Indianapolis Times, Volume 40, Number 46, Indianapolis, Marion County, 14 July 1928 — Page 4

PAGE 4

The; Indianapolis Times (A SCRIPFS-HOWAHD NEWSPAPER) Owned and published dally (except Sunday) by The Indianapolis Times Publishing Cos., 214-15 JO AV. Maryland Street, Indianapolis, Ind. Price in Marion County, . 2 cents—lo cents a week; elsewhere, 3 cents —12 cents a week. BOYD GURLEY,' ROY W. HOWARD, ’ FRANK,O. MORRISON. Editor,f. * v r President. ' f Business Manager. PHONE—RILEY 5551. SATURDAY, JULY 14, 1938. Member of United Press, Scripps-Howard Newspaper Alliance, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Newspaper Information Service and Audit Bureau of Circulations. “Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way."

SCKIPPJ-HOWA.M.U

The Power Trust’s Defense We were wondering what kind of~ defense would be attempted by the power trust to the amazing disclosures before the-Federal Trade Commission. Thirty million dollars expended every year to Influence press, schools, colleges and churches! After the eighteen-inch gun has gone oil, two little boys step forward and shoot off cap pistols. Such is the answer. The first little boy is Josiah Turner Newcomb, once a newspaper man, once a member of the New York Legislature, and for. many years now a prosperous lobbyist for interests like the power trust. Newcomb says their eighteen-inch gun campaign was waged defensively against the onslaughts of such propagandists as Judson King of the Popular Government League, Basil Manly of the People’s Legislative Service, the Government Ownership League of Chicago and the League for Industrial Democracy. Also GiffordPinchot. As to all these organizations and individuals, the public is pretty well informed. The public does not have to be told that the fight they have been making has been a valiant struggle waged with pennies and against what seemed at times hopeless odds. What they all spent together would not be as much as the $35,000 salary alone of Josiah Turner Newcomb, But the Important difference is the fact that the trust worked in secret while these organizations worked in the open. The trust took the profits of electric light bills to wage the propaganda, while these other workers begged pennies and dollars from the users of electricity. Attorney Healy for the Federal Trade Cotnmission put into the record on this point a quotation from a letter from R. R. McGregor, assistant publicity man for Samuel Insull of Chicago, saying: “We have adopted the plan of having some third party make the arrangements' with the schools (for lectures by public utility speakers). In strict confidence, the Illinois Cjhamber of jCoinmerce handled it for: us during last summer. We, of course, paid the bill.” Which is rather different from the excuse given by Bernard J. Mullaney, chief of the Insull bureau, that “the utility handouts have been open and above board and labeled, and have been made available impersonally and unaided by the wiles of press agentry, personal acquaintance with editors and teporters, or other extrinsic influences. 1 Unless, perhaps, thirty million dollars’ worth of paid advertising a year might “extrinsically” influence some poor weak business office. The Beauty of Today The city of Rheims largely has been rebuilt. The great cathedral that was shattered by German shells is now something like its former self. The surrounding houses of the old French town have been restored to their old appearance. The scars of war are being removed. The beauty of Rheims once mad the place a magnet for travelers from all over the world. When newspapers, during the war, announced that 'that beauty ' was being obliterated by high explosives, the world felt a pained astonishment. It was hard to realize that the loveliness which men had spent long centuries in perfecting could vanish overnight, ripped apart by snub-nosed little cylinders of lyddite and TNT. , Yet that is the way things are, and, all too often, the lost beauty can not be repaired afterward as Rheims is being repaired. The world is a rough place, and men are careless. Beauty is fragile, easily destroyed. Sooner or later all beautiful things—buildings, poems, actions, melodies—disappear. Only the memory and the inspiration of them remain. Bur perhaps, things could not well he ordered any other way. We need to make our own beauty. If we could bask all our lives in the aura of the fine things other men did and made we might not bestir ourselves. If the music of Orpheus had been preserved, what need Would Beethoven and Wagner have had: for selfexpression? If the glory of heroic lives like Paul, Spinoza, Joan of Arc and Washington did not grow dim, might we not forget to be brave and virtuous and altruistic ourselves? Also there is this to think of. The brutal ruthlessness of the world compels us, to our own lasting benefit, to take advantage of beauty while we have it instead of living too much in the future. Do you have, in your own life, something extremely precious and lovely—some such thing for example, as love, creative work, a quiet home? Then cherish it with all your soul; some day, for all your watchfulness, the world may take it away from you. Do not look too much to the future. You get your happiness here and now. : * The finer a thing is the more perishable it must be. To face frankly is to feel the essential tragedy of life, but ft also is to be self-sufficient and prepared.

