Indianapolis Times, Volume 42, Number 259, Indianapolis, Marion County, 10 March 1931 — Page 6

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Privilege Smiles Out of a legislature that was born in bedlam and died in desperation comes a triumphant victory for every power of privilege. The people get as little as a hungry dog, seeking a bone, obtains from a sausage factory. Big business is safe. Special taxation is safe. Political grafts are protected. All the old impositions are continued. All the old forms of private pillage are in force. At the finish, when tired men, sleepy men, voted upon motions which they little understood, the forces behind Leslie must be credited with the final slaughter of good legislation and the passage of some that is evil, very evil. The Democratic party emerges with the hollow victory of having passed every platform measure promised the people through the one house that they controlled.

The Republican party should be able to draw large drafts in the form of campaign funds from the privileged interests, for with the single exception of the registration bill, forced into law by an indignant and organized womanhood, every one of those platform pledges failed to become a law. At the finish, the statehouse presented the spectacle of.a Governor seated with his private mentor, able to force from a timid opposition of legislators practically every demand he made in behalf of the forces he represents. There will be no Old Age Pension. That was assassinated by the Governor after it had been passed with cheers by the Democratic house and grudgingly by a holdover senate. “Over the hill” was the sentence given to those who are old and, growing older, find themselves no longer self-support-ing. The utilities may continue, unhampered, every device of loot which now permits them to escape proper regulation. Not all of the blame for this rests upon a Republican senate, w'hich ruthlessly killed the measure to regulate holding companies. Other bills, which might have saved some of the pennies of the people, aggregating millions in the total, mysteriously were suppressed or defeated by a Democratic house. The utility business in Indiana is good for another two years. To those same utility interests which have been thus saved should be given thanks for the small favor that this session saw none of the old briberies, or very little of it. Old faces were missing. Some of the boys who have lived in other years upon the pickings from this source are disappointed. But, of course, expect no reduction in your gas or electric or water bills. Perhaps the habit was too strong. Not even so mild a measure against outrage and imposition as a reduction from 42 to-30 per cent a year charged by loan sharks in a taxation upon the defenseless and the desperate, received a majority vote in either house. Usury waves its black flag in glee. It also rules.

The Governor should be very happy. When the session started he was unhappy. In fact, worried. A campaign issue had been made of $35 asli trays while people were starving and unemployed. He will still be able to buy such ash trays to care for guests at the mansion. His emergency fund, cut from $200,000 to $125,000 a year, still will be available. The people of the mines and the drought district will get all they got before—which was nothing. The Governor had expected investigations. There were no investigations, except that of the highway commission in which a brave minority promptly was outvoted by Leslie’s political friends, and the same old commission, with the same old powers, the same old funds, received new letters of marque to prey upon the auto owner. In the matter of carving the state into new districts for electing members of congress, Leslie finally, in the small hours of the morning, had his way. A timid opposition surrendered to his wish. Notice was given to the nation and those who live upon political favors that there will be, as long as party labels count, three servants of Big Business from Indiana in the national house of representatives. Two of them, Republicans, have a long record of servitude. The third resents any suggestion of progressivism. What is the picture as a legislature ends its futile session? There is a Republican majority in one house, with a few belligerent and active dissenters, which boldly jingles the chains of privilege. There is the picture of a stalwart group in the Democratic party which fought to make good its pledges. Foiled at every turn by 3elf seekers, by those who used the weapons of sex and booze to betray secretly those pledges, those who call themselves Democrats and are not democratic, and that break in the dike of solidarity surrendered a great victory at the polls to a poor advantage in legislation. The Times reports to those who have agreed with its policies that the legislature has failed, and failed utterly. It reports that

The Indianapolis Times (A ICKIPPS-HOWIKD NkWSJ’AI'EIO Owned end publietoed deity (except Sunday) by The Indianapolis Times Publishing Cos. 214-220 West Maryland Street. Indianapolis. Ind. Price in Marion County. 2 cents a copy; elsewhere, 3 cents— delivered by carrier. 12 cents a week. BOYD GURLEY. BOY W. PRANK G. MORRISON Editor President Business Manager PHONE— UIIey fiflSl TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 1931. Member of United Presa Scripps-Howard Newspaper Alliance. Newspaper Enterprise Association. Newspaper Information gerrlce and Andit Bureau of Circulations. “Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way.”

