Indianapolis Times, Volume 45, Number 293, Indianapolis, Marion County, 18 April 1934 — Page 12

PAGE 12

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WEDNESDAY. APRIL 18. 1834. PREVENTION T'VESPITE pleas of citizens that the city administration act to prevent additional traffic deaths for which there are no valid excuses, officials still have failed to take any constructive steps. The tragedy at Eugene street and the canal a week ago finally has brought forth a gesture of prevention. The officials of Indianapolis today are going to talk over means and methods of halting such unnecessary losses of lives. But while they are doing that there are thousands of others in Indianapolis who are concerned about traffic hazards which apparently have not yet been called to the administration’s attention. Residents in the eastern section of the city have informed The Times of the dangers at the overhead bridge of the Belt railroad on East Washington street. At this point, it is said, more than twenty-five accidents have occurred in the last month when cars have rammed into the bridge supports. In wet weather, The Times knows, this spot • produces an additional danger when motorists try to swerve their automobiles from the street car tracks into the narrow traffic lanes to the right and left of the supports. So far, there has been no one killed at this site. For that the city should be thankful. Tragedy may occur any day. Why doesn’t the city take this tip and save lives instead of sacrificing humanity because of negligence? THE AVIATION COMMISSION T TNANIMOUS approval seems to have greeted the President’s proposal for a commission for immediate study of bread policy covering all phases of aviation and its relation to the government. Certainly the problem has become complicated enough—both from the standpoint of air service and defense as well as commercial interests—to call for a nonpolitical study and decision of policy. With general agreement on that method of determining a permanent policy, the dispute now reverts to the temporary policy. The administration is going ahead with the temporary bidding which Postmaster-General Farley has fixed for next Friday. The major commercial companies, backed by most of the Republicans in congress, object to the Farley terms which force reorganization of companies whose executives participated in the so-called Brown spoils conference. Nevertheless, rather than lose the opportunity to bid, all of the major companies are expected to reorganize and qualify by Friday. Whether just or unjust, that in effect will dispose of the collusion and cancellation dispute until the companies get a court decision. Four operating companies of United Airlines yesterday filed injunction and damage suits in District of Columbia supreme court. There is danger of more confusion when congress passes its temporary air mail law. The temporary terms of contract and operation could have been fixed either by the executive under existing laws, which is the present Farley procedure, or by congress; bu there is no reason for both to act. Since both are to act anyway, the two should be co-ordinated as closely as possible. After the contracts are let under the Farley terms, congress should not force new terms and conditions upon operators for still more temporary contracts. There already has been far too much backing and filling. Once the temporary system is in operation, the fewer changes the better, pending the new permanent system which is expected to result from recommendations next year by the nonpolitical commission. JOHN J. BLAINE \ MERICAN democracy is poorer by the loss of John J. Blaine of Wisconsin.. Mr. Blaine's was a character all too rare in this country's political life. Almost from the time he was cradled in a log cabin until he died a Reconstruction Finance Corporation director he was a nonconformist and rebel against privilege. Asa state senator he fought for workmen’s compensation. As Governor he fought the Ku-Klux Klan. As United States senator he fought imperialism abroad and special interests at home. He opposed the Anti-Saloon League and prohibition. From the beginning of Iris career he was a pillar of strength in the La Follette organization, and, although a Republican. he supported Woodrow Wilson. A1 Smith and Franklin Roosevelt. With him party loyalty came second and political idealism first. A HALF CURE FOR years private utilities have been making pretty much of a joke of state regulation by dragging pending rate cases into the courts through injunction proceedings, working delays of years to the cost of consumers and wearing down the rate-payers’ commissions with resort to all the arts and guile known to lawyers. They have chosen their own fighting ground by picking either state or federal courts or jockeying cases between both. A bill, sponsored by Senator Johnson of California and backed by twenty state regulatory bodies, was passed by the senate to remedy this. The measure would force utilities to carry their grievances to and through state courts only, but permitting appeal to the United States supreme court. The bill was fair to utilities and rate-payers, but the utilities’ lobby didn’t like it. Suddenly the bill emerged from the house Judiciary committee as the Lewis bill. This substitute of Representative Lewis of Colorado „ permits utilities to use either state or federal

