Indianapolis Times, Volume 39, Number 158, Indianapolis, Marion County, 10 November 1927 — Page 6

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How It Works When the Legislature, at the request of Governor Jackson, abolished the old board of pardons, which in theory was composed of men free from partisan influences, and placed the matters of paroles and pardons in the hands of the prison boards, this newspaper warned that it was a backward step. Today it is demonstrated that this has been the result and that the parole of prisoners from the instifutions has noAV been injected into politics and that freedom may depend upon the power of prisoners to secure the aid and services of the politically powerful. ‘The letter published today by The Times shows that Clyde A. Walb, as head of the Republican party, took a hand in the parole of T. Guy Perfect of Huntington after the pardon board had refused to intervene in the matter. The Perfect case had aroused unusual interest. The prisoner had occupied a prominent position in his home city and was most highlv respeeted, the owner of large amusement enterprises. The crime for which he was convicted, and the Supreme Court had upheld the sentence, was committed against a young girl in his employ. The board of pardons had all the facts and it refused to act. The prison board had all the facts in May that it had in August and it had turned a deaf ear to the pleas for clemency. . The only difference in the situation on the day the parole was granted by the Governor and the date on which it had previously been refused was the presence in the matter of Walb, and through him of powerful politicians. That is not a nice situation. It is not a pleasant thing to know that the penal institutions of the State and the liberty or punishment of any man convicted of crime becomes a matter of political influence. The admitted interference and pressure upon this board demonstrates that the Legislature made a very grave mistake when it abolished the old pardon board and made the prison board the dictator of clemency. Most of all, it demonstrates that the Governor, if he has the interests of the State under any consideration or has no special reasons for tlieir retention, should at once change the prison board which granted this parole. A prison board which is under the influence of partisan politics is not safe to handle such grave matters as those of parole and pardons. These men who are now exhibited as having yielded to pleas of politicians where they were not convinced by facts and evidence have lost their usefulness. The Dawes Plan Hornet’s Nest German reparations difficulties, of which we have repeatedly warned, are already the subject of lengthy dispatches from Berlin. But, however warm the present discussion may wax, the real crisis need hardly oe expected until maximum payments fall due In the year 1928-29. The memorandum of S. Parker Gilbert, agent general for reparations payments, handed to the German government is really nothing new. It is merely an elaboration of what he had previously said in published reports, notably that of Nov. 30, 1926- The memo, however, was handed to the German government obviously as a warning and that, coupled with the fact that the government kept its contents' 'a state secret for some time, was what gave it the importance the German press attaches to it today. Briefly, Agent General Parker Gilbert —who happens to be an American —calls the government’s attention to the fact that while reparations payments are growing much larger, Germany’s budgetary expenses are likewise mounting and warns that if this keeps up much longer the nation's reparations obligations will be endangered. And he criticises the taxation system whereby the federal government must turn over to the states and communes as high as 75 per cent of some of the most important taxes collected. The memorandum was largely technical. And we will not attempt to analyze it here further than to say Gilbert has uttered the same warning before. But while the present furor will quickly subside, another and more serious one will make itself felt w'ithin the next year or so. As in every other case of the kind there is much to be said on both sides. Gilbert, some of the more bitter German critics allege, is viewing the situation purely American, coldly and calculating, overlooking the political, social and economic, or wholly German, phases of it. And no doubt this is true. Gilbert’s job is to collect reparations and pay over the money to the allies and his observations almost necessarily must be with an eye single to that end. Germany began paying on the Dawes plan during the year 1924-25. She paid approximately $250,000,000. The next year she paid $300,000,000, and 1926-27 she paid about $375,000,000, and all very handily. But what is probably not quite so generally known is that during the same period the par value of Germany’s long-term public borrowings in the United States alone amounted to $581,000,000, while another $304,000,000 were borrowed elsewhere, just about balancing what was paid out on reparations. In 1927-28 Germany will be called upon to pay $430,000,000 on reparations and then comes the beginning of the maximum payments, in 1928-29, amounting to $600,000,000 a year, half of which, for the first time, is to come from the much discussed budget. It is easy to see, therefore, that if the requirements of the German states and communes and other “social, political and economic” demands of Germany keep on piling up; and reparations call for vaster sums to be paid out of the same budget; and Germany finds it necessary to fork over more than $70,000,000 annually as interest charges on money

