Indianapolis Times, Volume 38, Number 208, Indianapolis, Marion County, 6 December 1926 — Page 6

PAGE 6

The Indianapolis Times ROY W. HOWARD, President. BOYD GURLEY, Editor. WM. A. MAYBOBN, Bus. Mgr. Member of the Scripps-Howard Newspaper Alliance • * * Client of the United Press and the NEA Service * • * Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Published daily except Sunday by Indianapolis Times Publishing Cos., 214-220 W Maryland St., Indianapolis * * * subscription Rates: Indianapolis—Ten Cents a Week. Elsewhere—Twelve Cents a Week • • * PHONE—MA in 3500.

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 oi Indiana. \

"MERELY SUGGESTIVE The admonition by Judge Collins to the grand jury, urging a visit to the jail and other institutions as required by law and demanding a report by Dec. 22, suggests that perhaps there is room for some new organization which may take for its slogan, “more—and perhaps better grand juries.” As far as the public can see, the present one has done many things which has tended from time to time to reduce the population of Marion County and the State of Indiana. If we had more grand juries, perhaps we could get rid of more men who are too modest or retiring or scrupulous to do much good in building up a great community. It has boen eight weeks or more since this grand jury had its attention drawn to the fact that one D. C. Stephenson had said that he could, if he wished, prove many'crimes against those in high places. Just to keep the record straight, it may be well to recall that the grand jury was not instructed as to this particular probe until after The Times, for at least five days, had demanded that something be done and during this period every official voice was hushed and closed. j It may be w.ell to remember, under the stress of baste and urge at the present time, that no official of the State or of this county demanded any inquiry until after one Colonel Theodore Roosevelt had forced a hesitant and reluctant expression from the highest official in this State. There was not that instant and spontaneous urge of indignation which might have been expected. Since the court has become impatient, and demands speedy action, which is exactly what the people of the State desire, it is perhaps proper to recall the incidents of eight weeks of waiting. The public can not forget that during this inquiry many witnesses have fled from the State. The public remembers that the grand jury has been blocked at ever yturn, that those who are apparently attempting to stop the investigation have been able to enter the prison cell of Stephenson freely, while those who are trying to discover the truth have been blocked and hindered. The public cannot forget that at the present time one 6f the heads of a utility corporation is absent from this city and has been absent since the jury has desired to see and talk to him. The same thing happened when the jury wished to talk to the business partner of Stephenson, and he returned to cry aloud and in the open that to talk would incriminate himself. Perhaps the impatience of Judge Collins may be due to the fact that we have too few grand juries. The situation in this State may require many such bodies if all the trails and all the leads of graft and crime and corruption are followed. Perhaps there has been too much of this crime in high places in the pa|L|ew years for any one Jury to gather all the tangled threads of intrigue and conspiracy and corruption. Judge Collins is quite correct in believing that the people want action. But it would be rather unfortunate if his desire for haste should cause any- inquiry into graft to be side-tracked in favor of a hunt for bootleggers and petty criminals. Circumstances have convinced the public that very grave crimes have been committed. When witnesses run from the courts, when important men block investigations, when fear is written in high places and paulc prompts official actions, it is hardly the time to stop probing. If we have reached the point that suspected thieves and bootleggers are being deprived of their, rights, why not call a special grand jury to give them the speedy (rials to which they are entitled and permit this jury to dig as deep as it may into the history of graft in Indiana? j NEWS IS ONLY AS RELIABLE AS ITS SOURCE * The New York (morning) World, side by side with its editorial page mast-head declaring Itself a "member of the Associated Press,” had this to say Friday: “INSPIRED NEWS” “To the St. Louis Post-Dispatch we are indebted for the light upon the manner in which the state department 'egged the Associated Press into an anonymous attack ou Mexico, In preparation for the publication of Mr. Kellog's notes.” (The Post-Dispatch article, we understand, was published Sunday, Nov. 28. This newspaper first gave the origin of the Associated Press story of “The Specter of a Mexican-Fostered Bojfthevist Hegemony Intervening Between the United States and Panama Canal,” on Nov. 20.) “To the Baltimore Sun,” the World continues, “we are indebted for an apt ilescription of the dangers which tactics of this sort invite. Says the Sun: “ ‘lf the State Department proposes to attack Mexico, it should do so openly and hold itself accountable; if an individual prqss association or an individual newspaper proposes to attack Mexico, it should act individually on its information and hold itself accountable. To have the State department and the heads of press services conniving to put out weasel-worded attacks on Mexico based upon “moral certainties” is to invite distortion of public opinion, and to destroy that direct, precise responsibility which must be the ultimate safeguard of accuracy in information given the people.’ ” Then the World goes on: “There is no challenging the truth of these statements. There is no way of characterizing the efforts of a State Department official to inspire an anonymous attack upon a friendly nation for an ulterior purpose in which the State Department disavows responsibility, except as dishonorable. “This happened on Tuesday, Nov. 16, when Assistant Secretary Olds prevailed upon the Associated Press to flood the newspapers of this country with a mischievous, sensational and alto gether irresponsible story (for which Mr. Olds himself admitted privately that he had no proof) to the effect that Mexican bolshevism was reaching down through Nicaragua to threaten American defenses of the Panama canal. In this case the State Department was stooping to deception and intrigue; the Associated Press was permitting itself to be used as a semi-official news agency, with all of the loss ... a

