Indianapolis Times, Volume 46, Number 25, Indianapolis, Marion County, 9 June 1934 — Page 6

PAGE 6

The Indianapolis Times (A SCBIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) ROY W. HOWARD Presldenl TALCOTT POWELL Editor EARL D. BAKER Business Managei Phone RI ley 5561

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tt 'P* J - HOW AJ£> Give Light anil the People Will Find Their Own Wav

SATURDAY, JUNE 9. 1934. THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE RARELY has a more remarkable document been sent to congress than the message written by President Roosevelt yesterday. It sets forth the basic responsibility of the government for the minimum security of the citizen. It would translate 'the ancient political liberties into anew economic freedom. In the words of the President: “These three great objectives—the security of the home, the security of livelihood, and the security of social insurance—are, it seems to me, a minimum of the promise that we can offer to the American people. They constitute a right which belongs to every individual and every family willing to work. They are the essential fulfillment of measures already taken toward relief, recovery and reconstruction.”

He then sketches what is perhaps the boldest and broadest program for general social security ever offered by an American government, covering the whole range of mastering and using our natural resources for the larger benefit of our population. His ■vision is inspired by the wisdom which understands that momentary recovery is not enough, that reform must go hand in hand with it. Or, as he says: “It is childish to speak of recovery first and reconstruction afterward. In the very nature of the processes of recovery we must avoid the destructive influences of the past.” That the American people will be uplifted by the President’s program is clear. And of the President’s intense sincerity in this social reform there can be no doubt. But we believe many will be disappointed to learn that he finds it necessary to postpone action on pending legislation for unemployment insurance and old age pensions. Obviously his broader program can not be ready until the next session of congress. But the harm that could come from enacting those two separate parts of the larger plan which are now ready for action is not explained. Even if those laws had to be amended later to fit the general plan, meanwhile they could be giving new hope to the millions of unemployed and aged whose hope is fast running out. Moreover, since the Republican national committee has just announced from Chicago the interest of that party in “relieving the hardships of unemployment and old age,” is it good politics for the Democratic administration on the eve of an election to announce delay? We would like to see the administration challenge the Republicans to join the Democrats in passing pending social legislation. It is above party and it could be passed now.

AN AMAZING PROPOSAL JT'HE steel workers have an inalienable -*• right to strike, but, in our judgment, they would be foolish to act upon that right. They are not strong enough to win. The public would suffer and business in general, but the strikers and their families would suffer most. They have more to gain by trusting the government to enforce the collective bargaining provisions of the recovery act and of the Wagner labor disputes bill, which the President wants congress to pass. Having said that the men should not strike, we can not say that they should accept the plan presented to the President by the Iron and Steel Institute and General Johnson. This plan is vicious. Its effect would be to destroy the labor sections of the recovery act. For that reason there is serious doubt that it would be legal even if accepted by the union leaders. Gen. Johnson says the workers are not to have the privilege either of accepting or rejecting it; according to his understanding the employers’ plan is to be imposed on the workers by the government. This plan bears no relation to any other labor settlement of which we have ever heard. The proposed board of three appointed by the President is to be representative of the public, the employers and the workers; but no one of the three, including the labor representative, can be any person who has ever had “any interest in or partisan relationship toward . . . any labor organization whether national or local.” But any one or all three of the members can be industrialists provided they are not in the steel business. The proposed board would have no jurisdiction over “any charges of interference, restraint or coercion in the choice of employe representatives," which occurred before Jan. 1, 1934—that is, when most of the company unions were organized. Not only the employer, but also any “labor organization,” would be prevented from “interference” to affect the results of a collective bargaining election. This would prevent union members in a. plant from explaining the benefits of their legal union to fellow workers, or the circulation even outside the plant of the recovery act or any other pertient literature among workers by a union. The board would have authority over cases of employer discrimination against a worker for union membership only if “such employe has not had a full opportunity to have such matter fairly determined under the provisions of the employe represer i ' i, -n plans in force at the plant in which he works”—that is, under company union provisions expressly written in many cases for the specific purpose of discriminating against unions. Sven after the board determines under thest restrictions and pro-company union rules the “freely chosen representatives of the employes," the steel companies agree merely to “respect” such representatives for the purposes of collective bargaining. The companies do not agree tc recognize such a uniofi. or to

