Indianapolis Times, Volume 46, Number 166, Indianapolis, Marion County, 21 November 1934 — Page 14

PAGE 14

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WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 21 IM< MORE FASCIST TALK THERE u unnecejsary excitement over unconfirmed reports that General Sm*dley Butler told a congressional committee that he declined an offer to lead a half million veterans in a march on Washington to overthrow the government. Two Wall Street men—one of whom already has protested his innocence— are mentioned In the reports as the financial wheelhorses in the alleged Fascist dream All of this has served to revive discussion of the potentialities of Fascism in the United Statea. There are, and always have been in this country, persona who look with favor upon dictatorship. Until the present economic depression overtook us. these worshippers of the Mussolini technique were too few to be noticed. But they gained recruits with the spread Os distreas and impatience with cumbersome Democratic methods. The tragic example of Hitlerized Germany and the effort of the New Deal to adjust Democratic machinery to economic realities have abated this Fascist sentiment. Nevertheless the seeds have been sown. Whether they will grow will depend largely upon the success or failure of the New Deal. If the millions in distress lose hope, a situation might develop which would be made to order for a “man on horseback" —a demagogue of the unscrupulous type of Huey Long, possessing a flair for political strategy and appeal to discouraged youth. But if President Roosevelt continues his leadership, and if he is given half a chance by the conservatives to win the national battle for recovery and reform, the Hueys never will get to be Hitlers. STOP TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS WITHIN the last few days. The Times has been receiving complaints on the parking and traffic situation in Indianapolis. Many persons. It appears, feel that the traffic laws of the city are being enforced in a haphazard manner and that persons who are prominent in politics and business have the ••edge" over the ordinary citizen who is forced to pay his fine for double or overtime parking. No law on traffic violations ever will be letter perfect. No matter how hard the police or councilmen try to control the situation there always will be someone in the accused list who knows his way around the officers in charge and can wriggle from under the charge. The police department, no doubt, feels that much time and monev is beng wasted in planting stickers on automobiles. It is a matter of common knowledge that but a small number of the stickers issued ever come back to the traffic department with the $2 fine attached. In order to avoid some major tragedy on the streets of Indianapolis and also to halt a situation which already is bad, the city of Indianapolis and its police officers should conduct a rigid campaign against traffic violations. The man or woman who can not park or drive a car properly should not be allowed to possess such privileges. The politicians who make a business of fixing stickers and other violations should be stopped now. Friendships don’t mean much when a reckless driver kills or injures a pedestrian or another autoist. The Sullivan administration is preparing to leave office with an outstanding record. Let this administration clean up this last vestige of an indication that perhaps the laws have not been enforced to the limit. ANOTHER ELECTION WITHIN the next few weeks the Second congressional district will stage an election to name the man who will serve in the place of Frederick Landis. Republican congressman-elect, who died last week. It is a shame that Mr. Landis died at such an inopportune time. As the only member of the house of representatives elected by the Republicans in Indiana. Mr. Landis would have had the exceptional opportunity of checking matters which, perhaps, a too enthusiastic Democratic-controlled house alight seek to PAS*. An offset of the opposite political faith Is a heAlthy aid to any party in power. It is not in the cards that one party shall run away with control wthout someone blocking the program here and there —for the better. Many voters In the Second congressional district will be voting much differently than they did Nov. . Let it be hoped they use the good judgment already demonstrated. BIDDLE GOES TO WORK FRANCIS BIDDLE ha* started his task as cha*r ian of the national labor relations beard determined to bring about prompt enforcement of it* decisions and to speed supreme court rulings defining its powers. The conditional majority rule decision in collective bargaining, defied in the Houde case; the extent of NLRBS jurisdiction over intrastate and uncoded Industrie*, and even the constitutionality of the congressional resolution under which President Roosevelt created the board, are three major fields wherein the board has been challenged legally. "The quicker the supreme court decides these questions the better it will be for every one concerned." Chairman Biddle says. He I*. of course, correct. A fair and clearcut national labor code, sustained by the supreme court, will do as much or any one other thing to lessen industrial strife. Hundreds of strikes or industrial sore spot* have been attributable to the present uncertainty. More than 300 textile mills today have locked out former strikers because they question the national textile labor board s author- , ♦▼. Labor has resorted to strikes, as in t^e

