Indianapolis Times, Volume 39, Number 170, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 November 1927 — Page 4

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A Real Thanksgiving / The same spirit which prompted the early - Puritans to dedicate this day to thankfulness, should inspire the people of Indiana as never before to be truly thankful. Those courageous men and women who sought freedom from oppression in other lands, had braved the dangers of the seas and the hardships of the wilderness that they might own their own souls. They had found this freedom in this land. They had raised their spires above log temples. They had worshiped without fear and had . found none who dared to threaten or oppress them. They were free in their own little colony. They rejoiced not alone in the store of foods against the bitter days of approaching winter, but that they had escaped the spirit of religious intolerance from which they had fled. Indiana has the same cause to rejoice today. For the State has thrown off the shackles which have imprisoned good feeling. It has thrown off the era of intolerant spirit which has slowly and poisonously crept into its body politic. There should be rejoicing that the State enters again into the heritage of the founders, a heritage of self government, a heritage of freedom from the intolerant, and what is worse, the spirit of intolerance. / The State, for the past year, has been in the shadows. It has gone through the forest of suspicion and distrust and humiliation. It has had the courage to face the truth and the facts. And because that same sturdy spirit which prompted the founders of this day to sacrifices in order to gain a spiritual freedom has again exhibited itself in this State, because it still lives to inspire and direct the lives of men, because it is again triumphant and unconquerable, let us give thanks. Material prosperity, important as it is, is not so important as is a spiritual enrichment. Indiana, of all the States, and perhaps soon to be the beacon in a national march to the shrines of freedom, is indeed in a position to rejoice. The Penalty of Courage Once again the eyes of the State are turned upon Muncie just as they were turned a few months ago when Judge Clarence W. Dearth was being tried before the State Senate on impeachment charges. Things have been going badly at Muncie. Asa matter of fact they have always been off color. There has been gambling and so the Federal prohibition agents discover the sale of booze. Some rather famous purveyors have been convicted and are in the net. The people are wanting to know why the local police had not discovered them earlier. When Dearth was on trial, one of the many citizens of Muncie who dared to testify against him was the prosecutor of that county, a young man, Joe Davis. It is not surprising to find that in the court of Dearth there is plenty of time to listen to gossipy charges that Davis has been corrupt. There seems to be no time for the prompt demand of Davis that a grand jury investigate him or his bold qffer to pay the expenses of any prosecutor his enemy upon the bench might name to conduct it. When young men like Davis show enough courage to fight the forces of evil, they must expect to pay the penalty. they happen to be honest prosecutors, they can expect the underworld to remain true to its nature and act like a polecat. And, of course, the underworld could never exist were it not for very respectable friends who furnish them platforms and pedestals from which tft spout their filth and venom and slander. It will pay to keep an eye on Muncie. See what happens to its crooks. And see what happens to Joe Davis, the honest prosecutor. Mississippi Tributaries The United States Chamber of Commerce wants tributaries excluded In the Mississippi river flood control program to be adopted by the coming Congress. The chamber is undoubtedly sincere in taking this position believing that the adoption of a real program will be hastened. The position, however, is open to cristicism. If the 1927 flood proved anything, it proved the fallacy of the theory that levee construction and maintenance can be left partly in the hands of the Federal Government and partly in the hands of local levee boards. fallacy was demonstrated at Arkansas City, where the water was higher back of the levee than it was in front of the levee. The water back of the levee descended on the city from breaks for above. When Congress adopted its last flood control program it apparently failed to realize that a levee system is only as strong as its weakest link. It offered Federal aid to local levee boards on certain lower tributaries, but, if the boards wished, they could build and maintain levees without aid. Expecting to save money, many local boards chose the latter alternative and'constructed levees that were not up to standard specifications. And little good it did one byrd to build a strong, high levee if a board a few

