Indianapolis Times, Volume 46, Number 7, Indianapolis, Marion County, 19 May 1934 — Page 6

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SATURDAY. MAY 13, 1934

NOT SO HONORABLE TINVESTIGATING committees of both houses *- of congress have filed reports on bankruptcy practices in the federal courts that reveal a shortage of plain old-fashioned honor among their honors, certain of our federal judges. The senate committee delved in California. It found that in three cities federal judges had allowed receivership and bankruptcy fees totaling in two and a half years more than than $9,000,000; in San Francisco and Los Angeles counties in two years judges disbursed in fees and other administrative expenses 43 per cent of all receipts of the bankrupt concerns; estates in distress were burdened with expenses that amount virtually to a confiscation of the rights of creditors.” One federal judge granted $4.07 in receivership fees for every $1 paid in creditors. The senate committee also branded as ' unconscionable” methods used in a voluntary scheme before .Judge Frank Norcross of Nevada, now facing the senate for confirmation to the United States circuit of appeals. The house committee went gunning in Chicago there it found Federal Judge Charles E. Woodward, repeatedly naming as counsel for receiverships the law firm in which his son was employed. Out of twenty-seven equity receiverships handled by this judge, young Woodard's firm was employed in nine at fees totaling $293,889. The judge's son started with this favored firm in 1927 at a $25 weekly salary; in 1932 he earned $16,412 in salary and commissions on business he brought in. Judge James H. Wilkerson. whom Hoover tried to promote, also comes in for criticism by the committee. The house judiciary committee. in fact, is considering impeachment proceedings against three out of four Chicago judges whose receivership records are described in the report. Present receivership and bankruptcy practices cry aloud for reform. At best they are inefficient, costly and unfair to creditors and share-holders; at worst they are shot with nepotism, favoritism and malpractice. Federal legislation is needed to protect creditors from the greed of administrators and conserve distressed estates seeking court relief. But vastly more important than more laws are more scrupulously honest judges. The President can not be too careful in picking nominees for the federal bench, and the senate can not be too careful in its confirmations. “THIS GRAVE MENACE” T)ERSONS who appreciate the uphill road that stretches before the senate munitions investigating committee will welcome the support pledged by the President in his message to congress yesterday. More, than one worthwhile congressional inquiry in the past has been wrecked by wires pulled through executive departments. The senate committee is going up against the strongest and toughest vested interests, including the arms, steel and chemical industries. Some of those interests have used governments as rooks and people as pawns in an international game of profits. So it is especially reassuring to read the President's charge to the executive departments to co-operate with the committee to the fullest extent.” Senate ratification of the 1925 munitions trade treaty, which the President requested, would be a wholesome gesture now. But jhat treaty is so full of loopholes, more significance is to be attached to the President's hope that the coming meeting in Geneva will agree upon a stronger convention. It is difficult to understand why the President failed in yesterday's message to ask for passage of the pigeon-holed arms embargo bill, unless he has in mind an even more effective measure now in a formative stage. Even action in relation to the Bolivia-Para-guay eonflict where American-made munitions deal death on both sides of the Chaco—as proposed in the new Pittman resolution—will not cover future conflicts. Out of the world-wide agitation for peace and sanity, out of our own senate s projected inquiry should come something more than fine phrases. The menace is great. As described by the President: ' The peoples of many countries are being taxed to the point of poverty and starvation in order to enable governments to engage in a mad race in armament which, if permitted to continue, may well result in war. This grave menace to the pence of the world is due in no small measure to the uncontrolled activities of the manufacturers and merchants of engines of destruction, and it must be met by the concerted action of the peoples of all nations." VALUE OF ONE LIFE TjUSINESS men of many lands are taking -■-* out insurance with Lloyds, the famous London agency, against the death of President Roosevelt. Lloyds officials revealed not long ago that the demand for such policies has risen to an unprecedented pitch in recent months; and it reflects a wide conviction that the speed and smoothness of world recovery depend* in r.o small measure on the continued life and gooc health of the smiling gentleman in the White House. This, of course, does not mean that men evoywhert Indorse the Roosevelt policies. But It does show how the pare of American recovery U keyed to the personality of one mi*. H# himself is the recovery program, in larga measure. If anything happened to him. It mutably woUid have a serious effect on the working out of that program. t