Russia Rescues ’ • The almost incredible happenings of the last few days in the arctic convey to Americans and added significance that escapes the European. A nation long, since restored to the continental family of nations, but still labeled outlaw by Washington, emerges overnight as the hero of the greatest drama since the war. A government whose emissaries are not welcome here finds its messengers of mercy eulogized throughout America. A regime reviled by millions as a subverter of liberty and a brutalized of humanity appears in the strange role -of the Samaritan. An airman of the hated red army taps out from a place of terrible desolation a message as thrilling as anything in the history of exploration: “Never mind me, save the others.” With patient strength, the great slow Russian ship pounds doggedly through the ice until it finds and rescues the brave men of five nations. The government of the Soviet may be beyond the pale of our official recognition, but the illusion cultivated by some since 1917 that the new Russia has stamped out the common virtues has beer destroyed decisively. Banking and Politics Much as it distressed those playing the New York stock market for a rise, the actioh of the key Federal reserve banks at Chicago and New York in raising their rediscount rate to 5 per cent was decidedly reassuring to those who want to see the reserve banking system escape the shoals of politics on.. which all

previous Government banking experiments have been wrecked. The re-discount rate increase' to a record level for the last six years indicated that the reserve banking authorities, at least for the present, are steering a firm course toward a sounder, if a less popular, credit situation for the nation. About a year ago the Federal reserve system lowered rediscount rates and eased up on credit to help European central banks weather a financial crisis. The hope was that low money rates here would let the European banks attract badly needed funds by higher rates. So far as the European situation was concerned, the Federal reserve plan was successful, but it went awry in this country. The policy of low money rates in this country gave impetus to an enormous volume of stock speculation, and “brokers’ loans,” financed through the reserve system, went skyrocketing to the fabulous height of $4,500,000,000. Now, on the eve of a presidential campaign, when an-easy money policy would be popular with the politicians, the reserve system apparently is conducting a strenuous campaign to reduce the use of reserve bank credit for stock speculation. Much as it pains certain groups, the endeavor to get the reserve banking system back onto the course it was intended to follow—the supplying of credit and currency for business and industry—is essential to the future security of the reserve banking system. A Pleasing Promise James M. Doran, prohibition commissioner, announces there will be no more "rough stuff” in prohibition enforcement. Law violators are not to be handled with kid gloves, he explained, but the law will be enforced in a lawful manner. There will be no more unnecessary destruction of property. The prohibition enforcement personnel la being overhauled, and anew type of agent selected. He will be able to "enforce a dignified law in a dignified manner,” says Doran. Dr. Doran’s efforts deserve all praise. If he succeeds, the prohibition law will cease to be an exception and will be enforced like other laws. There will be an end to the invasion of personal rights, such as search and seizure without warrant. Dry agents will not feel at liberty to shoot at citizens they merely suspect of being dry law violators. High-handed tactics of Federal officers will not in the future have the approval of their superiors, leaving citizens impotent but wrathful and contemptuous of their Government and its courts and laws. Dr. Doran admits that the methods of the Federal Government have not been all that they should be. This is something the professional reformers, to whose tunes the enforcement officers usually have danced, have been unwilling heretofore to concede. The prohibition Jaw will of course remain unpopular, and bootleggers will continue to flourish. But Dr. Doran, seeing the evils that have grown up, admitting their existence,' and striving honestly to eradicate them, can do much to allay public resentment and restore the faith of citizens in their Government. Caution for Swimmers The advent of ejctra hot Has matte the bathing beaches and swimming holes of the country populous places again. And, as the summer heat waxes, the papers give daily reports on deaths by drowning. Oddly enough, most of those who drown at bathing beaches are people who can swim. The man who can’t swim knows enough to take no chances. The • swimmer is prone to run risks that he should not run. Sometimes they end disastrously. Remember this, when you go swimming: cramps can strike any one, even the most accomplished swimmer. A strong undertow can carry the best swimmer in the world out to his death./ Treacherous eddies in unfamiliar streams can nullify all your aquatic ability. Swimming is great sport. But it is not a sport in which you can forget the simple rules of caution and common sense.