The Indianapolis Times (A SCEEPPS-HOWAED NEWSPAPER) ; Owned and published dally (except Sunday) by The Indianapolis Times Publishing Cos.. 314-220 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. RftY W. HOWARD. W. A. MAYBORN. Editor. President. Business Manager. PHONE—MAIN 3500. \ THURSDAY, NOV. 24, 1927. Member of United Press. Serlpps-Howard Newspaper Alliance, Newspaper Enterprise Association. Newspaper Information Service and Audit Bureau ot Circulations. “Give Light and the People Will Find Their uwn Way.”— Dante.

miles up the tributary built one that was unable to stand the strain. Ten years ago Congress did not feel it necessary even to place the Mississippi River Commission in control of the Atchafalaya River, which connects with the Mississippi river at the Junction of the Red river and carries 45C,000 cubic feet of water per second to the Gulf. Eventually the Atchafalaya levees had to be included in the main levee system. Efficient flood control has demanded that the main levee system be extended after each great flood. The proposal of the‘United States ChaVnber runs contrary to this general tendency of recent years. The proposal seems especially unconsidered Just after a flood that left ,a number of local levee boards virtually bankrupt and made it necessary for Federal officials to violate the law 4n order to give necessary aid. Coolidge’s Position The President, it appears, is opposed to the circulation of chain-letter petitions in New England, in favor of his renomination. Each person who signed a petition was supposed to get ten others to sign, the idea being that the scheme would go on indefinitely, until the entire United States was covered. Beyond the mere statement that he is opposed to circulation of these petitions, the President did not go, however. The President’s silence is more interesting than his statemerit of opposition, particularly in view of an apparent flare-up of third term talk which had died down after Coolidge criticised Senator Fess for his persistent talk of renomination. Most people will continue to believe the President was genuinely anxious to avoid a third term when he spoke last summer. Others will see an effort on the past of the President to strengthen his position in event his party decides to “draft” him. He will be in the position of having done nothing to encourage a renomination, 6f not having sought a third term, but, some believe, ready to respond to his party’s summons. The effect of the incident on the whole is not to clear political waters. The Tax Reduction Program The House Ways and Means committee is doing a good Job in handling the problem of tax reduction. That is said with due regard to the fact that the committee has overridden most of Treasury Secretary Mellon’s recommendations, and emphatically rejected that proposal dearest to him—repeal of Fed-* eral inheritance t&x. “ TJie fact that the committee proposes a $250,000,000 cut instead of following the Mellon recommendation of $225,000,000 is far less important from the standpoint of taxation than the nature of the cuts being made. It is worth noting that the committee made its recommendation in opposition to the wishes of both the President and Secretary Mellon. That may be the beginning of an interesting Congressional revolt. More probably, however, its political significance lies in the fact that the Ways and Means committee members know there won’t be enough millionaires to carry their districts next fall. The Mellon tax reduction plan was characteristically framed to give disproportionate benefit to the very wealthy. It’s outstanding proposal, so far as the tax system of the country is concerned, was repeal of the Federal inheritance tax. That tax scarcely affects those who have fortunes of less than half a million dollars, and its retention is essential to the continuance of inheritance taxation in the States. The House Ways and Means committee has wisely decided to keep it. i wawsSfflß Secretary Mellon asked a downward revision of surtaxes on annual incomes between SIB,OOO and $70,000. The Ways and Means committdfe voted twentyone to two against that proposal. Mellon asked retention of the tax on autos. It will be reduced or eliminated, instead. The committee cut the corporation tax, which everyone agrees is out of line, from thirteen and one-half to eleven and one-half percent—half of one per cent more than Mellon recommended. By making the biggest part of the slash in the corporation tax, and retaining the inheritance tax, the committee accomplishes tax reduction without uprooting any source of Federal revenue which would be hard to reinstate. That, as a long range policy, is extremely Important. And,' by keeping the inheritance tax, sources of revenue are provided which, ill the long run, will overbalance those which would have resulted from, following the Treasury secretary’s advice. Statesmanship might dictate no tax reduction at this time. Politics demands it, and facing that fact the Ways and Means committee is doing well to consider the many and not the few. The Woman Pioneer It took an English sculptor to interpret the modem American ideal of %rhat a pioneer woman should look like. Bryant Baker, bom in London, is the winner by popular vote in the competition to create such a figure for E. W. Marland, Oklahoma oil man. A dozen sculptors submitted models, which being displayed in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and elsewhere were voted upon by the interested citizenry. And Baker won with a piece showing a pretty Puritan, bound with her son for church, Bible under arm. To look at this creation is to realize that Baker put into it all the knowledge of pioneering he has learned since immigrating to the wild and woolly plains of New York in 1916. To say the least, Baker’s pretty Puritan has "it.” In fact, she has everything. Perhaps the west was won by women like this, but one cannot help wondering why Oklahoma people should give so little, attention to other models that were submitted. There was one showing a woman in gingham wrapper and sunbonnet, staring off into the distance, apparently in search of her men folk. All the lonely sunlit distances of the west brooded in her figure. Another model was even more realistic. It showed a woman lugging a baby and a gun, and the woman’s dress was unkempt and perhaps dirty. She wore only moccasins for shoes and she would never have got into the movies. One may wonder what the Mayflower had to do with the Oklahoma Panhandle, the staked plains and the black jack lands, and one may wonder if Oklahoma, in thirty-six years, has already forgotten the days of dugouts and drudgery,

