Indianapolis Times, Volume 46, Number 15, Indianapolis, Marion County, 29 May 1934 — Page 4

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The Indianapolis Times (.4 SCKIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) ROY W. HOWARD t President TALCOTT POWELL Editor EARL D. BAKER Business Manager Phone RI ley 5551

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# r a < p* s • Give Light and the People Will Find Their Oten Waif

TUESDAY. MAY 29. 1934.

NEEDLESS STRIKES LABOR'S demand that it must be allowed to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing has brought an epidemic of strikes throughout the country. There is no doubt of labor’s right to organize as the workers choose. The trouble lies in enforcing that right. Tory employers are placing every obstacle in the way. Inefficiency, red tape and political expediency have bogged down governmental enforcement agencies. The strike at Real Silk was an outstanding example of this. The national labor board failed to attack the fundamental issue in that case, but merely negotiated an agreement which said, in effect, "Let's not talk about this any more until October.” Section 7A of the national industrial recovery act clearly sets forth the right of labor to organize and be represented by any one they choose. General Johnson once said that, under this statute, labor could select the devil himself as its representative. Indiana is singularly fortunate in having a law which is even clearer than Section 7A in recognizing this right. It is curious that neither labor nor capital seem to know about it. It is to be found in Chapter 12, Section 2, of the Acts of Indiana General Assembly of 1933. Here it is: "Whereas, under prevailing economic ( conditions ... the individual unorganized worker is commonly helpless to exercise actual liberty of contract and to protect his freedom of labor, and thereby obtain acceptable terms and cbnditions of employment, wherefore, though he should be free to decline to associate with his fellows, it is nec-essary that he have full freedom of association, self-organiza-tion. and designation of representatives of his own choosing . . . and that he shall be free from interference, restraint, or coercion of employers of labor.” This is a clear, unequivocal statement of the policy of Indiana. It means that the worker who feels that he is being kept from enjoying his right to organize may seek redress in the local courts. The courts were established for the purpose of upholding orderly government. There is no need for labor to strike for recognition of a union. It can go to court and receive a far more effective decision than it can hope to gain by the strike method. Strikes for the full right of collective bargaining are wasteful and unnecessary in Indiana. Let’s use the courts. INDIANAPOLIS’ ERROR INDIANAPOLIS again has made the semiannual mistake which brings much confusion to motorists and which gives the city its reputation for repairing streets before the Speedway race and the Indiana state fair. For years, the thousands of persons who come to Indianapolis for these events have found that highways and streets have been under repair. Residents of Indianapolis are getting tired of it and the visitors from other cities don’t think much of it either. Annually the Speedway race brings thousands and thousands of people and dollars into Indianapolis. These people who spend this money should be shown every courtesy which can be extended and not forced to battle a series of traffic inconveniences. Northwestern avenue, south of Thirtyeighth street, is torn up, with only one side of the street open for traffic. This is part of State road 29, one of the fastest traffic arteries from the north. Sixteenth street, which runs along the north side of Perry stadium, is out of use. Motorists who had counted on this traffic lane, now must use the old, twisting road that runs along the creek and river. It’s bumpy and has not been in decent shape for heavy traffic for years. In addition to these hazards, the National road is torn up east of Indianapolis. Here is the road which will carry the burden of traffic from the eastern part of the state and nation. A Chicago newspaper man reports that road 43 also is tom up at the Kankakee river, in the western part of the state. Every motorist who takes this route is faced with "performing” on a tortuous gravel detour for thirty miles. There is r\o reason w T hy all this work could not have been delayed until after the race or completed several weeks ago. There is no alibi because of the w'eather. Climatic conditions have been perfect for construction work. Chief Mike Morrissey says the local situation will present his police force with the greatest traffic problem in the history of the race. It’s too late to remedy the condition this year, but officials of the city, state and county should swear off these foolish Hoosierisms in the future. SUPPORT THE AIRLINES NOW that the unfortunate air mail controversy is settled, citizens of Indianapolis might well give more thought to the splendid air transport facilities which they have. Aviation experts say that the Municipal airport is one of the best and most efficiently run in the world. Under the new mail setup three of the country’s best lines are, or will soon be, operating out of it. Transcontinental-Western’s coast - to - coast route passes through Indianapolis as does American Airways’ Chicago-to-Washington flight. In a few more days Eastern Air Transport will be coming through with its Chicago-to-Florida line. Geographical location will, in the future, make it possible for Indianapolis to be one of the great air transport centers of the whole earth. There is no good reason why our airport can not be on a par with Le Bourget, Croydon, Templehof and Newark if the people