■" David Dietz on Science - Here Is King Cepheus No. 102 THE constellation ot Cepheus should be of particular interest to us, because with the passage ot time three of its stars will hold the honor of being the north or polar star. Instructions for finding the constellation of Cepheus in thp sky were given here in yesterday’s ar-

Mll i' % THE STARS 1° * IN CEPHEUS I Vr t hAL DCRMfN \ ALFIRK ERR AI t—i —i ■ . r l

forms the right shoulder of the figure. Alderamin is white in color. It approaches second magnitude in brightness, but does not quite reach it. Consequently, it is usually spoken of as a third magnitude star, although technically it is given a rating of two and a half. The next brightest star is Alfirk which occurs in the girdle of the figure of Cepheus. The name means “stars of the flock,’’ a name which has no connection with the Greek figure of Cepheus. It is thought, however, that this name survives from an earlier day when the Arabs regarded this constellation as a flock of sheep. Alfirk is revealed by the telescope to be a double star, that is, to consist of two stars revolving about each other. The spectroscope further reveals that the larger of the two component stars is itself a double star but that its components are so close together that the telescope fails to separate them for us. These two components revolve around each other in a period of five hours. No other spectroscope double is known at the present time with so high a speed of revolution, v ........ .. The third brightest star in the constellation is Er Rai. This name is also Arabic and means “the shepherd.” The name has undoubtedly come down from the same period as Alfirk. Er Ral is situated in the knee of Cepheus. Astronomers compute that Er Rai will be the pole star in the year 4500. In the. year 6000, the honor will belong to Alfirk and in 7500 to . Alderamin.

TRACY SAYS: "This Is a Nation of Hard Liquor Drinking. Hard Liquor "Pays the Graft, Supports the Dive, Creates the Gang and Furnishes the Underworld With Its Campaign Funds .”