courts but not both. It Is being touted as "Just as good'' as the Johnson plan. Ten members of the judiciary committee, led by Chairman Sumners of Texas. sa7 it does not meet the Issue. ‘‘The Lewis substitute is cumbersome and ambiguous, and it will not do the job,” says Senator Johnson. "It will lend itself to as great delays in settling rate cases, if not greater ones, than the present law.” The house committee majority admits “grave abuses” in the present system. But it offers only a half-cure. In law a half-cure often is worse than none. The house should pass the Johnson bill. PROFITS OF WAR / T'HE senate’s investigation into the manufacture and traffic in arms and munitions touches on one of those subjects which float about near the surface for years without ever coming out into the light of day. The job of making weapons and gunpowder has been in private hands ever since such things were invented. War always has meant increased profits to the munitions makers. Modern warfare, which uses munitions at an almost infinitely greater rate than was the case a generation ago, simply increases those profits to astronomical proportions. Everybody has known this all along. But so far no government has taken any very definite step to find out just how this relationship of public fighting to private profit may affect a nation’s chances for keeping the peace. An article in the current issue of Harper's magazine by John Gunther touches up a few of the highlights of this situation. He points out, fqr instance, that when the Japanese fought the Chinese at Shanghai a couple of years ago, the Japanese soldiers "took a one-in-three chance that if they were killed or wounded, bullets made for profit by their own countrymen would do the job.” He points out, also, that German munition makers helped finance the rise of Hitler—because, obviously, Hitler in power meant more business for the munition firms. Asa matter of fact, munition makers in France and Czechoslovakia are strongly suspected of having contributed to the Nazi campaign funds—for the same reason. What all this comes down to, of course, is that there is a strong vested interest in the world which derives vast financial advantage from war and preparation for war. Continued peace means bad business for these people; real disarmament would almost ruin them. Mr. Gunther puts it,bluntly as follows; “Two hundred-odd firms in the world earning cold cash profits on smashed brains or smothered lungs make it clear that disarmament, fundamentally an industrial problem, is impossible to achieve under the present economic system.” Maybe that language is a trifle strong, in any case, the senate will do the nation a v ast service if it looks into the whole subject very thoroughly. FELLOW SUFFERERS '"jp HERE must be in North America a good many thousands of women the wives of ardent fishermen, who have anew fellow feeling for Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. For Mrs. Roosevelt, whose husband likes to fish, doesn’t care for the sport herself. Sha says that fish are “such slimy things” that she hates to have anything to do with them. "I’ve gone for hours with my husband and sons while trolling on the Keys, and have knitted while they fished,” she confesses. There are a lot of women in the same boat; women whose husbands find fishing the greatest sport in the world, but who themselves abhor fish as wriggly, slimy creatures. and who knit unnumbered quantities of sweaters, socks and whatnot while their husbands fiog the waters. If it's any comfort to them, they share their plight with the first lady. FROM THOSE WHO HAVE TNCREASED taxes tentatively called for in the new revenue bill probably are quite necessary; and while they will be onerous, as all tax increases are, there is one point on which the ordinary citizen will indorse them wholeheartedly. That is the increased estate tax. Under existing law, the maximum tax on an estate is 45 per cent; under the new law, it will reach as high as 60 per cent. A man who inherits a $500,000 estate now pays a tax of $42,500; under the new law he would pay $60,200. If he inherits an estate worth a million, he pays $117,500 now and would pay $170,000 under the new law. The increase is by no means high enough to approach a confiscatory level; but it will provide a good deal of badly needed revenue. and it follows sound practice by taking it from those who are best able to pay. MORE SOVIET BUSINESS / T'HE first dollars and cents fruits of Russian recognition are beginning to be reaped by American business men, according to figures just issued by the United States commerce department. American exports to Russia during February. it develops, totaled just less than $1,500,003—which may not be an unusually high figure, as exports go, but which compares very favorably with $321,000 in January, and which is nearly three times the sum recorded for February, 1933. Not all this increase, of course, is due to government recognition of Russia. Part of it undoubtedly reflects the general rise in business conditions. But there is, nevertheless, justification for the belief that recognition is ultimately going to mean more dollars in the pockets of American manufacturers. The Rumanian Iron Guard sent an ultimatum to King Carol demanding that his mistress, Mme. Lupescu, "must go.” They knew better than to send it to the madame. Price of a New York stock exchange seat went up $40,000 to $140,000. New deal or none, it’s the same old deal for Wall Street. A Cleveland grandmother is suing a young woman for alienation of the affections of her policeman-husband. And love holds on after 40! Mary Garden calls Samuel Insull a great destroyer. Reduced from a dreadnaught.

