Take the Hall-Mills case for illustration. A double murder was committed —a preacher and a choir singer. Os course the correspondents said she was pretty. She may have been pretty or homely. But the story is better if she is made beautiful. Practically every girl who gets her picture on the society page is advertised as beautiful. Much of the time it’s bunk, and she isn’t beautiful at all. In this case Hall was what we cast a fashionable preacher—whatever this is. But he was pastor of an episcopal church: and that’s about as fashionable as you find ’em among preachers. They must be poor, and in poor churches, not to be fashionable. Besides, he had married into a rich family. His wife was older than he was, had money, family, and all the rest of it. They just grabbed the preacher off and took him into the family. The trouble with him was that he was fairly healthy and even more human. Religious enough, of course—so far as It appears necessary for preachers in fashionable churches to be. But still human. Anyhow he fell in love with the sexton’s wife and fell from grace. Somebody killed both of them. This happened four years ago. At the time offldSals clothed with authority of the law were not very hungry for vengeance. There wasn’t much of an Investigation. There was no man-hunt or woman-hunt for the murderer. Things calmed down in New Jersey. People got interested in other things. Then a New York newspaper, after an investigation of Its own, started the first real search for the murderers of Rev. Hall and Mrs. Mills. The story In all its known details was told and retold over and over again. There were indictments and now we have the trial. • The murder was committed long enough ago to have grown cold. < So the blood lust has cooled off. There appears to be no loud cry for vengeance. Nobody mourns for the murdered preacher. His family shows no eagerness to discover and punish whoever was guilty. Nobody appears to think that either family Involved needs sympathy. In other words whatever horror there was at the time of the murder seems to have died out long ago. Interest in the mystery, however, has been revived. It is an unsolved mystery story. Without caring much about the victims of the double murder, people are curious to know who committed it and how. They want to see the mystery solved, and without much if any concern what punishment may be inflicted on the guilty. What we think of murder depends a whole lot on what we think of the victim. Sometimes we are shocked and even outraged, particularly if we know and care for the victim. At other times there may be a temporary shock, but with it a feeling, unexpressed, of satisfaction. Many a man who wouldn’t commit murder himself couldn’t work tip an honest indignation If somebody else murdered somebody he hated. The crime of murder always has been intensely interesting to human beings. It always will be. The play of the various human emotions —love, hate, jealousy, a deep sense of wrong, cupidity, ambition, pride —is capable of such an infinite variety of combinations that people will be interested in murder stories, either fact or fiction, until the last toot of Gabriel’s horn. It is the unusual combination of emotions and the variety of personalities involved in the Hall-Mills murder atory that gives it its human Interest.
THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES
Movie Version of ‘Ben-Hur’ Catches Beautiful - Spiritual Theme of One of the Most Loved Stories
By Walter D. Hickman ' .. I Mother’s way of telling me the story of the Christ when 1 was a wee youngster was masterful. At her knee, I received my introduction to the greatest fact in the world’s history. She was so graphic and plain that she made a mental movie out of the story of the Christ.
More than thirty-five years after she told me that story, I sat in an audience which nearly taxed the capacity of a theater and I saw a movie* version Pf’ the same great
story. I saw men and women of today weep quietly at certain chapters of the story unfolded as enter tainment. I saw a magnificent audience rise to the theater at the moment when the chariots drawn by horses went flying around the course. I heard that audience applaud the Victor and gasp when Messala in the race “bit the
Ramon Novarro