will give the existing lines local support and encouragement. It is a curious thing that Hoosiers who travel in Europe frequently use air transport, but never think of doing so when they are at home. Kenneth B. Collings, flier and life insurance man, writing in the American Mercury, has something interesting to say to these folks: "Data presented before the Actuarial Society of America indicates that scheduled air transport in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands compares favorably with that in the United States from the standpoint of safety, i that in Great Britain and Czechoslovakia it appears clearly more hazardous than ours—possibly twice as hazardous; and the French and Mexican airlines have a passenger fatality at least five times as high as we have.” Os course, there is an element of danger in all methods of speedy travel. That is true whether you are riding in your own car or in a plane. In the past couple of years the airlines have cut this danger to a minimum. There is no longer any real reason why a person should fear travel on a regular airway. Life insurance companies are pretty hardboiled about such matters and they do not penalize policy-holders w r ho use the air. Even though you do not care to travel yourself in this manner you at least can patronize the air mail and use the air express. Indianapolis has a rare opportunity to lead all the cities of the country in air transport. By the way, whatever became of those towns that passed up the railroads as "teo new-fangled” seventy-five years ago? WASTE OF ENERGY 'T'HIS modern world abhors waste. When it finds any source of energy going unused—a waterfall, a factory, a coal mine, or whatnot—it exerts every effort to put that energy to work. But there is one kind of energy which is wasted every day, some times in the most extravagant and tragic manner, about which we seldom bother to think twice. That is human nature—the energy, to be exact, of bad men and bad women, the outlaws, the people who rebel violently against any and all restraints. Think, for instance, of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, those precious Texans who were finally shot to death in Louisiana after compiling a criminal record about as vicious as any in western history. Within the last two years no fewer than twelve murders were definitely ascribed to these two. Nine of their victims were policemen. Bank robberies, highway holdups, filling station stickups, kidnapings—the crimes of this nature on their record are almost beyond counting. They moved from Texas to lowa, irresponsible and dangerous, cutting a swath that made Dillinger look like a lad on his way home from Sunday school. Finally, of course, the law caught up with them. Deputy sheriffs ambushed them along a lonely country road and filled them full of lead, ending forever that particular chapter in criminal history. But one is forced to wonder, thinking about this pair—what was it that set them off on the wroAg path, anyway? How could society have prevented that costly waste of potentially useful energy? For it was a waste—make no doubt of that. Two youngsters who can do all these did have abounding energy, enormous vitality. The force that makes a man a dangerous outlaw is, at bottom, the same kind of force that enables a man to do the great, hard, and useful jobs that keep the world turning: it just gets directed down the wrong channel. How could society have prevented it? Not being very wise, we don’t know, and if we did know we should probably act too late. But sooner or later we must find out. There is no more terrible waste than the waste involved in the career of a gunman like Clyde Harrow. UP TO THE WOMEN THE girls and women of Billings, Mont., have won a victory over the censors. The city park board originally announced that “shorts, scanties, and abbreviate attire” in general would not be allowed on city tennis courts; then, when the women protested, the board said that shorts could be worn, but that they much reach at least to the knee and must not be too snug. Still the women protested. So, finally, the board surrendered, ruling that women could wear in public "any costume based on common sense and decency.” And this seems like a very sensible ruling which other park comrmssioners might well copy. These elaborate rules that anxious people set up for women's costumes, op bath-* ing beaches or in parks, are invariably quite absurd. The “common sense and deceny” regula- > tion is all any such regulations need to contain. RACIAL TOLERANCE RACIAL conflict is a bitter and destructive thing. Luckily, it can be averted—and it frequently is—by the exercise of intelligence and a spirit of fairness. A New York broker took a taxicab one night recently and got into an argument with the driver, a Negro. The argument waxed hot, and the broker cursed the driver, who hit him with his fist as a result. A little later the broker died as a result of the blow. The Negro was arrested.When he got into court, the two people who urged that the case against him be dropped were the brother and the wife of the dead man—both of them residents of North Carolina. They said they were satisfied that the Negro struck in self-defense, and that no good would be done by prosecuting him. So he went free. What might have developed into a bitter racial quarrel was quieted by the good sense and intelligent understanding displayed by these two people. Archeologists found sixty tons of dishes in an ancient Egyptian tomb. So wives went to the country, even then, eh? Amelia Earhart says women will fight in the next war, and that’s the worst scare the European nations have had since the last war. Forty million Americans are without bathtubs, reports the department of commerce. It’s up to their pastors to see that they lead a clean life, anyway.