Liberal Viewpoint L — By DR. HARRY ELMER BARNES =■-'

THOSE who wish to combat the contention of Messrs. Rand. Wirt and others that a controlled capitalism inevitably must lead to disaster and misery would do well to circulate the admirable John Day pamphlet by Marquis W. Childs, entitled 'Sweden—Where Capitalism Is Controlled.” Dr. Wirt contends that “America must lose” if it attempts to control our economic life. But the Scandinavian countries certainly have not lost by such a policy. If we want to know what uncontrolled capitalism produces, let us turn our eyes back to March 3, 1933. Compare this with the situation which is described by Mr. Childs in the Scandinavian countries that stand midway between rugged individualism and the communism of Russia. By concentrating attention upon the welfare of the masses and the interests of the consumer, the governments have made the standard of living in Denmark and Sweden the highest which exists anywhere in Europe. This is so, in spite of the fact that both countries have a relatively small population, and nothing like the rich natural resources of many other countries in which famine now stalks. Mr. Childs assigns three main reasons for such a remarkable achievement: (1) the state has participated in industry in an active and intelligent fashion; (2) the co-operative movement is highly developed, and consumers have acted to protect their own interests; and (3) enlightened social education has been consistently carried on over a long period—in other words, Sweden has exploited that public propaganda /which so alarms Dr. Wirt. Let us look at the policies and achievements of Sweden in the industrial field. In the first place, there is a rational and deliberate control of the foreign market in the effort to make the greatest profit here and to spare the Swedish consumer so far as possible. o a tt IN 1928, the public investments in Swedish industry amounted to $613,452,000 and the state realized a net profit of more than 8 per cent on this investment, a most remarkable achievement for a country with only six million inhabitants scattered over a mountainous and forest covered area. Among the industrial and commercial activities of the Swedish state are the operation of one-third of the mines of the country; the management of telegraph and telephone lines; the generation of 34 per cent of the power used in the country and extensive profits through the control of the liquor and tobacco trade. The activities of Sweden in the power and liquor industries should be especially illuminating to' progressive Americans. Sweden made little effort to regulate the power industry, but went directly into competition with private companies. The result was the speedy elimination of the weak and inefficient companies and the compelling of the stronger companies to their unjustly high rates. u tt tt IN 1932, Sweden made a profit of $288,600 out of its power industry, in spite of constructing many lines in backward areas where a loss was inevitable. It could afford to be guided by the desire to serve its people. In the liquor industry, Sweden operates under the famous Bratt system, according to which the state controls the manufacture and sale of liquor but passes on the responsibilities of distribution to a carefully regulated private corporation. Under this scheme Sweden receives over half of the total amount spent for liquor by Swedish citizens, yet the private corporation makes a good profit. The monetary policy of Sweden also is very interesting and relevant. For more than two years Sweden successfully has operated her monetary system on the basis of a real managed and commodity dollar. Supplementing this highly enlightened and efficient intervention of the government in business and trade is a strong development of the co-operative movement. Co-operatives own and operate at least 10 per cent of Swedish industry. Consumers co-operatives are also very well developed. There are 340 consumers stores in Stockholm alone. The co-operatives have broken the power of three of the greatest trusts in Sweden when they believed they were gouging the public—the margarine, flour-milling and electric light bulb trusts. Not only has Sweden raised the living standards of its people far above that of individualistic countries, but it has also withstood the shock of the depression far better than any other European state. Apparently intelligent control of economic life is not so ruinous after all.