of independence and Integrity which that policy involves. “Two things need looking into, badly. One is the method by which the State Department distributes its news; the other is the personnel of the State Department bureau of the Associated Press.” • • • The United Press, which serves this newspaper, needless to say, did not carry the Mexican “bolshevism" story, though its representative was present at the conference with Mr. Olds. Even If the State Department can get a news agency to lend itself to misleading propaganda, responsible officials of that department should realize the folly of such a procedure. The press associations are the necessary, even vital, link between the American Government and the American people, but the good thu3 accomplished will be much or little or none, according to just what reliance the public feels it is justified in placing in news from this source. A number of Senators, - including Senator Norris, Republican, of Nebraska, have intimated the question will bo given a further airing when Congress convenes next week. This, no doubt, will appeal to the general public as a very pious idea. - A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME—"The Farmers’ Federated Fertilizer Corporation.” C. Bascom Slemp, President Coolidge’s secretary, chose a grand nickname for his proposed Muscle Shoals leasing organization. And the thirteen associated power companies, also seeking to grab the people’s giant power plant on the Tennessee River, have taken the hint. These companies during recent weeks have flooded the country with propaganda letters ballyhooing their bid for the plant now pending in Congress. These letters bear the sole heading: "Muscle Shoals Fertilizer Company.” Now here in the heading can be found the title of that auxiliary organization formed by the bidders: The “Muscle Shoals Power Distributing Company." How many readers of these letters will understand that the bidding companies propose to subscribe only to the stock of this distributing company, of which the so-cailed fertilizer sompany will exist only as a subsidiary? And how many readers will understand that Slemp’s so-called farmers' corporation wants control of just as much electric power as the Associated Power Companies? • • • A rose by any other name smells just as sweet. But biemp and the thirteen associates seem to feel their proposals smell swefeter by the name of fertilizer. IDEAS VERBOTEN! Mrs. Lucia Ames Mead, having spent seventy fears iu ,t*Kl)s- vale of tears, believes that War is a terrible evil. She planned to tell the girls of Agnes Scott College, Mlahta, something to this efTect one day last week. But the hundred percenters of that happy village wouldn’t have it. They persuaded the Presbyterian head of the school to call the grandmotherly lecture off. Some magazines published in Canada and Europe contain advertisements of whiskys and other forgotten beverages. The Boston customs author! ties are now barring the arrival of such magazines at the port made famous by a revolutionary tea party. This country simply must be made safe for democracy. If we have to kill all the Democrats to do it. —. , * COMMON SENSE By N. D. Cochran What is common sense? Evidently wo think it is good sense, for we think well of people who are credited with common sense. It Isn’t the sense of the idiot or of the genius, but rather of the general run of humanity. We needn’t bother about the idiot, but it may be interesting to go to the other extreme and see what makes the wheels go around In the head of the genius, who is often as far away from common sense as the Idiot. It, is difficult to draw the line between genius and insanity. Some of the world’s greatest geniuses died in insane asylums. Their minds stepped over the line. Paul de Maupaussant, the great French writer, was one; Neitsche was another. We are told that both Caesar apd Napoleon were epileptics. New biological chemists tell us that Oscar Wilde's endocrine glands sent an unbalanced secretion into the bloodstream. Insane asylums are full of inmates who are sane on most subjects but are clear off on one. But there are millions outside the asylums of whom the same thing may be said. Unless they get violent or too bothersomfc we let them stay outside. We are told that many insane people think they are perfectly nil right themselves and that everybody else is batty. But there isn’t much difference betweeh their mental attitude and that of the so-called genius who thinks that all people who are not as smart as he is are morons, yokels and boobs. Intellectual brilliancy doesn’t mean common sense. It isn’t common. Sometimes it beconjes bothersome, if not vio!en(. It becomes terribly impatient with the common sense of the great crowd of people who make up humanity. It worries because'the big mob doesn’t see with its eyes, hear with its ears and think with its mental equipment. There is no accepted definition of genius. Somebody said it was an infinite capacity for hard work; but that isn’t a satisfactory definition. A half-wit might have that. Edison is recognized as a genius. He has the infinite capacity for hf*rrt work; but he has much more than that. He has imagination, combined with enough common sense to make his dreams come true. The literary geniils, so-called, has imanginatlon, too, but' not the common sense to make bis dreams come true. His dreams are often useful, but that’s because somebody else with more common sense takes them, works with them and makes them come trqe. In general the world’s work is done by the people whom literary geniuses are pleased to call morons, yokels and boobs. They may be superstitious. They may not know all thrt-re is to know about religion and statecraft. They may be ignorant so far as literature, science and art are concerned. But take them all together- they have developed a sense that enables them to get by and push civilization along in a slow, steady and persistent way; and it is that sense that is called common sense. The human race, with its morons, yokels and boobs, doesn’t go ahead toward the promised land as fast as the dreamers and geniuses would like to have it go. but it goes ahead as fast as the common sense of the mob nfcytes it possible to go. It is bigoted and Intolerant —Yes. But so are its critics. All of us are intollerant.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