sign a contract with it, or to submit disputes to compulsory arbitration. In our judgment the steel companies by this plan have done more to drive their workers into the hands of the extremists than all the radical propaganda combined to date. We hope the union representatives will wait patiently a little longer. The chances of enacting an adequate Wagner labo.- disputes law are good because the President and, apparently, most of congress wants it. Even if that fails, the President is in the White House and still master of legal code authority over the steel industry. We believe that if it becomes necessary the President personally will do all in his power to protect the workers’ legal rights. FOR FAIRER PRICES XTRA after long study has evolved a uniform price policy to be applied with the consent of the industries to all present and future codes. At the beginning General Johnson let each industry write its own price provisions, to see if they would work. So many different indirect price-fixing provisions were put into code law, most of them with disastrous results. Many of them merely legalized what industry had been doing all along—to its own detriment and at the cost of the buying public. Their result was foreseen. Some prices went up too fast, where competition -was curbed too much. Now NRA has anew policy frankly aimed at restoring price competition, preventing coercion of competitors, and enabling the seller to fix his price at a level which will enable him to sell the largest amount of goods. When drastic action against destructive price-cutting is called for, the government will act. It is a major and a tery delicate operation that NRA is attempting. There is no easy cure. But fair prices would enable every one to buy more of the world's goods. CAPITAL GOES SOCIAL TT* VEN through the depression years the A- / community trust idea has grown until today $39,250,000 is producing more than $1,000,000 every year for the social needs of seventysix communities. These trusts, established on the trail blazed in Cleveland in 1914, are based on the idea that when individuals leave money in trust for spe* cific charitable purposes, those purposes often become silly in the light of changing conditions. Marion, Ind., for instance, has a line of fine hitching racks at the corner of the court-house-useless now, though an appreciated public benefaction once. But the person who gave the square itself to the courthouse specified that hitching racks must be maintained, and so lines of motor cars look down their radiators at the outmoded posts that must stay there. Forty years ago an Ohio woman left in trust a bequest to her city to be invested until an asylum for inebriates should be founded there, when the money should go to this asylum. There never has been any, and the money lies unused and unusable. The community trust idea was to create a permanent fund administered by a board of public-spirited citizens as the needs of the community demanded. And the plan has progressed until the Cleveland Foundation, pioneer in the work, today has $5,981,000, and that of New York $7,703,600. Income from these funds is used for community needs as they are today—not as some long-dead benefactor thought they might be today. Much of it went last year into direct community fund relief work. Some of the larger appropriations, for example, of the New York community trust for last year went to the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, the Charity Organization Society, the Girl Scouts, the Hebrew university in Palestine, the Protestant Episcopal City Mission Society, the Salvation Army, United Hospital Fund, and Visiting Nurse Service. And all these and other appropriations from the fund were approved by a set of impartial and public-spirited trustees, who have power to alter the channels of original benefactions in case the public interest so indicates. Several of the larger community trusts for the last few years have been allotting larger sums for direct relief and community fund work than usual, diverting such funds from educational and research work which might be equally valuable in the long run, but was less, urgently needed during these difficult times. The rose of such funds even in the face of the trying conditions of recent years indicates that not all capital is anti-socially minded, and becomes every year more practical and sensible in its willingness to abandon the withering control of the “dead hand.”

PARDON AND PAROLE COURT (Editorial in the Oklahoma News) A WRITER to the News would revise our laws to make Governors criminally responsible for the depredations of those they parole or pardon. It is not likely that such a law would stand constitutional tests, nor that it would have any practical value. In effect it would end all executive clemency, for no Governor would risk a trip to the electric chair because of a murder committed by one of his paroled convicts. Than that it would probably be better to repeal all clemency laws. But it is still a fact that we shall not solve our penal problems except through intelligent application of the clemency system. Thus we preserve discipline in our prisons and make them more humane and conducive to reform. And it is more important to reform a man than to punish him until he feels that he has paid, or overpaid, for his crime. Nor is it necessary to pardon Baileys and Kelleys in order to extend mercy to more deserving prisoners. That may be achieved by divorcing clemency from politics—which is also within the range of possibility. Suppose we create a separate state clemency commission, made up of as many corncommissioners as are necessary. Then let two of these commissioners meet intermittently with the presiding judge of each district to hear local clemency petitions. Under such a system clemency courts would be convened once, twice or three times annually in each county to hear the petitions of all convicts sent up from that district. Certain.*ules could be prescribed whereby

