Indianapolis Times, Volume 39, Number 85, Indianapolis, Marion County, 18 August 1927 — Page 4

PAGE 4

The Indianapolis Times (A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) " | Owned jnd published dally (except Bunday) by The Indianapolis Times Publishing Cos.. 314-320 W. Maryland Street. Indianapolis, Ind. Price In Marlon County, 3 cents—lo cents a week; elsewhere. 3 cents—l3 cents a wees. BOVD GORI.EY. ROY W. HOWARD. W. A. MAYBORN, . Editor. President. Business Manager. PHONE—MAIN 3500 ' THURSDAY. AUGUST 18, 1937. Member o t United Preaa, Bcrlpps-Howard Newspaper Alliance. Newspaper Enterprise Association. Newspaper Information Service and Audit Bureau of Circulations. “Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way”— Dante

S€K!PPJ-HOWAAD

Easy to Settle

No difficulty should be encountered by the city council in the matter of impeaching Mayor John L. DuVall, unless, of course, the members qf that body are content to place themselves unfler suspicion of being blackmailers. The"charges are rather definite and not to be dismissed by agreement among members without an invest, gation or an inquiry. The manner in which the members handled the resolution and the juggling of the document do not give any great confidence in the sincerity of some of the members. • Some, apparently, believe that such little things as impeachment proceedings should be settled in secret conferences and after proper arrangements for jobs, influence or other benefits have been privately arranged. Either the charges are true, or they are false. If they are true, then the council has a real duty to perform and the resolution points to the proper action. If the mayor and his brother-in-law are guilty of the things charged, they should be ousted. If they are not true, the mayor ought not to be subjected to any attack which may be the result of peevishness or a desire to assume a part of the prerogatives and perquisites of his office. v The proper way, of course, is to have a public hearing and decide the case upon the facts. Mayor Duvall has had little regard for the wishes of the citizens and %went to unusual lengths to retain his office despite a widespread desire to get rid of him. He was elected under a charter provision that permitted the people to substitute the city manager plan of government at any time the people desired. Had he suggested, when a candidate, that he Avould not permit the new system to go into effect, he would never have been mayor at all. It was a part of his contract with the people. But through the friendly relationship he bears to the boss of this county, he was able to secure the passage of k law in the last Legislature which took away from the people this power .to put the city on a business basis of administration. That he properly understood public estimate is shown by the fact that the people voted, four to one, for a change from the present system to that of city manager. A decent regard for the sentiments of the people would have forced any other mayor to offer to immediately vacate and let the people have the government they wishd. The resolution before the council • recites very definite acts of malfeasance. If those charges are true, they can be proved. If they are proved, the mayor should be ousted at once. The people would expect from any other mayor a demand for an immediate hearing, out in the open. If he does not demand such a hearing, there should be enough members in the council to force that hearing.

The Morbid Souvenir Hunters Psychologist* have never explained and perhaps never will explain the peculiar twist of human nature which sends myriads of morbidly curious to the scenes of great disasters, to scenes of suffering. News from Bath, Mich., calls attention to the latest manifestation of this inexplicable complex. The residents of that little community are all too eager to forget the May-time tragedy in which a maniac placed bombs in the public school and caused the deaths oi over forty children, but swarms of sightseers, insatiably hungry for emotionalism, sweep into the city on all occasions and will not let the mourning forget. Whittling fragments from timbers of the wrecked school building, carrying off loose bricks, prying even into the houses of those families whose children were killed or injured in the explosion, the fly-minded curious give the poor people of Bath no peace, no chance to recover from the deep hurts of grief. What type of mentality is it that thus glories in the misery of others and gloats over horror with avidity? It is not a type of mentality which is peculiar to any one section of the country. Even the New England tomb of President Coolidge’e young son, John, was all but chipped away by the souvenir-mad tourists. There are many homes which no doubt boast of fragments from the San Francisco earthquake. P'illcs soaked in blood are held more precious than riches. To read that there are, in this advanced age, people who still delight in such barbarity is enough to make even the most hopeful of prophets despair for humanity, Believers in the literal truth of the Bible grant the world an age of some 6,000 years. In 6,000 years, it at times appears that humanity has gone backwards. Certainly the demonstrations of the sightseers in Bath is evidence of savagery as inhuman as any rite practiced by ancient barbarians. The child today who delights in torturing cats and dogs’ is considered sub-normal, yet his abnormalties are no lower than those displayed by the pilgrims to Bath who torture the survivors of Andrew Kehoe’s tawnlty. ♦ 1 We are a cruel, cruel people.