Tracy Kind-Hearted Franklin and Hard-Boiled U. S., French View,

lly M. E. Tracy The little town of Auray on the coast of Brittany staged a celebration yesterday. It was here that Benjamin Franklin, our first ambassador to France, landed one hundred and fifty years ago after a stormy voyage of thirty days in the American sloop Reprisal. Auray has renamed Its dock and posted a placard commemorating the event. The Journal des Debats, taking a more thrifty view, points out that the event should recall both to France and Amerioa how kind the former was and how hardbolled we have become with respect to money loans. | It quotes ancient documents to I prove that France forgave the United States some si* years of Interest and agreed to a refund of the debt on more liberal terms. It fails to mention, however, that John Adams had to hustle from Paris to Holland in the winter of 1785 via packet, fishing boat, ice boat and boor’s wagon, as he vividly describes In a letter to Thomas Jefferson, in order that he might borrow 7,000,000 guilders with which to meet the insistent demands. France was kind to this young re public when she needed help, and no American begrudges her the gratitude that is due, but young as this republic was, and poor as it was it made no such monumental default in payment of interest or principal as F'rance has made dur-. ing the last eight years, nor did it ask such an amazing reduction of what it owed as France has been granted and considers too small. ! Buried in Concrete The thought of burial in the i ground is repellant to many people. ;It nearly drove Poe mad and made him famous. Mrs. F. W. Miller of Miami, however, not only entertained it calmly, but was willing to go further and have herself Incased in solid concrete. An invalid for seven years, sho had thought itiuch about death and. had talked about it on many occasions with her husband, as he explained while delivering her funeral address Saturday. “Mrs. Miller read to me of the excavations at Pompeii.” he said, “where the form of a Roman sentinel had been found Just as he had stood centuries before at the time of his death. The body had been sealed In rock. We agreed that when death came her body should be placed on a slab of concrete and concrete should be poured over it until a huge monoJlth had been formed, so that even if the body turned to dust the form would remain the same In the center of the i block.” i It is a tomb such as few would care for, but it represents a common and an age-old longing. All human beings, whether they admit j It or not, would like to leave something permanent. The Egyptian j who embalmed his body, the modern ■ philanthropist who makes a gift ! with the provision that it shall bear his name and Mrs. W. F. Miller, who rests inside a fifty-ton block of cocrete. represent the same eternal thought. Patriotism ocßunk Secretary of the Navy Wilbur forbids Admiral Robison to tell the I Fall-Doheny jury what former Sec- j retary of the Navy Denby authorized blm to whisper in Doheny’s ear. Shall we put this down as due merely to a difference In attitude on I the part of the two secretaries, or I as representing fixed policy on the ! part of the Government? Has this Government come to a point where it shares secrets with millionaires that” are too dangerous to be disclosed In open court? Doheny, it Is implied, took a con- 1 tract for Improving and Increasing the oil storage facilities at Pearl Harbor, not because It appealed to his business judgment, but because an emissary of the Navy Department had told him that the country was in grave peril. Then, and presumably for no less high minded reasons, he took a lease on the Elk Hills oil reserve. He would never have known that this country was in grave peril, or have entered into contracts and agreements that promised to net him 8100,600,000. if Robison with the permission of Secretary Denby. had not given him some very “confidential" information. That information was so very confidential, Indeed, that not only was it withheld from everybody else, but it can pot be told even now. though Mr. Doheny Is in serious trouble and though it might mean a great deal to him. Has •'the Navy Department gone back on an oil magnate who rescued it and saved the country at a moment of peculiar danger, or is somebody raising a smoke screen of pure bunk? Was there a "Yellow Peril” in 1022 so dire and terrible that the Navy Department didn't dare tell any good American about it except Doheny, and was the United States so poor and exposed ns to be threatened with destruction if he were not riven a contract to build tnnks -in Hawaii and a lease of the Elk TTills oil field, out of which as he admits himself, he will make a vast fortune? BELT, HOPS ADVXXfF HONOLULU, Dec. (?.—Bell-hop-ping has its advantages In an educa. tlonal way. Eighty Japanese boys who have been successful applicants for positions as bell boys in a. new TCaikiki hotel which will open soon, have been enrolled by the company In a local school .to perfect the use of their English language. 1