aluminum company walkout, because It doubted the efficacy of NLRB and thought direct action the ony way to obtain collect: ve bargaining guaranteed by Section 7-Aof NIRA. Chairman Biddle’s drive for court clarification. already given impetus by preparations to prosecute the Houde case should speed orderly recovery. THIS TOPSY-TURVY WORLD 'T'RE topsy-turvy condition of the world today hardly could be appreciated better than through a contrast of American and Russian agricultural programs. , A Russian court In Tashkent recently put fifty-five cotton farmers on trial for their lives. They are accused of having grown only W per cent of the amount of cotton which the government expected them to grow this year; and if the court finds out that they limited production on purpose, all will be shot. Contrast that, now, with the Ar.er. :o farm program, which aims at cutting production rather than expanding it. Laying asid*j the blood-curdling savagery of the penalty involved. the contrast is illuminating. In Russia, the farmer get* into trouble for not raising enough; in America, he gets into trouble if he raises too much. A mad world, this? MAKING MATTERS WORSE ONE of the complicating factors in the budget difficulties which are assailing local units of government these days seems to be an ever-growing readiness on the part of the voters to cut off needed funds at the source. In many state the power of amending the state Constitution by referendum petitions has been used to limit the tax on real estate, to exempt autos from personal property taxes, and to restrict use of gasoline tax funds to highway construction. In addition, emergency tax and bond Issues are being turned down at the polls with monotonous regularity. The result, in many cases, has been to cripple city and county governments unbearably. Schools are closing, poor relief work is being cut, police departments are decaying—all because the voters are adopting an unexpectedly hard-boiled attitude toward local finances. While the effort to keep taxes down is natural and right, the consequences are rapidly becoming extremely serious. ITALY AND AMERICA IT always is easier to figure out what is going on in a foreign country if we translate the action there into local terms. By imagining how some European program would look if It were being followed in America, with American actors in the leading roles, we usually can get a pretty fair idea of its nature. So it Is with the latest development of Mussolini's “corporative state” in Italy. It is worth while to picture this in America—not only because that gives us a better idea of Italian conditions, but also because it shows, by contrast, how far from Fascism our own setup really is. Suppose, then, that we have this Mussolini system in operation in America, and that you are a business man anxious to open anew factory to make, let us say, clothes-pins. First of all, you must go to Washington and satisfy Mr. Roosevelt that the clothespin industry needs anew factory and that you will be able to sell clothespins if you make them. You also must permit the minister of corporations—Secretary Roper, for instance —to put a man on your board of directors and examine your books. Getting the necessary approval, you open up. You automatically become a member of a vast corporation which embraces all the woodcutters, clothespin makers and clothespin sellers in the United States; your employes, likewise, become members of an allied corporation including all other such employes. The wages you pay are fixed by law; you pay no more and no less. Your workers can’t strike, and you can’t fire them. Any dispute must go before the labor relations board, whose decision is final. Suppose you don’t like this, and want to appeal to congress for a change. Congress, as it previously existed, is gone. Instead, you find a group of congressmen representing, not the various states, but the industries of steel, oil, auto manufacture, farming, railroads, and so on. Each of these industries Is grouped in a gigantic corporation—whose head is Mr. Roosevelt, assisted by three of Jim Farley's boys. This being the case, Messrs. Roosevelt and Farley hold the upper hand In congress. Congress does exactly what these two wish, and no more. Meanwhile Mr. Farley’s men are forever inspecting your factory to see if you are efficient. If you aren't, they can shut you up or make any change in your method of operations they see fit. A fantastic picture? To be sure. But it is nothing more than a translation Into American terms of the actual situation in Italy * today. The liberal Republicans who are criticizing their party for its losses in the recent election seem to think that its allotment of ivory isn't confined to the elephant’s tusks. So many young zealots have just been elected to congress, the older Democrats there may be in for a liberal” education. Kansas again insisted on remaining dry, while six more states seemed to go over for repeal. Kansas must be waiting until the liquor gets better. Guests at the Duke of Kent-Princess Marina wedding will have to wear hats, so they wont talk altogether about the bride and groom. A Cleveland citizen voted for a convicted banker in prison, figuring perhaps that a banker in jail is about as good as a politician in office. North Dakota authorities were wrong in arresting a man caught with forty live skunks. He should get a medal, as soon as any one can get to him. Former Mayor Jimmy Walker of New York Is going to appear in an English movie directed by Mack Sennett. Well, Jimmy had a lot of experience with comedy when he was mayor of New York.