Liberal Viewpoint —BY DR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

IT is an old adage that charity begins at home. This is equally true of justice and fairness. Perhaps the most amazing shortcoming in the Roosevelt administration has been the discrepancy between its broad general policy as to labor and purchasing power and its own treatment of federal employes, especially those in the service of the postoffice department. Mr. Roosevelt has urged private employers to take on more men and to pay them higher wages. At the same time, in the postal service of the country, there have been extensive layoffs, furloughs without pay and other measures which are held to have deprived postoffice employes of over a hundred million dollars in wages since March. 1933. Entirely aside from any matter of justice or justice, consistency or inconsistency, this means a very considerable reduction in purchasing power at a time when the new deal is threatened at its very foundations by inadequate mass purchasing power in the country. Postal employes as a whole are a hard working group who received none too high remuneration before any economy cut, but the most sorely oppressed are some 25,000 substitutes whose economic condition is almost incredible. This situation is very well described in a recent article by Julius R. Young in Common Sense. a a tt THESE postal substitutes are civil service men who have fully qualified for regular work in the department. Their qualifications are the same as those required of regulars. The difference is that the latter receive relatively steady work on a yearly basis, whereas the substitutes work irregularly, are subject to call at any time and are paid only for the time when they are actually on duty at a far lower rate than the regulars for whom they are supplying. There are three major groups of postal substitutes: Clerks, carriers and drivers. In addition, there is another class of unskilled laborers. The economic and professional conditions which substitutes have to face are aggravating and oppressive. In order to get from one to four hours work a day, they must be on duty and ready for call from twelve to fourteen hours a day, that is from 6 a. m. to about 8 p. m. Indeed, a substitute may spend the entire day waiting around with no work at all forthcoming. The fixed rate for substitutes is 65 cents per hour, which would not be so bad if sufficient work were provided. Taking the. substitutes in the country as a whole they average between $350 and S4OO a year, or some $7 a week. An investigation has revealed that, in addition to themselves, these substitutes support on the average 2.2 dependents per man. No very high standard of living or purchasing power can be maintained by a family of three on $7 a week. Even this low pay was 'cut 15 per cent in the economy bill. n a THE demands of these substitutes are certainly very reasonable, namely: “1. Filling of the 20,000 vacancies in the ranks of the regulars. 2. Repeal of the 16 per cent cut. 3. A thirtyhour week for regulars with no reduction in pay. 4. A minimum of SI,OOO a year for substitutes. 5. Appointment to regular positions within two years’ substitution.” Little or nothing has been done thus far to grant these reasonable demands. The President vetoed the relief bill. Mr. Farley’s economy order furloughing regulars is still in effect, in spite of a public statement that it was to be rescinded. Indeed, in Chicago 600 starving substitutes were recently laid off. All of them were civil service men and some have waited as long as ten years tor a regular appointment. We may hope that the government will change its attitude and do as much for its own employes as it urges employers to do for theirs. There should be no postal strike in the United States, The memorable French postal strike in 1909 should teach us to avoid any such crisis. The moral of the administration before private American employers will be far stronger if it first sets a good example on its own premises.