in both parties are symptoms of courage, greater in organized Democracy than in rebelling Republicanism. Thus far, party labels have been more powerful than principles. The fanner, the jobless artisan, is exactly where he was before the legislature began its session. Privilege, represented by a Shylock, a holding company, a fat comfortable recipient of dividends, a member of a commission who lives from crumbs tossed from the tables of the rich, smiles. A National Range Timely, Indeed, is the report of the Garfield committee on conservation and administration of the public domain, which, for the first time, suggests a comprehensive plan. Here is a vast area of 180,000,000 acres of land in seventeen western states. Over-grazing, brush and forest fires, and unregulated exploitation of this region have worked their evil consequences for years. Whole regions have been denuded and left as bare as a desert by sheep and cattle. Erosion and silting of streams and reservoirs have destroyed billions in wealth. Game refuges and scenic resources have been neglected. The “great open spaces” of the west have been all too open. The Garfield committee suggests that the next congress create a national range commission to adminis'or these lands as the government administers its forrests. Those states whose legislatures petition the government will be given their public lands under conditions that insure proper conservation. Minerals are withheld from the states until proper state-federal regulations are adopted to conserve them and the reclamation fund is assured of protection. Continuation of the government’s reclamation program, wisely, is urged. National forests, it is suggested, should be enlarged. The report is statesmanlike and should become the baste for one of the first projects of the next congress. One might question the wisdom of turning the public lands over to certain poor and sparsely settled states where big stockmen dominate the government and sometimes oppose laws to curb over-grazing. However, this is a matter to be studied carefully by congress. The nation, which depends for its wool, meat, hides, much of its minerals and timber, water power and farm produce upon these western states, owes a vote of thanks to the Garfield committee for its endeavors.

A Federal Deficit Precise figures are not yet available, but it appears that the session of congress just adjourned appropriated around $5,200,000,000 to be spent by the federal government during the fiscal year which begins July 1. This is the largest sum ever authorized for a peace-time year. It is at least $300,000,000 more than the President recommended in his budget message. And it is half a billion more than was voted last year. Increased outlays for internal improvements of all kinds—these alone will absorb s6oo,ooo,oso—drought relief and other unusual conditions largely account for the increases. Meantime, federal revenues will be at least $400,000,000 less than last year. The effect of the depression on income taxes will not be known until returns are filed this month. Customs receipts already are well below last year’s and less than had been anticipated in treasury calculations. It seems that Secretary Mellon’s forecast of a deficit for this year of at least $500,000,000 —the first deficit since the war—will be borne out and the figure may be larger.' • The treasury can meet this partially by reducing its emergency fund and curtailing public debt payments, or it can issue short term securities. But eventually bills must be paid, and the question arises as to where the money is coming from. It is time to start thinking now about the possibility of higher taxes. The 1 per cent reduction on income taxes paid each year will not be in effect this year, but the likelihood is that this will not make up the difference. With wealth concentrated as it is, the public must guard against increased taxes on the persons with small incomes, for it is they who have suffered most through the depression.

REASON "SKT

THERE is grief in the noble heart of Thompson, for Dr. Bundesen has refused to run as an independent candidate for mayor of Chicago, and thereby divide the people who are sick and tired of Big Bill. M M M Bundesen’s candidacy would have wished B. B. upon Chicago for four years more, a fate harsh enough to make a wooden Indian tremble, but now that Bundesen is out of it, the long-suffering can hold a family reunion behind Cermak, the Democratic candidate. % MUM REPUBLICANS will feel perfectly free to tie a can to Big Bill, because in the last election he openly bolted Ruth Hanna McCormick, Republican candidate for the United States senate, and supported James Hamilton Lewis. M M M When they go to the polls next month to elect a mayor, the people of Chicago can give their world’s fair the biggest boost imaginable by electing Cermak and amputating Big Bill for all time to come. Never have the people of the whole country been so interested in a municipal election. M M M WE see where an expert says that the color of eyes can not be made a guide in determining parentage, which is correct, as your experience will I tell you. M M M From the standpoint of soul, brothers and sisters may be total strangers, while two persons, coming from the ends of the earth may bear the most amazing resemblance, not only physically, but spiritually. All of which is not very strange when you consider the number of people there are in circulation, M M M EINSTEIN is going back to Europe, but when, according to his own statement only half a dozen people on earth can understand him, what’s the use of having him around! Bob, just a plain mongrel dog, saved the life of M M M Mrs. Will Ashby of Globe, Ariz., by leading rescuers through a blinding snowstorm, proving once again that it is not rank nor pride of ancestry that makes the hero. M m 'm Mayor Walker has taken another vacation. It’s a perfect outrage the way these politicians kill themselves ofl, working for the dear people