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

M. E. TRACY SAYS: “Our Conscience Goes to Seed While We Pass Myriads of Law to Correct Petty, Trivial Faults.”

44T AM a man of principle, in A spite of what people say,” said George Remus, after shooting his wife. “I never smoked, drank or swore in my life.” “Crazy,” you say. But is he? Unusual, perhaps, to find a slayer claiming to be sinless because he is free from certain small vices, but lesser offenses often are excused on that ground. v tt u Typical of Generation Insofar as he sets great stove by minor virtues, George Remus Is typical of this-generation. We all have come to look on that “schoolgirl complexion” as a sign of good health, though it is obviously a product of powder and paint, and to accept conventionalized conduct as a sign of good character. y George Remus may have gone to an extreme that shocks us, but he is not exceptional in claiming to be pure and upright because he has failed to commit a few petty transgressions. u tt Trivialities Are Glorified Petty trangressions have come to play a stupendous part In our scheme of morality. We spend vastly more time teaching our children to observe trivial customs and to avoid inconsequential habits than we do in acquainting them with the basic principles of justice and ethics. You hardly will find a neighborhood or a school where some coward, cheat or crook has not been held up as a model of saintliness because he was heat, polite and used lady-like language. More than one mother has thrown her daughter into the arms of such a man, more than one farmer has bought a gold brick, and more than one bank has been looted by this illusionment. nun Conscience, is, after all, largely a matter of training and education. Small vices have played an important part in the training and education of America. For years we have nagged our children over petty details of conduct and appearance, pounding the idea into their heads that if they observed certain conventions and refrained from certain habits they were bound to be good. The conception of right and wrong has been made to hinge on such offenses as smoking cigarets or saying “damn.” n a % n Conscience Gone to Seed We come to a point in life where basic virtues and major vices must be identified, only to find ourselves thinking of habits and customs that have little relation to them. George Remus, proclaiming himself a man of principle because he never smoked, drank or swore, though his hands were still warm with the blood of a murdered woman, is typical of the way our conscience has run to seed. n n n Laws Correct Petty Faults Men make law, as well as break it, because of what they consider right and wrong. When you boil it right down, the system of justice prevailing in every land amounts neither to more or less than a mechanical expression of the public conscience, and the public conscience is built on private conscience. The idea of George Remus that murder is of no great consequence compared to abstinence from tobacco, liquor and profanity has infected our system of justice. To the same extent that we have nagged children over little things, we have passed laws to correct little faults. Our public discussions, politi- > cal campaigns and waves of re- ” form have come to swing around questions that are of no permanent, vital importance. Bobbed hair, short skirts, censorship of moving pictures, style of bathirg sutis, closed Sundays and other such details have come to absorb public attention. Slogans substituted for arguments; houses bought for their wallpaper instead of their foundations; books, books, plays and advertisements written down to the 12-year-old mind—why shouldn’t George Remus consider himself a man of principle because he does not smoke, drink or swear? How can capons be distingueshed from cockerels? By their highly developed thighs and bodies .weak and effeminate heads and shrunken coqib and wattles. Usually in markets half the feathers of the neck and back, the tail feathers and the feathers on the outer wing joints are left on. Where and when was Gerald Chapman caught after he escaped from the Atlanta Penitentiary? When was he hanged? He was caught in Muncie, Irtd., in January, 1925, two years after he had escaped. He was brought toJNew Britain, Conn., tried for the murder of Officer Skelly and convicted. After a long fight in the courts he was hanged April 6, 1926, at the Connecticut State Prison at Wethersfield, Conn. What animals hibernate all winter? , The bat, skunk, bear, Jumping mouse, raccoon, woodchuck and chipmonk. Each represents a group usually comprising more than one genus aed several to n&p£ sgecles. \ i*.y ' - ’cv > *