Yesterday i commented on the novelty, good sense and possible effectiveness of Governor Smith’s tactics. That does not mean that all his moves appeal to me as being wise, or that some of the wisest are without risk. On July 4 he made his first public address after being nominated as the Democratic candidate for President. Fourth of July is a national holiday, and he was speaking for the first time as a national figure. The fact that he made use of the occasion to glorify Tammany Hall must go into the record along with his other acts. Governor Smith has elected to stand by Tammany, to pitch the battle in the East, to angle for the favor of “big business” and to make "modification” the paramount issue. The fact that he lias chosen the only course offering the sligntest hope of success does not guarantee success. He takes the bull by the horns, as have said, but it Is a mean bull and the Governor has draped himself In what may tun out a cerise jacket, m m m Modification Strategy Governor Smith makes “modification” the issue, not only because it squares with his career, but because it was the only Issue in sight. If the people are ready to accept it as such, to shift by millions and vote for it, without knowing what it implies, then he has delivered a wonderful stroke of political strategy. If, on the other hand, they are not, if they look upon other questions as meriting attention, if they put party loyalty first, if they demand a definite plan before voting and if they are inclined to look to Congress, rather than a President, for relief, the nhe nas merely made a good try. The Governor and his supporters appear to think more rightly of “modification” as a vote-getter than as a vote-repeller. While assuming that few Democrats will bolt In the South, they seem to be certain that many wet Republicans will bolt in the North and East. This may be so, of course, but thus far, what prominent leader or important newspaper has changed front on account., of the llquoi question? . The rank and file may be shifting, but one would never guess it by the political editorials and statements. If Democratic drys are climbing on the Smith band wagon, Republican wets are rallying to the Hoover standard. Stick to Party Lines We have talked a lot about modification, but a good deal of it is Just talk. Every second man you meet is for it, until it comes to the question of what shape it shall take. Then you cannot find two In ten who will agree, with the sole exception that very few want a return of the saloon system. * More than that, and ho matter how much they talk about modification, they consider many other questions important, and it is very doubtful if a large majority of them will throw the rest of their politics into the scrap-heap for the privilege of expressing themselves on this question alone, and that, too, in a way which promises, .little, except that a President will recommend something to a Congress which may, or may not agree with him. n * * Nation of Hard Liquor I reason on the basis of selfjudgment. I am for ■ modification, but not to the exclusion of other considerations. In the first place, I do not regard this question as the only, or even the most, Important one before the country. In the second place, I will not vote for modification unless I know exactly what it implies. In the third place, I will not vote fpr it unless it conforms to my own i ’.eas. To be perfectly plain, I have no use for the "light wines and beer” remedy, since I believe that it would only give the bootlegging industry an opportunity to function through licensed speakeasies. Say what you will, this is a Nation of hard liquor drinkers. Hard liquor is, always has been, and probably always will be, the root of tho problem. It was hard liquor that brought on prohibition to begin with, and it is hard liquor that makes bootlegging profitable. Hard liquor pays the graft, supports the dive, creates the gang and furnishes the underworld with its campaign funds. States' Rights Again The logic of such a situation suggests repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, but that is well-nigh Impossible, and even if it were not, it would put the manufacture, sale and distribution of hard liquor into private hands, which should be avoided if possible. My own idea is that the only thing we can do which has any possibility of appealing to the majority of people and which contains any promise of bettering the situation is to change the Eighteenth Amendment so as to place the manufacture, sale and distribution of hard liquor under Government control and then let the States decide whether they will tolerate it within their immediate territories. This could be brought about by repealing the Volstead act, and adding the following four words to the first section of the Eighteenth Amendment: “Except by the Government.” When such a scheme of modification Is presented, in such a way that I can vote for it, I am willing to do so, but I am not willing to get excited over vague propositions, tentative promises and hypothetical situations that r xe neither definite nor binding.

tide. The accompanying diagram gives the names of the stars in the constellation. The brightest star in the constellation was named Alderamin by the Arabs. This name means the “right arm.” But as the Greeks imagined the figure of King Cepheus, this star really

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

Thl* Is the second of three articles on hljh blood pressure, a modern menace to health. BY DR. MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Journal of the American Medical Association and of Hrrcia. the Health Magazine. IN the cases of high blood pressure or essential hypertension studied by the pathologists of the University of Minnesota, the blood pressure was in most Instances well over 150 millimeters of mercury. Blood pressure is measured by putting a cuff around the arm and inflating this cuff with air. The pressure of the blood in the blood vessels is transmitted to the inflated cuff and from this to a column of mercury which jises to the extent of the pressure. Tire column is graduated in millimeters. Life Insurance studies of hundreds of thousands of men indicate that the average for a man 20 years of age is 120 millimeters ot mercury. There is an average increase of two millimeters for every five years up to the age of 60 years, so that the average at 60 is 135. In addition to measuring this pressure there is also a diastolic