Associated Fathers Is a New Method to Make an Ugly Duckling Beautiful

By Walter D. Hickman Cinderella no longer needs a fairy godmother to make her beautiful and rich. Said Cinderella does not need a a dainty foot and a glass slipper to get her Prince Charming. All she needs is The Associated Fathers—a group of men who know how to act. Am trying to tell you i about one of the ! smartest and j mm**: brainiest little comedies that the 1 W screen has turned \mmKKMrd out ,n man v “ day. 11 ,s called “Everyb°dy’s Acting.” D to so important and so worth i " * while that I tell you that Is a Famous PlayersLasky production :lntl that Marshall Ncilan directed it. Raymond Wow! What a Hitchcock cast. It la peopled by such reasonable actors as Raymond Hitchcock. Ford Sterling, Louise Dresser, Betty Bronson, Lawrence Gray and Henry Walthall. Any story Jiaving a cast like this would get a long distance to the moon and with the right kind of story this crew does get to the ! moon. One wouldn’t expect to see Hitchcock and Ford Sterling in I "papa” roles but they are "papas” ; with a couple of other papas to a little girl, the daughter of a theatrical couple caught In the net of tragedy. Fate and a revolver as well as the law makes a little orphan Annie out of a baby girl. Three of the troupers, all men, and a small town newspaper editor decide to be "Associated Fathers" to the cute, little, ugly duckling. And when little duckling blossoms forth into a beautiful and talented girl, the association has a Job on its hands to find a suitable Romeo. And the association has many an executive meeting to decide problems of state. The blgges: problem is to make a society mother permit her son to marry the now beautiful duckling. And the association wins. The most charming and Qelightful ; scene in “Everybody’s Acting" Is j when the association of fathers decides to turn their modest home into a stage in order to make an Impression upon the wealthy mother of Romeo. And how these fathers of the association act. They sure do. This 1 Is when you see Raymond Hitchcock i and Ford Sterling do a high comedy ! --cene on the screen which rivals' the real article on the speaking stage. These men actually make the movie talk. If you enjoy seeing IT movie with brains back of It and if you relish ; a mental treat as only tine and i proper acting can produce—then go to r the Apollo this week and soe "Everybody’s Acting.” And Betty Bronson is a regular dear In this one. In this movie she lives up to early promises of good things on the screen. If I start to telling you about Ford Sterling—i well, I won't. Just see him. And you will thank me for telling you about this one. Things aro quite musical at the Apollo this week also. Emil Seidel ; has worked out a good program. \ Enjoyed the ballad work of L. Maurice Lucas. Tad Dolen is on individual singer who knows how to put over a tune. All very good. At the Apollo all week. DESSA