Indianapolis Times, Volume 41, Number 174, Indianapolis, Marion County, 30 November 1929 — Page 4
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J t * I ** S • M OW A MO
When the State Buys Possibly some state official, although ■which one to select seems a trifle perplexing since five of them are members of the printing board, should show some interest in the peculiar bids and the awards of contracts for state printing. If not interested in these bids presented by firms from different parts of the state, perhaps the Governor or his board of accounts, may be interested in the price paid for printing the drivers’ licenses. Something is wrong somewhere. And it seems to be very wrong. The license law, with its notary fee plum as its chief excuse for existence, provided that the secretary of state should collect 25 cents from every person who drives or wants to drive, an automobile. That 25 cents was placed at his disposal to spend in preparing the necessary blanks, paying expenses of administration and in enforcing the law. He was made the custodian of the fund. The first purchase, of course, was that of the licenses to be issued to the drivers. No competition, apparently, on this purchase was offered and thus far no firm has appeared to show that it was given a chance to do the work. So the price, as far as information is obtainable, paid was either $lO or sll a thousand for two millions of these bits of paper. The firm which got the work was located at Lafayette. Evidently the printers of Indianapolis and elsewhere were considered too incompetent to be given a chance at the rather large order. A $20,000 order—or was it $22,000 — is not insignificant to printing firms no matter how large. \ ;; Perhaps the price seemed fair. It evidently did seem fair to Secretary of State Otto Fifield, who was charged with the disbursal of the quarters which you paid for the privilege of driving a car in Indiana. But prices change quickly. When the bids for printing were opened two days ago the same firm which collected the $lO or sll a thousand offered to print the same license blanks for 10 cents a thousand. It might appear that the firm was either very greedy when it had no competition or very generous at Thanksgiving time. The explanation is worse than the facts. It is stated that the firm put in this very low bid because the state will use no more of the license blanks during the period of the contract and that it was inserted as an excuse for charging higher prices on supplies which will be needed. But that explanation does not explain the vast difference between the price paid last summer and the prices asked by the guileless firms which believed the state intended to buy more of these blanks when it asked them for prices. These firms offered the same blanks at prices ranging anywhere from 95 cents to $1 .65 a thousand. Take your pencil and figure the difference in cost to the state between these prices and the $lO or sll a thousand which was paid from the license fund. It may be true that those who have these matters in charge are just dumb. Let’s be charitable.
Big Business The anti-trust suits begun by the United States government against the Fox and Warner and motion picture interests will be regarded as an indication of the attitude of the new administration toward the tendency of business to consolidate into larger and larger units. Action against Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc., Is based on that company's acquisition of control of First National Pictures. Inc. The merger of Loew's, Inc., with the Fox interests is the basis for the other suit. The government sets forth that the Fox interests control 40 per cent of the total motion picture production, in addition to operating a large proportion of the best and largest first-run movie houses of the country. Warner interests control 25 per cent of production and operate a large number of theaters, the government says. The government seeks to have the stock purchases by which the mergers were affected set aside and to have the defendants ordered to strip themselves of their holdings. Attorney-General Mitchell, in a recent speech before the Bar Association at Memphis, announced that he would not follow the policy of his predecessor in permitting proposed mergers to be submitted to the department of justice for scrutiny and approval, even though such approval did not grant freedom from future prosecutions. He said that the anti-trust laws as they stood would be enforced, since there had been no change in them by congress. The suits just filed are the first application of the policy he outlined. Whether the department will proceed against other gigantic mergers recently effected can not be told. It is inconceivable, however, that we shall witness trust-busting crusades like those of the Roosevelt era, or that the department will fail to take into account changed conditions and recent economic trends. The day of cut-throat competition by large numbers of small business units is ended. It was uneconomic and wasteful and unsuited to the mass production and distribution which is the characteristic of modern industry. It would be useless for the gov-
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emment to set itself against this concentration; it could not stop it if it would. Without attempting to judge the wisdom of the two suits Just flied, it can be said that what the country wants and needs is protection against monopolistic control and proper regulation of gigantic business enterprises, rather than hostility toward big business, merely because it is big. Electrocution Before Conviction The function of the police is to apprehend criminals, not to ascertain their guilt. Still the police almost everywhere proceed to try the case in a preliminary manner through the "third degree.” It is in wide use and many officials defend it. Recently it has been urged in justification that the third degree must be used as a substitute for the courts in repressing crime. Justice in the courtroom having broken down, the only way of intimidating criminals is to beat them up in police headquarters. Most ingenious and cruel methods are employed by police in administering the third degree. Electric devices, such as a charged mat and the like, long have been popular. But the most novel and dramatic method of administering an electric shock in connection with this process just has been uncovered in Helena, Ark. Here it was proved that for some years the police had been using an electric chair in which to torture accused prisoners, in the hope of extracting a confession of guilt. Hot sure of running their victim into the chair at the other end of the Judicial process, the police decided to be sure of administering mild shocks at the outset. Judge Davenport wisely ordered destruction of the chair and declared that if prisoners were to be mobbed before the trial, there was little need of holding court. With the admitted defects of our American police system, it goes without saying that the police need all their time and efforts to reform and improve their ow'n methods of catching criminals. The courts may be as bad as the police allege, but this is not the responsibility or problem of the police. They will do well to devote themselves to the mote of inefficiency and corruption which protrudes so conspicuously from their own eye.