dust,” while his horses piled up a total loss. And X saw that same audience become as hushed as a silent pipe organ in a great church during prayer as the picture indicated the journey of the Christ to the cross. I am telbng you about the movie version of "Ben-Hur” as being presented at English's all this week. I want you to remember the banner under which it is presented— Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Also the director —Fred Niblo. You know that the novel from which the photoplay was made was written by General Lew Wallace. x I am not going into the history and the adventure at this time in the gigantic task of actually making this picture. I am concerned only with the finished product. “Ben-Hur,” movie version, is the benediction of the hour in the theater. It is as beautiful as its theme. ,_At times it becomes a symphony grand of the moving spirit of Christianity. It is the most satisfactory combination of theater and a great spiritual fact that I have ever encountered in the world. "Ben-Hur” is theater and has been for years. The movie version with the beauty employed by the directmin the art of making movies, becomes both a symphony of beauty as well as gigantic theater. We come into the world at least with the promise of hearing the story of tl)e Christ. That is the gift of Christianity. And yet it is a most dangerous experience to put into a theater this God £!ven theme and place a certain price on the seats. And yet, I am sure after hours of reflection that “Ben-Hur” as a movie will become a universal pulpit. The director has most wisely "indicated” the Christ. The hands indicate the King.. This was a masterful stroke and perfect photography and direction obtain the results of a complete understanding of what the author intends to convey. The word masterful is rightly applied when entertainment captures the spiritual beauty of the world’s sweetest story, and with good taste, sincerity of purpose, unoffensive showmanship and a fine regard to the purpose of the author render a product which is the highest type of entertainment. I have seen “Bep-Hur” upon the stage but the movie version is centuries a head of the stage version. Most of us have spen the stage version of “Ben-Hur” and we rightly may compare the two products. The movie is absolutely unlimited. The movie director catches the glory of the heavens when the Christ child is born. Art photography has been used to capture the hymn of faith and hope which was given to the world that night. Again the beauty of the camera is used to show the Wise Men making their journey to the scene of the birth of the Christ. Art. beautiful and sympathetic art, shows the Christ at supper with his disciples. Perfectly indicated just as a great painter once painted this fact of history. And then when the story is told
A Red Head
<* Wjm
The first, question is easy. The others require more thought. Correct answers to these questions appear on page 16: Who is the football player shown in the accompanying picture? 2 Where is radio station WBTSM? 3 Who is football coach at Stanford University? 4 Who was Edvard Grieg? Ef —Who is king of Roumania? 6 When it's 12 o’clock noon in New York, what time is it in Paris? 7ln city is the Univers'ty of Missouri? 8— How many balls are used in a game of billiards? 9 What is the popular name for students of the United States Naval Academy? 10—Did the Allies or the Central Powers have the great number of casualties during the World War? /
Very Irish
Robert Reilly
Among the pleasant and successful acts at the Lyric this week is the offering of Robert Reilly and his “Kilkenny Queens.” and the Christ has made His final journey on foot to the cross—then we have the most terrific flash the screen has ever witnessed —the bleeding footprints of the Christ to his “death.” Now let us consider the medium of expressing this story. First the cast. It is as follows: Beii-Hur Ramon Novarro Messala Francis X Bushman Esther May MeAvo.y Mary Betty Bronson Prioress of Hur Claire McDowell Tirzah Kathleen Key Iras Carmel My-rs Simonides Nice! de Brulier Sheik Ilderim Mitchell Lewis Sanballat . . Leo White Arrius Frank Currier Balthasar Charles B-leher Madonna Betty Bronson Amrah Dale Fuller Joseph Winter Hall There are several outstanding performances in "Ben-Hur.” 1. The sympathetic understanding of Ramon Novarro as Ben-Hur. He seems to symbolize the spirit of his race and family. He comes mighty near being the ideal Hur, the youth who, by suffering the torments of hell in a Roman galley in the living death hole of a ship, played the game until he learned the message of the Christ. ?. Francis X. Bushman as Messala, who at first was loved by Hur, and on becoming a Roman reminded the Prince of Hur of his race. It is Bushman and Novarro who ride hub to hub in the most exciting adventure the screen has ever produced —the chariot race. Perfect photography, the weird and tricky handling of the eyes of many cameras, the haunting appeal of the orchestra, all go to make one of the greatest scenes the screen has ever reflected. 