BYRD TURNS ORGAN INTO ORCHESTRA Let the women do it, appears to , be the idea at the Circle this week. I And how the women do do it! I They are so important this week that Stolarevsky, Circle orchestra director, bows himself gracefully away from the overture, turning over this important item to Dessa Hpjr . s’-;-jO Byrd and the pipe Us organ. By stlectIF Sing ‘Toet and Hr *" M Peasant” as the Jfjl organ overture, 5 11 Miss Byrd demK§ H onitrates what a ™ ' powe* she is at ; L/ 1 r the organ. She j 0 really turns thej ■ f instrument into a - , f great and power* i ful grand opera HySr orchestra. And tho beauty of it is that a capacity audience, taking Corinne Griffith every inch of space, standing and sitting, applauded both the organist and the composition. Don’t dare to tell me that the world is not getting to be a better musical place to live in. The women have another chance to show what they can do along entertainment lines when tho Parasian Red Heads stage a review called “What Girls Can Do." These girls turn out to be a mighty warm jazz playing orchestra. They do mighty well with a selected group of pretty tunes from “The Student Prince.” Mary Jayne, a woman, acts us mistress of ceremony. She lacks comedy but makes up for everything when she sings anew tune of Irving Berlin. The movie has the featured services of Corinne Griffith in "Syncopating Sue.” Here is a successful attempt to get comedy out of the girl who sells sheet music as well as the guy who plays It in an orchestra. "Syncopating Sue” is a human little story of a girl who played the popular stuff on the in a sheet music story. She wanted to be the grand dame on the stage. She got headed that Vay but she didn’t like a certain matinee engagement. So she and the inovle gets mightly melodramatic for a while, but even the suspleioned bad man fa stage producer), turns out to have wings. The real "making” of this movie are supplied by Miss Griffith and Tom Mo ire. Here is human love comedy work. Mighty pleasin’. The cast is as follows: Sc Ban Adams .. Corrlne Griffith Eddie Murphy ... Tom Moore Arthur Bennett' Rockliffe Fellowes .100 Horn Lee Moran Marae Adams Joyce Compton Landlady Sunshine Hart Marjorie Rambeau ... Marjorio Rambcau A comedy, a news reel and a cartoon comedy make up the bill. At the Circle *4l

Movie Verdict COLONIAL—Laura La Plante in “Her Big Night” has us entertaining picture as we have ever seen with this much-liked star. CIRCLE—It Is the entire program here this week which will cause the talk. The management permits the women to do it this week. A'unique as well as an interesting program is the result, with Dessa Byrd walking away with the honors. OHIO—You will enjoy seeing how Beatrice Lillie develops the comedy idea in “Exit Smiling.” The big personal hit of the bill is Charlie Davis at the piano. Apollo—l would miss a meal if necessary to see “Everybody’s Acting." One of the ten best of the year.