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

M. E. Tracy SAYS:

It Is No Accident That Lawlessness and the Number of Laws Grow Proportionately. MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 10.— “Lea and Caldwell indicted,” reads a headline in the Memphis Press-Scimitar. A newsboy takes it for the first part of his selling cry and then adds, “but they’ll never go to jail.” Who could ask for a better illustration of the prevailing attitude toward such cases, not only in Tennessee, but throughout the country? We Americans have become skeptical of the law when it comes to handling big fish. That is one reason why the law fails so frequently to handle them. Sentiment, whether pro or con, has a profound bearing on all activities. Let a large number of people get it into their heads that justice is powerless under certain circumstances and the chances are that justice will be. Nothing has done so much to help the racket as a widespread belief that it was beyond the reach of police and courts. Nothing has done so much to portect corrupt politicians, or save guilty men who possessed good social or financial connections. nun Faith Is Gone THE Lea-Caldwell failure was one of the worst that ever occurred in this country. It carried down more than 150 banks, ruined thousands of innocent investors, wiped out several million dollars in state, county, or city funds, and already has led to five suicides. In popular opinion, the circumstances surrounding it are such that there must have been more or less crookedness and corruption all along the line. In the same popular opinion, none but a few of the subordinates ever will be punished, which is the saddest part of the whole affair. How can we hope to get very far with the administration of justice as long as such lack of faith exists? How can we hope to restore faith until the system of justice does more to deserve it? It is not enough to say that disrespect for law has weakened the law. Every one knows it has and that it will go right on doing so, unless reduced. n n n Too Many Laws IT can not be reduced by mere preachment. Something definite has caused it, and until we discover what that something is and deal with it directly, we shall make little headway. We are not anarchists by nature. If we were, such institutions as the Pennsylvania railroad, Standard Oil or the Bell Telephone Company would be impossible. No one can watch the American people at work and believe them instinctively opposed to system and discipline. No other people has shown greater ability to co-operate with precision in commerce and industry. Some have tried to persuade themselves that prohibition was the cause of lawlessness in the United States, but we had the murder record, the forgery record, the arson record and the thief record long before the eighteenth amendment was adopted. There is only one thing that has synchronized with, t*he volume of crime in' this country through all the •yes.rs, and that is the volume of its laws.

Disrespect for All TO the same extent that we lead other nations in all kinds of lawlessness, we lead them in all kinds of regulatory statutes. The civilized world has nothing to compare with our codes, in the aggregate. The average public official does not stay on the job long enough to read them, much less enforce them. It is no accident that the amount of law and the amount of lawlessness grow proportionately. Neither is this wholly due to the fact that where there are more laws to break, more are broken. Though minor laws never are taken as seriously as major laws, for perfectly obvious reasons, disrespect goes right up the line. The citizen who disregards a traffic light because there is no cop on the comer gives the worst criminal an excuse. The legislator who votes for a law which he knows will be winked at generally, or evaded, has helped to weaken the whole structure. # # tt What’s the Difference? EVERY one knows how widespread the disregard of some minor laws has become, and how common it is for congress and the forty-eight legislatures to pass laws which are not supposed to be enforced, except in emergencies. The average citizen admits that he seldom goes through a day without violating from one to a dozen regulations, and that if all the regulations were enforced/ nobody would be out of jail more than half the time. Well, if he can get away with it, why can’t the other fellow? And if the other fellow happens to rob a cash till, instead of spitting on the sidewalk, or making a wrong left turn, what’s the difference in principle?