Thanksgiving at Granddad’s

(Goshen News-Tribune) (Republican) Notwithstanding the “new deal” demands heard here and there over the State the chances are considerably better than even that the next Republican nominee for Governor of Indiana will be one of the gentlemen who have already entered the race, tentatively if not openly. So seldom is the nomination for an important political office decided by a public uprising, there is little chance of such a thing happening in the Hoosier State next year. Personal popularity and an acceptable past record are admittedly strong factors in lifting one to the top of the heap politically, but unless these assets are supported by a Statewide organization of personal workers they are usually lost sight of in the heat of strife. Unquestionably there are numerous men in Indiana who would fill the Governor’s seat with grace and honest effort. As to their ability to intelligently administer this particular job, that is a matter that time only can reveal. Poltical history is shot full of instances wherein failure'as a public official has been made by men whose conduct of private affairs has been a notable success. On the other,hand, some of the best executives the State has ever had have been men wht> worked their way up through the departments and emerged at the top with a well-grounded knowledge as to how the business of the commonwealth should be conducted in order to attain the best results for all concerned. In the gale of criminations and recriminations that has been sweeping the State for several months past, many seem to have lost sight of the fact that from a purely business point of view the present State administration ranks among the best that Indiana has ever had. The State’s finances are in excellent condition, public improvements have kept pace with the progress of the nation and there have been no charges of financial dishonesty relating to the conduct of public business. This statement is due in all fairness to those who for months have been under the spotlight of a rigid political investigation. Public knowledge of these facts precludes the possibility that mere flag-waving will win a nomi-

S I O LI E~ $ \ hie:1e:1l

ihe Rules * 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 COW 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. 1

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What Other Editors Think

nation for Governor next year. Anyone can convince himself on this point by canvassing the sentiment of his own community. (Fern Journal-Chronicle) (Democratic) Indianapolis has taken a real step forward on the political road for redemption in the selection of L. Ert Slack, a Democrat, as mayor. The new mayor is a man of vision, courage, honesty, morality ind mentality. He is an able lawyer and eloquent orator and has large experience in public affairs. With all these essential and fine abilities, he has executive qualities of a high order. He has filled public offices with distinction and will not fail as mayor of Indianapolis. His entire public and private life is a guarantee that he will administer the affairs of his new office to the credit of the people of that city. The conditions confronting him are deplorable. Indianapolis needs a thorough political house cleaning. It is a herculean task. But Mayor Slack is more than equal to it. He will free that city of the scandals which have disgraced it. He -has a most wonderful opportunity for distinguished service to that community. The scandal period for Indianapolis is ending. Every citizen in that city and in the State who favors decent and honest government has high hopes of a most successful administration for Mayor Slack. (Mancie Star) (Republican) It seems incredible that Clyde Walb’s personal financial difficulties should bd made the groundwork for control of the Indiana delegation to the coming Republican national convention. So it is reported, and so it may be unless the people awaken. Organization politics never sleeps. Mr. Walb will step out—to all practical pur-