LA PLANTE HAS A HIT AT THE COLONIAL Laura La Plant, in our opinion, will make a success of any picture in which she carries the leading role. In “Her Big Night” at the Colonial this week Miss La Plante offers a farce that is entertainment from the j first foot of film to the final “clinch.” In “Her Big g Night” most of the plctuer goes to Miss La Plante and Lee Moran, who enacts the working press agent of a famous film star. If a press agent's | Job is as hard as his, we will forever stay away from that vocaThe story tells of a famous and t e mperamental Laura La Plante star who is about to appear at a theater In person. It so happens that she has an admirer who forgets his wife for a minute and endeavors to kidnap her. Os course the star does not appear iu time to make her appearance and there is a newspaper reporter in the offing, who is Just looking for something like this to happen so he can get a story. The press agent is in a Jam and doesn’t know what to do about it so wh’en he finds a double for his star there is nothing for her to do, but make the appearance at the theater. Miss La Plante takes both roles, the star and her double, and the events following the stage appearance of the double contain most of the fun. The real husband of the star turns up and also a couple of bogus ones. To enjoy it you will have to see it. On the stage are Novak and Benson and pome featured numbers by the theater orchestra, Floyd Thompson's Singing Troubadors. At the Colonial all week. (By the Observer.) Chaliapin has arrived in Indianapolis with his company to appear at the Murat tonight in “The Barber of Seville.” Ona B. Talbot who risked everything td give Indianapolis this treat, thinks that the largest audience ever assembled for opera in this city will ba present tonight.

Questions and Answers

You can eet an answer to an question of fact or inff./matton by writing lo The Indian,oolis Timm W.-iehirnrton tin real, J.'j'Td >’.-w York Ave. Washtnsten. I). tne:n*tn< 2 ernt* in olunius for reolv. Medieal. local and marital i ilvf " cannot be -Iyen nor can extended rrHeareh ho undertaken. All other eumtions will receive a personal reply. Unsigned requests cannot be answered. AH letters are confidential.—Editor. How Is Ivy propagated and wliat varieties are best for coveting a wall? Ivy Is usually propagated from cuttings. The varieties most used for ornamental purposes are English. Boston or Japanese and Virginia creeper. The Boston lyv clings close to the wall and grows rapidly. It Is one of the best hardy vines for the city. English Ivy grows more slowly but stays green in winter. What Is the value of a United States 25 cent fractional currency. Issue of 1874 with a bust of Walker? 30 cents. What significance does tlip word "Limited” after the name of a British or Canadian company signify? That It Is a publio company whose stockholders are Individually liable for the company’s debts only to a specified amount. Wliat are the names of the inserts catching plants? The sundews, the butterworts and the bladdcrworts. Wliat was the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo? What did it settle? A treaty signed Feb. 2, 1848, between Nicholas Trlst, representing the United States and representatives of the Mexican government. Trlst had been given power to make such a treaty, but had been recalled. The President of the United States was extremely angry with him for his disobedience, but nevertheless accepted the treaty because It was practically in accord with bis earlier instructions, In addition to fixing the boundaries and disposing of American claims against Mexico, It provided for the payment of $15,000,000' by the United Where is the Island of Guam, who owns it and by whom is It governed? It is the largest of tfie Ladrone group lying in the Pacific Ocean about 1,450 miles east of Manila. It was acquired by the United States from Spain at the close of the Span-ish-American War. Its chief value is that it affords a naval base and coaling station. It Is gover 'ed by a Navel officer designated by the President. Who in American history was popularly known as “The Pathfinder”? That is a popular nickname for General John C. Fremont, bestowed

