Indianapolis Times, Volume 39, Number 179, Indianapolis, Marion County, 5 December 1927 — Page 4

PAGE 4

StKIPPJ-HOW AJU

Some Humor Left \ There is some humor left in life. Congress opfens and with it comes the announcement that the junior Senator from Indiana, Arthur R. Robinson, will object to gentlemen by the names of Vare and Smith taking the oath of office to sit in the “greatest deliberative body.” The senior senator thinks they should be allowed to enter and then be kicked out. The Nation knows the facts. Vast sums of money were spent in primaries and elections to secure the seats in the Senate. In Pennsylvania the money spent for Yare ran into an astounding sum. In Illinois Smith was the head of the public service commission which regulated rates of light and gas and street railway fares and got his donations from Samuel Insull, not unknown to Indiana. Nor has Mr. Insull been exactly politically inactive in this State. He has sent his highpriced lawyers to the Legislature to see that the regularly elected members of the State Assembly did not get too radical in passing laws that might have secured some measure of real regulation of utilities. He has worked, perhaps not personally, but through his local managers, very closely with the political machine which has brought Indiana politics into something of national interest. The campaign funds of the victorious party have been swelled by his direct or indirect contributions. If there were needed any other factor to make the virtuous stand of the Indiana Senators more emphatic, it is furnished by the report of the special prosecutors for the local grand jury. Some weeks ago, long enough for news of it to have reached the Senators, they reported that the “Blhck Boxes” of Stephenson had contained contracts with two members of Congress under which these members bartered in advance of their election in 1924 all the patronage which is distributed through members of the Congress in return for the support of the famous life term guest of Indiana. These Senators, if they desired, might have enough influence with the Indiana delegation in the lower body to suggest that such contracts were quite as vicious as the money contributions of Insull to the disgrace of Illinois and Pennsylvania and that the good name of Indiana could be cleared by drastic action again§t these two members who signed away their freedom of action in order to get office. Voting to throw out Yare and Smith and silence about these members who sold themselves and their power to Stephenson creates a rather humorous situation. The people of Indiana are waiting and w?l probably wait long for some ringing declaration from Senator Robinson demanding that the good name of this State be cleared and these two members ousted at once. Congress and the Philippines Says Secretary of War Davis in his annual report just out: i "If the United States were to announce the definite determination to remain permanently, or for an extended period, in the (PhUippine) island, there would be more rapid development. "On the other hand, it is equally true that if the United States were to announce a definite determination to withdraw from the islands in the near future such a decision would result not only in the slowing up of development, but, for a period, in rapid retrogression.” Os the truth of these remarks there can not be the slightest doubt. Had the United States definitely annexed the Philippines after taking them over from Spain more than a quarter of a century ago, and exploited them for all they are worth, today, considered purely as a piece of property, they would be worth probably twice their present value. Again, as the secretary of war sets forth, truly enough, "there can be no doubt in the light of events . . . that the effort to develop in the Philippines a people capable of self government has, to an extent, interfered with the economic development of the islands.” , But, it seems to this newspaper, all this is entirely beside the mark. At the oiitset of our adventure in the western Pacific we, as Spaing conqueror and the Philippines’ new overlord, had it in our power to pursue a number of optional courses. Following the practice of great powers from time immemorial, we might, for instance, have colonized the islands, parceled them out for development purposes and used the natives purely as a supply of cheap labor, going easy on education and strong on teaching them respect for, and obedience to, their new masters. Instead we deliberately and of our own free wiil chose to democratise the people, educate and uplift them with a view eventually to set them free under a government of their choosing. Said Secretary of War Taft (later President and now chief justice of the United States Supreme Court) in his report of 1908, the year after the Filipinos had been given their first national assembly: "When the Filipino people as a whole show themselves reasonably fit to conduct a popular government, maintaining law and order and offering equal protection of the laws and civil rights to rich and poor, and desire complete independence of the United States, they shall be given it.” And, he added, “the standard set, of course, is not that of perfection or of such a governmental capacity as that of an Anglo-Saxon people, but it certainly ought to be one of such popular political capacity that