WHEN JUSTICE IS DUE A NEW YORKER got drunk the other day, got into a fight with a friend, and unintentionally killed him with a blow of the fist. The killer was brought into court, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter. The ordinary .sequel would have been a prison sentence. But the judge who handled this ease seems to have been a man of considerable discernment. So instead of sending the slayer to prison, he ordered him to , abstain from all alcoholic drinks for five years, to pay the funeral expenses of his vic- , tim, and to pay the widow sls a week for five years. If the man fails to live up to this agreement. he goes to prison for a five-year stretch. This lqokc like an exceedingly sensible decision. Too often, when society punishes a law-breaker, the law-breaker's victim gets left out in the cold. Here is a case in which a measure of justice will be done to the innocent persons who suffered because of the killing. DON’T ASSAIL YOUTH TF you read the magazines, go to the movies A or listen to lectures, you probably know all about modern youth. Modern youth, as all these agencies have assured us over and over, is irreverent, flighty, disobedient, and generally bound for perdition. Home is just a place to sleep and parents are just people who provide food and clothing and pocket monp.y for restless youngsters. That's the picture, anyway. But some persons in the research bureau of the New York Welfare Council got to wondering about it recently. and set to work to find out if the picture is a true one. So they sent questionnaires to some 1.600 Brooklyn school girls. They asked them, among other things, if they always asked their parents' consent when they planned to go out anywhere in the evening—and all but twentynine of the 1.600 replied, very emphatically, they always did! There wore other questions, too: and a tabulation of the answers show's that the average Brooklyn school girl goes to bed at 10, or earlier, each night; puts in a good deal of time studying her lessons at home; goes to church or Sunday school regularly, and prefers to spend her leisure time at home rather than out with friends. And all this sounds like a pretty good refutation of the common talk about ‘'flaming youth.” This cross-section of Brooklyn girlhood shows us a youth that is w'hat we like to think of as normal—youth that behaves itself properly and stays at home, and works hard on the tasks given it, and lives very much as its parents lived when they w'ere young. It is very probable that a lot of our talk about the wildness of youth comes from a subconscious sense of guilt. During the last fifteen years we have given youth a pretty cock-eyed w'orld to look forward to, w'hat with wars, depressions, and so on. We have expected youth to kick over the traces because deep in our hearts we know that the state of the adult world has been an indictment of our owm shortcomings, and our talk about youth’s failings has reflected on us more than on our children. It is interesting to see how this actual survey of modern youth fails to justify our calamity-howling. DEBTORS* LAMENT "PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S decision that nations which don't begin soon to mgke a serious effort to pay their war debts will be regarded as defaulters seems to have aroused something of a storm in the English press. One London newspaper reporting the story put the headline “Highwayman Act” over it, implying that Uncle Sam is changing from Uncle Shylock into Dillinger's kid brother. Now this is probably quite human and natural; a man who has long since made up his mind that he is not going to pay a debt is bound to feel deeply irritated when his creditor suggests that he ought to have a little something on account. And yet it is hard to feel a great deal of sympathy for the view'point. If Uncle Sam. who loaned a lot of money in a war that he didn't start, is a highwayman for wishing he could get some of it back, what are the nations which emerged from the war with their pockets full of reparations, colonies, steamships and mandates? ANSWER TO PROPAGANDA JOSEPH EASTMAN, the federal co-ordinator of transportation, who disclaims any “desire to assume thp role of propagandist for public ownership and operation” of the railroads, has given the complete answer to one fatuous argument against this plan. Speaking before the National Association of Mutual Savings banks at New' York City. Eastman heeded the campaign to get congress to pass a resolution against government ownership and operation to reassure holders of securities. And then Eastman, whose thinking about public ownership is perhaps the clearest in the country, said this: "There are distinct dangers in public ownership and operation against which safeguards ought to be provided, but the fact is that nobody has less to fear than the holders of railroad securities. Experience in this country and all over the world clearly shows that when the government takes over private property it invariably pays a fair price and usually more than the property is worth. In fact that is one of the reasons why I am not now urging acquisition of the railroad properties under the financial conditions by which our federal government now is faced.” What the co-ordinator' wants to avoid, in short, is having the railroads take over the government when, as and if the government decides again to take over the railroads. AN UNHEALTHY TRADE '"|"'HE way of the criminal not rlwavs is hard in this country, but can be made so if the w'hole nation puts its mind to it. And the gentry who kidnap for a living are finding that America has put its mind to the business of making their brutal trade unhealthy Kidnapers are not getting aw-av with it. In Los Angeles the three confessed kidnapers of William Gettle found themselves on the way to state prison for life twenty-four hours after their capture. Early arrest of little June Robles' kidnapers, who left her chained