3. Claire McDowell as the Princess of Hur and the mother of Hur. In the “unclean” scenes, it is this woman, after the climax, the chariot race, who actually puts the big dramatic touches to the last part of the photoplay. She has the aid of May McAvoy and Betty Bronson. 4. Tire dramatic conception of the role of Simonides hy Nigel de Brulier. Here is real dramatic acting. 5. Carmel Myers as Iras, a vamp who was so dangerous that even a sheik welcomed her as the companion of his guests at his wild parties. Here is vamping with very few beads on. The entire cast fits magnificently into the spirit and purpose of the story. There are many big scenes in “Ben-Hur,” but the two most spectacular are those devoted to the chariot rac& and the fight of a Roman fleet with the pirates. These two scenes are unsurpassed in the history of the screen. "Ben-Hur” always will remain as one of the finest achievements of the screen. Its theme is lofty. It is spiritual. It is thrilling theater. It tells of the world’s sweetest and sadest story. It thrills as no other picture has eve# thrilled. “Ben-Hur” is the screen's gift to the best possible entertainment before the public today. “Ben-Hur” remains on view till this week, a matinee and a night performance daily, at English’s. -I- -I- -IBULK ENTERTAINMENT IS OFFERED AT KEITH'S
Bulk vaudeville entertainment is being served at Keith’s this week where ten acts of vaudeville is being offered. On hill of such length it is natural to expect that some acts are very good and some are far from being
even fair. I am going to award the first “prize” (my best judgment) to A. C. Astor, an English ventriloquist, who uses the best bass voice I have ever heard in a “dummy.” His artistry is so sustained, rounded out and full in tonal value that the soused chauffeur who wrecked his bosses automobile in a secret joy ride, is as complete a characterization as if played
\ , *
Dare
hy a living actor. Astor uses full stage and a special set. This isij’t necessary, but it does give vasrtness and atmosphere to his offering. Probably nobody will challenge his deseTved* claim to being a "remarkable English ventriloquist.” I have never seen anyone who can surpass ltom. The second winner is Cgjdini, a manipulator of cards, balls and* pieces of silk. He has the trick of very near letting you in on the trick only to give a flash of the hand, completely unsetting your Idea of how the trick was done. Here Is ons man who does not attempt to
Stage Verdict PALACE —The Syncopation Show lives up to it’s name the first half and contains much in the way of melody, syncopation and fun. LYRlC—Frank McConville again proves what personality of the right kind and good showmanship may accomplish. MURAT—“Abie’s Irish Rose” is still “Abie’s Irish Rose.” ENGLISH'S “Ben - Hur,” one of the greatest pictures of all time. KEITH'S —A. C. Astor, ven triloquist, makes the biggest impression a this bill.
use silly .comedy to put over his magic, he doesn’t need it. Here is ,rclever artist. One of the real hits on the bill. The third honor goes to the five musicians, a string quartet and piano, wit h La Torriecella, a Spanish dancer. The musicians are artist of the concert stage, that is you would expect to see and hear them on the concert stage. Beautiful ensemble playing. La Torriceilu goes in for a lot of alleged emotional emoting during her dances. She looks bke a wreck after her Apache dance. Oh, why do they insist on doing this worn out attempt to put drammer into the dance. I take my dancing without so much emotion. I will give credit to this dancer for her toe work in the dying swan number, Beautifully done except the heavy lyeathing and over melodramatic touches at the end of the dance. Billy Shone and company have some smart and at times rather rapid conversation in "Lobby Follies.” Donahue and La Salle mix up acrobatics and a “souse” in their offering. Dare and Wahl are sdM to be the originators of the travesty upon acrobatic offerings. Miss Bobby Adams gets along pretty well until she sings that song about her livery stable beau. Oh. hum. Hyde- and Burrill present ”A Bit Different. “A trick violin is used in this act. The Meyakos, two girls and a boy probably should come under the head of winning acts. I will do that. They have a dainty and smart instrumental and dance routine. Yes, a very good act-.- Will rank with the winning acts on this bill. The first act that I saw is a trick bicycle act. Poor. Forget the name. At Keith's all week. -I- -|- -|. * • LOOKING OVER NEW EVENTS AT PALACE A variation from the usual is present on the Palace bill for the first half of the week in that the show is a unit company billed the “Syncopation Show," numbering about twelve separate acts in itself.
