Indianapolis Times, Volume 46, Number 79, Indianapolis, Marion County, 11 August 1934 — Page 6

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SATURDAY, AUO. 11. !3 NH'KELS—DIM ES—WHISPERS generations the prison grapevine sys- * tem has been the topic of Action drama and conversation. For years the system has been recognized one of the greatest whispering telegraphic networks of the world. But, in the last few days, newspaper readers might wonder if that system has not been antiquated by the recent incidents in Marion county, centering around the slot machine racket. The slot machine racket in this county is built upon the underworld, its whisperings and the culpability of a citizenry which believes gangsters can be defeated at their ow-n game For several days The Times has primed stories that the slot machine racket had found new foster parents and that outsiders were beginning to move into the sacred haven of the favored few. It appeared for some time that the slot machine racketeers might erase their own crimes by erasing the chiselers. But that failed to happen. Instead things continued to maintain a serene and complacent attitude on the surface while new machines bv the tens and twenties were imported into Marion county. Suddenly a bomb dropped. The racketeers found they might not be in for such smooth sailing. Prosecutor Herbert E. Wilson told newspaper men that he would ask Sheriff Charles <Burki Sumner to clean up the racket. The conference with the press occurred in t he prosecutor's office Thursday a scant few minutes before late edition of The Times reached the streets. Times reporters, following through on the information given by Mr. Wilson, started their own investigations Thursday night. They found, not to their amazement, however, that the word had been passed And when the word is passed in Marion county a thorough job is done. Consequently the sheriff s office could find no slot machines to confiscate Thursday night. And. too. The Times reporters could find no machines displayed publicly in the fifty-six places they visited, many of which have been slot machine havens for years. The operators of some of the joints openly admitted they had received the word. The word was to jerk the machines until the storm had blown over. The grapevine system had worked again, but behind it was the sinister implication that the machines would be permitted to be in operation within a few days. And. of course, if that oecurs it will be the grapevine system which will pass the word to "carry on." That grapevine system doesn't originate by areident. It. like the gambling devices it protects. has been built up over a period of years. Regrettable as It is it is positively true that the storm always has blown over. Generally the storm occurred just before primaries or fall elections. This time it is a midsummer storm. Now it becomes the duty of the law enforcement agencies of Marion county and the respectable citizens to see that the storm continues for days, weeks and months. Citizens of the county who object to the uproarious conduct of many beer places will be surprised to find how many of them will die out if the slot machine racket is halted. Figures on the racket, compiled authorities. show that the profit of the game is immense. Some places in this county could not exist a month without slot machine revenue, and the quickest way to kill gapg machination is by taking the profit out of it. The Indianapolis Times will pledge its editorial and news columns to driving out the devices. The Times also asks that the law enforcement powers and the taxpayers iom in a smash to the finish. There is no real reason why it should not be completed. Politicians and racketeers, much more important m their own underhanded methods than those who operate and condone slot machines in this county, have been defeated. Why shouldn't such a community service be completed now? TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENT PJNTING of yellow traffic lane strips on North Capitol avenue will be a distinct aid to northbound traffic on this thoroughfare. In addition to Capitol avenue, the police traffic department will paint the lane strips on Meridian. Delaware and New York streets. Each of these is a busy thoroughfare and every available method should be used to speed up traffic with the safety needs of the community stressed. Any other steps which the department and city officials can take to aid the Indianapolis traffic situation should receive the support of the entire community. MR. FLETCHER ON CAMPAIGN SINCE becoming Republican party chairman. Henry P Fletcher has made some wild swings at the New Deal. Indeed, he still is at it. Like most of his earlier haymakers, his Illinois Red-baiting speech as a whole was ludicrously wide of the mark But he did land a few punches In condemning the cotton and tobacco production control laws. Mr. Fletcher was effective. These compulsory measures, with their prohibitive levies asainst cotton and tobacco produced m excess of license allotments, are dangerous laws and repugnant to the traditions of a free people They are even alien to the philosophy of the New- Deal, but this, of course, is a point Mr Fletcher would not concede. Neither President Roosevelt nor Secretary Wallace wanted these two restrictive farm measures. They preferred to continue the