nineteen days in a desert hole, is promised by Arizona authorities. Since passage of the Lindbergh law last June federal and local authorities have solved every one of the twenty-five major cases of kidnaping and extortion except this Robles case, although not all of the criminals involved have been caught and punished. . Passage of the six federal anti-crime bills, now before President Roosevelt for signing, will strengthen .the government's arm. One bill makes it a federal offense to transport a kidnaped person across a state line, and authorizes the government to participate seven days after a kidnaping on the assumption that the victim has been carried from one state so another. Another measure makes extortion by means of telephone, radio, telegraph or oral message a general offense. Finally, Attorney-General Homer Cummings is asking for a federal detective force of 270. Some see in these measures a trend toward Fascism. There are obvious dangers of misuse in increased federal police pow'er. Howrever, the misuse of force by the government in this situation is less probable than by mobs, if mobs are driven to taking the law into their own hands by reason of lax law enforcement. COMMUNICATIONS CONTROL 'T'HE senate has displayed judgment in its approach to the problem of regulating communications. It has voted for a new' commission to study the industry. Maybe mergers of telegraph companies would be in the public interest. But they should not be permitted until a nonpartisan body has studied the financial, labor and all other phases of such a proposition. Dr. W. M. W. Splaw'n in his report to the house interstate and foreign commerce committee made a good case for strict regulation of the telephone monopoly; but law's for such regulation should come only after further study. The senate communications bill provides for these studies before permanent legislation is enacted. The bill, also, is in accord with President Roosevelt's message asking co-or-dination of regulation under a single commission. The speed with which the senate passed the bill indicates the house, too. may act quickly. In the public interest it should. A Boston woman, who has been married six: times, says she prefers monkeys to men as pets. But she can t make men out of monkevs. Talking books are being provided for the blind—who aren't married. This year's first Atlantic fliers hopped off for Rome and landed on the Irish coast. Next time they should hop off for Egypt, then maybe they'd get to Rome. In New York, it's a misdemeanor to own, rent, or lease a slot machine. In all states it s a mistake to play one. Insull wouldn’t pose for any but American photographers, believing in patronizing home industries, even to the jails.