The Indianapolis Times (A SCBIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) Owned and published dally (except Sunday) by Tha Indianapolis Times Publishing Cos., 214-220 W. Maryland Street. Indianapolis, Ind. Price In Marlon County. 2 cents —lO cents a week; elsewhere, 3 cents—l 2 cents a week. BOYD GURLEY. ROY W. HOWARD. W. A. MAYBORN. Editor. President. Business Manager. PHONE—MAIN 3500. THURSDAY. NOV. 10, 1927. Member ol United Press, Scrlpps-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.

borrowed during the past three years alone; and so forth and so on, Germany is going to have to step high, wide and fancy to meet all the calls on her budget. By this we do not mean to cast doubt on Germany’s intentions. Since the Dawes plan was put into effect she has loyally fulfilled her responsibilities. At the same time Gilbert is hardly to be blamed for calling the German government’s attention to a situation which undoubtedly exists, what one pleases. In fact, he was only doing a plain duty. Save the Income Tax The fairest tax ever voted in this country is the income tax. Resisted to the last ditch by great wealth, it was enacted in time to serve the country during the World War. It caused the burden of the war to be spread more equitably over, the country’s population than would otherwise have been the case. The war’s burden, of course, did not fall evenly on all classes, but those least able to bear the cost had the income tax to thank for the fact that conditions were not made worse. In the years following the war the income tax structure has been steadily hacked away until now only a nucleus remains. With an eye to winning votes Congressmen began reducing the rates of the small income taxpayers. With an eye to campaign contributions they began doing the same for the biggest taxpayers. Now the bulk of burden rests on a middle group and the present session is certain to see their rates reduced to some extent. Probably the greatest harm has resulted from the efforts to win the support of the small taxpayer. By the millions, the small taxpayer finally has been exempted from paying any income tax whatsoever. He has been inclined to applaud, not realizing that, by the inexorable working of practical economics, the direct tax he thus escaped was taken from him through some unseen, indirect tax. The income tax is the best tax for the small payer. From it he comes nearest receiving the full Government service for which he pays. Alternatives are various kinds of sales tax and various kinds of tariffs. That means that the tax is applied to something the taxpayer buys and it always has meant and always will mean that the ultimate payer—the retail buyer—pays more, sometimes several times more, than the Government receives. This isn’t due to crookedness on anybody’s part. It is simply ihe way taxes of this kind work out. Now we have a situation in which taxes are bringing in more revenue than the Government needs. Obviously, taxes should be cut. But which taxes? And how much? Secretary Mellon says the cut should be no more than $225,000,000. Many members of Congress wish to make the cut greater. Mellon would reduce the income tax on corporations from 13Vs per cent to 12 per cent. Some members of Congress would reduce it still further. It is not unlikely that Congress will exceed the total tax cut proposed by the Secretary of the Treasury. But Congress may make the great mistake of reducing the corporation tax beyond the point suggested by Mellon. The same reduction can be accomplished by eliminating the present tax on automobiles, theater tickets and the like. These are popularly known as the "nuisance” taxes. They are more than that. They are a burden on industry and an unequal burden on consumers. Tracks Are for Trains Railroad tracks are for trains and highways are for motorists. Trains are just a little heavier and mightier than automobiles, which is to the point that when train and automobile meet, the train comes out best ninety-nine per cent of the time. Trains are hard to stop and automobiles are easy, which is to the point that when highways cross tracks, automobiles should stop. “When a man goes upon a railroad track, he knows he goes to a place where he knows he will be killed if a train comes upon him before he is clear of the track. He knows he must stop for the train, not the train for him. In such circumstances, it seems to us that if a driver can not be sure otherwise whether a train is dangerously near he must stop and get out of his vehicle, although obviously he will not often be required to do more than stop and look. It seems to us that if he relies upon not hearing the train or any signal and takes no further precaution, he does so at his own risk.” Those are the words of Justice Holmes of the United States Supreme Court, applying to a man’s suit for redress because his automobile was demolished by a train. There is no logic in rushing across a railroad track. There is no sense in not stopping and taking every precaution to avoid being struck by a train. There is only a world of laziness —and criminal recklessness. A grade crossing is a rendezvous with death. There is always a train coming. How did Mrs. Coolidge ever get away with that all-red ensemble in Washington under this administration? What will happen to Shakespeare's works when Big Bill Thompson finds out he was an Englishman?