The Indianapolis Times (A SCRIPFS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) Owned and published dally (except Sunday) by The Indianapolis Times Publishing Cos., 214-230 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. MONDAY. DEO. 8, 1927. Member of 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.

complete independence in its exercise will result in progress rather than retrogression to chaos or tyranny.” This, we believe, about sums up popular feeling In this country today with regrrd to the Philippines. The trouble is, however, most of the American capital which has gonf out there now wants the United States to retain ;he islands permanently. And Washington knows it is on record before the world with a promise of ultimate independence. Thus our Government is caught between two fires, namely its pledge to the Filipinos and its fear of offending a powerful American faction. Here you have the secret of the present uncertainty which weighs so heavily over the Philippines, putting a damper on business, slowing down trade, keeping out capital and blocking the islands' development. The absence of any definite Philippines policy, Secretary Davis frankly admits, is holding the islands back, as of course it most assuredly is. The remedy, however, is in the hands of Congress and Congress should find and apply it. Reasonable Radicals Nothing could be more reasonable than the proposal made to the Republican organization of the United States Senate by a group of Independent Republicans. They are ready to assist the “regulars” in the organization of the Senate, they say, if given assurance that the organization will provide for a vote during the session on these three things: A farm relief bill on the basis of the McNaryHaugen bill. A bill to curb the issuance of injunctions in labor disputes. A resolution for a thorough investigation of our policy in latin America. They do not ask that the organization support these three things. They ask only that they be allowed to come to a vote. How the organization can refuse to make the agreement is hard to see. The independents are asking nothing for themselves. They merely want a promise that the Senate will not dodge three issues on which the country wants action. The Call Finds Men ReadyThree years ago Colonel O. H. Fawcett set out in search of the ruins of a lost civilization in the jungles of Brazil. Only the inscrutable forests know his fate. The other day Commander George M. Dyott, organizer of a rescue party to go after Colonel Fawcett, announced that he needed a fourth man to make up the group. He called for a man whom hard labor in the stifling tropical wilderness would not balk, whom the constant danger of attack from hostile Indians could not frighten, or the peril of tropical fever and a slow death by torture could not daunt. Commander Dyott was not very optimistic when he announced that a man would be needed and he must be willing for adventure’s sake to brave the jungle terror for a merely nominal recompense. He van ted a man “to whom money, the comforts of life -itself mean very little.” Were there any answers to his call? Were any such men left In this money-mad, workaday, mer* cenary old world? Were there any who would dare all these in the hope of bringing back a stricken party from the depths of jungle darkness and despair? There were—exactly 15,000. And the 15,000 men who volunteered for the quest are proof that knighthood can go about in a sack suit and rtill retain the spirit of King Arthur’s warriors bold. _____ ✓ The Maine woman who knits seventy pairs of mittens every year must be an adept at handing out the mitten. The German athletic board refuses to let Dr. Otto Peltzer run In this country. The Germans must have gained the impression that everybody over here was refusing to run, from the Republican politicians.