License to Loot Funny how quickly the police and city officials discovered that the slot machines which they had tolerated for weeks were gambling devices. The discovery was made when The Times quiet innocently In the pursuit of news unearthed the fact that the city controller had Issued permits for more than 500 of these so-called “vending machines.’’ Any one who qpuld mistake the machines which enticed the nickels of the young and guileless Is himself too guileless and innocent to be in charge of city affairs. * Asa matter of fact these machines are the meanest form of gambling and the most pernicious. They are exhibited in respectable places of business. They take all the money and give nothing back. There is every Incentive to gambling. They encourage the habit among the young. Thee'’ particular machines are of a character which would make the most hardened of old-time river gamblers ashamed of his profession. In most cities they are operated by a company which employs the right political lawyer on a percentage basis to protect them. This same concern has operated In other Indiana cities very successfully, but only where the attorney had the right influence. If city officials were mistaken as to the character of the machines,, the men who manufacture them and operate them have never been under any Illusions. They know that they can only operate where officials are complacent and newspapers are tongue-tied. License to loot is becoming unpopular in Indianapolis. The police know it. Witness the sudden disappearance of these machines which the city controller licensed. What Is An Accident? In an address which was meant to be a warning, Professor Lindsay Rogers declares that accidents make our Presidents and favorable personal publicity makes them appear to be great men. He instances the Coolidge luck in Hiram Johnson’s refusal to accept the vice presidential nomination in IG2O and Harding’s death as proof of his first proposition. He refers to the broadcasting of Mr. Coolidge’s utterances in his role of White House spokesman as evidence of his second theory. He finds that these things prevent the operation of government in accord with “the theoretical pattern.” meaning that the Platonic - ideal of entrusting office to the great and wise is not always attained. His remarks seem to cast grave doubt on the success of the democratic system of government. We confess that we can find no cause for concern in these academic alarms. We prefer the accidents of America to the ordered system of Russia or Italy, where even accidents are regulated by soviet decree or the dictator’s ruling. The professor has only to read his history to discover that accident# have always played an important part in shaping the Nation’s destinies. If Coolidge was an accident, so was Andrew Jackson, whose victory at New Orleans after the signing of the peace treaty made him President. So was Abraham Lin- , coin, whose story reads like fiction. So was U. S. Grant, whose rise was brought about by the accident of war. In later days there was Grover Cleveland, who got his start in New York politics through a politician’s slip. Theodore Roosevelt benefited from several unexpected and unplanned events. New York politicians brought about his nomination as Vice President because they wanted to remove him from State politics, and an assassin's bullet placed him in the White House. , There is, of course, a great deal of truth in Professor Rogers’ criticism of the sacred wall built arouna White Hyuse occupants. But here again we encounter fundamental elements of human nature, which has reached its present stage of developmnt through a series of accidents dating from Adam’s error. Once a President discovers that his every word will be accepted as inspired by certain newspapers, he will be loath not to talk. Not even the silent Mr. Coolidge could resist that temptation. And until the heroworship element In the human heart is wiped out, public and press will continue to exalt our chief executives above their fellow men. Queen Marie wants to attend an American political convention. If the Republicans can’t decide between Hoover and Dawes and Lowden, they might draft Marie as a dark horse. The Missouri bacteriologist who found 20,000 germs in a single powder puff may have overlooked the fact that the puff is used in placq of a washrag today, to remove dirt, and not put it on. A telescopic machine to take moving pictures of microbes and other low forms of life is hailed as a new discovery, but we’ve seen lots lower life than microbes in so-called society dramas. Mussolini has ordered that there must be no more adenoids in Italy. Bless the old demagog’s heart: Next thing he’ll be ordering Vesuvius to cease its rumblings. The efficiency of the prohibition foices is measured by the number of fines to the gallon.