A Needed Inquiry Necessity for a senatorial investigation of the federal power commission is becoming increasingly apparent. The senate interstate commerce committee should exercise its authority to make such inquiry. While the commission never has functioned satisfactorily. cause for complaint has increased in recent months. It is not the fault of the commission Itself, it seems, but of those employed to carry out its work. Dissension exists, reports of a distinctly power company flavor are issued, and there is every reason to believe a thorough airing of what is going on may be useful. If the commission is entitled to a clean bill of health, all the better. If not, let’s find out what is wrong, and correct it. Mysterious Appendages Jacques Worth, famed creator of longer lines In women’s gowns, is a man, and as such view's women’s legs. He is not against them. But he would have them disappear slightly. Speaking of his idea about the desirability of the longer skirt for evening wear, hfe says: “Even if dresses are longer, there is no attempt to hide the legs. They are made to appear like mysterious appendages. We do not hide the limbs. We dissimulate them. We conceal them. But a hint of them always remains.” And, he might have added, always will.
REASON By F S K
Georges clemenceau displayed good sense when he avoided a state funeral. Nothing is so futile, so vain, so vulgar as to call out the drum majors, the sentinels, the brigadiergenerals, the bass drums, the clanking sabers, the spurs, the cannon and the other hoopla when we hand a wornout brother back to mother nature. mam But we do not agree with Clemenceau’s conviction that death is an endless sleep, for while nobody knows anything about it, it is just as cheap and a lot more beneficial to think there’s a good time coming after this world’s work is done. Certainly it helps millions bear burdens which otherv'ise would break their backs. 0 M Os course, Clemenoeau’s opinion is worth no more than the opinion of the umbrella mender, for in the pjresence of the Infinite, all men are midgets. The truth is that the hourly enfolding majesties of the universe argue immortality more than all else, and as for miracles, the evolution of the human mind from that of a savage to that of an Edison is a greater miracle than any recorded in the Scriptures. K * M IT may be that Clemenceau’s bitter viewpoint was due in part to the fact that he fought hard all his life and met man’s ingratitude and later the ingratitude of Fiance, after saving her life. ' Or it may have been his life, since mental attitude depends much on livers. The funny thing about it is that if death is oblivion why did Clemenceau insist that he be buried standing up. Why did he care what position they put him in? ana A New Jersey judge decides that a married woman may smoke cigarets, even though her mate opposes it. This means that she may inhale, draw the smoke clear down to her toes, then shoot it out through her distended nostrils like a devastating dragon. Beautiful lady! MM* BRITISH dress reformers advocate a change ia man’s attire, substituting a blouse for the coat and shorts for trousers, the shorts coming above the knee, with rolled stockings below and a stretch of shaggy shank between. If this ever becomes our American outfit we favor the greatest liberality in the construction of the game laws. Those of us who have been broke all of our lives can not be expected to weep unduly because some gentlemen who never have met the wolf before are leaping into the river because they lost their wad in the stock market. ' Miss Bertha Clevenger of Detroit sues John H. Castle. millionaire real estate man. for $750,000 for breach of promise. The collapse of the market didn’t effect the quotations on broken hearts. Senator Francis E. Warren, who served in the upper chamber for thirty-seven years, longer than any other man in our history, saw a marvelous parade of history-making events, and had he kept a diary, it would be a classic.
THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES
M. E. Tracy SAYS:
Russia Appears to Have Everything Her Way in This ‘War’ Along the Manchurian Border. NO one can quarrel with the motives which have led other nations to discuss the possibility of helping Russia and China settle their row. As Japan points out, however, there are considerations which suggest that Russia and China can get along better by themselves. , Russia, for instance, is not a member of the League of Nations, while the United States has not recognized Russia. Under such circumstances it would be rather embarrassing for either the League of Nations or the United States to undertake running the show. * * • There is little need to waste time arguing that point, since Chinese resistance virtually has collapsed, and since it takes two to make a war. Russia appears to have everything her own way with Mukden ready to concede whatever may be necessary to open negotiations. Nanking, far enough away from tfie trouble to feel comfortable, would like to pursue a stiffer policy, but that might lead to independent action on the part of Manchuria, which, in turn, might lead to a general smash-up. To save Manchuria for the Chinese republic, Nanking is forced to accept the Manchurian view. Manchuria wants peace, because she has seen enough to realize what would happen if ihe Russians were to move in dead earnest. * * * Russia Too Powerful BACK of the confused situation is such a reign of diplomatic intrigue as most people considered impossible after the world had been "saved for democracy.” To put it briefly, the Nanking government is largely a monument to the success of anti-Soviet propaganda in China, and feels not only that it must do all it can to balk Russia, but that it can depend on the support of western nations every time it does. MM M However, Manchuria may feel toward Russia as an academic proposition, it has been through enough to know the danger of showing too much open defiance The last three months have been demonstrated to Manchuria in a most vivid way what Russia could do, and what the Hanking government could not. With Soviet troops crossing the border at will, with Chinese troops falling back, in the face of superior numbers; with Nanking too busy saving itself from revolution to lend effective aid; w'ith western nations pondering what they could do without getting into hot water, and consequently. doing nothing, the Manchurian government has decided to accept the inevitable. Who wouldn't, under the circumstances? M M M Those Polar Lands THE United States, we are Informed, is not prepared to enter into any dispute with Great Britain at this time concerning the title to polar regions in the south. The reasons given remind one of the dying deacon who asked a neighbor’s forgiveness, but qualified his request with the remark "if I get well, this don’t count.” The United States is not admitting Great Britain’s claim, or waiving her OW'D, but merely is postponing events until a more convenient season. First, it is feared that such dispute might imperil the forthcoming naval pow wow, and second, it is argued that the value of the polar regions has not been proved. MOM In other words, your Uncle Samuel is waiting to sge whether he can get what he wants out of the naval conference, and whether the polar regions are worth quarreling over. They are. even though we may not ’realize It right now. There is too little land in this world for any one to regard 4,000.000 square miles as worthless. Even if the climate may be such as to make it unfit for agriculture, there are sure to be mineral deposts beneath the surface, and who knows what science could do with the climate? SUM Plays ‘Sucker’ Role NOT that we want to quarrel with England, or that we need to, but that it seems shiftless and improvident to throw away vast possessions that could be had by right of discovery and without- doing injustice to any people. When it comes to throwing away possessions that could be had by right of discovery, and without doing injustice, the United States has pl&ved a stellar role. This country should be In possession of hundreds of islands in the Pacific ocean, found and charted by the skippers of its clipper ships in the Roaring Forties. Instead, it permitted its claims to lapse, with the notion that it was exemplifying high ideals, when it was only discovering prizes for other nations.
Daily Thought
Let your moderation be known unto all men.—Phillippians 4:5. m m tt A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.—Thomas Paine. Does one have to be a citizen of the United States to join the army or marine corps? The applicant must be a full citizen of the United States to join the marine corps; he must have made a declaration of intention to become a citizen to join the army.