Liberal Viewpoint B¥ DR. HARR! ELMER BARNES

OF all the examples of social lag In our civilization. none is more striking than those related to the patriarchal theory of the property rights of the husband in his wife. In our day, this has led to the development, among other things, of a veritable alienation of affections racket. This patriarchal doctrine is in operation today in every state in the union except Louisiana: “The right of property of one spouse in the other is being constantly reiterated by the courts. It is, in fact, the basis of every suit for alienation of affections. A wife still is considered a piece of movable goods, and the person who entices away from the garden patch is answerable to the husband in money.” The whole fatter is discussed in a very informing and diverting article by Anthony M Turano on the “Racket of Stolen Love” in the American Mercury. As Mr. Turano points out, in our legal theory the wife is assumed to have less independence, personal volition and will power than a stray animal. There is a legal difference between the alienation of a wife anti a simple case of cattlerustling. An ordinary horse thief may plead that the mare strayed away of her own volition, in search of the greener pastures of the covetous neighbor. But no such defense can be urged by the man who appropriates a chattel from the kitchen. “It is Judicially assumed, under this musty theory of marriage as property, that all wedded women are, ipso facto, imbeciles whose wills are paralyzed immediately by the first Romeo who strums a guitar under the family balcony.” nan THE most important change in the law in recent years has been to bring husbands also within the proprietary conception of amorosity and marriage. “It is now agreed, in most jurisdictions, that a devoted husband may be, no less than his mate, ‘enticed, seduced, tempted, lured, incited, persuaded,’ and turned into so much malleable putty in the hands of a scheming Delilah.” This racket goes to unbelievable length. In a New Jersey case, a wife first sued her husband for a divorce, receiving in return for his fading affections $35,000 worth of real estate, $20,000 in cash and an alimony allowance of $4,000 a year. Next, she turned upon the enchantress who had lured her husband away. She was allowed a judgment of $90,000 against the siren. The supreme court of the state upheld her right to collect in both proceedings. This racket goes so far as to involve not merely the beneficiaries in the new amorous setup but even relatives who may have been guilty of bad judgment in taking sides in a matrimonial dispute. In a Delaware case, a mother-in-law was directed by the court to pay $38,000 in damages lor taking the side of her son in a conjugal dispute. In a Montana case, a mother-in-iaw was assessed $20,000 in a similar situation even though it was shown that she had attempted to prevail upon her son not to obtain a divorce. ana THE courts often allow damages even when it is shown that one of the complaining parties is notoriously immoral. In an Illinois case, a husband collected SI,OOO per head on successive adulteries of his wife. As Mr. Turano points out: “It follows that an unusually eloquent wife may converse criminally with all members of the state militia, and that the husband can demand payment, presumably as much as §I,OOO from every successive poacher on his legal preserves.” The absurdities of the whole matter are summarized admirably by Mr. Turano: “It appears that human devotion is no less measurable than so much corn in a domestic silo. The jury first must compute the original tonnage, then deduct the portion that has flown away through natural causes, and finally charge the thief, in money, for the exact fraction that he appropriated.” A sane view of this whole problem has been well stated by the Louisiana supreme court. In this state the law is based upon the old Roman jurisprudence which furnishes the model for continental Europe. Here “no such judicial shake-downs are possible”: “A law that would allow the husband compensation in money for such a wrong, would be revolting to a majority of men, and might tend more to encourage blackmail than to protect the home.”