farm program on the principle of voluntary co-operation. They preferred to make it profitable for the farmer to co-operate, rather than criminal for the farmer not to co-operate. But the cotton farmers and tobacco farmers, by organized pressure, and through their representatives in congress, forced the administration to accept the compulsory measures. The farmers believed that no other method could insure a stable market. 1 Mr Fetcher is only doing his duty as the opposition spokesman in condemning the administration for yielding to the pressure of these two organized minorities. But he erred in intimating that the cotton and tobacco laws were conceived by the brain trust. The Republican chief landed another on the chin when he contrasted Democratic promises with Democratic performances in the matter of tariff reduction. ‘ The Democratic party,” said Mr. Fetcher, “has been in complete control of the lawmaking power for two sessions of congress and it has not reduced a single schedule of the much maligned tariff act of 1930.” This is not entirely true. There was a slight reduction in the Cuban sugar tariff. But on the whole it is a fair indictment, to which the administration's only answer is another promise that It will do something through reciprocity treaties. PLAYGROUND HOPES WORD that the city park and recreation departments are considering establishment of a north side playground next year will be well received in the vicinity. The city plans, through an offer made by George Marott, to take over a lot on the west side of Meridian street, north of Thirty-eighth street. The site, of course, will not be ideal to every on® on the north side who desires to see establishment of a playground. But there is no doubt but the playlot will benefit thousands and answer a crying need. It is too late for action this year because the grounds in the city will be closed Sept. 1. But it is not too late for the municipality to outline its program of developing the ground early next year. Mr. Marott is to be lauded for his offer. Some time ago The Times suggested that a real estate owner on the north side make the park board a proposal. Mr. Marott has done that. Future of the north side playground situation now rests with the city. There can be no reason why the issue should be dodged. GOVERNMEN T LAWYERS 'll 7TTH Dean Justin Miller of Duke uni- ’ versity law school taking over New Deal litigation, it is hoped that the government henceforth will be more aggressive in its court battles. Called unexpected to his cabinet position, Attorney-General Cummings perhaps didn't have time to make a careful selection of subordinates. Democratic party spoilsmen took advantage of him and staffed the justice department in part with a group of political deadheads who wouldn't even have been considered for the jobs had the late Senator Tom Walsh lived to take charge. Apparently Mr. Cummings has tried to weed out some of the incompetents. From the first it has been obvious that the department has been one of the weak links in the Roosevelt administration. Although NR A codes have been upheld in 90 pier cent of the cases coming before federal courts, the major credit for these legal victories goes to NRA's legal division under Donald Rickberg. Justice department lawyers were outmaneuvered in preliminary court skirmishes in the celebrated Weirton steel case and the Greif garment case at Baltimore. And their record in prosecuting oil code violators and others has been none too good. The interests trying to break the back of the New Deal employ the best talent that money can buy. and the government is at distinct disadvantage when it has to depend upon lawyers whose chief claim to fame is party service. Our government is entitled to the service of the best lawyers of the land. Others of Dean Miller's caliber should be recruited. MONEY WELL INVESTED FEDERAL funds are being spent so lavishly these days that an allotment of $25,000 hardly seems worth noticing. Nevertheless, the expenditure of that sum at the Michigan College of Mines, at Houghton. Mich., eventually may be worth untold millions to middle western industry. The college is using the money to undertake research in methods of using low-grade iron ores. The rich Michigan iron mines, according to college experts, will be practically depleted within twenty years. But even then they will contain billions upon billions of tons of low-grade ore. which, under present methods of exploitation, can not be mined profitably. The Michigan experts hope to find a way in which this enormous store of ore will become commercially available. If they do, that $25,000 research fund will mean incalculable sums to industry throughout the middle west. A BANKING LESSON THAT famous senate banking committee got most of its headlines several months ago. Its story is an old story, by this time; most of us. being humanly forgetful, recall vaguely that a midget sat in J. P. Morgan's lap. and feel somewhat muddled about the rest of it. However, the committee is reporting its findings these days, and the reports make interesting reading. There are some things we ought not to let ourselves forget; among them are the disclosures made by this committee about the ethical code which prevailed among the money changers during the recent boom years. The committee tells what it found out about investment bankers, for instance. It uses such adjectives as “scandalous” and “shocking,” and tells of practices which violated 'the most elementary principles of business ethics.” It recites the sorry tale of the preferred lists.” by which the big boys let certain public servants in on various good things; and it adds drily that "the bankers deny, perhaps too vehemently, that they expect any direct considerations” from these beneficiaries of banking benevolence. It asserts that in floating bond issues the bankers used high pressure methods, pegged prices so high that they could unload before