Capital Capers —BY GEORGE ABELL

r T''HE diplomatic corps, feeling the effects of the depression a little late but still acutely, is trying to arrange a joint farewell party for Ambassador Cardenas of Spain, his brother-in-law, Counselor Nano of Rumania, and Nano’s brother-in-law, Ambassador de Lima e Silva of Brazil. The envoys who want to give the dinner held a conference. “It’s too expensive to give separate affairs,” said one man. "We might make it Dutch treat,” suggested another. A Dutch diplomat protested. . “Why not invite them and add a line to the invitation‘Please bring your own lunch?’” suggested a third. It was finally decided to invite Ambassador and Mme. Cardenas, Counselor and Mme. Nano and Ambassador and Mme. de Lima e Silva to a joint farewell celebration. The Cardenas, the Nanos and the Limas also are trying to save money by taking the same boat to Europe in May. Ambassador Cardenas goes to Paris. Counselor Nano goes to Bucharest. Ambassador de Lima e Silva goes to Brussels. It will be a family party until their boat docks in France. Senor Louis Calderon, Spanish counsul general in London, who comes as ambassador, is widely known here. He is tall, good looking, with gray hair and represents the modern diplomat—more qualified in ecomonic than social affairs. a a a PRESIDENT VINCENT of Haiti was received here with vast ceremony this week. A troop of cavalry cavorted at union station. State Secretary Hull wore a top hat. There were all sorts of gold braid, gold epaulets and gold fourrageres. Every traditional ceremony connected with the reception of foreign potentates was carried out in toto. Tall, sandy-mustached Summer Welles, assistant secretary of state, will give a dinner for Vincent Tuesday evening and Jimmy Dunn, special assistant to State Secretary Hull, will be host at a formal tea on Wednesday. The Haitian legation was much excited at the prospect of Vincents arrival. The buzzing and chatter in the little front parlor would announce even to the most uninitiated that the Haitians expect great things to result from the Vincent-Roosevelt interview. a a a MRS. GIBSON FAHNESTOCK, dowager of Newport, New York and Washington, will pass within hailing distance of Samuel Insull,. 74-year-old utilities man, being brought back from Turkey on fraud charges, when their ship# pass in the Mediterranean. The chances are that Mrs. Fahnestock will not wave a greeting to Mr. Insull. Mrs. Fahnestock is sailing next week on the Excalibur. sister ship of the Exilona, on which Insull is an unwilling passenger. Another traveler on the Excalibur is sunburned Spanish-speaking Dayle C. McDonough, American consul in Bombay, who has been in Washington on a vacation.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

—r* wtr— '*

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns. Make your letters short, so all can have a chance. Limit them to ISO words or less.) a a a NEW RULES NEEDED FOR THE GAME OF WEALTH By a Times Subscriber. The production of goods for human service is a science as well as an art. Scientific rules govern the operation of a smooth business functioning. When these rules, or natural laws, are ignored and interfered, with, the consequences are as absolute as they are in physics. Capitalism, if it works successfully, is governed by an immutable law, which often has been expressed as the “law of supply and demand.” To create demand when the “facilities for supply” have been provided something more than desire for goods is necessary. There must be means for purchasing the supply to make demand effective. To wreck the effective demand, the only thing necessary, is to create a shortage of buying power. Our American corporations piled up this buying power in corporation surplus, which in 1926 reached thirty-four billion dollars; in 1927, forty billion; in 1928, forty-seven billion, and in 1929, fifty-five billion. This vast concentration of buying power was the “fat of the land” on which the corporations have drawn during the last four lean years. If the major portion of this sum had been in the hands of the consumers in 1929 the production of goods would not have fallen, because purchasing power at the consuming line creates demand. Distributed properly in purchasing power, the national income can and will increase the living standard. Distributed improperly it produces bankruptcies and soup lines. We all must get rich together through a high living standard for all. A rich standard for a few breaks down the whole structure. New rules for the game are neces--sary. a a a real silk cop protection MAY CHANGE THINGS MAY 8 By Union Democrat. Public enemy No. 1 no doubt has worried our club-swinging police force to the extent that it no longer is necessary to maintain the police gymnasium in order to reduce weight. So why not install knitting machines in the abandoned gym and teach knitting and thereby make our police force more effective in intimidating strikers? There is not a doorway, telephone pole or tree in the vicinity of the Real Silk Mills that is not supported by one of Indianapolis’ finest. It is evident that the trucking company whose employes were involved in strikes recently did not have the proper connections, otherwise they certainly would have been prqvided with policemen as relief drivers. Why should the lives of school children be protected at dangerous crossings while the plant of the Real Silk Company is in danger of having a window broken? From all appearances, whoever assigned all the district force to the vicinity of the Real Silk displayed his hand. There are many union men and women in Indianapolis who want to support our President in securing for the worker a wage sufficient to pay the increased tax rate and increased police force bills, but despite their loyalty to the Democratic party they may show their resentment at the coming election.