Law and Justice B; Dexter M. Keezer

A man owned stock in a coal mining corporation. He sold it to the directors of the corporation for SB,OOO. Later he came to the conclusion that it had been worth $30,000 when he sold it. He sought a court order setting aside the sale on the ground that the directors had failed to disclose information to him that would have enabled him to know his stack was worth more than SB,OOO. He said the directors were under an obligation to give him such information. The directors/in opposing a setting aside of the sale, said that they were under no obligation to volunteer information about the condition of the company to a stockholder, and that they were within their rights in buying stock of the corporation at a price set by the stockholder. HOW WOULD YOU DECIDE THIS CASE? The actual decision: The Court of Appeals of Kentucky decided that the man was hot entitled to have the sale set aside. The court said that the directors of the corporation were not required to volupteer information about the condition of the concern to a -stockholder, and that they had a right to buy his stock without telling him that he might not be getting all it was worth. *

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

W. E. TRACY SAYS: Fatality Always Has Dogged the Trail of Pioneers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio, Aug. 18.Eight start, four get away, two arrive and one wins. Stated in that way the Hawaiian flight appears stark and forbidding, yet it represents the average of real adventure. Worthwhile triumphs never have, and never will come easy or without risk. It is a curious fact that practically as many aviators have found death as have succeeded since the idea of crossing oceans became popular. Pioneer Sacrifices Fatality always has dogged the trail of pioneers. A century and a half ago, It was quite as dangerous to walk from “Pittsburgh to Cleveland as it is to fly from New York to Paris now. The first year the pilgrim fathers spent at Plymouth they lost more than one-half their number. Os the first 12.000 people who came to America, two-thirds had perished within a decade. The gold rush to California wrecked more men than it ever mad# rich. Dead Men’s Gifts Most of the great highways over which we travel with such ease and comfort were spotted by men who took their lives in their hands. Most of our great cities were once little settlements where women and children lived behind stockades. Most of our mechanical achievements have left a ghastly train of corpses and cripples in their wake. Price of Progress The time has not yet arrived when we can br safe and successful at the same time. This generation must dare and do like any other if it would go ahead. Nothing has come into life to make it secure for those who lead the way. Humanity can stand still without taking chances, but it cannot move forward. Men’s Triumphs We are talking too much of geographical and economic advantages. Asa matter of common sense, n.en of sand and foresight have made most everything in this world. The city of Cleveland is an example in point. So far as geographical and economic advantages go, Cleveland could have been at Ashtabula or Lorain, just as well as where it is. Toledo at the western end of Lake Erie and Buffalo at the eastern end both have better harbors. \ The only explanation of how Cleveland could come In between and outstrip them is to be found in the men who established and developed It—the Hannas, Chisholms, Otis’, Mathers, Wades and others. Diversified Greatness Cleveland is not a one-man or one-group town, and never has been, it basks in the shadow of no outstanding family and depends on no single industry. You cannot think of Detroit without automobiles, or Los Angeles without movies, but you can think of Cleveland without a lot .of things. The city’s diversified character is vividly revealed by the industrial exposition now going on. There are exhibits of paints, chemicals, fences, automobiles, airplanes, cosmetics, garments and one hundred and one other products. Each occupies an important place in the community’s life, but none overshadows it.

Just a Story Generally speaking, you can find out what man or group runs a city by getting a line on its banks. The Union Trust Company is the biggest bank tn Cleveland. It has resources of more than $345,000,000. I have asked at least a dozen business men who controls 4t, and the unanimous reply has been “Nobody in particular.’’ The board of directors reads like the roster of the leading country club. r .Che story goes that two Cleveland*tes met on a train one day, and after getting acquainted found they were neighbors. “What do you do?” asked one. “I am a vice president of the Union Trust Company” replied the Other. “Shake,” said the first, “So am I.” Federal Reserve Bank Speaking of banks', I was “guided” through the $8,500,000 Federal Reserve institution with its teakwood offices, on the eighth floor; its tennis court and shooting gallery on the roof, and its vault, sporting a door which I was told weighed 347 tons, in the basement. The door is round, being about twelve feet in diameter on the outside, nine r ten on the inside, and six feet thick, several cars, some bridges and a whole lot of pavement were smashed up getting it from Pennsylvania to the bank. It looks very imposing, but in my humble judgment, burglars would choose some other method than to drill through a door one-half the size. With such a formidable contrivance as that door, with machine guns planted at strategic points, with guards strolling about hidden corridors, from which they can observe everybody and everything through peep-holes, and with only one round-about way to get in or get out, the builders of this bank caltnot be accused of failing to take adequate precautions.