a convict would be entitled to a pardon, parole or reduction of sentence hearing after serving a• certain part of his sentence—depending on the nature of his crime, his prison behavior and his past criminal record. We would make the decision of these clemency courts beyond repeal and reserve for the Governor only the right to stay the execution of a death penalty under emergency circumstances which would not permit the convening of a clemency court. And we would make these clemency court hearings public so that all might be apprised of the facts of every pardon, parole or other clemency acts. We would propose that these pardon and parole commissioners be appointed originally by the chief justice of the supreme court for terms of two to six years, and that thereafter vacancies on the commission be filled by other members. Then as a safeguard we would suggest that all commisisoners must be confirmed by the voters at every general election. We would suggest rigid educational and other qualifications for these officers, pay them well, and further bestow on the commission the power to name our prison wardens. Would not such an independent penal system go far toward divorcing clemency from politics? THE FIRE FIEND 'VA/'AITING and lurking behind usthis.summer, with his hot breath on our very shoulder, is the fire fiend. With everything dried to a tinder-like condition, every .man, woman and child should be alert to the danger of setting fires. The Chicago stockyards conflagration, and the already grave series of forest fires testify to the need for care. Due to the unusually dry weather, thousands of acres already have been reduced to barren desert, with the summer still before us. New York’s forests actually have had to be closed to the public, because of a series of disastrous fires. Every city fire is potentially more dangerous than usual, and any man who carelessly drops a match or leaves an unextinguished fire in the woods is a public enemy. For forests, even those privately owned, are an asset to all of us, and must be protected today as never before.

AFTER MANY DAYS thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days, said the preacher. Four years ago the farmers of South Dakota were moved by accounts of a devastating drought in Arkansas. They not only sympathized; they did something about it. They sent to Arkansas carloads and truckloads of food for people and feed for animals. Today, shipments of hay and other provender are on their way to South Dakota from Arkansas. A score of carloads of hay and cottonseed meal have been pledged by Arkansas farmers to be sent northward. The Arkansas farmers didn’t forget. Their Governor, Futrell, gave them a chance to show that “the people of this state never forget a friend.” And the bread which the South Dakota farmers cast upon the waters in 1930 is returning to them after four years. So long as such things happen, we know that gratitude, and sympathy, and neighborliness are not dead, but need only a tragedy like the seared crops of the northwest to bring them forth.

Capital' Capers BY GEORGE ABELL

IN the Hall of the Americas of the PanAmerican Union, the charge d'affaires of Nicaragua and Senora de De Bayle entertained at a lavish reception in honor of charming Mme. Sacasa, wife of the president of Nicaragua. i Dr. Leo Rowe, director-general of the PanAmerican Union, stood at the front door, resplendent in white flannels, receiving guests. The De Bayles and Mme. Sacasa stood at the head of the marble stairs. Duncan, prize major domo of diplomatic parties (he used to be chief butler of the Chilean embassy) poured the Scotch. When Duncan pours a drink, it’s good. nun IRISH MINISTER MICHAEL MAC WHITE was discovered walking serenely about in a formal black coat and striped trousers and not a whit disconcerted by the hot weather. The afternoon sun lit up Michael’s friendly face, as he remarked to Minister Gonzales of Costa Rica: “What lovely girls there are here!” Minister Gonzales, a symphony of blue shirt, gray suit and pearly scarf, answered: “Ah, minister, Latin-America is noted for its beautiful girls and its coffee—especially Costa Rica.” nun THE plump German ambassador, Dr. Hans Luther, discussed innocuous subjects, looking terribly hot and uncomfortable in a coat of Munich worsted. “That gentleman?” exclaimed a lady, answering the question about who Dr. Luther was. “Why, that’s Baron Struve of the German embassy!” Slim, dark-mustached Baron Struve was so busy getting ices for charming ladies and dancing a gay Viennese waltz (played by Guatemalan musicians) that he did not learn the mistake of identities. SPEAKER RAINEY, emulating the fashion of Senator Royal S. Copeland of New York, appeared wearing a bright pink carnation in his coat lapel much to the delight of the young ladies who swarmed about him, exclaiming, “Oh, Mr. Speaker, you look so distinguished!” SENATOR ARTHUR CAPPER, the Kansas wheat king and publisher, was introduced to Bolivian Minister Enrique Finot, who is engaged in bitter controversy with Capper’s colleague, Huey Long. Up hastened affable Dr. Rowe, director of the Pan-American Union. “Some ice cream, Senator?” Some ice cream, Mr. Minister?” Capper nodded assent. As if by magic, Dr. Rowe produced a luscious dish of strawberry ice cream—pink as a lobster and cold as the North Pole. “Ah,” rejoined Senator Cappers as he delved into this dish. “Ice cream is the national American dish.” nun MME. SACASA wore flowered chiffon and a diamond lavalliere that twinkled when she shook hands. “I adore being back in Washington,” she smiled at friends, who asked the usual banal question. Her husband, she intimated, is in excellent health and affairs in Nicaragua might be worse. n n n THE attractive Mile. Fanny Bunand-Sevastos, prize beauty of the National Woman’s party, appeared at the fiesta radiant in a bright blue gown. “It’s not Prussian blue,” she informed admirers. V “What color is it then?” V “It’s a vague (cobalt blue,” responded Mile. Bunand-Sevastos. \