Capital Capers B¥ GEORGE ABELL

GENIAL Postmaster-General Jim Farley has been given a surprise party by friends in Washington. The good-natured chairman of the Democratic national party wandered into a gathering of his associates, to find himself face to face w’ith a most attractive woman. “Mr. Postmaster-General,” intoned a master of ceremonies, “May I present to you Miss Josephine Roche of Colorado?” Jim Farley bowed low, and his face became the color of an Arizona sunset. “I’m so happy to meet you,” said Miss Roche. “Delighted,” murmured Jim. It was the postmaster-general’s first meeting with Miss Roche, who has been appointed by President Roosevelt as assistant secretary of the treasury. Recently, Miss Roche sought nomination on the Democratic ticket as Governor of Colorado but was defeated. She is president of the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company and is one of the country’s best known business women. a a a PROFESSOR RAYMOND MOLEY. adviser extraordinary to President Roosevelt and farmer “brain truster,” apparently is keeping up his contacts with the administration. Quizzed by one of his students during his classes on government the other day. Professor Moley pounded his desk, remarked heatedly: “I told the President not to use that expression in his speech.” Officials are laughing heartily over the story, which has wide circulation. ana THE Brazilian embassy celebrated informally a most informal holiday. Occasion of the celebration was the proclamation of the Brazilian Republic, but there was no formal rejoicing. By popular consent the anniversary of Independence day falls in September. Nevertheless, Mr. Freitas Valle, counselor of the Brazilian embassy and an ardent patriot, entertained informally at a small party in honor of the Brazilian ambassador, Senhor Aranha. Brazilian independence was toasted in champagne and whisky, and—most appropriately— Rio de Janeiro coffee. Only a few more days to Thanksgiving, and the Republicans haven’t found anything yet to be thankful for. A Toledo jury convicted a gangster in connection with four murders, but recommends mercy. As though the gangster understood that word. Depression, according to medical scientists, is caused by a lack of magnetism. That being the medical term, probably, for money. Preserving the peace by means of arms may be possible in some quarters, but whoever heard of preserving anything in gunpowder? A special black shirt organization is provided in Italy for boys as young as six years. Soon Mussolini will see that all boys are born in black shirts. Film stars who vote for Upton Sinclair, it Is said, have been threatened with loss of their Jobs—even il the studios have to shut down.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

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The Message Center

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns. Make your letters short, so all can have a chance. lAmit them to 250 words or lessJ nan FATHER COUGHLIN’S DREAM WILL FLOP, SAYS READER By H. C. A. To those who are listening to Father Coughlin's programs, it ought to be clear that Fascism is here in our midst. Father Coughlin’s speeches hardly are distinguishable from Hitler’s early ejaculations, with the exception that Adolf kept the Lord out of it. True enough, Hitler has changed since he became a dictator, but so will Father Coughlin when he becomes the dictator of America, and discovers that his dream of equipping the capitalists with wings turns out to be a flop. One argument against Socialism which often is heard is that you can’t change human nature. It will not at all be necessary to do so in order to establish the co-operative commonwealth, but the realization of the utopian society of Father Coughlin, in which capital and labor are supposed to be partners and eat out of the same tray, would require such a thorough change of human nature that, if it could be done, all industrialists would be worthy of canonization by the Catholic church. Although the Fascist scheme of Father Coughlin is a ridiculous thing, it is most likely to get a tremendous following among an utterly disgusted people, who lacks information as to the right steps to take in behalf of its own liberation from industrial slavery. Like a modern Moses, Father Coughlin wants to lead his children out of slavery, but all he will accomplish will be to keep them walking around in a desert for forty years, and then, when they see the promised land, it will not be Father Coughlin who will lead them across the border, but Joshua, the Socialist. a a a TIMES LAUDED FOR USE OF UNION LABEL By a Subscriber. Well may The Times look with pride on its union label, appearing on itr upper left-hand corner of its editorial page. Silently, but powerfully, it declares the fairness of The Times toward labor. On Indiana the sun never sets without casting its rays upon many new friends of The Times, made by that one-half square inch of space which is sacred to all Christians—people who value human life more highly than they do the money of the rich and powerful. Just as we need the light of day to give us freedom from physical darkness, so do we need the truth of The Times to dispel the gloom of prejudice and ignorance which too long has held the mind of labor in bondage. At present this union label will help The Times to swell its circulation in Bloomington. But The Times must strike while the iron is hot. A Republican partisan newspaper is unfriendly to organized labor. Unfairness to organized labor is labor's accusation. Their virile Paul Reveres have sounded the alarm across the countryside. The redblooded workers will answer intelligently and effectively. May The Indianapolis Times receive the consideration it deserves in Bloomington homes where a newspaper which represents organized labor Is in demand. Before we choose a newspaper for our home.