BEATRICE LILLIE BRINGS FINE METHOD TO SCREEN •Beatrice Lillie is a hit on the London revue stage and she repeated her success when she came to America to do revue work. In “Exit Smiling,” Miss Lillie does an individual ccmedy characterization which pro' as that she is an artist. It may take quite a little time to get acPquainted with her method on the screen. It is a combination o f high comedy with , telling dramatic < work. At times she nearly does a comedy monolog, especially in the •■[ai -'Tf scene when she is 1 HfciypjF a love sick girl | jwWffRV trying to get out It ths dally ironing. % \ „ She is magnitt- ■ cently funny in this scene. Here Beatrice Lillie is real high comI v edy work. She is a natural born mirriic and this trait of character helps her to find her ; place cusily before the screen. In “Exit Smiling,” she Is the troupe slavey to a one night stand dramatic company. She was the world's worst, actress on the stage but in real life —well the little slavey was a regular star. And she did all for love, only to take her final curtain by herself. This movie gives Miss Lillie a chance at an individual comedy and dramatic characterization of real strength and purpose. She has the services of Jack Pickford ns a small town lad who is misunderstood until the last few feet of film. Plckford still uses that, natural, half bashful way to put over his comedy, and that characteristic comes in handy In this movie. “Exit Smiling” is a little story about life in the days when actors “loved”to play one-night stands. It sounds like comedy, but it Is a mixture of comedy and drama. Venice is the city where Charlie Davis and his gang is located this week. Davis Is doing better each week, which shows that he is studying Ills business. He has about eliminated nearly all of some mighty poor comedy which was present In his earlier presentations. He Is now realizing that people want melody and a lot of It. They want him to hand out melody instead of aged comedy. The big hit this week is when Charlie Davis waves his hund and a piano on an automatic stage comes into view. Davis is a real pianist. And when he calls upon Dick Powell to sing while he plays—well, the riot starts. Davis this week introduces a male singing team and an eccentric dancer. Davis and his gang are giving the very best offering of their season this week. Fine, mighty fine. At the Ohio all week. Other theaters today offer: Sophie Tucker and Ted Lewis In “LeMaire's Affairs,” at English's; Francis Renault at the Lyric; Nationality Week at Keith's; Fred Ardath at the Palace; “Stella Dallas,” at the Uptown; “Prisoners of the Storm,” at the Isis; "So’s Your Old Man,” at the Sanders; “Heroes of the Big Snows,” at the South Side, and burlesque at the Mutual.

on account of his succesk In discovering passes leading from the Mississippi valley to the Pacific const.

Times Readers Voice Views

Martinsville, Ind., Deo. S. Editor of The Indianapolis Times; The people over tho State are as much Interested In your editorials on tho utility question as Indianapolis citizens, and probably a great deal more, for the reason that almost all of the light and power plants of the principal cities and towns of Indiana have for a long timo been included In this gigantic utility merger, ar.d are paying a great deal more than the Indianapolis rate for light and power. For instance, the Indianapolis rate is 7 cents p?r kilowatt: Martinsville light rate Is 10 cents per kilowatt; Linton, 10 Gary, 10 cents; Vincennes, 10 cents. And the only cities that have enjoyed a reasonable rate are cities that owned and operated their own plants when the utility law was enacted, cities with municipal owned plants, such as Anderson, having 6 cent rates: Ft. Wayne, 6 cents; Logansport, 5 cents, and Richmond, f> cents down to cents per kilowatt. These plants ull have operated at a profit and have used that profit to reduce the city taxes. Out of such profits Logansport has built bne of the finest city halls in the State. Richmond buitl an addition to the plant last year, costing $300,000. It is a fair estimate that Indianapolis, with municipal owned utility plant and properly managed with the ex isting utility rates, using the profits for city expenses, could easily reduce the taxes 50 per cent. You suggest in your editorial of Saturday, Nov. 29, surely some way can be devised to prevent the raid of t,he publie utilities upon the public’s pocketbook. The way is easy if you can eliminate the opposition. In the Legislature of 1923, I presented a bill, which provided that cities and towns, by the referendum vote of the people, could build, own and operate their utility plants. Such a law would strengthen the public service commission; but it would also afford relief to all the people. Under the existing law, If the commission denies the utilities increased rates, the utility at once appeals to the Federal Courts, where It Is allowed to base its appraisals on reproduction costs. This is where the dynamite is applied. The utility is not compelled to purchase machinery and supplies and build as a