the bottom fell out of things, and filled their prospectuses with ‘flagrant misrepresentatioas and concealments." fit tells how foreign bonds were issued helter-skelter, with the investor's interests completely overlooked, so that the American public was induced to shoulder "not only the huge indebtedness of foreign industry, now substantially in default, but also the 1 indebtedness of foreign governments.” And it adds, as a final cracker, that many of the abuses in investment banking arose “from the incompetence, negligence, irresponsibility. or cupidity of individuals in the profession.” All this, to be sure, is ancient history. We ! heard it ail at the time the committee was taking testimony. Why repeat it all now? Because it is an indictment which we must never forget. A few years ago these money changers posing as oracles and seers. They told us what men were fit persons to run the country and what men were not. They made solemn pronouncements on the issues of the day. and advised us sagely on governmental policies. We listened to them respectfully, and did as they suggested. If we keep this whole story in mind, we shall be a less docile audience in the future—which will be a very good thing for us I indeed.

Liberal Viewpoint BY DR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

THE fundamental cultural issue involved in the movement to purge the movies is one of far greater significance than is perceived usually. It goes more deeply than the question of the profits of a great industry or the salaries of its artists. It also is something wider than the issue of whether or not self-constituted bodies shall censor the education, morals and art of the American people. It brings sharply to the fore the basic question of who shall be our guides in so advanced and highly civilized an age as the second quarter of the twentieth century. Moving pictures are more than an industry. They are. or certainly should be. a prominent element in our culture, ranking with the newspapers. radio, and the stage. They already have attained a marvelous development as a manifestation of applied science and popular art. In spite of all the valid criticism which may be leveled against them, it is doubtful whether any other notable product of recent capitalistic enterprise offers more to the public for its money or contains so slight an element of evil in proportion to the educational and recreational facilities provided. ana ALMOST any sane and civilized man would, however, welcome any intelligent movement, within or without the films, to insure better pictures. We would profit greatly if we could have productions which dealt with more vital and realistic themes. The movies could do far more than they achieve at present in the way of popular education and social guidance. Even from the artistic standpoint, where the movies are admittedly strongest, there is immense room for improvement. While not a movie addict myself, I certainly have seen representative movies which fall into every category of film productions. I have never seen in any movie open to the public any production which struck me as even moderately approaching obscenity or immorality. I have been impressed much more frequently with insufferable dullness or the incredible triviality and imbecility of many pictures. There are some very popular film clowns who seem to me in every way far more objectionable than a hundred May Wests or Clara Bows. I say this not as an apostle of solemnity, for I can enjov Eddie Cantor very thoroughly and even can take the Marx Brothers a couple of times a year with some gusto. tt tt n Even this most deadly charge against the movies—that of a prevailing trend toward trivality, nonsense and too often sheer imbecility, may be lodged quite as much against the American public as against the film industry. I personally am well acquainted with some of the leading producers and know that they would much prefer to make their millions out of worthy and educational films if they could do so. Many a producer has spent large sums in making pictures which dealt intelligently with an important current social theme only to find that the antics of one of his clowns brought in a hundredfold more paid admissions. Inasmuch as the film industry is not a charitable enterprise, but one of the most highly organized and expensively equipped of capitalistic undertakings, it hardly can be blamed if it produces what the public wants. It is nothing else than the old. old story of having to vend the wares for which there is a mass demand if we are going to operate an elaborate industry under the profit system. No honest and fair critic of the movies well can allege that the' producers have been as reluctant to give us films providing both social education and a high order of entertainment as the public has been in giving the necessary support to such laudable efforts.