(AbbrtTistionz: A— tec; K —king: Q—aoeen; J—Jack; X —hit card lower (h*n 10.) HOW is the beginner to know when not to bid a no trump initially? It is conceded the hand must contain some high cards. How many? If the cards were evenly dealt, every player should hold one Ace, one King, one Queen and one Jack. A hand containing an additional Jack or other high card would be above the average, and, from these facts the rule is deducted that you may bid a no trump if the hand contains three suits stopped and is worth a Jack above the average. A typical hand holding Jack above the average and a sound initial no trump is as follows: Spades XXX Hearts A X X Diamonds Q J X X Clubs K J X All that is said here is based on careful calculations. However, as a guide for beginners, it may not be definite, and may leave them in a quandary. Until you have developed the faculty of Judging a no trump immediately upon inspection of the cards, it is simpler and safer to rely on the point system, which is applied as follows: Count the Ace for seven points. Count the King for four points. Count the Queen for three points. If the hand contains 21 points, distributed in three or more suits, you may bid no trumps. Illustration: Spades A J X X 9 Hearts K Q X 7 Diamonds Q J 10 .... 5 Clubs XXX none Total 21 There are many expert players who bid on 18 points, but this is the extreme minimum for a no trump bid. The beginner, the average player and the expert may guide themselves accordingly. As each player increases his skill, he may venture to shade the strength of the hand, but never below 18 points. Nineteen points, with three suits reasonably stopped, will never bring disaster to you, and may be safely bid. The guide for bidding a no trump hand Is, therefore, as follows: Bid a no trump when the hand contains no singleton or worthless doubleton and does contain 21 points distributed in more than two suits, or 18 points (or more) distributed in three stopped suits worth at least two quick tricks. (Copyright, 1938, bv the Ready Reference Publishing Cos.)

My punishment is greater than I can bear.—Gen. 4:13. • GOLD must be beaten, and a child scourged.—Ben Sira,

oil t,u?vy u /iv - QTirrS IErETCC J~) \ HOW LUCKY THEY ARE- BACK (r Vfil Hi T HERE’S SOKE V J THEBE OUT O’ AU. THIS O jjfc I VATIR KXTI HEAT AH’ MISEBY' TWO MILES UP TTKLROATi BUI

High Blood Pressure Comes on Insidiously

Bridge Play Made Easy BY W. W. WENTWORTH

Daily Thoughts

It’s A Great Life

DAILY HEALTH SERVICE

pressure which has to do with the heart at its relaxed phase. This lower pressure is 80 at 20 years oi age and about 90 at 60 years of age. For this reason investigations have set an approximate limit of 150 millimeters for a man of 40 years of age as a sign of condition diagnosed as hypertension. Associated with the high blo*d pressure will appear various symptoms which may be so slight as to be disregarded. For this reason it is a common observation that high blood pressure comes on Insidiously. For this reason also physicians advise that men have themselves examined at least once each year in order to detect as soon as possible any tendency towards high blood pressure and to correct that

With Other Editors

Ft. Wyn Joornal-Gziette In an address delivered to the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Mayor L. Ert Slack presented the need of a program of making some of the streets of that city wider. Traffic necessities, it appears, are making that sort of municipal enterprise a timely subject of discussion there. Indiana’s capital city and the new city of Gary are two large centers of Indiana which grew according to plan and not according to no rules at all like Ft. Waynt and most other Hoosier communities. L’Enfant, the engineer who made the plans for Washington, also made the plans for Indianapolis. Whether that engineer had any prevision of a day when traffic would become what It has become, he assuredly had some ideas concerning the beauty of broad thoroughfares. Those familiar with Indianapolis will appreciate how fortunate that