Capital Capers

THE famous chief of the Cheluskin Arctic expedition. Professor Otto Schmidt (a real Russian despite his German name), was guest of honor at a reception given by the ambassador of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Mrs. Troyanovsky. Schmidt’s figure reminded one somewhat of pictures of Abraham Lincoln—tall, rather gaunt hardened by exposure. His beard, not at ali Lincolnesque, flowed easily about his throat. It is brown and silky, and occasionally he stroked it as he bent over to speak to a guest. Pale blue eyes regarded one smilingly. Some one described them as “ice-bitten” eyes. But a great deal of the ice is melted by a genuine sympathetic atmosphere shat surrounds the man. Altogether, he made an unusual impression. a a a ORANGEADE, pink carnations and a spectacular buffet dominated by Russian caviar sandwiches, featured the reception. Long lines of guests filed up the crimsoncarpeted stairway from 5 until 7 o’clock. There wore senators, representatives, lawyers, doctors, diplomats, government officials—all the cosmopolitan crowd which lends color to official life in Washington. One little man shook hands with Schmidt and remained in earnest conversation for some time. He turned out to be George Putnam, United States commissioner of lighthouses, very concerned about the loss of the Nantucket lightship—rammed by the Olympic. a a tt MRS. ROYAL S. COPELAND, wife of the New York senator, was among the guests, but one missed her carnation-decorated husband. Copeland didn't come because he felt badly about the sidetracking of his pure food and drug act in the senate. "He told me to go and drink vodka!” explained Mrs. Copeland. “He felt depressed and was going to take a malted milk.” The Russians, however, served only orangeade. a • tt ft CLARENCE DARROW was there, wearing a narrow black silk tie, and as much a lion as ever. Mrs. Darrow looked attractive in a black, floppy picture hat and black crepe, with a necklace of coral. Senator King of Utah, in cinnamon browm, stood near the punchbowl, surrounded by lovely ladies and looking like the Colossus of Rhodes <at least one- admirer termed him so). Later, he stood at the front waiting for his car and looking even more imposing. Japanese Ambassador Saito tactfully wore a sack suit—copying the example of his host. He seemed to be really enjoying himself and remained for a long time conversing with American friends. His predecessor. Debuchi, always arrived late at parties, staved only five minutes and talked only to Japanese. a a m ROBERT KELLY of the state department iwho opposed recognition of the Soviets) was present. He has to attend all official Soviet parties—a fate decidedly ameliorated by caviar and charming company. Mme. Dialal, blond and beauteous wife of the Persian minister, was another guest, in sables and sailor blue. Her husband has met with an unfortunate accident. He spilled a huge samovar filled with boiling water over himself. Badly scalded, he is now in bed for several weeks. Mrs. Goodwin, wife of the judge who recently gave a party for the Soviet ambassador at which he sang the Volga boat song, appeared wearing an ash-colored satin coat. She energetically introduced Senator Barkley of Kentucky to the 1 most beautiful women. Counselor Boris Skvirsky tand. ineed. all the embassy staff) hospitably rushed hither and yon. being perfect hosts. Boris is the acme of a good host. He immediately makes the person he talks to feel at home. The Spanish ambassador and Mme. de Cardenas, who leave shortly, Paris bound, took occasion to bid farewell to many old friends. Cardenas frankly hates to leave Washington. He likes the city, the people, even—unbelievably— i the climate. 1

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

I j I I

fTVI IV /T - J- ' wholly disapprove of what you say and will ' A JIXO _dcfend to the death your right to say it — Voltaire.