Capital Capers BY GEORGE ABELL

SILK-HATTED Butler Wright, who used to meet visiting celebrities on behalf of the secretary of state when they came to Washington. is back in the capital en route to be American minister in Czechoslovakia. Butler arrived from Uruguay (where he's been minister for the past three years>. As usual, he breezed into Washington carrying a brief case. He always carries a brief case. It’s a habit. Incidentally, the brief case is invariably empty. Beaming, clad in gray flannels, Butler (or Butsy, as they call him) extended 3 hand to old state department colleagues.-boomed: “Well, I'm off for Czechoslovakia. Sailing Sept. 12.” Then, mindful that Francis White, his predecessor as minister at Prague, had resigned his post saying that the legation windows rattled and there wasn't enough heat for the 112 rooms, he added; “I'm going over to see if those windows really rattle.” Little Mary Wright. Butsy's 15-year-old daughter, is going over with her father. When he was minister to Hungary, Mary learned to speak Magyar. When he went to Uruguay, she learned Uruguayan Spanish. In between times she picked up German and French. "After two weeks in Prague,” grinned Butsy, "she'll speak Czech like a native.” nun ANEW YORKER who went west early in life. Envoy Butler Wright loves the great open spaces. He likes horses, the lonely howl of coyotes, cactus. August moons rising above lowmountain ranges and the solitude of his home in Wyoming. “I want to take my family out to Wyoming.” muses Diplomat Wright, “but I don't know whether I'll have time.” In the meanwhile, he will take them out to Chicago to see the World's fair. One way, they'll travel by bus; the other way by train. • See more of the country that way,” explains Butsy. While Envoy Wright goes about Washington shaking hands, making plans for his new job. dynamic Mrs. Wright plays bridge. She's mad over contract. Blonds are disappearing, according to latest reports. Some of them with other women's husbands. With the “consent” of Senator Huey Long. Louisiana is going to have a department of music. And the taxpayer will pay the fiddler.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns. Make pour letters short, so all can have a chance. lAm it them to tSO words or less.J tt n a ADVANCES REMEDY TO CURB CRIME By a Times Reader. We are sinning against our youth in a most unforgivable fashion, and the men whom we have elected to fill our responsible places would like to pass the “buck” back to the public, pretending we lack interest. But that is only a poor excuse and in an effort to escape their duty. The majority had faith in them before the election ballyhoo, or they would never have been elected. If we could only have more newspapers like The Times the public might be censured justly for not being more politically minded. The public has no direct way of voicing its opposition of a matter publicly without a process of organization, and usually that is factional, unless our newspapers offer their services at their own expense, as The Times does. Mostly the officials would rather not know the general public reaction. If we could ever get the right type of official in he would welcome it. I would like to suggest to our state officials a method whereby I believe the whole crime situation can be vastly improved in a comparatively short time without much costly equipment. We already have a multitude of welfare workers who should know more about crime breeding than all the special commissions we could employ. Why not allow our young offenders to enlist in our federal army? Even though they are too young to be regularly enlisted, schools could be maintained at the posts where their studies could be attended to by competent teachers who have been selected in respect to their ability for this special work. On entering the post, no one except the high officials would know the offense for which the youth was incarcerated. It would be the sacred duty of all regularly enlisted men to ignore any reference to any irregularity about these youths that they might hear and it would be their solemn duty to help them correct any wrong tendencies that they m.ght notice which would bring them to further grief. tt a b TAKES ISSUE WITH MILLIKAN VIEWS By Hu?h B. Marshall. Asa reader of The Tmjes. one of the unfortunates, along with my family of five children, to be crushed and torn from each other and be held out of a job without sufficient wages to make a home and maintain my family, I read in The Times of Aug. 6 where the New Deal is attacked by Dr. Millikan and I feel called upon to answer in the interest of the most people involved. He states a group of political philosophers and sociologists seeks to make man dependent on the state, after science has taught him to rely on his own efforts. Some call it Socialism, some Communism, but he calls it stateism. to include this whole tendency toward government ownership and operation of everything, which he thinks weakens " self-reliance, discourages private initiative and diminishes opportunity, stimulates bonus marches, veteran rackets and even teachers’ federal lobbies. I wish to say that two old major parties have controlled this country too long, building the laws to please their fat pocketbooks; laws which have placed the common peo-