1 1IV/T , i 1 wholly disapprove of what you say and will -L XIC XVX _ defend to the dqath your right to say it — Voltaire.

A YEAR’S PROFIT

By Miriam Rouls I take this means of reaching the depositors of the closed banks in Indiana. Now is the time for each and every one of us to write to our senators and representatives in Washington urging their support of the McLeod bill. This bill, if passed, would mean repayment of the money lost by thrifty people in the closed banks, and the government would take over the assets of these banks.

SERIES STORY IS SCORED BY TIMES READER By An Incensed Colored Man. In the issue of your newspaper of last Friday there was an article by one Tristram Coffin entitled “When Politics Was in Flower.” It is about as silly a jumble of words as I ever saw. Its absolute senselessness makes one marvel how it could find a place in a Scripps-Howard newspaper unless the general level of intelligence, fairness and vision of the present staff of The Times has fallen to that of very insignificant persons. It takes generations to develop a genuine lady or gentleman and no lady or gentleman wantonly will insult or belittle anybody or any group of persons. Anybody but a fool or a set of fools would prefer to seek the good will rather than the ill will of thousands of persons who might be worth something in a business way, even though such creatures are wholly without the capacity for generous impulses. There are numerous Negroes in this city who will have no use for The Times while it is under its present management. And your insulting, harmful attitude will become widely known and will be resented by widespread, quiet action. Your predecessor was a gentleman and upheld the broad traditions of this snydicate of newspapers. I characterize the article as being silly, pointless (except to belittle and insult Negroes), entirely without humor (except that excited by the pitiable creature who wrote it), insulting and sacriligious. a a a A LETTER IN APPRECIATION Bv “DiUinger )) To All Newspapers: I want to thank you for the splendid assistance you have given me in all my heroic enterprises, including my most recent one in Warsaw 7 . By printing in your papers that I was down south, it naturally threw them off their guard up north and gave me the opportunity I wanted. I see in today’s paper they are guarding the Chrysler Corporation pay roll (Newcastle, Ind.) carefully, as well as other particular points you were kind enough to mention. Although, of coyjse, I will not attempt these jobs just now 7 while there are so many guards around, nevertheless I will take your cue and probably do these jobs a little later when the paymaster is a little more careless. I had no knowledge the Chrysler pay roll was so large—and the other details you mention give me information that will save me a lot of time and trouble, as I am usually in a big hurry. The police departments are giving me so many bullet proof vests now (they haven’t caught on to the fact that these could be concealed) that I can have a dress Sunday vest as well as one for each day of the week. Hope you will continue to give me big headlines on the front page as I am a glutton for publicity. Also I

The Banking Bill

We are entitled to this. The government either should pay these claims or prosecute those who handled the affairs of the closed banks. After all we are not the improvident people who always are poor—but people who trusted our banking system. This is the time for all of us to add our voice to the plea that this bill be passed.