Questions and Answers

What do the initials U. S. S. R. stand for? Union of Socialist Soviet Republics (Russia). How many colleges and universities are there in the United States? The American Educational Directory lists 913 accredited colleges and universities. Can an alien seaman who deserted his ship in the United States in October, 1924, obtain American citiaenshlp? He can not become an American citizen unless he leaves the country •and re-enters legally as an Immigrant. Is the Stars and Stripes still published? It has been succeeded by the American Monthly,

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DAILY HEALTH SERVICE Outdoor Air Is Vital for Baby

BY DR. MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor, Journal of the American Medical Association and of Hygeia, the Health Magazine. A LMOST all mothers now know that the baby ought to have fresh air, but few mothers have any definite idea of just what constitutes fresh air or exactly how much the baby ought to be in a fresh air atmosphere. Actually a baby ought to be in fresh air all the time, with the understanding that fresh air means air tfcat is not stagnant, that is changed by proper ventilation, and of a temperature suitable to the condition of the baby’s tissues. Outdoor air is fresher for these reasons than indoor air.

IT SEEMS TO ME BY H BROUN D

A FEW days ago I wrote a column in which I drew up an indictment against the citizens of New York. I said then, and I say now, that they can not throw off the responsibility for conditions which exist in their government. We New York citizens are an actual and tangible part of the crime and the corruption. But today I have a letter —one of a number—which states the defense of the average citizen. He may be willing to take action. He may even be excited and enthusiastic. But he does not know in quite what way to move. I might remark at this point that one of the simplest things for him to do is to refrain from voting in a sheeplike manner for organizations and men who have never served him well. But we will not elect a mayor until 1933. Something of a start can be made this autumn. If New Yorkers are really aroused they can get together and elect honest, independent and capable aldermen at that time. Even so, conditions are so bad that action more immediate than that is necessary. I submit the letter from the “Average Citizen” in full because it seems to me to embody the puzzlement which impairs the authority of us all. 000

From an Average Citizen “'TT'HE average citizen,” writes A Max T. Gerstman,” wants very much to do something about the outrageous conditions in the magistrates’ courts, the revelation of the atrocities perpetrated by certain members of the police vice squad, the passive meandering and hindering methods of District Atr tomey Crain in his variolas -investigations, aa well as all the other breaches of the public faith being revealed by the investigation now in process. “You say in your column of March 3 that all the average citizen does about these scandals is say, in i passing, to some friend, that ‘it’s too bad there are so many crooks on the bench.’ “You are wrong, Mr. Broun. The average citizen—my neighbors, my I friends, I —the average citizen wants very much to do something about it! “‘Sign petitions, attend meetings, become militant,’ you say? To what trustworthy and powerful person shall the individual citizen address his petition? “What is the value of the petition of an individual? What meetings shall civically conscious persons attend? What do you .mean, ‘become militant?’ MUM Getting Started “'Y'OU know, Mr. Broun, as well X as do I that most people are afraid to start something—that they must be prodded into it. What they need is a powerful leader—a leader in whom they have confidence. “Let some sincere person who has the faith of the public start the ball rolling and you will see how quickly the same public will get behind him. “Let this public-spirited citizen draft a petition to the proper officials and publish it in a widely read newspaper, such as the WorldTelegram, and see what response he will get. “Let a group of prominent citizens call a mass meeting for the purpose of discussing ways and means of remedying the present de-

Burying the Hatchet!

Dr. Frederick F. Tisdall suggests that the baby ought to be put outdoors to sleep as early as two weeks of age, if bom in the summer months; if bom in the winter months, it should be outside at 6 weeks of age. Since it is difficult under modem apartment conditions to put the baby outside, the best substitute is to put him, dressed up as if he were going outdoors, in his carriage in front of an open window and close the door of the room to prevent a direct breeze over the baby’s head. The mere fact that some babies have been placed outdoors in severe weather without harmful results does not indicate that this is the best procedure.