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The Message Center

THAT’S THE WAY I STARTED

Holds Creation of Credit V. S. Duty

By Constitutionalist. News from Washington stated that a proposal for the next congress would be the creation of a “Central Bank of issue and credit.” completely controlled by the government. This is news of the first magnitude. The Federal Reserve System is a private institution. Its name has fooled many citizens into believing that it was a government unit, publicly owned, like the word “National” over a bank might indicate its public ownership. The creation of credit, which is identical with the creation of a medium of exchange, properly belongs to the government. The creation of credit by banks, through loans to operate the mechanism of production, exceeded the actual money ill circulation from six to ten times. Real money had to speed its turnover to keep pace with this bookkeeping “bankers credit money.” When the crash in Wall street pulled the pegs out from under this bookkeeping credit money, thirty billion dollars in bankers credits

pie in worse slavery than the Ne- j groes were under. They have had j their chance and shut down on! their capital, closing the factories,' starving the people. Therefore, the common people feel they should have a power of government which can and will open the factories, pay wages and dictate such laws that people can live under. We all know that the only thing which will bring this to pass is full government ownership of all monopolies, whether called Communism. Socialism, stateism or what not. a a a PHOTO-ENGRAVERS’ UNION PRAISED Bv E. M. Baker. Much has been said detrimental to union labor. I wish to say a word of commendation for the Photo-Engravers’ Union, who have paid benefits for the past several years to their unemployed members. My neighbor with two small children would be destitute were it not for the $lO he receives weekly from this orgnaization. e a it SEEKS INFORMATION ON DAM PROJECT By L. G. Parker. I am writing you because you seem to be the only persons interested in the welfare of the general public around here and I am wondering if you know whether there is a licensed engineer on the Brownstewn project. I do not know what the work is there any more than that they are building a dam and some buildings, but my interest was aroused yesterday when the father-in-law of a man on the job told me he was doing all of the surveying and supervising the job. The man on the job is Ralph Miley, a Shelbyville man and a great friend of Pleas Greenlee. He belongs to the legion, worked hard for McNutt’s election and was promised a good job. but he has always been a paperhanger and interior decorator, and a good one but knows nothing about surveying, unless he may have picked up some information on ihe job. I have been a Democrat all my life, but I am not in favor of many things being done in the state, and

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

went into thin air in one single day. Like a house of cards, the whole money credit structure toppled, until today those credit tickets written on bankers books have tumbled thp book values on American wealth over one hundred billion dollars. The sky seemed to be the limit for that type of money. So we are all scratching to get our fingers on the greenbacks to pay our bills. That method of creating money by credit creates a mountain of debt. The mountain turns out to be a volcano, spewing out disaster to industry, farmer and worker. If the bankers had had real money to loan out instead of bank credit tickets which evaporated on check withdrawal, the tickets would still be in circulation. Its high time we ask congress to put the constitution into effect, by forcing the creation of money and fixing of its value by congress. Money includes credit money, and the volume of both money and credit are of great importance to balanced industry.