We and Our Ancestors

-BY N. D. COCHRAN-

S?'l 0f humanity a found in every country, ann among lts members the good, the bad you liSti Th H re are individ als who make so mnpf W 12,0, 0 make you cry - and there is Lw ke us despondent if we happen to know how to sympathize that it is a great relief to find somebody or something to laugh at. So, when a few members of any race eet sunersensitive and red in the face when some individuals nationality are ridiculed on the stage or on of nS’ t^r ey con^ rlbute onl y gioom to the gayety of nations. Iso people were ever hurt as a nation or a people because funny or ridiculous types were sinfaugh their peculiarities used togSe people a fT ,^ rman and Irish comedians never hurt either the German or the Irish people, or decreased general "HR*" th * sterling qualiti* of the Sfn and a m W °. rth res Pe ct ‘ng~and that takes thfw h N ri has good-natured fun ever infn6d t ? e ,^ e g r °®® - There la seldom malice in mere ridiculle of weakness6 s is helpful rather fn hniM hiS coun A try have been trying a long time to build up an American race. Having nothing native to start with except the Indians, who are the only 100 per cent Americans, we had to have contributions from ali of the races of Europe, and in the blood of American citizens there is something of one or of the European races. There is something of the best of all of them in what. we now call Americans, and if we have eliminated some of the less desirable racial characteristics ridicule and good fun have helped the good work along. But it doesn’t help build up anew race when Americans of European ancestry insist on keeping their European ancestry to the front. It’s all right to be proud of their ancestral blood and to consider it an important contribution toward the making of America, but there is little sense in insisting on being something European and something American at the same time. A man may revere his mother without feeling it necessary to beat his wife, and the cookies and pies that mother used to make are pot necessarily superior because of priority. The world do move, and there have been vast improvements in the art of cookery. The man who can laugh at himself is a good sport. Constructive criticism lsn-’i harmful, and ridicule is often constructive. Anyhow, it doesn’t usually pay for any individual to take himself too seriously and there is little profit or satisfaction in climbing the family tree. Among its branches and roots one will find ancestors of whom we may be proud, but more of whom the less said the better. And besides, this being, a democracy, each of us is supposed to be himself and get by on his own, without borrowing too much from his ancestors.

. TiLte JJNDIASArOLIS TIMES

M. E. TRACY SAYS: “We Used to Pay Tribute to Quackery at the Rate of a Dollar a Quart or 25 Cents a Package, but Now It Costs $2,500 for an Ear or $25,000 for a Set of Glands”

From the idea of transplanting glands, we pass to that of transplanting ears, with gullible rich greasing the way for quacks and with one more field for exploiting the poor opened up. The possibilities of science have little to do with it. The millionaire who has lost an ear and who is made to believe he can buy another is going to fall for the bunk, no matter what honest doctors tell him, and those who find chat a few dollars have come to stand between them and death, starvation or disgrace are going to sell. Traffic in members and organs of the human body barely has made its appearance, but it has gone far enough to reveal the devilishness of its character. Already a ycung man has charged that he was kidnaped and robbed of glands, while a mother with starving babies has offered to sell an ear for $4,000. tt tt tt Quackery Acclaimed Human affliction brings cut the best and the worst that is in us, paving the way for a Cagliostro or a Lazear, with a cry for help which sanctifies the noble and debauches the weak-minded. Brilliant minds without a sense of honor to stabilize them not only follow the roads of quackery, but acclaim it, while ordinary folks are too bewildered by the multitude of modern discoveries and inventions to separate the false from the true. The field of patent me" gives way to the field of patent surgery and psychology. We used to pa tribute to quackery at the rate* of a dollar a quart or 25 cen* -a package, but now it costs :)250 a week, or $2,500 an ear, or $25,000 for a set of glands. i tt it Dogs Lend Eyes to Blind New and nobler employment has been discovered for the- German police dog, as is illustrated by the case of Thomas D. Schall, the blind Senator from Minnesota, who returns to Washington with one which he will use for a guide. Hundreds of these dogs are performing a similar service for blind soldiers in Europe- There seems no reason why they should not perform it for blind civilians throughout the world. Life is made dreary for the blind by nothing so much as their inability to get about alone. If the German police dog could overcome this handicap, even to a partial extent, he would have contributed immeasurably to the happiness of thousands. it tt Democrats in Power Democrats could organize the Senate if they were disposed to make full use of their power and opportunities. According to schedule, there are forty-seven Democrats, fortyeight Republicans and one Farm-er-Laborite. If Vare anti Smith are not seated, as now seems certain, there will be only forty-six Republicans, which leaves the Democrats a clear majority of one. The Republicans have less strength than even these f , ures imply, because there are six independents or progressives among them whose support cannot be relied on. Democratic leaders are wise in not taking advantage of their obvious opportunity. If they were to assume control of the senate, they would have to share, the responsibility of Administration mistakes. u tt a Al Said Nothing New To hear the chatter, you would think Governor Smith had thrown a bomb at the League of Women Voters meeting last Friday. “Nullification,” cries Mcßride of the Anti-Saloon League; “The South is assured,” shouts Tammany Hall and “fine,” chorus the amen corner Democrats. Asa matter of record, the Governor said nothing new or original. He merely reiterated that a public official should keep his oatfi when it comes to law enforcement, that persnoally he is opposed to Volsteadism and that people not *rily have a right to disagree with existing regulations, but to organize for their repeal. tt tt tt Scorns Pussyfooting The importance of what the Governor said lies in the fact that a good many people were beginning to suspect that he might dodge the prohibition issue. Such a suspicion was logical. If not well founded in this particular instance. Dodging issues has become a habit with the -majority of politicians, but Governor Smith is not that kind. tt tt tt Impartial Officials When you come to think of it, law enforcement must rest on’the oath public officials take, rather than on their personal convictions. We could not hope to get very far with Republican government if our officials only enforced such laws as interested them. As citizens we are free to take any attitude toward laws which does not include their violation. As officials we must be impersonal and impartial. That is Governor Smith’s position, and who will deny its souns- -