GETTING NOWHERE FAST

Traffic System Scored

By J. R. The writer of the recent Message Center letter who said that the city police are passing up a bet on tagging' overtime-parked and double-parked cars, certainly knew his subject. Throughout the entire downtown district recently there seems to be a general lack of enforcement of the traffic laws by police officers. It seems rather odd to have the experience of being cursed on one corner by a flatfoot and then driving around the block to find cars double, and sometimes, triple-parked in our busiest sections. Recently an Indianapolis woman told me that she and members of her family were nding in an automobile operated by a California resident. The driver actually was ignorant of the traffic laws, having been in the city only twenty-four hours. He attempted a left turn at Meridian and Washington streets, but altered his course to the east as soon as the police officer blew his whistle. The cop, though, apparently was

let us have the wit to look for a union label. Today is the time for Bloomington to learn the reasons why The Times has recently become the most popular newspaper in Indianapolis. Many like The Times because it is easy to understand and its comics amuse; the business and professional men, because its news is condensed and reliable, and the thinkers are its friends because of its many splendid articles and editorials which state facts as they exist in reality. a a a END OF DEPRESSION IS WITH MANUFACTURER By Mrs. L. I am a reader of The Times, and above all, a daily reader of the Message Center. We have been talking politics. Now that it is all over, let us talk of the real and only way to end this depression. Some critic will say, “Let’s see you end it.” You can't end it working on these projects, for all we get out of the FERA is a little something to eat and perhaps you can pay your rent, but Mr. Manufacturer, sweep the dust off your machines, put up a sign, “help wanted,” pay a decent wage and see what happens. There is not a factory in the whole United States that would not profit, for we need furniture, clothes, shoes and automobiles. We need electric lights instead of these dingy old kerosene lamps. We need gas, which is far cheaper than coal, and half of us have no water. We have to carry it a square or more. So, now, Mr. Manufacturer, open the doors of your shop and push the ship out to sea and watch her sail. ana APPOINTMENT OF MULLIN AS POLICE CHIEF URGED By a Democrat. For the last week I have been reading in your paper some of the wild ramblings of persons who are trying to promote the reappointment of Chief Mike Morrissey by reason of his extraordinary ability. I have lived in this city for more than forty years. During that time I have seen some mighty fine chiefs of police; some with police training previous to their appointment to that office and others without any training. Some people misunderstand Just what the functions of chief of police

1 wholly disapprove of what you &ay and will defend to the death your right to say it. — Voltaire.

not satisfied with his performance and proceeded to bawl out all members of the automobile party, using language which, in the old days, was termed “them are fightin’ words, podner.” Another good example of negligence in parking enforcement occurred Monday night in the first block of Kentucky avenue, south of Washington street. An autoist and his wife stood patiently on the curb waiting for someone to move the car that was parked double, beside theirs. Finnally—a man who is employed in a nearby hotel came out of the building and remove**—his car from the path of the couple's parked automobile. At the same time there were two cars parked in a third string in the center of the street while on the other side of the thoroughfare double parking also was prevalent. The police of Indianapolis can not expect the taxpayers and motorists to consider the situation seriously when conditions similar to these are permitted to exist.