most emphatically not in favor of carrying patronage to the extent of putting men on important jobs who are not equipped with the knowledge to do it. It is hard to believe such a thing would be done, but as a taxpayer I am interested and hope you can find out. Editor’s Note —The name Os Ralph Miley does not appear on the state relief commission pay roll for Brownstown park dam project, offirials here said. John R. Curry, stale supervising engineer for the Governor's commission on unemployment, said all foremen are named by the loral town and city government offirials, that the projects are inspected by the district inspection engineer, and that the district engineer reports supervision on the dam project is good. He said the dam is completed and is holding eleven feet of water, more than had been anticipated. a a a THINKS “NEW DEAL CAPITALISM” DOOMED By Futurist. How many years must depression last before it ceases to be temporary? How many years must pass before the American public discovers that we are sinking deeper and deeper into the mud? True enough, lavish spending by the government concealed this fact, but alas, the money is borrowed. This method of keeping capitalism on its shaky feet will stop when the bondholders discover the slim chance of ever getting their money back, or at best, that their bonds will be redeemed with dollars worth 10 cents apiece. The Republican party will broadcast those possibilities, thus

Daily Thought

Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.—Jeremiah, 51:17. , IT is not he who forms idols In gold or marble that makes them gods, but he who kneels before them. —Martial.

AUG. 11, 1934

rendering a real service to the Socialist party. In the meantime, Now Deal capitalism staggers long with a constantly weakening pulse. Suppase we should live to see one more boom, necessarily brought about, through a loosening credit. Would production and consumption be balanced? Os course not. That can only happen in a Socialistic society. The new boom would be very short-lived and we rapidly would sink into the mud deeper than ever before. To launch such a boom a Republican majority would bp necessary first, because the New Deal is putting restrictions upon unlimited profits and rugged individualism. For the same reason no business expansion will take place as long as we have the New Deal. The conclusion is that, if the Republicans should win once more, we will get Socialism through a boom and a sudden collapse of unsurpassed dimensions. If thp Democrats stay in power, we will get; socialism through a rather slow annual decline. I am for the quicker of the two ways, whichever it, may be. a a a URGES ABOLITION OF SLOT MACHNE RACKET By Br. .1. E. Pn<>. I read your editorial on slot machines and it is amusing, indeed, that the law-enforcement officers do not know who the owners are. We had a most Undesirable neighbor last summer, who had his garage full of slot machines. He carried his little rolls of money in and out in a small metal box. He carried many machines out. wrapped in green cloth. He gave drunken parties in which his guests were very noisy. He had a very good living. He would get drunk and beat his wife, and was anything but a gentleman. No other neighbors of this sort are around here. We lived on one side of him and a police officer lived on the other. We never got a good night's rest while he lived here. He was one of those loud-mouthed kind, shoeing on the telephone at all hours of the night, answering calls of drunks to get them out of jail and directing taxis how to find him. Our streets are full of dogs, with not enough police to catch them, but there was no shortage of police at the Real Silk, was there? More power to you. Clean up these law violations which are flaunted in our faces. You can do much to expose them.

ROOM

BY HARRIETT SCOTT OLINICK How gracious is this room, these ivory walls. This stretching sweep of carpet, soft and deep. These cushioned chairs; warm drinks of crimson wine. These corners where the violet shadows creep. This tall grandfather clock, aloof and old; Its white face wears a calm of settled years. This spinet desk of richly gleaming wood. This pale statue; a stream of crystal tears. I pause upon the threshold, breathlessly. And though it is quite empty, calm and still, I sense the presence of a loving host Exerting into space his gracious will.