Capital Capers BY GEORGE ABELL

THE White House party given by the President and Mrs. Roosevelt for the newspaper correspondents of Washington proved one of the most successful affairs of the season. There was no rule about dressing'. The men wore anything they wanted and that ranged from white flannels and linens to full evening dress. Music was furnished by the usual scarletcoated Marine band, plus a regular orchestra. In fact, the special orchestra—placed advantageously on a platform in the huge East room—did most of the playing. As for color, there were pink carnations in the Green room, Elliott Roosevelt in brown tweeds in the East room and Alice Longworth in flowered crepe in the Red room. it tt tt Brain-truster rex tugwell blossomed forth in white tie and tails—as usual, just a little bit over-dressed for the occasion. If a dinner jacket is being worn, the host is certain that Mr. Tugwell will appear in white jloves. Fred Howe, consumers’ counsel for AAA, also showed that he is the proud possessor of an evening dress coat. His' white tie became unfastened under the stress of clients who sought counsel about the proper way to dance to “There’s a Little Dutch Mill on a Little Dutch Hill.” Vice-President J%ck Garner didn’t want to dance, but Mrs. Garner insisted, so that he yielded. Once started, it was impossible to stop him. The bald heads of Postmaster-General Jim Farley and Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau gleamed under the crystal chandeliers. As someone remarked, both men “shone” at the party. Short, spectacled John Wilbur Jenkins, who used to be aid to Josephus Daniels during the World war when the latter was secretary of the navy, held a long conversation with Secretary of Commerce Dan Roper. Recently, Jenkins has been in eclipse. Now, he says he “hopes to be here.” tt tt * ENERGETIC Mary Rumsey, that leading spirit of -the NRA, almost managed to be in three rooms at the same time —so quickly did she whisk her brown and orange evening gown from the Green to the Red room. Alice Longworth was, of course, among those present. She kindly entertained the President with twenty minutes of conversation—a fact duly noted by scores of eagerly observant ladies of the press. Alice believes in keeping in the public eye. i- - Rexford Tugwell wore a summery print dress with—it was reliably stated—a lace bertha. The blond and Scandinavian Hannah Jorgenson (recently married) was one of the smoothest dancers at the party. She now writes one of those “advice to the lovelorn” columns, and was formerly connected with the Swedish legation here. Walter Karig, editor of the Newark News, puffed many cigarets between chats with the attractive Mrs. Laurette Hayden and Mrs. Anna Dali. Miss Marguerite Le Hand, the President’s secretary, a silhouette in black and white, danced merrily with a gallant cavalier. Mrs. Ernest Lindley, wife of the New York Herald-Tribune correspondent, was much admired in a rose red gown shot with gold. Secretary of the Treasury ' 'orgenthau and Mrs. Morgenthau arrived early and started to go in through the wrong door. “Please go in this way and be received by Mrs. Roosevelt,” urged an attendant. They submitted, smilingly.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

... ‘ ! s* s " r “j

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns. Make your letters short, so all car, have a chance. Limit them to ZSO words or less.) a a it HOSIERY WORKER LIKES UNION MILL By a Mill Worker. I was employed at Real Silk in July, 1929, I was laid off for union activities Nov. 28, 1933. Since March 26, 1934, I have been holding down a job in a union mill in Milwaukee, and there are fellows at Real Silk, now, who know a lot more about a knitting machine than I do. Here at the Holeproof Hosiery mills there are between fifty and seventy-five former Real Silk workers. Some were laid off in 1926 and 1929. It is true a union knitter knows more than I did at Real Silk on a twenty section, forty-two gauge high speed machine. Once you work in a union shop you will never want to go back to an open shop. a a a MORE ABOUT CHILDREN AND PARENTAL DUTY By a Reader. I am a taxpayer, and love children as well as any one—better than some I know, for I am sure I wouldn’t turn my children out for some policeman to watch and to ahnoy persons. When children play in the streets whose fault is it if they get hurt or killed—the driver, police, or the parents? When parents sit on their porches and watch their children litter up other person’s yards and sidewalks they are not caring much what they do as long as they are not bothering them. u a u BUSINESS BUILDERS— HE CLAIMS TO KNOW THEM By I. 0. B. I have in several instances sent letters to The Times expressing my views on different subjects,- but never had any of my views printed. I have been a loyal subscriber of The Times for many years and I feel that I am entitled to the same privilege as others have, so in fairness to me as well as to others I ask that you print this, as there are many that would like to know who the "Associated Business Builders” are. Well, they are no more or less than the Associated Employers of Indianapolis, Room ,1203, 120 East Market street, of whom J. Edward Stilz is chairman-treasurer. Now this is an association or union of manufacturers and business men, and they have banded together ( in an advertising campaign, the purpose of which is to turn the mind of the public against organized labor. Why should these so-called business builders think it so bad for workingmen and women to band together in an attempt to better thencondition? Th*se business builders band together to dominate and enslave their employes. Now, you so-called business builders, P. O. Box 394, Indianapolis, come out and fight in the open. Face the court of public opinion, for you are no more or less than the professional organizers and agitators who are creating misunderstanding and arousing antagonism and class hatreds in the ranks of laboring people. n tt n DAILY DENIES SUPPORT OF PAYNE FOR SENATE By Thomas A. Daily. I was astonished to see a statement in your various editions of Friday, May 25, that I am interested in the campaign of Gavin L. Payne to succeed Arthur R. Robinson as United States senator. What I can not understand is why that out of 1,671 delegates to the Republican state convention I should be ac-