Giving Her No Chance to Get Lonesome!

. ' ■! mi j. ■■■ '■ —a— l '■ " i .

A Prison Is Not Heaven Even for a Great Mind Like the Late Gene Debs in a New Book of Thought

Maybe the chosen few go to prison. That thought has never worried me any more than trying to get an ice cream soda. I am talking about the chosen few. In life, when he was here, I knew Gene Debs. I did not worship him. I respected him for that fine and big great brain box which took men into the sunshine of a "great purpose.” He carried men often into the sunshine and at times even into the shadows. But in “prison” and death may be just that or even the sunshine of release, as he talks about campaign speeches. Let us look at the words: “There was no attempt made at any time either by the prison officials or the department at Washington to restilct my little campaign of messages. As the weeks lengthened into months I_ became more than ever a curiosity to casual visitors to the prison, and they employed every ruse and subterfuge with the attaches to get a glimpse of the man who had converted a federal penitentiary into his campaign headquarters.” And his dress: “Notwithstanding that I was clothed in the faded and frayed garb of a felon, I felt aware of a certain dignity that my peculiar position as a candidate imposed, expressive as it was of a confidence that remained unshaken in the face of all the denial it had encountered.” These words under the chapter: “My IS2O Campaign for President.” And when he failed to be elected as “usual,” —the words: “The sincere regret expressed the following day by my prison mates that I had not been transferred from Atlanta to Washington by the American people would have compensated me for any disappointment I might

(Kokomo Dispatcb) All is lovely in Indiana. There is no one guilty, and all the hubbub Is being raised by the Democrats. Such are the impressions which a A Party number of Republicans who have been . leading their party in this State Love sought to disseminate from a party Feast love feast at Lagrange Saturday and Sunday. There may be a goodly part of the Republican press, two-thirds of the Indianapolis press, and threefourths of the rank and file of the Republican voters demanding a house cleaning, but so far as the titular leaders of the party in this State are concerned they are not going to admit for an instant that a house cleaning is needed. “This is not the time or occasion to talk about the State administratidn. Some time when I am at myself, I am going to have something to say in praise of the administration which will carry conviction across the country,” said Senator Watson. While this statement of Senator Watson’s is almost frank in the way that he admits that it is no time to talk about this State administration of ours and that he is not quite in position just now or just at himself so that he can talk about its virtues, the statement of Attorney General Gilliom is more frank. “One must admit that there is a state of mind over Indiana that must be taken into account,” he said. And there you have it. While betraying that things are in a sorry mess, there is no hint here that any of the G. O. P. chieftains are indignant about them, or that they are determined to set their house in order, that they are going to put up men who will see that the house is kept in order. There is no suggestion of outraged citizenship here. Some day he is going to come to the defense of the State administration and clear away all the doubts

What is the .address of the Esperanto Association of North America? 507 Pierce Bldg., Copley Square, Boston Mass. How was Babe Ruth put out in the last baseball game of the 1926 World Series? Was he the last man at bat in the game? He was thrown out by O’Farrell when he attempted to steal second. Ruth was the last man at bat

.WEEKLY BOOK REVIEW.