The Only “Cloud” on the Horizon
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Simple Rules Cut Infant Mortality
BY DR. MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Journal of the American Medical Association and of Hygeia, the Health Magazine. AMONG the saddest of spectacles in our modern life is the large number of deaths of infants occurring before they are 1 year old. There was a time when 275 to 300 infants out of every thousand born died before they were \1 year old. Most civilized countries now have rates varying from fifty to eighty, but there are sections of France, Germany and England, and even portions of the United States in which rates are still above 100. The League of Nations, surveying the subject, has made certain general recommendations for the prevention of infant mortality, which
IT SEEMS TO ME “Kir
MISS MARIE DUGGAN of Teachers’ college says that stories about animals which talk and all tales of enchantment should be removed from the reading list of children. Instead, she would substitute anecdotes of youngsters who grew strong by faithfully eating all their cereal and spinach. Mark me down as a dissenter. It’s tough enough for a child to have to eat the blamed stuff without reading of it, too. Readily will I agree that a certain amount of spinach much be pried down the unwilling jaws of every growing infant. It is a staple in the march toward maturity. a a a Spinach Eater AND yet I would hate to be the father of a docile spinach eater. Such conformity argues a flabbiness of spirit. Children who take healthful foods with gratitude will grow up to be stand-pat Republicans, fundamentalists and militarists. There is such a thing as being too quick to snan into line at the work of command. Looking about this land of liberty I see all too many of us who enjoyed our spinach in the formative years. We liked it, or pretended to, because someone in authority informed us that such was our bounden duty. Naturally with such a start we became men and women who could be regimented in politics, religion and everything else. As soon as anybody said, “Now all together,’’ we all obeyed without questioning. And so I say one thousand times NO! Let the rising generation retain its WOOLY WILLIE, the Sheep and Cuthbert, the Cat and Jack and Jill and the rest of the crew who lived out of time and space and discipline. Grip your little son with a punishing half-nelson and ram the invaluable vitamins down his tiny throat but leave his flaming and rebellious spirit quite alone. ana On the Map FROM Ralph S. Bauer, mayor of Lynn, Mass., there comes an edict which is fraught with possibilities for loyal Harvard men. The mayor ordered fifty policemen to the field where Lynn and English High will meet at football. He has instructed these officers to stop the game the instant they detect any drinking by the rooters in the stands. The possible application of this principal is obvious. Up to this time the best that a spectator could do for his side was to offer moral support. He could cry, “Hold ’em,” or “We want a touchdown.” But there always lias been a good deal of question as to whether this actually helped or impeded the progress of the ball. Now even the most meager noncombatant can cio his bit for the Crimson when next the big game is
-DAILY HEALTH SERVICE—-
should serve to lower the number of deaths greatly. Wherever such methods have been put into effect, the rates have responded promptly. One of the most important points is education of the public in the hygiene of maternity and infancy. Chicago lowered its infant mortality rate greatly by undertaking a definite campaign of education of mothers as to the proper care of the infant month by month from the day of its birth. The emphasis placed on breast feeding and on a sufficient amount of sunlight and fresh air results in an appreciable effect on the infant mortality rate. Other factors of importance include special attention of physicians as to new' methods in the care of babies and more proper supervision of the mother previous to the
played in Massachusetts. I am assuming that the mayor of Cambridge may be moved to follow the lead of Lynn. This year little Albie Booth all but got away for a touchdown on the kickoff. Only a loose reef in his jersey enabled a pursuing Harvard man to bring him down. It never can happen again. Not if I’m in the stadium. My plan is simple. As long as Harvard seems to be winning or holding its ow'n I intend to bear in mind the fact that prohibition is the law of the land. But just let Booth get free and tear toward the goal line and I shall on the instant, rise and produce from my pocket a burnished flask filled with illegal gin. tt an For Harvard STANDING up in the seat, it is my intention to shout at the top of my voice, "I’d die for dear old Harvard.” Thereupon, of course, I will drink some portion of the gin. Just enough to indicate that the Volstead law' has been flouted publicly will be sufficient. Upon the instant the attending officers will be compelled to do their duty. One squad should be detailed to stop Booth and inform him that he must cease running immediately, as the stadium has become a public nuisance and a touchdown clearly w'ould render him liable to arrest on the charge of contempt for the padlock law. Prison is all that I can expect for my pains, but when the judge asks me if I have anything to say before beginning my life sentence, I will
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REVOLUTION ENDS November 30
ONE hundred forty-seven years ago today, on Nov 30, 1782, the preliminary treaty of peace, ending the war between the United States and Great Britain, was signed by Adams, Franklin, Jay and Laurens in Paris. Despite an agreement between the colonies and France that neither would make peace separately, the preliminary treaty was signed only by Great Britain and the United States. The final Treaty of Paris granting the United States complete independence was not signed, however, until Sept. 3 of the following year. Today also is the anniversary of the birthday of Samuel Langhome Clemens (Mark Twain), who was born Nov. 30, 1835. And on Nov. 30, 1699, William Penn, founder of the Quakers in America, reached his American province, now the state of Pennsylvania.
child’s birth and during the birth process. Among recent efforts, special attention is being given to the prevention of colds and lung infections among infants by education of parents in the control of communicable diseases. An older person with a cough or cold should remain away from an infant, since such infection is more serious for a child than for a grown up person. The child should sleep alone and the ventilation and temperature of the room in which the child sleeps must be watched. Rules for the proper care of infants are essentially simple, but they demand a good deal of detail and attention in their observance. When the rules are followed, the results are found to be more than worth the effort.