Law and Justice By De: r M. Keezer

A man was named co-respondent in a divorce suit. The divorce was granted, but the man named as co-respondent sought to appeal from this decision. He claimed that there had been no good reason for naming him as co-respondent and that the granting of a divorce on such a basis resulted in serious reflection. on his character. On this account he claimed he was entitled to appeal the case. The man who-had obtained the divorce opposed this appeal on the ground that a party named as co-respondent in a divorce case has no legal right to appeal from the decision reached. He claimed that the man named as co-respondent had not been injured by the granting of the divorce and consequently had no ground on which to base an appeal. HOW WOULD YOU DECIDE THIS CASE? The actual decision: The Supreme Court of Illinois refused to consider the appeal made by the man who had been named as co-respondent on the ground that he had not been injured by the divorce decree. The court said that in this country, in the absence of a statute, the co-respondent in a divorce case has no right to intervene to protect his or her reputation.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

M. E. TRACY SAYS: “The Mast Discouraging Aspect of Our Elections Is the Number of People Who Fail to Vote.”

Election results throw little light on 1928, which is contrary to what most of us hoped, but quite in line with what should have been expected. The best one can say is that nothing occurred to indicate a sizeable shift of opinion as between the two major parties. This probably would have been the case even if such a shift had occurred, since the campaign was confined to State and municipal affairs. Leaders did what they could, of course, to line up the voters in a partisan way, but local sentiment proved too much for them in most instances. * * * Rebuke to Dry League Ohio administers a terrific rebuke to the Anti-Saloon League and Detroit elects a dry mayor. Kentucky prefers a Republican Governor who believes in horse racing to a Democrat who does not. If Tammany retains undisputed control of New York, the Vare machine retains equally undisputed control of Philadelphia, and if the cry of fraud has gone up in the latter city, it is beginning to be heard in the former. Ohio Whips Gang Rule Ring rule did not fair so well in Ohio. Th Akron gdng was taken for the worst ride in its history. Cleveland retained the city manager plan in spite of the Davis crowd; Toledo showed its independence of a group that has run things too long by a majority of 7,000, and Cincinnati put its foot down once more on efforts of the old regime to come back. Scripps - Howard newspapers worked the people for clean politics in all four instances. They also fought to beat the infamous Marshall bill, by which the AntiSaloon League strove to increase its hold on Ohio, with the result that this organization went down to a crushing defeat in its home State. * * * Another Al Victory Nine constitutional amendments were up for consideration in New Yo; k. Governor Smith favored eight and opposed one. The eight he favored were adopted, while the one he opposed was defeated. This is enough to convince anyone that he remains leader not only of the Democratic party, but of the entire State. At the same time. Republicans increased their lead in the State assembly by a slight margin, and there you are. ♦ * * Men Against Money New York city thinks it had a rousing election and a great expression of public opinion. Perhaps it did, but San Francisco, with one-tenth the population, cast one-fifth as many votes. This is something for students of political economy to ponder. How comes it that the western city does twice as well as the eastern city in use of the ballot? It is quite true that New York had no mayorality contest, but it did have the question of increasing the city’s indebtedness by $300,000,000 as well as some others of importance. Are people more interested in voting for men than money? * * * Failure to Vote The most discouraging aspect of our elections is the number of people who fail to vote. What makes It even more discouraging, the condition appears to grow worse instead of better, especially in older communities. The people of this country seldom vote in the proportion they ought, or in the proportion that people of other countries vote. The English outdo us right along when it comes to percentages. And so do the French, Germans. Canadians and Australians. # * * _ Women Lax at Polls New York women celebrated the tenth anniversary of their enfranchisement on election night. The next day was the ninth anniversary of the birth of the German republic. So far as the element of time is concerned, American women and the German people are about on a parity in being granted the ballot. Considering all the to-do American women made for this right and the reluctance with which the Germans accepted it, you would expect the former to make a much better showing than the latter at the polls. But that is not the case. Germans vote to the extent of 40 per cent and more of the total population. American women do not vote to anything like the same extent. * * * Premium on Modesty Concord, N. H., takes a man who campaigned hard for mayor in preference to a young woman who spent only sls. Detroit does the reverse. That city likes the self-effacing Lodger uncle of Charlie Lindbergh, better that the orating, bill-posting Smith, even though the latter did come out for a wide-open town. Though Indianapolis held no election, it, too, acquired a mayor on Tuesday, and under circumstances which seem to put a premium on modesty. L. Ert Slack, who was elected to this office by the city council on the thirty-eighth ballot, took so little interest in the matter that he did not know his name was being considered, and knew so little about the city hall that he had to be directed to the council chamber when told of his election And summoned to take the oath.