The show moves along somewhat similar to the revue type and yet each different number has it's own members, which gives the performance the rather novel effect of being both vaudeville and a revue at the same time. Larry Vincent, the fun maker of the show, had a hard time of it at the time of review I and when he tried
'
More nee Bayfield
out his regular line of stories nnd comedy the audience failed him completely, hut evidently with the determination to stay there until everyone was laughing he finally got everyone in a good humor and was set from then on. The dancing numbers of the show are best as interpreted by Zastro and White, two young men who have some fast and clever feet. They have several numbers, and do them all with skill. Florence Rayfield, in a most acceptable manner, carries the song numbers, and has many of them, she would sing one and then be called back for more. Klark and Jacobs are two men with guitars who make quite a hit with their hearers with the melodies they play. Their best offerings are the crooning songs of the so-called southern type. The Jac-Mac Orchestra, with ballads and syncopation, is pleasing to listen to and has a good ending in which the evolution of jazz is given by the orchestra with several members of the company interpreting the outstanding things of the different jazz periods. Included on the bill is a photoplay, "The Flame of the Y’ukon," with Seena Owen and a news reel. At the Palace the first half of the week. (By the Observer.) •I- -I- -IA FEW MORE WORDS ABOtT ABIE I have always contended that “Abie's Irish Rose" was good and great theater. Once heard a man say that he was different from the others, because
he had never seen “Abie” and had never read “Main Street.”* I know that he has passed up a mighty funny and wholesome experience in the theater. "Abie" is the pace setter for everything on Broadway as it is now in its fifth year. Last night at the Murat on its return trip to this city, “Abie” proved It drawingpower by getting a splendid
Philp Ijorri
audience. A rainy night and a boxing exhibition as well as “Ben-Hur." were stiff opposition, but "Abie” came out with flying colors. I am satisfied with the cast this time, because the actors do not go to the extreme as members of the first cast seen here. The characters
. Second Entry in Talent Hunt
■BgA||jßy? ** v
luimell Eugene Fclir
•Second entry in the Ardath Times talent hunt is a team -of dancers, Russel Eugene Fehr and Miss Georgia Conley, of 420 Harvard PI. and 1304 Olncy St., respectively. The team has appeared numerous times under the direction of Madame Louise Purcell /Powell, with whom they have studied for several years. Now they have arranged an act of their own and hope to break before the spotlight through the opportunity Fred Ardath, vaudeville star, now offers. The same opportunity that these young dancers are taking advantage of awaits any other person of talent and ability in Indianapolis or Indiana. Send your photo, name, address, phone number, age., previous stage experience, if any, and stage training you have received if any, to Fred Ardath, Palace Theater. If Fred Ardath sees sufficleVit talent to warrant a tryout on the Palace stage it will be granted you. Showing still greater ability and talent will gain for you a place In Ardath's productions or in productions designed for the vaudeville circuits. Fred Ardath and his Merry Wags open at the Palace next Sunday afternoon. He desires as many "finds” as possible before then. Remember this mav he,your opportunity. Send your application at or*ce.
appear more life like and possible. But the fun and the great laughs are just as frequent as before. The east is as follows: Isaac Cohen Harry Marks Stewart Mrs. 'saao Cohen Mildred Elliott Dr. Jaeob Samuels . . . Charles W. Guthrie ■ Solomon Levy Josenh Grernwald Abraham Levy (His Son). . Wm. A Dowell Rosemnrv Morphy Elsie Niehols I Patrick Murnhv Philip Lord I Father ’.Vhalc'M George Callahan | —Bridesmaids— Mioses Dorothy Ma'or. Katherine Drane, Thelma Machino. Laveme Sawyer Train Bearer Helen Osborn “Abie" remains on view all week at the Murat. •!• -I- lAN INTERESTING PERSONALITY AT LYRIC It has always been my contention that personality and showmanship j have a lot to do with t&e individual success of any person on the stage. I am more convinced than ever | after seeing Frank McConville. I 1 do not recall ever seeing him before
and I am sure I would recall him with ease because his first part of his act relies nearly upon personality to put it over. His strength of personality permits him to do the unusual and it is not long that the audience is willing to accept him although he is different. He makes ills final hid fer general appreciation when he gives his impression of Charlie Chaplin. It
Burns
is the best 1 have seen. This man lls an artists of individual worth. Robert Reilly and his Kilkenny ! Queens have an Irish, song and comedy skit, well flavored with romance, which is pleasant to sec and hear. The youngest member of the organization has a fine voice. This act has the necessary elements to make it popular entertainment. Act is nicely staged. The Yip, Yip, Yap Hangers is composed of ten former service men during the war. The comic of the organization gets his laughs with ease. The singing voices are good. This act has been seen in this city .before. Still a mighty pleasing bit of entertainment. Two female impersonators make up the team of Gibson and Fox. Rather extreme at times. Farrel Taylor trio has the services of two blackface comedians and a woman. The fun is often loud, but yet it is . good fun. The sketch, if it could | be called that, tells the story of n [fake medium. Burns and Churchill feature an old-fashioned waltz clog in their* dance routine. Bill includes the Four Hartinias. Movies make up the remainder of the bill. -|. .|. ,|. Other theaters today offer: “One Minute to Play,” at the Circle; “Private Izzy Murphy,” at the Colonial: “The Four Horsemen,” at the Apollo; "The Strong Man,” at the Uptown; “Atta Boy,” at the Ohio; burlesque, at the Mutual, and “No Man's Gold,” at the Isis. JI’ST A COUNTRY YOl TJf Johnny Arthur is seen as the rustic Country youth who outsmarts a city slicker in “The Humdinger,” new Educational-Tuxedo comedy, in which he is featured. The Educational comedian, who Is now playing a principal role in "The Butter and Egg Man,” an outstanding stage success in Los Angeles, is supported by Lucille Hutton, Anita Garvin and George Davis.