Why Confine License Plates to Autos

1 skia. / slockos \ fuHr AJgz.EU / Dumber. \

(Gary Post Tribune) (Republican) The truth, according to biblical authority, is to make men free; yet there are times when it might be better that certain truths could be concealed. For example, a few days ago a grand-nephew of John Howard Payne, author of “Home, Sweet Home,” tossed a monkey wrench into plans for raising funds to preserve the Long Island home, where the immortal song was written, by announcing that Payne really wrote the song in Paris, and that he never lived in the Long Island house at all. All of this is a severe blow, no doubt, to many trusting souls. Half of the charm of the song, “Home, Sweet Home,” for this writer, at least, has been the thought of that picturesque, comfortablelooking house on Long Island; the thought that this was the home which Payne loved, the home for which he longed, the home about which he poured out his heart in that simple, appealing song that made him famous. And now we find out that it isn’t so! Such truths ought not to be given general circulation. Whcver saw a real legend that was not several degrees nicer than cold fact? A myth, especially when it hasn't been denied so often but that one is able to pretend he really believes it, is a warm, nourishing thing; a thing that can make other things more real, more precious, more valued. The truth tellers have been perniciously active of late. For some time now they have assured us that George Washington did not, really, cut down the famous cherry tree. They told us that Buffalo Bill really killed only two Indians in his whole life. They have insisted that the Empire of Montezuma, conquered by Cortez, was in reality little more splendid or imposing than the ordinary pueblos of our own southwest. The truth always is a fine thing, but there are cases where it is out of place. For example, in that part of Illinois where Lincoln once lived, it is reported that no thrush will ever sing on the anniversary

F IO U IR * % \ Nil \hz

The 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.

FI I 1 RIEL jFiaIMII p a] bTe pTaITT£ S A~LI EL

What Other Editors Think

of Lincoln’s death. Os course, that possibly may not be true; but aren’t you glad to pretend to believe it at least? Let’s keep our legends. Let’s ignore this statement that Payne did not live in that delightful old Long Island house. Let’s affirm our faith in the cherry tree story and in Buffalo Bill’s bloodthirstiness. Let’s continue to believe that the Aztec empire was all that the Spanish romancers said it was. Away with these little truths? The legends are better. - (Elkhart Truth) (Republican) Some tart things about the women of today were said by Miss A. Estelle Downing, a professor of English in a Michigan normal school, at the recent tri-state convention of the Business and Pro- • fessional Women’s Club held at Ft. Wayne. Miss Downing is quoted as saying that women are substituting afternoon parties for the industries that have been taken from their homes, and are going in for window shopping, whist playing and the movies. The speaker called for a more united stand by women for the solution of the serious problems of human welfare. Possibly Miss Downing is too

Questions and Answers

... y oa can get an answer to any questlon ox fact or Information by writing to The Indianapolis Times Washington Bureau. 1322 New York Ave.. Washington. D. C.. Inclosing 2 cents In stamps *° r . rc Ph. 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. Who is the heroine of the photoplay “Mike?” Sally O'Neil. Can a duplicate for lost Victory button be obtained from the War Department? The War Department does not supply them, but they can be bought from Bailey, Banks & Biddle, 1218 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. A copy (not the original) of honorable discharge papers should

Mr. Fixit Woman on Gimber St. Annoyed by Boys.