(Timm reader* are invited In rrprex* their liar* in these column*. Make, pour letter* short, so all can, have a chance. Limit them, to 2.5 0 I cords or less.) van PAID AGITATORS AND LABOR LEADERS By a Striker. Let me give you the true facts about these supposedly paid agitators. The American Federation of Hosiery Workers has a man. B. Foster, who for the last ten years has ably and successfully filled the position of business agent for the Amalgamated Clothing Makers union and still is filling that office. Mr. Foster is helping the hosiery workers in their freedom from J. A. Goodman, and never has received one red cent for his sendees. He has stopped three strikes from being called at mills here. Mr. Faster is very much against strikes. I will prove to you that I am right. One day he received a call to come to the Fulton mill. The employes were going to walk out. because they had received a cut in pay and had not been notified until they were given their checks. Mr. Foster averted ths stike. When Mr. Goodman laid off the leader of our union Mr. Faster learned that the knitters were going to walk out. He was at Real Silk at 5 in the morning to see that everybody went to work. The last time was six weeks ago i when we asked to have our union I recognized. We gave Mr. Goodman from I Monday until Thursday midnight for an answer. At midnight there ; was no word from Mr. Goodman. I Mr. Foster asked that we give Mr. Goodman a little more time. It was i 1 when th£ vote w'as taken and it, was 100 per cent for a strike. B. Foster is a laboring man and not an agitator. He is also one of the most honest and upstanding of i American citizens and we are going to stand behind him as he has j so courageously stood by us. I might add that William Smith, who also has been called a paid agitator is the national secretary j of the American Federation of Full Fashioned Hosiery Workers and draws his salary as secretary of the above organization and not as an agitator. ana “TYPEWRITER COSSACKS” COINED FOR CITY GROUP By Tom Berlins. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness. To the security of a free constitution it contributes in various ways, byconvincing those who are intrusted with the public administration that every valuable end of government is best answered by the enlightened confidence of the people, and byteaching the people themselves to know and value their own rights, to j discern and provide against in- ; vasions of them and to distinguish I between oppression and the necessary exercise of lawful authority. j Man’s inhumanity to man has j made countless thousands mourn. And vet. such kindness and mercy as we know and receive comes from man. Such rights as we have are not God-given but man made and to me that slow tortuous journey of man climbing, slipping, dying in his struggle to lead his fellow-men out of the black abyss of the valley of ignorance is at once inspiring, pathetic and obligatory. Obligatory upon me to do my best in watetueg over my heritage of i

PSS-S-T—YOU WON’T FIND HIM THERE!

Beer Advertising by Radio Condemned

By F. R. Straeffer. Interviewing the “man on the street” and giving the radio public the benefit of his answers to certain questions of the hour ha.f been both interesting and profitable, but like many other legitimate methods of entertainment, it appears that this too may be corrupted and take on features that, to say the least, are not only distasteful to the discriminating listener. but a crime against our children, as well as an intrusion into our very homes. “The man on the street" always does not happen to be a man. but as w r as the case, in an interview' last Saturday, seeking opinions concerning the world's fair, by one of our local stations, there w'ere not only women and girls but at least one little boy. Asa reward for his willingness to have his opinion broadcast, this child, as well as the others, women and men, were given a ticket with instructions to call at a certain place, a restaurant, and receive a big glass of beer and a chance to win tw'o tickets to the ball game. Each one which the writer heard interviewed said that he did not drink and did not care for beer, but w r ere told to step up, get their tickets, and go after the free drink. Now, I have three counts against this and any other station which for a few bits of filthy lucre not only will accept

! freedom, to see to it well, that the sacrifice and hardships common to ! life and resulting: in these privileges and this freedom shall not have been in vain. There are three intolerances listed in the history of man. The intolerance of laziness, intolerance of ignorance and the intolerance of self interest. The three combined will drag any individual or group down until they become defeatists. It is my opinion that the Associated Business Builders represent a small group of radical element of local business men who are activated largely by the intolerance of self interest and are therefore intolerant of anything opposed to their own interests. Just a squad of typewriter Cossacks. a a a UNION KNITTERS’ STATUS STATED By R. A. P. S. F. H.. I know you don’t know what you are talking about. I am not a knitter nor am Ia former employe of Real Silk, as you say you are. The strike of 1929 you write about was not a strike, since it was not sanctioned by any one except those who quit. It was only a walk-out, and you must have been one of the walkers-out, since you know so much about it and are disgruntled because J. A. Goodman wouldn’t let you, along with the other agitators of that walk-out, come back to work. There is a demand today for union knitters, instead of a surplus, as you would have us believe, and it shows how much you know about unionism when you say that these supposedly surplus knitters would come in and take the places of the local operators when the Real Silk goes union. Do you know that some fifty knitters have been graduated from the Real Silk apprenticeship you prate about and have gone to