Questions and Answers

You can get an answer to any answerable question of fact or information by writing to Frederick M. Kerby, Question Editor, The Indianapolis Times’ Washington Bureau, 1312 New York Ava., Washington, D. C., enclosing 3 cents in stamps for reply. MedlcaT and legal advice cannot be given, nor can extended research be made. All other questions WUI receive a personal reply. Unsigned requests cannot be answered All letters are confidential. You are cordinally invited to make use of thin free service as often as you please. EDITOR. How did the production and importation of wool in the United States compare In 1925 with previous years? Raw wool production in 1925 was estimated at 301,060,000 pounds, an increase of 5.2 per cent over 1924. Imports of all classes of wool in 1925 were 28.2 per cent greater than In 1924. Reported consumption of wool based on returns which the trade estimates to cover 80 per cent of the wool splndlage declined from 460,402,000 pounds in 1924 to 450,021,000 pounds in 1925. For what is the Emden famous? It was a German cruiser which had a spectacular career as a commerce raider from Aug. 11 to Nov. 10, 1914, under the command of Lieut. Capt. von Muller. It was destroyed by the Australian cruiser Sydney off Cocos Island in the Pacific Ocean. An officer and a few members of the crew escaped In small boats, crossed the ocean, and reached Germany by way of Damascus and Turkey. What is a “kilowatt hour?” The energy resulting from an activity of one kilowatt continued for one hour; about 1 1-3 horsepower hours; a practical unit of electrical energy. What are the "liberal arts?” The term applies to the higher branches of learning, so-c&lled, because amonk the Romans only freemen were allowed to pursue them In modem times they embrace the languages, history, sciences, philosophy, etc. What is the value of a 10-cent note issued in 1874 by the Columbia Bank Note Company, Washington, D. c.? A large number of notes of various denominations were issued by banks and banking Institutions prior to the creation of the present National Banking System. These notes are not legal tender, They have no

tendency by the adoption of proper modes ot living. The condition is most frequently discovered, in fact, during a routine physical examination of a person who is unaware of any illness It is well known, moreover, that high blood pressure may persist for many years without Important symptoms recognizable by the patient. In the vast majority of cases, symptoms such as headache, shortness of breath on exertion, dizziness, nervous irritability, inability to sleep, blurring of vision, nose bleed and blueness of the hands and feet appear associated with the high blood pressure, and the person is likely to consult a physician for these symptoms rather than for the pressure itself.

city is in having broad streets in its great business center. Washington St., the great east and west artery of that city, Is in that respect one of the finest business thoroiv hfares to be found in any American place of large size. The principal north and south streets from the state capltol to a point near a half mile east are less broad, but are of ample width, as thoroughfares go in this country and traffic finds room in which to move with no great difficulty. But Indianapolis has other streets which are narrower. Some of these are in the original plat, but most of them outside of it in additions made to the city as L’Enfant had planned it. In Indianapolis, as in other cities, thoroughfares serving traffic in regions quite remote from the center must give fairway to constant trains of vehicles, becoming crowded, of course, and presenting the usual problems.

monetary value. Their value is only that of curiosities. Do Lloyd Huges, Richard Dix and Eleanor Boardm&n use their real names, in the movies? Richard Dix’s real name is Ernest Carlton-Brimmer and Eleanoi Boardman is Mrs. King Vidor in private life. Lloyd Hughes is the real name of the actor. What is the mlllenlnm? A space of a thousand years; especially that period during which Satan,will be bound and Christ will reign pn earth, according to Revelations xx, 1-4. Where and what is Lourdes in France? One* of the principal places of Cathode pilgrimage in Europe, a town the department of HautesPyreneeg, France. Its face dates from 1858 when the Virgin Mary is reported to have appeared to Bernadette Soubirous, a 13-year-old girl. The famous spring arising from the spot is credited with miraculous healing powers, and a church was built there in 1889 to accommodate 500,000 pilgrims who visit the place annually. How ..does the area of the Alps compare with the Rocky Mountains in the United States? The area of the Alps has been roughly computed at about 80,000 square miles. The total area of the Rocky. Mountains within the United States/ is approximately 980,000 square ( miles. How do the populations of the United States and Russia compare? The 1926 estimated population of Russia Is 141,400,000; of the United States, 117,135,817. Is Yale er Harvard the older university? Harvard opened In 1638 and Yale in 1701. What is the meaning of the word “Selah” found frequently in Psalms? The definite meaning Is unknown, tt was evidently a musical term of instruction to the choir in the Second Temple, which chanted the Psalms. Some scholars think it means, “pause”. Other suggestions have been offered.