Ideals and opinions expressed in this column are those of one of America's most interesting writers and are presented without regard to their agreement or disagreement with the editorial attitude of this paper.—The Editor.
draw myself up proudly in the dock and exclaim: “Better jail than Yale, your honor!” MUM Poor Agents! MANY of us probably have been insensitive to the heartbreak which is part of the life of every prohibition agent. John E. Wright, deputy administrator for Cleveland, draws an appealing picture of these faithful ones who must be blasted for the sins of the people. "Drinking liquor is ruining the health of the dry agent,” he declared. "As much as my men dislike to violate the spirit of the prohibition law by drinking liquor themselves,” he continued, "they are forced to do so in complying with their duties.” Wright explained that the job of getting evidence usually is given to the new men on the force. "They come into the department and some relish the job of going out to do some drinking in behalf of the United States. But in six months’ time we have to take them off the evidence-getting work.” (Copyright. 1929. by The Times)
Questions and Answers
Is there an American language? There is no distinct American language, although the impression has been created in some quarters that America has a languge of its own by the title of H. L. Mencken’s widely circuited book, 'The American Language.” In that book he shows the idioms that are commonly used in the United States, and how they differ from idioms used in England to express the same idea. Even the terminology is different in many cases, but they are all in the Englisn language.
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.NOV. 30, 1929
SCIENCE By DAVID DIETZ
We Have Not Enough Scientific Knowledge and Ability to Provide a Substitute for Water. “OUPPOSE all the water in the world were to be destroyed. Do you think,” asks Dr. T. A. Boyd of the General Motors Research Laboratories, "we have enough scientific knowledge and P ractlca ! ability to make a substitute f°r it. Boyd answers the question wltn an emphatic "no.” It might seem at first that his answer was a bit hasty. Water is so simple a chemical compound; probably no compound could be considered simpler, a mere combination of two gases, ivdrogen and oxygen. _ . But let us, with Boyd, reslew the properties of water and the functions which it performs in the scheme of nature. Then we will realize that he is correct in his conclusion. .. First of all, we must realize tnat water is more important to life than food. People have been known to go without food for several weeks. But three days is the limit that any one can go without water. The human body is composed chieflv of water. About 75 per cent of it is water. If 20 per cent of the water content of the body is lost, death follows. The blood stream is mostly water. It circulates through the body, carrying the oxygen, the foodstuffs and important mineral salts to the cells which make up the body. It likewise carries off the waste products from the cells. Any substitute for water would have to take the place of water in the human body. m n u Dependent on Water WE are dependent upon other animals and plants for our food. Both animals and plants require water quite as much as we do. Consequently, the substitute for water woud have to be as appropriate to the internal chemistry of the plants and animals as well as to human beings. In the case of plants, the substit.ue for water would have to play a large number of important functions. First of all, it would have to be capable of keeping the ground sufficiently soft to give plant roots an opportunity for growth. Secondly, since plants absorb ‘♦rater through their roots, the water substitute would have to be capable of absorption in the same way. Thirdly, it would have to be capable of entering into photosynthesis. Plants manufacture their own foodstuffs —and hence ours as well—by combining the carbon dioxide of the air with the water which has been absorbed through the roots, into sugars and starches. This is done with the aid of the energy of sunlight. Therefore, if our water substitute functioned well in our bodies, it would still result in our starving to death, if it could not take part in the process of photosynthesis. But there are still other considerations for our water substitute. As Boyd points out, it will have to fill the needs of the kitchen also. It must be used for washing things, it must be used to cook with, it must be satisfactory for the preparation of liquid foods like coffee, tea and soups.
Climate Would Be UDset OUR substitute for watei must also play an important role in meteorology, just as water does now. Fortunately, water vapor is lighter than air. Consequently when water evaporates, it rises in the air, eventually reaching levels which are colder than the ground. At these levels, it condenses back into droplets of water, forming clouds. Unless our water substitute formed a vapor lighter than air, there would be no clouds and no rain. This would mean a complete upset of climate. There is a difficulty here which is greater than the layman would suppose. For most liquids which have a high boiling point form vapors heavier than air. The boiling point of those which form such light vapors is so low that they normally exist as vapors and not liquids. “If water as a liquid possessed the same physical constitution, or if It existed as a liquid in the same state of molecular aggregation as it does as a vapor, its boiling point would be around 212 degrees below zero instead of 212 degrees above zero as it happens to be,” Boyd says. The density of water also is Important. Were it less dense, boats could not remain afloat upon the seas. Another important function of water is that it dissolves air. If this were not the case, fish could not exist in it. When water freezes, the ice is lighter than water and hence floats upon the top of rivers and lakes. Nearly all liquids contract as they freeze and become heavier. If water behaved like most liquids, streams and lakes would in a few years be turned into solid masses of Ice and new glacial ages started.