THE SENATOR TAKES HIS STAND!

MYi rt , / wholly disapprove of what you say and will i lie Message center _ defend to the deatkyour right to say it — Voltaire. J

Politics and Currency

Bv A. F. Noll. The editorial on gold and silver in politics in The Times of May 23 is interesting and The Times is to be complimented upon its effort to prevent another unloading of silver on the people. We can not press a button to make gold, silver currency and bank deposits dance to a tune of a business revival, when avenues for the return of normal times are blocked by our mistakes. These errors seem to be our least concern. Liquid assets or money now on hand in quantities gives the lie to the word of those who for the past forty years claimed that good times must follow and prices rise from the effect of having so much gold, silver and currency on hand. There is also something that should precede even the thought of putting out this money to the people. Before that is done, there should

cused of supporting the CoffinArmitage machine* candidate. Up to date Mr. Coffin has given us Ralph Updike for congress; Arthur R. Robinson for the United States senate; John L. Duval for mayor and Claude Worley for chief of police. In many of these enterprises he was ably assisted by D. C. Stephenson, now boarding at the state’s expense at Michigan City. In the last Republican state convention Mr. Payne was working cheek by jowl with Mr. Coffin in an effort to nominate Lieutenant-Governor Edgar D. Bush for Governor of Indiana. In fact, he is known to be a faithful lieutenant of Mr. Coffin. This attempt to nominate Mr. Payne is a further attempt to Coffinize Indiana which in my opinion would be a great calamity. I think that in fairness to me you should give as great publicity to this statement as you gave •to the statement in your issues of Friday, May 25, I am not interested in Mr. Payne's candidacy, nor do I intend to support him or any other Coffin candidate in the convention. CHARGES EMPLOYES LOST $35 EACH By a Reader. I am writing this to give anew angle on the Real Silk and the E. M. B. A. of which I was a charter member. Do you know that Real Silk owes hundreds of former employes $35 each for attachments to looping machines, and that these attachments were paid for many times. When a man left the company’s employ he could not take the property and the company would not refund your money. tt tt it CRITIC OF MOVIES GIVEN SUPPORT By F. R. G. Charles Hooper wrote in the Message Center that the movies are rotten to the core. He certainly expressed my sentiments. An item was written by William Cardinal O’Connell, archbishop of Boston, stating how many are against the movies as they now are presented, and especially on Sunday. I am not a Catholic, but the majority of the actors and actresses in Hollywood and elsewhere are, and when an archbishop of their own faith condemns them, there must be something rotten in Denmark. Surely, if E. A. P. believes there is an Almighty Power that He is not going to condone such goings on that occur in movie colonies. Let us have good, clean movies that will

be a real reason for confidence and confidence is all we need to make everything expand. We have been bothered much in the last twenty years by propaganda to the people to inspire them or to create in them a confidence or trust in things that are false, and the newspapers share in the blame for this. The conditions that we have made anS which are not the result of th§ great war proves to be our main troubles, and they are conditions that some professors call inexorable. They state that we seem to be caught in a trap such as a canyon with steep, insurmountable sides preventing our escape. The ones who are practical know that the escape from a canyon is to retrace our steps until we reach the proper point of exit to higher ground then climb slowly out, using correction of dfcr errors as a roadway.