■BY WALTER D. HICKMAN

have felt over the conduct of the campaign and its final results.” Beautiful Pictures N As I stood in Terre Haute t v e night that Debs went to prison, as a newspaper man, I remember many things. I saw no guard. I saw even men in uniform throw their arms around the neck of Debs. I heard him say that “there was a better fight and a better day for all. ’ I saw him get on that train leaving Terre Haute for Indianapolis as a prisoner of his word. And yet we find at times in his book the human things of life which made him individual. Debs could always see the “story” like a newspaper man. I have “covered” him when he was running for Congress and he often pointed his finger at Se and called me “a. representative the yellow press." And then he included all of newspaper men but the “chosen few” of the chosen leadership as he saw it. But the “chosen few” were no different from myself as we were both pointed “out.” And yet he forgets the “pointing out” when he big in the life he has given up when he writes: “There are certain occasions in my prison experience that are vividly preserved as beautiful pictures.” Os course he pictures in his book “Christmas Eve, 1920.” It happened “in the basement of the prison hospital.” In his words the prisoners contributed their gifts as tokens of love for him. But these gifts went to “the common lot.” And Debs was the guest of honor at this strange prison .banquet. He then draws a picture of the Christmas trees and cheer at “home." And his home was in the world as well as Terre Haute. And he finds “brothers” even in prison as he wrote these lines: “Seated around that hospitable board we

What Other Editors Think

Questions and Answers

the last man out. Meusel was at bat but was not charged with a time at bat since Ruth was the last out. What is capital stock ? It is the fund employed in carrying on the business enterprise of a corporation, divided into shares of equal amount and owned by individuals who jointly own the corporation. Subject to existing mort-

were brothers indeed, and I only wished it had been possible for those who think of inmates of prison in terms of crime and degeneracy to have looked upon that gathering of convicts and then have been asked in what essential particular they were inferior to or different from any similar number of human beings who were celebrating, in stately edifices dedicated to his name, the natal day of the Man who was born in a stable.” And then the words of Debs: “It may be a fancy, but I somehow felt that Jesus Christ was in prison that night.” And then my thought as tame as it might seem—Then He could have not come to the world out of “prison.” Just a Few Thoughts I have not as yet read “We,” but this last Debs’ book does not ring true to the Debs that I have known. Debs to me was not the Pollyanna character of fiction. As I read the words of Debs, I am sure that Debs I knew in other days was not the Debs who was in prison. But am I right or am I wrong? The world was only right when Debs said it was right and the world was wrong always when he said it was wrong. Yes? Can that be possible? I believe that Gene Debs knew right from wrong. I do not believe that “Walls and Bars” reflect the true spirit of the real Eugene V. Degs. Indianapolis theaters today offer: “The ..Wolf,” at Keith’s; “Pollyanna.” at English's; “Paid to Love." at the Circle; Revue D’ Art at the Lyric; “Twelve Miles Out,” at the Apollo; “The Covered Wagon,” at the Ohio; “The Callahans and the Murphys,” at the Indiana and movies at the lsis.

that exist in the voters’ minds, Senator Watson promises. “Although the Democrats are campaigning now In the manner in which they usually campaign,” said Governor Jackson, looking ovef the heads of all the Republicans who have been doing the campaigning, “we will be able when we start out campaigning to show a record of accomplishments unexcelled in the State.” And there you have it. The senior Senator of Indiana is unwilling to restore the badly shaken morale of the citizenry of Indiana at the present time, though citizens of the State are sorely in need of having their confidence in their State government bolstered up. Governor Jackson offers not one word in denial or explanation of the charge that he sought to bribe ex-Gove*ior McCray by guaranteeing his escape from conviction if he would appoint a prosecuting attorney whom the Marion county political boss , wanted, but cravenly promises a sop in the shape of a record of “economy,”—as though economy talk could walk in paths apart from honesty—and apparently hopes that this mercenary appeal to a selfish pocketbook will be satisfactory in lieu of a manliness which answers charges and of a rugged honesty of office in which all Hoosiers once took pride. (Lebanon Reporter) With a price of SSOO a bandit hung up by the Boone County Bankers Association it is more than likely that bank robbing will become a neglected industry in this community. In addissoo a * tion to the SSOO reward for information r> leading to the arrest and conviction of Danaiz a bank rob ber there also is that apHung Up pealing offer of $2,500 in cash for a bank bandit dead or alive. We don’t know much about the bandit business, but we feel sure if we were in the game we would pick out a place where there wasn't such communitywide prejudice against the yegg profession—a place like Chicago or Herrin, for instance.