You can get an answer to any ques- ; lon o' tact or Information by writing to The Indianapolis Times Washington Bureau, 1322 New York Ave., Washington, D. C.. inclosing 2 cents in stamps for repiy. Medical, legal and marital advice cannot be given nor can extended research be undertaken. All other questions will receive a personal reply. Unsigned requests cannot be answered. All letters are confidential.—Editor. Is it proper for a young man, who is keeping steady company with a young woman, to give her for a Christmas present a fur piece, a Spanish shawl, silk hose or gloves? It is not proper for a man to give wearing apparel of any kind to k girl friend. Books, flowers and candy are in keeping with custom. What is the purpose of the large stone tower on the Wheeler estate northwest of Indianapolis, directly opposite Taggart Park? It is a water reservoir. During which course should preserves be served at dinner? Most people serve them with the meat course, Out it is really a matter of personal taste. What is “Three Card Monte”? A gambling device of Mexican origin, using three cards, one of which usually is a court card. By skillful manipulation the cards are thrown on the table, face down, so as to deceive the eye of the person, who bets that he can tell the position of a given card. What is the meaning of the name Iona? It is from the Greek and means “fertile,” “delightful.” Where was the battleship Oregon during the World War? On the Pacific coast during the entire period. Does the United States produce enough tin to supply its demands? Tin is the only important metal that is not produced in continental United States, although this epuntry consumes more than half of the world output of 145,000 tons a year. Sixteen States are known to have tin deposits but none of them has a sufficient quantity for profitable exploitation. The first and largest deposits were found in southern California about ten years before j&g! gftft ffi&s admitted ft

poses he is now out—the State committee will be reorganized and, presto, change, the political fortunes of Herbert C. Hoover will be advanced. All of which explains hurried visits of friends of Mr. Walb to this and that city. When on the top of the heap Mr. Walb little thought he had so many friends. Indiana sympathizes with Clyde Walb, as it would with any other citizen whose business affairs reached an entangled condition, and hopes he will be able to retrieve his fortune. Mr. Moorman, a leader in the “pool” lending financial aid, says it is a personal matter. Rightly so. In his stormy public career Walb has been forced to kick many a political football. Those days are passed. The people wish new faces on the field and desire to see some new, clean plays tried. As outlined, the scheme to save Clyde Walb is anything but a step in that direction, politically speaking. The wrath of the voter is slow to arouse, but if Mr. Practical Politician is of the opinion that the voter hasn’t his ear to the ground at this time, he is badly mistaken. (Decatur Democrat) (Democrat) Jim Watson is nothing if not a politician. There is no surprise that he denied Rev. Shumaker’s charges that he had offered to aid him in escaping punishment, but after all the support he had received from Shumaker and his allies, it looks and is non-appre-ciative to say the least. X Clyde Walb has put it over, according to dispatches from Indianapolis and Lagrange. He has floated $50,000 worth of his securities and will resign. Either would be all right alone, but taken together seems to the average citizen to be just another chapter of shady politics mixed with queer business methods.

Questions and Answers

the Union. They were diligently worked for more than half a century, but finally deserted. Alaska is now our only United States source of tin with an annual production of about thirteen tons.

How can the north or pole star be located in the heavens? First find the big dipper—the constellation of seven stars variously known as Ursa Major, the Dipper, the Great Bear, etc. Os those seven stars the pair farthest from the “handle” of the dipper are called the pointers because they point to the north star, Polaris. The pointers are five degrees apart. An imaginary line running through these two pointers will cross the North Star. How many aliens were deported in February, 1927? The total was 1,104. What is the amateur competition motor-paced bicycle speed record for 25 miles and for 50 miles? The record for 25 miles is 47 minutes and 37 seconds; for 50 miles, 1 hour, 38 minutes, 26 2-5 seconds. What is the total revenue from the State gasoline taxes? Are there any States that do not have this tax? Gasoline taxes yielded a net revenue of $187,603,231 in 1926. A tax was imposed in all but four States ranging from 1 to 5 cents per gallon, the average rate being 2.38 cents. The tax collections indicate that nearly eight billion gallons were consumed in the States imposing the tax and it is estimated that nearly two million gallons were used in the four States in which no tax was imposed. How long does it take to make the average telephone connection in the United States? Fifty million calls was the daily average last , year. The average time for making all connections was less than 6 seconds, and in large cities it was 4.5 seconds. By what simple method can I tell if my garden soil needs lime? Stir up a thinbleful of soil in a iurn&sc & clsaa wtiet ft afteii a

NOV. 24, 1927!