not have to censored and there will never be a kick against the movies and those who make them. a a ty STRIKER ALL FED UP ON UNIONS By a Reader. Just a word to other supposed-to-be bona fide unions in this no mean city. Take a Real Silk striker's advice and stick to your employer. After so many promises what did we get? Absolutely nothing. Probably none of us will ever have as good a job as we did have and of us never will work at Real Silk again. I had worked at the mills for six years and if I had taken the second thought I would still be there. This has certainly taught me a lesson. If I am lucky enough to get my job back again I am sticking to the E. M. B. A. and I think there are several who feel as I do. Maybe the E. M. B. A. isn't just what it is supnosed to be, but the union certainly has shown it isn’t either. o a tt DECLARES E. M. B. A. DEALS FAIRLY By E. M. Martin. A lot has been said about Real Silk and the E. M. B. A. Being a charter member of this association, I feel I should raise a voice against statements which have been put before the public. We have an association which has kept us working in peace and harmony over a period of twelve years, offering all the advantages and none of the disadvantages such as high dues and strikes as in a labor union. No one can truthfully say any question, large or small, which has been brought before the E. M. B. A. has not had fair trial and settlement. a u EXONERATES POLICE IN CHILD’S DEATH By One Who Likes Justice. A word to the citizen who wrote the letter in Thursday’s paper about the child killed at Meridian and McCarty streets. That is indeed a bad crossing and should be guarded, but why blame the strike at Real Silk? There have been children killed before the strike started. Why blame

Daily Thought

I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. —Psalms, 26:4. THE vain man makes a merit of misfortune, and triumphs in his disgrace.—Hazlitt.,

MAY 29, 1934

Mike Morrissey or any of the police force? Why not blame the ones who are to blame—the parents or whoever is left in charge of the child? Imagine letting a 6-year-old child start across a busy crossing like that.

So They Say

The gang is a hostile society within the general society and therefore must go, else society itself risks destruction. —Dr. Walter Beck, German penologist. I am from Hamburg, and people from Hamburg are not given to traveling.—Thomas Mann, famous German author. This city houses more nuts and longhaired fools than any other place of its size in the world. —Overseer Wilbur Glenn Voliva of Zion City, 111. No community can be trusted to promote social welfare which does not have the self-respect and stamina to insist upon enforcement of its laws,—Chief Justice Charles E. Hughes of the United States supreme court. I never have seen a primitive woman punish a child or heard a primitive child cry.—Mrs. Blair Niles, explorer. My team may not win. but it will hustle.—Jimmy Dykes, new manager of the Chicago White Sox. The best educated man is the man who can make the best decision at the time it’s got to be made. — Charles F. Kettering, automotive engineer. The drift in the United States is a drift to the right—to Fascism, in spite of the good intentions of Mr. Roosevelt and Dr. Tugwell—Norman Thomas, Socialist leader. Quick wit takes a man farther in a materialistic civilization than decades of drudgery.—Jim Tully, famous author. I’m all right as I am. When I need any rejuvenation I’ll apply for it.—l64-Year-old Zaro Agha, Turkey's oldest man. I can’t spot germs. I can pick out a politician quick, but I don't recognize bacteria and germs so easily.—Mayor F. H. La Guardia of New York.

A VERSE

BY POLLY LOIS NORTON Today’s ironing day. You sympathize? You needn’t. I don’t mind at all. Why While I smooth the sheets and things I make far trips away, On silver seas, aboard quinquereme, On rest in quiet quay. Or -I may sing. * You know what peace comes down in song, * With the low notes like moaning wind in caves And the high trebles like singing harps Strung with golden string, And the lovely words by poets Fitted to the thing? Or I may make a sonnet. Who knows but it may be A lovely singing, laughing verse That an editor would buy— And money’d buy a bonnet— And maybe—maybe love would come, Upon the day I don it I