Ought to Be Able to Agree on That Record

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(Gary Post Tribune) (Independent) ' Many of the faults of youth of which people are now complaining can be accounted for by their high animal spirits and abundant health and vigor. Illustrating this, a woman whose home is The Buo\J- near a bi S high school building in a , fairly large city remarks on the irreancy Os pressible spirit by those school pupils. Youth When they come out of that building. she remarks, they are keyed up to a pitch of exhilaration. They feel the relief from the tension of study and the classroom and they can hardly contain themselves. They are so bubbling over with fun and enthusiasm that they hardly know what they are doing. They walk down the sidewalks five or six abreast, scarcely realizing that older people are being crowded into the gutter. They scatter papers along the streets and lawns, disfiguring their home town, but

You can get an answer to any question of fact or information by writing to The Indianapolis Times Washington Bureau, 1322 New York Ave.. Washington, D. C„ inclosing 2 cents In stamps lor reply. Medical, legal and marital advice cannot be given nor can extended research be undertaken. A'l other questions will receive a personal reply. Unsigned requests cannot be answered. All letters are confidential.—Editor. What is the total Portuguese popthe United States? According to the census of 1920 the total Fortugueses population of the United States of voting age was 33.837 males and 22,739 females. The total portugueses population of the United States in 1920 was 67,453. What pitcher in baseball holds the record for pitching the most consecutive shut-out innings? Walter Johnson. He pitched fiftysix consecutive shut-out innings, beginning April 10 (second inning) and ending May 14 (fourth inning) 1913. How many ordained women preachers are there in the United States? About 2,000. How can a chamois skin jacket or windbreaker be washed? In warm suds to which household

Fire Furnace Heavily Seldom, Says Engineer

'This Is the fourth of a series of i nuisance appearimt exclusively in The 1 BY EDWIN V. O’NEEL “Fire heavily but seldom” and “burn the smoke gasses” are pointers emphasized by Joseph C. Buchanan, city combustion engineer, in advising home furnace tenders how to operate their heating plants with a minimum of coal, smoke and attention for a miximum of heat. “Smoke gasses are burned by making the fire burn from the top down instead of from the bottom up and giving enough air on top to make flame out of the gasses,” says Buchanan. Close Draft Door “Run your furnace with the damper or draft door in the ash pit door closed. Never take any draft through the ash pit until at least an hour after firing, and even this should not be necessaryr except in extremely cold weather. “Take all your draft from over the fire through the firing door. All fire doors have slides or holes in them. On all ordinary hot air furnaces these holes do not admit enough air. Leave the fire door ajar about an inch to give sufficient air until the smoke gasses are burned off. Leave in through the fire door just enough air to cause blue gas arising to ignite on the surface of the goal. Gasses Burn Within Hour It usually takes about an hour for the gasses to burn off. Then shut the door and leave the holes in the door open. “Hot air furnaces need more air than steam or hot water heaters, for they have a much hotter firebox. “If too much draft is allowed, the furnace will make gas faster than the capacity of your furnace will allow it to burn. For this reason you must keep the bottom or ash pit damper closed at all times for at least an hour after firing and all the time if possible. “Asa general rule the smoke pipe check damper should be down for an hour after firing.

What Other Editors Think

Questions and Answers

anrnonia has been adaed—in proportion about one teaspoon to a quart of water. Do not rinse much. Stretch it to shape while damp. If the jacket is expensive it would be better to have the work done by a professional cleaner. Have the number of horses in the United States decreased materially during the last ten or fifteen years? According to the Department of Agriculture’s yearbook there were 19,833,000 horses on farms in tie United States on April 15, 1910, and 15,778,000 in 1926. How does the printing and publishing business rank among the industries of the United States. It ranks fifth in volume and the avlue of its production for 1925 was $2,021,356,000. How old is the earth? Speculations about the geological age of the earth vary enormously. Estimates of the age of the oldest rocks by geologists and astronomers starting from different standpoints have varied between 1,600,000,000 and 25,000,000 years. That the period of time has been vast, that it is to be counted by scores and

i terviews on abatement of the smoke imes.) “Following these directions, fire crawls back on top of the fresh coal in about twenty minutes and will burn without a particle of smoke for hours. “The smoke gasses will come through the red coals on top and the air from the door will burn them off. This will leave a coke fire which will hold for hours. The fire must noto be touched or replenished until every particle of flame has disappeared. Five hours is the minimum period between firing. Twice a day usually is sufficient.”