! are. For many years I came in direct contact with police officers and know that the success of the chief of police is not due so much to his own ability directing as much as the ability of captains under him, and certainly every one who has been acquainted with the political picture knows that these men are not appointed directly by the chief of police. I have known John Mullin, who is at present a captain of police for more than twenty-five years. I remember him as a policeman, as a detective and as an officer holding various ranks. He is acquainted with the work of the police department from the ground up. He has the temperament and the respect of the men in the department and certainly if there is such a thing as reward for meritorious police service. Captain Mullin is entitled to be promoted to chief of police. We must remember that Mike Morrissey became chief from a lieutenantcy, and never had held a higher rank than that previous to his appointment. Captain Mullin has been captain of police many times and should at this time receive very serious consideration for the chief of police appointment. It indeed will be gratifying to some of us who believe in fair play to see Captain John Mullin as the chief of police under Mayor John Kern ana DEMANDS ENFORCEMENT OF NR A CODES By a Faithful Reader. I read The Times daily. I notice you do your stuff. You had a story under the heading of “Blue Eagles Come Out of Their Hiding Places.” I was thinking the other day, as I strolled around, what had become of them, as I saw but very few. What is the matter with the NRA administrators and code authorities that they can’t see these things? What’s the matter, Walter B. Smith, that you have not got these hotels on the NRA and better working conditions. Yes, they all display the hotel and restaurant codes, but they certainly don"t comply with them. Why is it that they can get by with it an> more tjian any one else? You know, Mr. Smith, that they are not complying with the code. I think you were made the hotel code authority to see that the NRA was complied with. I want to thank you and^lo

_NOV. 21,1934

commend you, Mr. Editor, for making a survey of these conditions. Keep up the good work. a a a GIRL SCOUTS THANK TIMES FOR CO-OPERATION Bv Bea Thoburn Schlitgps. At the last regular meeting of the Indianapolis and Marion county Girl Scout council appreciation was expressed unanimously for the cooperation and generosity of The Indianapolis Times which has helped make possible the recent national. Girl Scout public relations division award to our council. May we take this opportunity of thanking you for this co-operation with our Girl Scout council, and with Mrs. Droke, chairman of publicity committee, in the execution of our year's program, which won for us the aw'ard.

So They Say

If I were certain I could help my people by leaving, i would. But I am a national Socialist fighter.— Reich Bishop Ludwdg Mueller. -3 Lots of nights I almost went mad just thinking of things.—Nicholas Schwall, Waukegan (111.) banker returned from a hermit’s life to face, charge of embezzlement. We never subsidize a private firm for producing arms—never. Sir John Simon, British foreign secretary. The realest things in emotional education are paintings in schools and high school orchestras. Dr. William M. Lewis, president of Lafayette college. The churches pepped up the boys in 1917. The next time the people who believe in God can not preach that war is a holy crusade.—Briga-dier-General Smedley D. Butler. From all I saw and observed, I should say that Mussolini wants peace in his heart as being the best thing for humanity.—William Cardinal O'Connell of Boston. I was concerned tremendously in finding out what was myself inside of me. I think that's general of college students.—Gertrude Stein.

Daily Thought

O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn My glory unto shame? How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?—Psalms, 4:2. WE have always pretensions to fame which, in our hearts, we know to be disputable.—Dr. Johnson.

LIFE

BY POLLY LOIS NORTON The bubbles break in the brimming cup, The dew-dust spray from the ruby ; wine . ; Tickles the nostril's wiggling tip As it sniffs the first fruits of the" vine. Mellifluous is your freight, oh glass,. Each man willingly drinks his peer* But few the brave, when the pleasures pass, Who as gladly drain the bitter