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns. Hake your letters short, so all can have a chance. Limit them to 25 0 words or less.J nun HE SINGS “MODESTY ISN’T WITH US ANY MORE” By Old-Fashioned. What has become of old-fash-ioned girlish modesty? I hope I am not what all too impolite youth would call a “reactionary” or a “back number,” but I can not see the clothes which girls of high school and college agt wear around the streets of Indianapolis without asking myself—and The Times’ intelligent readers—this question. Backs are bared as evening dresses would not have dared to bare them some years ago. Stockings seem to be an unknown quantity, especially among high school girls. So are what the advertisements call “slips” and “foundation garments.” I am not criticising the conduct of these girls. I do not see enough of it to be able to speak fairly about that. But I do criticise their dress and I wonder—what has become of old-fashioned girlish modesty? nun AFTER ALL, WHAT SIN EXISTS IN NUDITY? By Merely Intelligent. This is the season when the annual wail goes up about nudists. Just why there should be objection to shedding of clothes by those who wish to do so, is lost in the obscurity of those minds with the “you can’t” complex—the same minds that want to banish liquor, tobacco, shows and everything else that quite a few persons, including many of the most intelligent, enjoy.

It is rather amusing that religionists oppose the nudists. The religionists mouth the morsel that man was created in the image of God. If man is of such origin, what’s wrong with his body, naked or clothed? n n n MORE QUESTIONS FOR SENATOR ROBINSON By Leßoy S. Moore. And so the Republican party renominated Arthur Robinson! Os all the famous blunders this one just about takes the booby prize. It merely goes to show that the G. O. P.‘ has not yet fully recovered from the long count of 1932. The old elephant is still stamping his way around in an addled and mysterious manner. The events that happened last summer we can expect to happen again this summer. History repeats itself, and always mindful of his political welfare, Senator Robinson will see to it that this thing happens with regular frequency. Whils Senator Van Nuys remains on the job in Washington, the artful, dodging Artie will again travel up and down the state delivering such a plethora of stale periods as to t send his audiences weaving home in a groggy condition. Once more he will deliver his usual pitiful phillipic of the national administration. As per schedule he will select his songs and attufie his harp to please plebian ears. * Ever solicitous for the veterans he will appear at times to be reaching for Socrate’s cup. This martyr and patriotic partisan always seemingly willing to go to any length for their welfare, pro-

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The Message Center

BACK FOR THE SUMMER

Advertising and Prosperity.

By G. H. A. A recent article by a prominent advertising man mentions the advantages that advertising is supposed to contribute to human welfare. An economic system is divided into the following groups: The executive or supervisory, the actual producer and those engaged in distribution. The more we create the better will be our standard of living; therefore, the mest labor should be applied on the actual production. The executive and distribution groups should be kept at a minimum. Imagine how much more could be produced if salesmen or advertising men were paid to produce instead of hunting for a market. An increased demand for consumption is created only when a baby is born into the world. There never has been a period

viding it calls for no cut of his salary, will appeal to them to hearken to his Macedonian cry and follow him in an attack on the Democratic administration. Many questions no doubt, arise in the minds f the veterans after listening to these pompous and bombastic deliveries; paramount among which are: Where and why, during all the past years that he has been in the senate did we not hear Arthur’s benevolent voice raised in protest against the wrongs being visited upon his constituents and especially the veterans? Why does he fail to explain hi3 strange silence on the questionnaire sent him by The Times regarding his purported connection with the disreputed Ku-Klux Klan? And why was the senator so conspicuously inactive when Mr. Hoover, And Mellon and the G. O. P. fought a bonus. Senator Robison, it would seem has too long allowed his new-born patriotism to lie dormant. Be all that as it may, Arthur Robinson is a senator who excels among his kind insofar as he knows less about more things than the usual run of mediocre statesmen. To any seeing eye or to any discerning mind it is apparent that Arthur’s is but the last frantic hue and cry of one who realizes he is soon to be shorn of his faded epaulets.

n u a SUGGESTS ROBINSON CAMPAIGN PROGRAM By R. P. Cunningham. Governor Paul McNutt could greatly fatten his parole and pardon averages, and at the same time pull a piece of high-class political strategy, if he would pardon Stephenson, the “grand old man,” on condition that he would spend all his time between now &nd the next election working and speaking for the reelection of Senator Robinson. The senator and the “grand old man,” said to be brothers, you know, in the “Mystic Knights of the Sea,” and the combination, Stephenson, plugging for his brother’s re-elec-tion, would look good on paper and would be elegant theater for all concerned. By this act of clemency Governor McNutt would show a nonpartisan spirit that would appeal to all good sports. Will not The Times use its good offices to get the boys together, I mean the Governor, Steve anti the senator, to talk my proposal over.