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scarcely conscious that they are doing it. They take chances of getting hit by automobiles and sometimes are hit, which is more serious. This absorption seems to be the outcome largely of their exuberant spirits. It indicates that these students are healthy and vigorous young animals, which is something to be thankful fflr. Conditions are more favorable for them than they would have been in former years. They have more healthful school buildings and homes, better ventilation, more outdoor life. No wonder they feel kinky. This abounding vitality is fine, and one can see the signs of it among the students of Gary. It accounts for the heedlessness manifested by many of them. But they should learn to keep themselves well under self-control. The finest types of people are never so buoyant and enthusiastic that they forget what they are doing or are led to do needless and unmannerly things.

possibly by hundreds of millions of years is the utmost that can be said with certainty about the age of the earth. Who were the German emperors from the founding of the empire in 1871 to the abdication of Wilhelm II? There were three; William I; Frederick 111 and Wilhelm 11, all of the House of Hohenzollern. What is the population of the State of Nevada? 77,407. What does p. p. c. on a calling card stand for? The letters stand for the French expression "pour prendre conge” which means “to depart” or ‘ take leave of.” On a calling card the letters signify that this was the parting or last call. How long has it been since the end of the Revolutionary War? The war ended in October, 1781, 146 years ago. What is the correct way to hold corn on the cob while eating it? Take the cob in the fingers and hold tightly at each end. A more satisfactory way is to use com holders which can be purchased in jewelry and department stores.

ANNOUNCING

NEW THROUGH SERVICE FROM INDIANAPOLIS TO CINCINNATI, OHIO ' AND DECATUR, ILLINOIS WASHINGTON SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS D. C. Again the Baltimore & Ohio gives evidence of ihe will to please—the constant thought for the travel convenience of the communities it serves. This new train, providing for the greatest convenience of Indianapolis travelers, will operate daily commencing SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH (Central Time) Eastbound* Westbound Leave Arrive 11:00 A. M. Springfield 5:50 P. M. 12:25 P. M. Decatur _ 4:25 P. M. 5:00 P. M. Indianapolis .....11:40 A. M. M. Conncrsville ; .10:18 A. M. (Easte n Time) 10:15 P. M. Cincinnati (Grand Central Station) 9:05 A. M. 2:40 P. M. Washington, D. C 4:38 P. M. EQUIPMENT— Parlor-Dining Car and Individual Seat Coaches between Springfield and Cincinnati; Sleeping Car between Springfield, 111., and "Washington, D. C.; Standard Baltimore & Ohio Dining Service. CONNECTIONS— At "Washington for Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. For Full Details Consult Local Ticket Agent BALTIMORE AND OHIO

NOV. 10. 1927

Old Masters

How oft against the sunset sky or moon I watched that moving zigzag of spread wings In forgotten autumns gone too soon, In unforgotten springs! Creatures of desolation, far they fly Above all lands bound by the curling foam; In misty fens, wild moors and trackless sky These wild things have their home. They know the tundra of Siberian coasts And tropic marshes by the Indian seas; They know the clouds and night 4 and starry hosts Dark flying rune against the western glow— It tells the sweep and loneliness of things, From Crux to Pleidaes. Symbol of Autumn vanished long ago! * Symbol of coming Springs! —Frederick Peterson: Wild Oeese.

SlHlOlEi llalcle.

1. The idea of letter golf is to change one word to another and do it in par, a given number of strokes. Thus to change CO\V TO HEN, in three strokes, COW, HOW, HEW, HEN. / 2. You can change only one letter at a time. 3. You must have a complete word, of common usage, for each jump. Slang words and abbreviations don’t count. 4. The order of letters cannot be changed. BANK MERGER EFFECTED Institutions at W’olcottville May Increase Capital Farmers and Merchants Bank, Wolcottville, Ind., has been merged with the State Bank of that town. State Banking Commissioner Luther P. Symonds announced Wednesday. The present capitalization is $25,000, but it may be increased, he said. The Farmers and Merchants bank had reserve funds deposited with the Lagrange National Bank, which closed its doors recently. George Ade’s Brother Dies Bn Time Special „ . . BROOK, Ind., Nov. 10. Joseph Ade, brother of George Ade, author, and of Mrs. Warren T. McCray, wife of the former Indiana governor, is dead at the home of George Ade here.