hope you will continue to glorify me as it helps my standing so much with my “molls” and I am. very anxious to have all young Americans follow in my footsteps and perpetuate that proud and glorious name of Dillinger. (Note—Knowing that Dillinger does not have time just now to acknowledge all the favors that have been shown him, I have taken it upon myself to write this. A Citizen.) a a a RETURN TO SANE LIVING WILL SOLVE PROBLEMS By a Citizen. I read in the paper that a man committed suicide because he said, “I can’t carry on and keep an automobile running.” This news item gives point to the truth that the trouble with our life is not the high cost of living, but the cost of high living. Poverty in America does not mean the actual poverty of lack of food, clothing and shelter; but the fictitious poverty of lack of an automobile, radio, washing machine and a hundred other luxuries. Men and women of America, return to the simple life: “Man needs but little here below, nor needs that little long.” a a a REDUCE LIVING RATES, PUT MEN TO WORK A Puzzled Subscriber Why change things so radically and so quickly if we call it “new methods of experimenting” ere we mess up the other mess and thus create a worse mess? Does this not break the rule and formula of scientific experimentation? I am not a politician, or have I been one, but I select the man as best I can. I select the man who carries the message best suiting my taste, whether political, spiritual, or otherwise. With twelve million unemployed, another several million employed only part time, it makes it difficult to live with high prices on everything you buy. Would it not be better to have a lower wage scale, lower cost of living with more men working? We could have a low market price on products which would be low enough to kill imported products. It worked for others and, if tried, it will work for us. a a a CRIME SHOULD BE HALTED, NOT ADMIRED BY CITIZENS By Jerry Taylor I think all of Dillinger’s defenders are ignorant. There is nothing more discouraging to citizens who are trying to live right and bring up the younger generation the same way, than to have these brainless idiots going as far as to protect and honor the lowest of human beings—the murderers and thieves. At least the bankers and politicians are upholding the country while the crooks are tearing it down. Is this justice? No. What this country needs is co-operation. Personally, I have nothing against

.APRIL 18,1934

Dillinger. He is a criminal at heart and if any one crossed his path while he was robbing he would shoot to kill. Then would you shout with glee and admire his ability to escape punishment? You would not. If any of you still worship Dillinger after this letter, you are more simple than I imagined. I admire the citizens who have thought this situation out sensibly and can see why crime should be looked upon as lowly, unclean and vile. a a a TIMES CONGRATULATED ON SCHOOL-POLICE STAND By F. P. C. I read your article regarding the police protecting the strikers at the Real Silk Mills, instead of protecting the school children. You are to be contragulated on such fairness to the working class. Because of your readiness to help the poor with fairness to all I think every working man should take The Times or be a traitor to the cause. a a a TAX RATES JEOPARDIZE HOME OWNERSHIP By Frank Walton We can not have high taxes and our homes. Our homes did not come that way. We know that all good business must be transacted from a standpoint of value received for all mone> we spend, whether it is your money or the township’s, county’s, state’s or national government’s. For twenty-five years I have advocated a low rate on taxable property. Do not look for better business conditions in this country until we get taxes down so low that the offices seek the men to fill the offices. As it is now men seek the offices. I know that poor men like myself can not pay high taxes. If my home is worth SI,OOO, I can not have both. I either can have my home or SI,J 000. And I can not have high taxes and my home. Under good government we can have our homes and a good living. The American people are proud of the Constitution of the United States, but they never would be proud of a dictator. The present depression did not come by chance. It was brought about by the handiwork of mar.. a a a henry ford should COLLECT ON THIS By a Header Henry Ford must be Scotch for he never has paid Dilllinger anything for advertising his new car. Johnny is in Pennsylvania; five hours later he is in California, then that night be robbed Indiana police. It seems to me that the Ford dealers should get busy and sell the police some new Fords.

Never Deviate

BY VIRGINIA KIDWELL Dear, money won’t bring happiness, it’s just an instrument That paves the way I will admit but can be done without. Success is vanity disguised and brings no real content. For living’s all that matters and a love one can not doubt. To live together for each other is the heighth of bliss To work together, share all things, the little and the great, To complement each other, what means more in life than this? This is your problem and your search so never devote.