DEC. 6, 1926

Work Bid the Highest Valued of Two Suits of Even Strength,

By Milton C. Work. The pointer for today is; With two suits of equal length anil equal or nearly equal strength, hid the higher-valued first. Between two suits of the same length and nearly the same strength (for example: Spades, King-Queen-10-x-x and Hearts, Ace-Queen-10 x-x). the holder has little choice and tli Important thing is to force the pari ner to select the suit in which he is longer. Even when tho difference in the partner’s holding is slight, it is most important that lie should make a choice. To play with a trump, of which the partner has three cards, rather than one of which he has two. is apt to make the difference be tween success and failure. The I choice is given to the partner when j it is possible for the original bidder jto bid two suits; but if the lower-va I- | ued be named first, there may bo eni barrasement when the time comes t>, make the selection. Suppose, for e.\ j ample, that the partner (North) holds I three small Hearts, two small Spade and four worthless cards in each Minor; that the Dealer (South) hold ing Sp.: Ace-Queen-10-x-x. Ht.: An-Klng-Jack-x x. Di.: Ace-JCing. Cl x bid first one Heart and then ove an adverse two Clubs, two Spades It would be important for North (West having passed) to show his preference for Hearts, the suit in (which he is the longer: but in ordn to do so he would have to increas- | the size of his partner's bid (which. I with a tricklcss hand, lie would hate j to do), as it takes three Hearts to j overcall two Spades. If, however. ;the first bid had been one Spade and. j after the adverse Minor. South had called two Hearts, North could have passed to show preference for Hearts; or had Spades been his prof erence, he could have shown It by a bid of two Spades, nnd 1n either event, could choose without increas in?f tho size of tf>e contract. H’V do you think a Dealer should bid the following hands? They win be discussed tomorrow. 1. Sp.: King-Queen x xvx. Ht.: Ace King-Jack-x-x. Di.: x-x. CL: Ace. 2. Sp.; Klng-Jack-x-x x. Ht.: Ace King-Queen-x-x. Di.: x-x. CL: Are 3. Sp.: Queen 10-xxx-x. Ht.: Ace King-Jack-x-x. DI.: x. Cl.: Ace. (Copyright, John F. Dtllo Cos. ) Work, tlie inlcmalional authority on Auction Bridge, will answer quo-.-tions on the group for Times reed ers who write to him through the Times, inclosing a self-addressed, stamped envelope. MR. FIXIT Protests High Water In Brightwood Alley, ~L et „ 51r , Bult present your case to city official*. Ho The Times roprr nei'tative at the city hall. Write him at ’The Times. Water in a Brightwood alley is deep enough to drown a child, is tie* startling information Air. Fixit received today, DEAR MR. FIXIT: Tho alley be tween Olney and Gale Sts. at E. Eleventh St. Is getting worse all the time. At present the water has backed up until it is half a lot wide and deep enough to drown a child. Children throw bricks in it, also tin cans, nails nnd lately there w.i a tnrrel floating. Boards with nai'.s -sticking up foster punctures. WILLIS M. GOBEN, 1105 N. Olney .St. The street superintendent's de partment promised fast action in this terrible situation. DEAR MR. FIXITt You have helped others, so try to help us. On the corner of the eiley and the boule vard between Keystone Ave. and St Peters Is a vacant lot belonging to the city. All kinds of rubbish and garbage are dufhped on it. See if It can be cleaned and a sign put up. Also see if the boulevard on the east side of St. Peters can be filled. A READER A good suggestion. The streets department will investigate. Thai division also is probing the corn plaint. DEAR MR. FIXIT: The first si ley east of Illinois St. and north of Twenty-Seventh St. was torn up by a workman making a sewer conns, tlon with the Marott Hotel garag, on Twenty-Seventh St. It was never properly levelled and now it Is pr.-u tically impossible to get one's ear out of the garage. CIVIC MINDED — private business or -properly managed utility should, on 6ompetttiMbasis: but more otten they purchase supplies and let building contract.with friendly interests, and the sky is the limit. Ail reproduction costs are figured on that basis, and ap praisrls and rates are figured on re production costs; also the law does no: limit the operating expense:and. under such conditions, w car expect mergers to control, and the people pay the exorbitant rates. No doubt, some of the members ol the public service commission, par: of the press, and many members of the legislature, as well as the nd ministration in power, have beer friendly and influenced by utility in terests. Eliminate that influence ano demand a law that affords equal i justice to all; special privileges t, | none. A law that glVes the appeal ! back to the people, the highest court In the land. This will allow com j petition, and will eliminate appeal Ito higher courts. unjut appraiss l | and unjust rates. This law would j not abolish the public service com mission, but would allow it to firm tlon under the spirit that It ws created; to guarantee a Just return on the investment, nnd service t, the people at a reasonable rate. Yours respectfully, JAr JONEff.