" 1 wholly disapprove of what you say and will 1 _ defend to the death your right to say it — Voltaire. J

in history when man's ability to consume has been satisfied. Half of the groceries, drug stores, clothing stores and automobile agencies in Indianapolis could be closed over night and we would not suffer for the lack of food, drugs, clothing and automobiles. Let half of the farmers or factory workers die over night and conditions immediately would become serious. We can not do without the actual producers. As those in the production group are underpaid and the other groups overpaid, we see every one trying to be in the executive or distribution groups. Some day our political wiseacres will learn that wealth is created through production and not through distribution. Government regimentation is preferred to private regimentation, which we now have.

DIRECT ATTENTION TO UNION LABEL By John F. Kiefer. Organized printers of New York were given a surprise when Mayor Fiorella La Guardia declared over the radio and in print that all city printing must be produced in New York, and must bear the union label. This order was given to prevent printers in New York from “farming out” contracts to out-of-town shops where less than the prevailing rate of union wages are paid. Now is the time for our mayor, Reginald H. Sullivan, and candidates seeking to be mayor, to make their intentions known publicly. The union label on all work is a sure way of knowing where the work was done, and that the workmen were paid a decent, living wage.

DENIES WATER RELATED TO HYDROPHOBIA By F. G. Shamker. I feel it is my duty to call your attention to an article printed in the Message Center in regard to hydrophobia in dogs. Dogs sometimes do become frenzied for lack of water, but never go mad from such cause. The increased number of mad dogs during the dought, if there is an increase, is due to lack of vaccination against rabies and carelessness in letting dogs run the streets. Drought conditions do not prove anything about mad dogs. Dogs have been known to swim rivers and were proven by autopsy findings to ba mad. Any dog may o may not be afraid of water if he is suffering with rabies. Dogs with rabies can scarcely swallow due to paralysis and attempts to drink may result in the dog strangling, which gives rise to the name of hydrophobia, which I think means water fear and not water suffering. This letter is written in an effort to get you tc print a correction jf

Daily Thought

But I would have you know' that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.—l Corinthians, 11:3. IT is a great art to be superior to others without letting them

.JUNE 9, 1934

the misleading, but well meant article signed A Subscriber. It is dangerous to the public with so many dogs around to believe that such a dread disease as rabies or hydrophobia is caused by lack of water. It is caused by a germ; it is contageous, and it is incurable after definite symptoms appear. Any one bitten by a dog whether he knows it to be mad or not, should have treatment by a doctor at once. Last, but not least, I agree with A Subscriber on this point, put out containers of water so that birds, cats and dogs can get to them. The cost is nothing and the service is great.

So They Say

Radio is the universal sewer of all the arts.—Gilert Seldes, journalist and playwright. Modern petting has made many girls resemble rock salt placed in a trough for cattle to lick. —Rev. S. Parkes Cadman of New York. I am no prophet.—Rev. Frank N. D. Buchman, founder of the Oxford movement. The town (Washington) swarms with bogus experts from a thousand far-flung seminaries, and they spend all their time contriving new ways to waste money. Henry L. Mencken. The aviation industry is still young and it should not be killed before it develops.—Amelia Earhart Putnam. Every fair-minded person should be in favor, from a social and economic standpoint, of a minimum wage; of the elimination of child labor; of a gradual shortening of the hours of labor.—President Alfred P. Sloan Jr. of General Motors.

THE LEGION

BY LAWRENCE E. SCOTT O men of arms, List to our call. We also gave And suffered all. Mothers, daughters, sweethearts, Fathers, sons and wives Os those who valiantly gave their lives. Or else returned Crippled, shocked by sheik, Mere shadows of their former selves. Our cry is weak, Shall go unheard, Be yours to help us spread the word. Os peace, You who’ve faced death, Fought side by side, And prayed while wounded comrades died, Discard the sword Ere this day cease, Take up the nobler cause of peace. Heroes you are Without a doubt, But doubly so It you'll but rout All thoughts of war And battles gory, Make way for peace And greater glory 1 ( ’