Times Readers Voice Views

The name and address of the author must accompany every contribution, but on request will not be published. Letters not exceeding 200 words will receivfc preference. To the Editor: Many Indianapolis women shoppers apparently are overlooking an opportunity to receive better service from store clerks and at the same time to help relieve the crowded condition of street cars during the evening rush hours by waiting until late in the afternoon to do their shopping. Every evening there are many women shoppers who have not completed their shopping until after 5 p. m. They can not expect store clerks to be as alert at the end of day’s work as they are early in the day when they are fresh after a night’s rest. This permits them to accord customers better service in the morning than in the afternoon, and the customer who shops early in the day usually can complete her shopping in less time than the one who waits until afternoon. Every woman knows that it is not particularly pleasant to have to endure the rigors of a crowded street car en route to their homes, nor is it pleasant to drive one’s automobile through the maze of peakhour traffic. Also, the shopper who shops early can make her selections from stock before it has been picked over by crowds, which should be an incentive to early shopping. If all shoppers would adopt the policy of shopping early they would find this task less trying and they would be conferring a favor on the clerks who wait on them. DAILY READER. To the Editor; After being a subscriber of long standing of the Indianapolis Daily and Sunday Star I wish to congratulate you on your wonderful expose and work of publicity through the columns of The Daily Times of the awful rottenness of the Indiana political situation of today which has been in our midst for some time, and only hope the clouds will clear and permit the sun to shine in the near future, but do not see how that can happen until the last one of the said public officials are removed from office, may I ask at this time just where the Star and News were when all of this was taking place and knew nothing of it, or at least did not give it to the public? Your truly, W. K. KATTMAN, Crothersville, Ind.

Old Masters

Remember me when I am gone away, Gone far away into the silent land; When you can no more hold me by the hand, Nor I half'turn to go, yet turning , stay. Remember me when no more, day by day, You tell me of our future that you planned: Only remember me; you understand It will be late to counsel then or ' pray. Yet if you should forget me for 4 while And afterwards remember, do no# grieve: For if the darkness and corruption leave A vestige of the thoughts that one* I had, Better by far you should forget and smile Than that you should remembe# -and be sad. Georgians Rossetti: Remenw

tablespoonful of household ammonia has been added. Let the mixture stand for ten minutes, and if the liquid is a dark to inky color, the soil needs lime. If the liquid is a light straw color, the soil may not need lime, although a light application is never harmful, . What is the meaning of thd French word “envi?” % Asa noun it means a challenge (game) bet; additional stake. As an adverb it is translated by the English word reluctantly. Under what name does the Ford Motor Company operate in the Irish Free State? Henry Ford & Sen, Ltd. What is the largest stadium In the United States? The Sesquicentennial stadium in Philadelphia, with a seating capacity of 150,000. What has been the increase In the number of factory-built radio sets and their value within the last five years? The number in 1922 was estimated at about 100,000, with an approximate value of $5,000,000. Tha number for 1926 is estimated at 1,750,000, with a value of $200,000,000.. How can the fishy flavor be removed from wild duck? Parboil it in salt water to which & sliced onion and some chopped parsley has been added, and then cook in the regular way. Can a man who has entered the United States illegally be naturalized in the United States? No. Who established the International College at Smyrna? It was established by Maria West in 1879 and reorganized in 1891 by Dr. MacLachlan and incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts in 1902. The college contains departments of college preparatory and agriculture. Its administration is under the American-Board at Commissions for Missions of the National Council of Congregational