plorable conditions in city and state governments and I warrant Madison Square Garden wouldn’t be large enough to house the number of indignant citizens who would turn out. “Let this same group of prominent citizens organize committees, and these committees organize a militant campaign for reform, and you will see that the citizens of New York will get right behind them. “There are very few Norman Thomases and Rabbi Wises in New York, and until those citizens who have influence enough start the ball rolling nothing will be done. “You accomplished something when you started your campaign to relieve unemployment. Why don’t you start something now about these

Views' of Times Readers

Editor Times —As an ex-service man and a Legion member for years and as a steady reader of your independent newspaper, I admire your stand in regard to the adjusted compensation bil) that has passed both house and senate because you have spoken frankly in regard to the same. I admire your independent stand on all subjects. But in The Times of Saturday, Feb. 21, on editorial page, subject, “Unwise Veto,” I see that you think the adjusted compensation bill has a flaw in it, because it covers all veterans in regard to its loan values. It is at this point that I can not agree with you. I would like for you to advance some idea of how to select the veterans who are in real need out of the millions who served their country. Some plan is needed that would

FIRST TELEPHONE SPEECH March 10 ON March 10, 1876, Alexander Bell, inventor of the telephone, sent the first complete sentence over the telephone. It was an order summoning an assistant in another room: “Mr. Watson, come here; I want you.” Bell’s earliest efforts were devoted to the perfection of a “harmonic telegraph,” with which he hoped to send several telegraphic messages simultaneously over a single wire. At the same time he also tried to transmit speech electrically. On June 2, 1875, he succeeded in transmitting by wire the sound of a twanging clock spring. Others had predicted the possibility of transmitting speech by wire, but had not hit upon the only practicable method. Bell’s original system used a device similar to the modem receiver, both for sending and receiving. The transmitter of today, which has been developed by many scientists, is much more delicate and satisfactory. At present the telephone consists essentially of a transmitter, an induction coil, and a receiver, connected by copper wires and supplied with a source a£ direct current.

It merely indicates that the babies were able to stand the rigors of climate to which other babies easily might succumb. Dr. Tisdall makes the practical suggestion that cold cream be rubbed on the face of the baby before it is put outside in cold weather, to prevent chapping. There is little to be gained if the baby is placed outdoors with its entire body swaddled in heavy clothing and its face covered with a veil. A covering over the face keeps out the beneficial light rays and it keeps the moisture in so that the child soon becomes damp and uncomfortable. The entire purpose of the outdoor air is thus destroyed.

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.

scandals, Mr. Broun? While there are many ‘Aarons’ willing to help, what New York needs is a ‘Moses.’ ” nun Wanted —A Moses WELL, I am no Moses myself, but I think I might serve on the publicity staff of a Moses and I enlist here and now. First of all, about the mass meeting. I will arrange and fir-rice the use of a hall at some date within the next three weeks. But I’ve got to know how many people are likely to come. At that meeting I plan to have such speakers as Rabbi Wise, Norman Thomas, Louis Waldman, La Guardia, Charles Tuttle, Ruth Pratt and several others. (Copyright. 1931. by The Times)

be simple in operation, eliminating red tape and delay to put into practice. I think that it is the exservice men themselves who know their true conditions and that the ones who need help under this bill can take advantage of it through the veterans’ bureau, thus eliminating delay and red tape. The ones who do not need help need not apply, giving this freedom of thought to the veterans and his family, letting this respor ability rest squarely on the should' ■ of the veteran afid eliminating \ guardian for him. CLARENCE RAY. Sheridan, Ind. Editor Times—l read The Times every day, and I notice in the editorial today the article regarding the senate and house of representatives playing politics. I would like for you to write an editorial giving the people of Indiana your view on house bill No. 556, which takes the state police department out of politics entirely and makes it so any one to be in charge of department must have some police experience. This Is a bill that I think every good citizen* in Indiana should favor, as politics has no place in police work. Please give people your views. S. BATTS. 1343 Roach street.

Useful for Club Women Then you will find very useful a group of four bulletins which our Washington Bureau has ready for you in a single packet of particular interest to clubwomen. The titles are: 1. The Club Woman's Manual 3. Parliamentary Law Simplified 2. Debater’s Manual 4. Common Errors in English This packet of four bulletins will be sent to any reader on request. Fill out the coupon below and send for it. Dept. A-10, Washington Bureau, The Indianapolis Times, 1322 New York Avenue, Washington, D. C. I want the packet of four bulletins for CLUBWOMEN, and inclose herewith 15 cents in coin, or loose, uncanceled United States postage stamps, to cover return postage and handling costs. Name Street and No City State I am a reader of The Indianapolis Times (Code No.)