W Fl3 L u \, The Times’ representative at , ty . hall present vour trouDles to city officials. Write Mr. Fixlt at The Times. Names and addresses which Troubles of a woman who is annoyed with boys in the neighborhood throwing rocks and playing in an adjoining lot were told in a letter to Mr. Fixit today. Dear Mr. Fixit: I 'see in The Times where so many people tell their troubles and are helped. Ours is nothing foolish. We are bothered with boys throwing rocks and dirt at our house. They play on a lot next door. Last Sunday they played football like wild Indians We have asked the police to send around a patrolman to stop the trouble, but I have not seen him. We can not stand this any longer. I am a nervous wreck now. GIMBER Sl'. Captain George Stone said he would assign a district man to investigate your complaint. Mr. Fixit realized that you may be annoyed with the youths’ hilarity on the vacant lot and would be glad to offer some advice if there was anything else to be done. The patrolman will call on you and advise the parents to warn their children against damage to the house. Dear Mr. Fixit: Will you please help us in getting some dirt hauled away from in front of our house. A pole was put up in the front yard two weeks ago by the power company or the street car company. The dirt was left on the lawn and sidewalk. If you can assist us any way we would appreciate it. 334 N. Noble St. M. Z. City Engineer A. H. Moore wrote the Indianapolis Power and Light Company, ordering them to remove then dirt.

hard on her amusement-loving sisters. Every community knows its women who waste much time in frivolity, but the great mass of women is still mighty busy with the multifarious affairs of the household or vies with men in the business and professional worlds. It is true that candlemaking, sheep shearing and cloth weaving of the old days have been removed from the homes, and so has the family washing in many. Electric appliances and all kinds of conveniences make household tasks less burdensome, but the millions of loyal housewives still have enough duties to make a man gasp if he were faced 'with doing them. As to amusements, women are just as much entitled to their whist and teas as the men are to their poker and golf. “I am for the women,” said Vice President Dawes at Chicago when he indorsed Mrs. Ruth Hanna McCormick as a candidate for Congress. “I recognize their sincerity. When it comes to making mistakes, I think the men can give the women cards and spades.” It is doubtful if there is any difference at all between men and wor; en when it comes to measuring he degree in which they assume life’s responsibilities.

be furnished with application for the button. Where Is the Republic of Georgia? It is a country of Transcaucasia, formerly part of the Russian empire, and was proclaimed an independent republic May 26, 1918. It is now a Soviet state. The boundaries extend from Turkey and Armenia on the south and Aberbaijan on the southeast, to the Black Sea on the west and the Caucasus mountains on the north. What is the value of a United States half dime dated 1865? 5 to 25 cents. What is the present year in the Jewish calendar and when did the Jewish new year begin? This is the year 5688 in the Jewish calendar beginning Sept. 27, 1927. Where is Ingermanland? That is the old name for a region (Ingria) in northwest Russia. It constituted part of the government of St. Petersburg and belonged originally to Novgorod. From 1617 to 1702 it was held by the Swedes, who lost it again to Russia in the wars of Peter the Great. When was the first steam passenger vessel built in Europe? Henry Bell of England completed the steamboat Comet early in 1812. It was the first steam passenger vessel built in Europe. What does a Cashew tree look like? It is a spreading tree, twenty to forty feet in height, indigenous on the tropic and probably of American origin. It abounds in a milky juice, which turns black upon exposure to the air, and is used for varnish. The juice is acrid and produces painful inflammation when it comes in contact with the skin or when one is exposed to its fumes. Sometimes it is put on books and woodwork to protect them against ants. The fruit of this tree is a kidney-shaped nut about an inch long, seated on a thicker end of a pear-shaped, flesh stalk, which varies in size from that of a cherry to a medium sized pear. The shell is double, the outer shell is ash-colored and very smooth and between it and the inner shell is a very caustic black juice. How much did Tunney and Dempsey receive for their fight in Chicago last September? Gene Tunney received approximately $990,000 and Jack Dempsey, approximately $450,000. In what motion picture has Gertrude Ederle played? “Swim, Girl, Swim’’ is the only picture in which she has appeared. How many different makes of passenger automobiles are there? Fifty-one.