NOV. 9, 1926
Tracy: Mollycoddling of nals Blamed for Prison i Riot Epidemic.
By M. E. Tracy The Ohio prison break is but one of too many. Scarcely a week passes without convicts staging such a fracas in one or more of our penal institutions. List Thursday the Tombs was “shot up” with, four deaths and two casualties as the result. Three days later several desperadoes, whom the law had excused from harsher punishment on the ground that they were mentally defective, escaped from the Napanoch insane asylum. Now comes this most spectacular affray of them all at Columbus. •I- -I- + Becoming Too Common Organized Attempts to break jail are becoming too common for anyone to suppose that they cannot ho traced to certain widespread tendencies. The mollycoddle of the last twen-ty-five years is merely coming to tho surface. Thousands of young people have grown up with the idea that criminals wore good enough for mothers to weep over and fathers assist. Weak minds have been With the thought that no matter what they did, they could get away with it. Inefficiency of law enforcement has created two definite impressions. In the first placo it has given criminals good reason to doubt whether they could be caught: and in the second, It has filled them ' with the hopc> of being pardoned, or of shooting their way to freedom, if they were caught. + •!• •!• Criminal Fraternity With wholesale pardons, honof farms and a police force without power, or dependable records, our penal system has operated in such a way as to create a criminal fraternity. There is not a great center in this country but what is Infested with ex-convicts, who were let out or escaped before their time. They are not only ready to go on wit?! the game, but to assist others of their kind who may be in trouble. Red tape and shyster lawyers add to the confusion. Every State has its ring of pardon specialists, and every prison is surrounded gangs to throw gms over the wall, or smuggle them in. •I- + + In Pennsylvania
William B. Wilson, Democratic candidate for Senator, did not get a single vote in thirty Philadelphia precincts while William S. Vare, h| M Republican opponent, polled mol than 6,000. Even the "solid South” would find it difficult to duplicate that record, and Tammany couldn’t come within a milo of it. + -I- + Let G, 0, P, Do It Some Democrats think that ; though Vare and Smith should he unseated, it were just ns well to lot the Republicans take the lead. Their idea is that suen a course I would land the Republicans in a hole, and they explain it this way: As recently elected, tho Senate contains forty-eight Republicans, forty-seven Democrats, and ono farmer-laborite. With the farmerI laborite voting with them, tho Re- ' publicans would, have a majority of two, but only so long as Smith and Vare remained. The question of unseating Smith and Vare turns on the, willingness to give up their control of the Senate, so far as the Republicans arc concerned. Some Democrats think it would be . fine to wait and see what happens. ! -i- i- + Cotton Situation The cotton situation is a challenge to our intelligence. A million | farmers with their families and de- [ pendents are suffering simply and solely because Providence has been kind, because the wind and rain combined to produce an abundance while the worms laid off. Things have come to a pretty when farmers can not hope for )>rc|l perity except through a short and when an extra 10 or 14 per cent cuts the price to less than half. Cotton is an imperishable commodity. There is no reason why too j big a surplus can not be withdrawn I fro mthe market and held to make up the deflieiency of poor years that are hound to come, yet with all our boasted cleverness, we have no machinery with which to do this, i Only when a portion of the acreage i is ruined by hail, wind, drought of J boll* weevil can the cotton farmer hope for a reasonable price. So much cotton has never been raised hut that the world finds itself without a surplus every five years or so. The only thing needed to stabilize the price and steady markets Is to devise some njethod of holding the surplus of the good season until there is a lean one. Without such a method, the cron and the fate of those who raze it will remain at the mercy of ruthless and unwholesome speculation. ••I- •!• -IA Light Error Professor Albert A. Mlchelson has discovered that light travels thirtysix miles slower a second than was formerly thought. Considering that light travels more than 186.000 miles a second, this difference would seem of great Importance., | But the greater astronomical distances have been computed on the speed of light, and ’in figuring the distance of a star which is 1,000,000 light years away, thirty-six miles a second would make quite an error. At all events, astronomers are quite willing to concede that If Mlchelson Is correct, most of their problems will have to bs done over.