MARCH 10. 1931

SCIENCE BY DAVID DIETS? “Science of Life” by the Two Wells and Huxley, Is Amazingly Comprehensive and Readable. H* G. WELLS, novelist, critic and one of England’s foremost men of letters; Julian S. Huxley, one of England's most famous biologists, and G. P. Wells of University College, London, son of H. G. Wells, combined forces to write "The Science of Life.” After some three years, during which it appears in daily installments in a number of American newspapers, the work is issued in two volumes by Doubleday, Doran & Cos. (The price of the two volumes is $10.) In “The Science of Life,” Wells has repeated the performance of hte “Outline of History." H. L. Mencken, who combines a sound scientific knowledge with his literary abilities, praises “The Science of Life” in a recent review, but finds it long. He says that he suspects that each of the three contributors brought material to conferences and that the desire of each to include certain favorite material caused the book to grow in bulk. On the other hand, the bulk mav have been the result of a genuine desire upon the part of the authors to make their work as comprehensive as possible. In this, they certainly succeeded. While eminently easy to read, the work is nevertheless encyclopedic in its inclusiveness.

Sound Authority T'HE reader who wishes round authority combined with literan style will find it in “The Science of Life.” The reputation of Wells is already established as a popularizer Huxley is the grandson of the great Thomas Huxley, the scientist who popularized Darwin’s theory of evolution. It is not surprising, therefore, that he should bring a sympathetic viewpoint to an attempt at popularizing modem biography. In the arrangement of their material, the authors have seen fit to depart widely from the customary fashion of presenting biology. In volume one, after a preliminary discussion of the nature of life, the authors launch into a discussion of human physiology. This section consists of four chapters, “The Body Is a Machine,' ’’ “The Complex Body-Machine and How it Works,” "The Harmony and Direction of the Body Machine,” and “The Wearing Out of the Machine and its Reproduction.” This section is followed by one titled “The Chief Patterns of Life.” which is a discussion of the various species which go to make up the plant and animal kingdoms. Here again, the authors have reversed the usual method of presentation. Instead of beginning with the unicellular forms of life, the bacteria, the amoeba, the Paramecium, and so on, and leading up to the more complex forms, they begin with the vertebrates, the most highly developed forms of animal life

On Evolution THERE are 773 pages in Volume One. Os this number 459 are devoted to a discussion of evolution. Every possible angle of the subject is discussed. There are chapters on the evidence of plant and animal structure, the evolution of man, “the essence of the controversies about evolution,” “the origin of individuals,” “the mechanism of Inheritance,” “the ABC of genetics,” sex determination and other subjects. In the opening pages of the book, there is an interesting statement about the collaboration which gave rise to the book. The paragraph says: “Three writers have joined forces in this compilation. They are all very much of the same mind about the story they have to tell, they have all read and worked upon each other’s contributions, and they are Jointly and severally responsible for the entire arrangement and text. “The senior member of the firm, so to speak, is Mr. Wells, who wrote ‘The Outline of History,’ but equally responsible with him are Professor Julian Huxley, the grandson of Mr. Wells’ own inspiring teacher, Professor T. H. Huxley, the great associate of Darwin, and George Philip Wells, the senior partner’s son. "The latter is a scholar of Trinity college, Cambridge, who refreshes the detailed research he has been doing at Plymouth and London with this excursion into general statement. “The senior partner is the least well equipped scientifically. His share has been mainly literary and editorial, and he is responsible for the initiation and organization of the whole scheme.”

Daily Thought My punishment Is greater than I can bear.—Genesis 4:13. If Jupiter hurled his thunderbolt as often as men sinned, he would soon be out of thunderbolts. —Ovid. Can worn and chipped enamel be removed from a pan? Lay the pan horizontally in a vessel containing a concentrated solution of alum and boil it. The solution should just be sufficient to cover this pieces. This should remove the enamel entirely.