?ages or other encumbrances and iebts of the corporation each share of capital carries a proportionate ownership of the assets. Are there any motion picture producers that specialize in religious subjects'’ The Church Film Company, 1108 the United Cinema Company, 120 West Forty-first St., New York, are ..wo of them.

AUG. 18, 1927

Why the Weather?

By Chftrle* Fltzhugh Talman Authority on Meteorology

WHAT IS WEATHER? Meteorologists and lexicographers are very much at sea in regard to the meaning of the word “weather,” as they are, unfortunately, to the meanings of a great many words connected with weather. Some •would have us use it in a broad sense to embrace all the activities of the atmosphere at a particular time, ethers would limit its application to those atmospheric phenomena that are perceptible to th 9 senses. The latter is decidedly the more common use of the term. Man’s conception of weather was formed and crystallized at a period when ho instrumental means of Investigating the atmosphere were available, and when, therefore, many of its activities were still unknown. Thus it happens that the warmth of the air, the state of the sky, the winds, and certain other things that we recognize through sight or feeling are universally classified as weather, while the pressure of the air, of which nothing was known before the invention of the barometer, is not usually so clasifled. Other distinctions of the same kind are commonly made, both in and out of scientific circles. Everybody considers ‘ the electrical display of a thunderstorm an episode of weather, but even the scientific specialist who measures the normal electrification of the atmosphere from day to day with theelectrometer hardly thinks of thill invisible phenomenon as weather. (All rights reserved. Science Service. Inc.) -

Mr. Fixit Weed Complaints Must Be Signed, Say Officials.

All complaints on weeds must be signed by the person sending in the report. The street commissioner’s office will take no action, unless this is done. Mr. Fixit: The lot west of 5120 E. Walnut St. would be a good place to hide an enemy army. The weeds are so high that they make a fine place for our enemy, the mosquito. Can you get us some help? E. WALNUT STREETERS. If you will send Fixit another complaint with your name attached to it, the street commissioner’s department can be induced to help you. Mr. Fixit: I live at 6268 Central Ave. The lot next door south and several in the rear are five feet high in weeds. Do something before the seed begins to blow in the yards. Thanks. A TIMES READER. The city weed-cutting force will be sent to take care of this situation.

Times Readers Voice Views

To the Editor: Oh, please be a true friend to us poor taxpayers. A coliseum is not needed at all. Defer it for ten years at least! The Fairgrounds coliseum and the Cadle Tabernacle are large eno- gh for present use. TROUBLED TAXPAYER. To the Editor:—One time D. C. Stephenson said, “I am the law in Indiana,” and it did seem very much that way. Mr. Gilliom said one time “I am the mirror the law.” He said the other day at the Walb Club meeting of seekers after office: “There is a state of mind over Indiana that must be taken into account.” You bet there is, and the man who is fortunate enough to be nominated for Governor at the primary next year will be asked to prove himself a true blue Republican, or he will hear from that mind. There’s a whole lot of fellows who will throw their hats in the ring for various offioes that real Republicans are going to sniff at. Take note: At his last election Jim Watson got less than 12,000 majority, wherewith his “splendid organization” working day and nights and Sundays he expected 50,000 to 75,000. G.

Brain Teasers

With a flight from Seattle to' Tokio now under consideration, you may want to brush up your knowledge of Japan. The first six of today’s questions give you a Japanes® quiz. Answers are on page 14: 1. If the Japanese islands wer® placed along the Eastern coast of the- United States, how far north and south would they extend? 2. What Is the capital of Japan? 3. How does Tokio rank in size with other cities of the old world? 4. How does the area of the Japanese islands compare with the area of the British Isles? 5. Which has the greater population. the Japanese islands or the British Isles? Who is the present emperor of Japan? 7. What metal now used extensively for kitchenware was unknown to the ancients? 8. What is the study of etymology? 9. Who was Hymen? 10. Do common house flies bite? What is the average length of life in the United States? For white males it is 55.23 years and for white females 57.41 years; negro males 37.92 years and negro females 40.28 years.

Do You Know — That the Phyllis Wheatley branch of the Y. W. C. A, affiliated with the Community Fund, has just closed its third summer school period during which seventy-five little colored girls were taught how to sew and learned songs, fine pieces of literature and studied some of the masterpieces of the art world?