JULY 14,1928

KEEPING UP With THE NEWS

BY LUDWELL DENNY WASHINGTON, July 14.—Fewer violations by officials of constitutional civil rights of Americans, jxcept in Pennsylvania and some southern States, are reported by organizations devoted to protection of civil and racial liberties. This is the gist of the annual report of the American Civi. Liberties Union, made public todap, and of recent reports of the National Association for the Advancement of Negro People. Continued abuse of anti-labor injunctions, and revival of a lynching wave in Texas and Mississippi are described by Liberals as the chief Immediate evils demanding correction. This is apart from the invasion of civil rights by prohibition enforcement officials, and the situation created by the recent five to four ruling of the United States Supreme Court holding telephone wire-tapping by dry agents constitutional. Senators here and the American Federation of Labor are now trying to agree on a bill to be introduced in Congress next December to eradicate the injunction evil. The Norris sub-committee of the Senate Judiciary Committee has worked out a substitute for the Shipstead anti-injunction measure introduced last session. This follows the report of the special Senate committee on an alleged “reign of terror” by company and State police and injunction judges in the soft coal strike area centering in Pennsylvania. The Norris bill would guarantee labor’s right to strike, to hold peaceable meetings, to have Jury trials in contempt cases, and would prohibit injunctions to sustain so-called “yellow-dog” contracts. Despite apparent improvement in civil liberty conditions, the American Civil Liberties Union report is pessimistic. Though the record for the year shows less active repression, the union believes there is more settled Intolerance. “The reason for the decrease in repression is that there is little to repress—militancy in the labor movement has declined, and radical political movements are not strong enough to arouse fear,” says the union. “Americans enjoy freedom of speech—except when there is a serious difference of opinion.”

ON the credit side of the ledger It lists for the year the release of all political prisoners in the country, except one; no new prosecutions under criminal syndicalism or sedition laws, except In Pennsylvania; the failure of all repressive laws introduced in Congress and State Legislatures; the lowest number of cases of inob violence and police interference with meetings in years; and fewer dismissals of teachers for their views on evolution and social questions. m As the two outstanding events in the* field during the year, it lists the execution in Massachusetts of Sacco and Vanzetti, “who were prosecuted primarily because of their radical views and activities,” and suppression in the coal strike. “Pennsylvania is the worst State today in the Union for wholesale violations of civil rights,” according to the report. Other districts given a black mark by the organization are Colorado, Ohio and West Virginia coal fields, New England textile centers, and the cities of Newark, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Boston, "where the police adopt lawless tactics.” Here are the reasons the Liberties Union believes that constitutional rights of Americans are endangered today. “The Espionage Act sections authorizing postofflee censorship are still in force; thirty-four States have criminal syndicalism or sedition laws; sweeping injunctions against strikers and the rule; movies, plays, books and periodicals are censored in many localities; anti-evolution laws are on the books of two States, while evolution teaching is outlawed by regulation in many others; United States colonies are still ruled by the Navy or War departments; aliens no longer enjoy the right of political asylum in the United States; deportation for radical political views is easy and naturalization of radicals and Pacifists difficult; professional patriots and militarists are active in suppressing Pacifist and even mildly progressive activities; and the Klan, though dying, still mobilizes racial and religious prejudice.” * * u A CCORDING to W. E. B. Du Bois of the National Association for the advancement of colored people: “Disfranchisement of the Negro in southern States has brought about such distortion of political power In the United States that a small white oligarchy in the South is the dictator of the Nation—from 80 to 90 per cent of voters in far southern States refraining from voting in the election of 1920.” Stressing economic restrictions against Negroes, Arthur B. Spingam of the same organization, says: “By our fight against peonage, particularly in Arkansas, we have helped to bring about a condition making it impossible to exploit this or any group.” For the first time in thirty-nine years the first four months of this year were free of lynchings, he adds.

This Date in U. S. History

July 14 1788—The old Continental Congress ratified the new Constitution. 1798—Congress passed last of the alien and sedition laws. 1870—/ $3,000 pension was voted the widow of President Lincoln. 1886—Congress ordered the Treasury Department to reduce the national debt at least $lO,000,000 a month.