beer advertising, but will stoop to thrust a "free drink” into the unwilling hands of a little child. “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it w'ere better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he w'ere drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew' 18:6.) First Count—This new' form of temptation is worse than the open saloon, for there a child will not enter and if he does he must pay for what he gets. Second—The political party in pow'er promised to guard dry territory and the radio has no regard for state lines. Third—ls anything could be more diabolical than this sugar-coated attempt to get the attention and lure the interests and concrete response of millions of American youth, supposedly protected and safeguarded within the precincts of the home circles, imagination itself fails even to conceive it. Other stations too are misusing God's wonderful gift of the radio to contaminate the ether with liquor and cigaret programs, unclean jokes, suggestive popular songs, and vain use of the name of God, until they who w r ould keep the mind clean and the mind pure, are having a very difficult job of it. The beautiful music, the devotional programs, the practical talks, and even some political speeches are appreciated.

Milwaukee hosiery mills before the strike was called? Did you know that they are making from $45 to S6O for wmrk in union mills there? Did you know' that many other Real Silk graduates are scattered throughout eastern mills, making living wages of SSO or better a week? Yet you would have us believe that these Real Silk knitters are not trained and are not competent. You had better get a litle book yourself. S. F. H., and read up a little. You might have a better understanding of unionism, what it actually stands for, and how it works. You might find out that union knitters could not come in from one district and take the jobs of men in another district, upon settlement of a strike. The men who worked before the strike were competent then and would be competent afterward. What do you think of that? That not only applies to hosiery workers, but any other bona-fide labor union, not a company union. a a a SUGGESTION OFFERED FOR SILVER PROGRAM By Edward Barker. To President Roosevelt: Asa loyal supporter and admirer, bear with me while I offer a suggestion respecting the buying of silver with the purpose of putting the government on a bimetallic basis. Personally, I am against any intrinsic value basis for our circulating medium; but, if you must have such a basis, I agree that silver should be used with gold, to broaden the base. And here comes my reason for addressing you. I notice that the government intends to pay for the silver with gold; this may be. and would be, an improvement over the single gold standard, but why not pay for the silver with government paper money which would have the

MAY 19, 193$

redemptive silver security, rather than pay out gold for the silver you buy? As I understand, the meaning of all the discussion about our money or dollar, is the fact that the dollar has become too dear. Would not the issuance of government noninterest bearing certificates have the effect of making money more plentiful and therefore cheaper? Why buy silver with gold when you can buy it with paper money which would be backed by the very silver yOu buy? In line with this idea, it follow? that it would also be wise with this same money to redeem the outstanding interest bearing bonds previously issued. The money you redeem the bonds with would have the | same security the bonds now have, j the credit of the government, plus the enlarged gold and silver basis. The idea of a redemptive feature for the money of our government is but a relic or inheritance of a period in history, when most governments were unstable and the timid citizen wished for a storm cellar to rush to in case of the cyclone of a revolution. Such a fear has no reason for existence today with a stabilized government such as ours, with its taxing powers and the power eminent domain. With a conservative people, such as ours, and a stable government, all the quality and security needed back of our money, is the promise of the government that it shall be accepted in payment of all public and private debts.

So They Say

For all life-saving measures devised by science, longevity has increased by a fraction in the ages over 60.—Dean Irving S. Cutter, Northwestern university medical school. A god lawyer is not made by oratory or personality, but by plain common sense—Earle W. Evans, president of American Bar Association. The United States today is in the lead in almost every branch of commercial aviation.—Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh. More and more crimes of violence are being committed by boys and very young men.—Judge Neil W. McGill of Ohio. An opera singer’s life is absolutely like living in a convent.—Goeta Ljungberg, Swedish prima donna. As has been amply demonstrated in recent years, practical men are those who practice the errors of their forefathers.—Dr. Robert M. Hutchins, president University of Chicago.

Challenge

BY POLLY LOIS NORTON Heart, count today's ache profit If, rising from the cold grey ashes Os unfulfilled ambition’s fire There comes a small blaze of determination. A wraith of smoke to spell sticktuitiveness. Know' that your ache shall have its sure revenge In fame and plenty— Or else lie shrivelled, burned out. with the trying 1