J JUjV. Oy ' 4^4

Times Readers Voice Views

To the Editor: The discussions in your paper concerning the Snyder-Gray case again raises the question as to whether or not the death penalty should be inflicted upon a woman. From a legal standpoint, it makes no difference whether the murderer is a man or a woman. To urge that it should is but to admit a complete victory for the sponsors of equal rights. Admitting then, that they are equal in this respect the only question is the ancient discussion of abolishing the death penalty. This mushy sentimentality against the death penalty is rapidly becoming a most serious element in our national life. The United States now has more murders, in proportion to its population, than any civilized country in the world. The city of Chicago has more than the whole of England. In the last fifty years over three hundred thousand people have been murdered In this country, bix times as many as those of our soldiers who died in battle during the World War. It is more than the total number of American soldiers who have fallen in all of our wars during the century and a half of our existence. While the numuer of murders is increasing at an alarming rate, it is of interest to note that the number of executions is decreasing, in comparison. It is impossible to disconnect these two facts or to discredit tjie deterrent effect of the death penalty for although the gallows may not intimidate all malefactors, it strikes terror into a vast majority who are unaffected by the menace of imprisonment, whatever its duration. Life imprisonment in fact, for after the imprisonment in fact for after the passing of a little time, or under the sway of weak, sentimental or mistaken Governors, or pardon boards, the murderers are again set free, not infrequently, to become murderers again. The parties in the Snyder case well knew before they murdered their victim that it was wrong and illegal to kill. They knew the penalty that might be invoked by the law. They were, during their trial and imprisonment, surrounded by all the safeguads of justice and their conviction only justified after their guilt had been proved to the entire exclusion of all reasonable doubt. Why should Ruth Snyder have sympathy after the cruel, unjustified and premeditated murder of her husband? Theoretical emotionalists and others have given much coloring to the subject which is wholly unjustifiable. Their objections to the death penalty seems to have germinated in the thin air of their own imaginations and they devote a lot of thought and words of sympathy to the poor murderers without a consideration to the wantonness of the crime or the misery or despair of relatives of the victim. Kind-hearted people with soft heads. The State is the sovereign and its power to govern the conduct of the citizen is well settled. If the State feels that the safety and welfare of society demands the infliction of the death penalty; then the death penalty should be made punishment. There is no argument to the statement that it is effective; that it is adequate; and in conformity with the words of the great Jehovah: “Whosoever sheddeth man’s bipod by man shall his blood be shed.” JOSEPH A. WIICKER, Attorney-at-law. To the Editor: Concerning Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray— A woman is no better to die in the electric chair than a man. Numbers, Chapter 35, verses, 30, 34: “Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses. But one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die; moreover, ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer which is guilty of death, but he shall be surely put to death, and ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge that he should come again to dwell in the land until the death of the priest. So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are. “It defileth the land, and the land can not be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Defile not ;2 re the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell, for I the IM ” WeU am ° ng th ® children of Also, Genesis 9,6: “He that shedby shau hls WILLIAM B. DRIFFILL, McCordsville, Ind.

Old Masters

Poor soul, the center of my sinful earth, Pressed by these rebel powers that thee array, Why dost thou pine’ within and suffer dearth Painting thy outward walls so costly gay? Why so large cost, having so short a lease, Dost thou upon thy fading mansion spend? . Shall worms, inheritors of this excess, Eat up thy charge? Is this thy body’s end? Then, soul, live thou upon thy servant’s loss, And let that pine to aggravate thy store; Buy terms divine in selling hours of dross; Within be fed, without be rich no more: So shaft thou feed on Death, that feeds on men; And Death once dead, there’s no /lore dying then. —ShajßUfccarc: Sonne*.