Indianapolis Times, Volume 46, Number 245, Indianapolis, Marion County, 21 February 1935 — Page 18

PAGE 18

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THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 21. 1935.

IMPROVE NR A ■p* MPLOYERS, workers and the people gencrally will agree with President Roosevelt’s message to Congress insisting that the life of the National Recovery Administration be extended two years. This typically American experiment in co-. operation under a competitive system, as the President said, has helped to re-employ some four million workers, outlawed the worst evils of sweatshop and child labor, raised wages and reduced hours, laid down a rule for collective bargaining, purged trade of many dishonorable practices. Under it "the pattern of anew order of industrial relations is definitely taking shape." But without adequate social control, NRA can become an instrument of exploitation and tyranny. Its actual operation has revealed many weaknesses and injustices. Unless these are corrected now they may become intrenched in two years, m which case NRA may cause more harm than good. President Roosevelt has pointed out some of the more glaring weaknesses. He has left it to Congress to frame amendments correcting them. NRA's chief failures have been in enforcement. The President suggests that violators of codes and regulations should not be put in jail, but punished by "other and more effective means.” Presumably this would be through court injunctions. Doubtless he will make this auegestion more explicit. Needing clarification is Section 7-A, which the President says should be continued. "The rights of the employes freely to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining should be fully protected,” he told Congress. Labor’s right to organize should be spelled out clearly, either under an amended NIRA or under the pending Wagner labor disputes bill. The President also sees dangers from private monopoly and price-fixing. Anti-trust law principles "should more adequately be applied.” To stop the ruinous waste of natural resources such industries as coal, oil and gas should be regulated by the government to prevent price cutting and "inordinate profits.” Small business men and consumers should be protected from “incorrigible minorities.” "We must make certain,” he said, "that the privilege of co-operating to prevent unfair competition will not be transformed into a license to strangle fair competition under the apparent sanction of law.” President Roosevelt has given Congress a big chore, but one it can not evade. It must either adapt NRA to the welfare of all the people or abandon it as another noble experiment that went wrong. As the President says, however, to abandon the underlying principles is "unthinkable." WEALTH DISTRIBUTION O TART to talk about redistribution of wealth k -' and you immediately set people thinking about the Huey Longs, the Dr. Townsends, and all those other enthusiastic people whose desire for a reshuffling of this world's goods outruns their sense of what is practical. Yet there really is an immense gap between the abstract belief that wealth should be more equitably distributed and the theory that the only way to do it is to take dollars directly out of the rich man's pocket and hand them over to the poor man. The demagog who likes to present an easy formula to cure all social ills does not see this. But that wise old battler for the common man. Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska, gets the idea perfectly. In a speech before a "charter day” audience at the University of Nebraska the other day, Senator Norris demanded redistribution of wealth through the simple means of a progressive Federal inheritance tax. This, as he points out. does not mean taking property from one man and giving it to another. It means taking money from the estates of the very wealthy, where it can perform no real service, to humanity, and spending it in the interests of the man at the bottom of the heap. Such scheme, as he points out, would accomplish two things: It would check the steady, progressive concentration of wealth in the hands of a small class, and it would help materially to relieve the country of pauperism. Furthermore, it would put the redistribution forward m a fair way, A mans right to profit by his industry' or his brilliance would* not be infringed. Only his right to pile up an untouchable fortune for future generations would be reduced. "We have the wealthiest country in the world, and yet one-third of our people are in beggary and want,” says Senator Norris. "We have millions of starving who must be fed. "Whether we like it or not. we must raise billions in taxes. Are we. in this dire predicament, so foolish as to think that the money can be raised by taxing the beggar?” Even so conservative a country as England taxes the estates of the wealthy far more heavily than we do. We can move a great distance from the traditional American economic framework. A more just distribution of wealth is sorely needed. If we don't attempt it in a fair and forthright manner like this, we may eventually be driven to some more drastic and less equitable method. RAMSHACKLE SCHOOLS RESEARCHERS for the National Education Association have just finished a survey of America s public school plant in about onehalf the states and some 100 cities outside of these states. Their findings are shocking. In 17 states and 95 cities they found 687.611 pupils going to school in buildings condemned aa unsafe or unsanitary. They estimate that

in all the states the lives and health of some 1.392,600 children are being endangered daily. This total is greater than the total school enrollment of such states as California. Ohio or Texas. Housed in portable, rented or other temporary structures in 23 states and 108 cities are 618.068 pupils. In 20 states and 108 cities 391,748 pupils are attending school only part time because of inadequate housing. Thus in less than one-half the states and half the cities of 30,000 or more people there are 1,597,427 school children housed either in unsafe cr unsanitary buildings, studying in portable or other temporary quarters, deprived of full time schooling because of school house shortage. Many will be surprised to learn that approximately 8 per cent of the school buildings in 10 states date back to the Civil War. Should tins figure hold nationally, then some 20,000 buildings now’ being used for schools were constructed before 1870. More than one-third of all our school buildings were built between 1870 ai.d 1899. Less than 5 per cent of them have been built since 1930. It is apparent that the government’s rehousing plans must embrace not only city and rural slums, but also the national school plant. And in rebuilding we should also modernize. Fully 16,000 ruial schools need tc be abandoned and the 5,000,000 children now ittending them moved into modern consohuated institutions. Generous provisions for school construction should be included in the pending work relief program. A WORTHY HONOR ''J 'HERE is pending in the .’-louse of Repre- *■ sentatives a bill, already passed by the Senate, which would appoint Alvin C. York, famous war hero, to the r.nk of major in the army and retire him on a pay of $2250 a year. Although Secretary of War Dern opposes the move, on the ground that Sergt. York has already received “the highest honor the government can bestow,” it is likely that the country as a whole would be glad to see the bill enacted. Sergt. York's war exploits are almost incredible. As long as the valor of fighting men is remembered, his name will be listed with the names of the most heroic of so'diers. He has received plenty of medals and has listened to many fine speeches; it would be a gracious move for his country to take this means of removing him forever from the fear of want. HARDLY IN GOOD TASTE T'\RAMATIC critics have written a good deal in recent years about the decline of the stage; but however great this decline may have been, there seer.es to have been no decline whatever in the appetite of a certain section of the theatergoing nubile for dramatic fare of an exceedingly odd kind. Tliis reflection is brought forth by announcement that at least a few’ of the members of the jury that convicted Bruno Hauptmann are going to go on the stage. To go on the stage is an inalienable right of any free-born American citizen, to be sure, provided he can get away with it, and a public which has recently financed public appearances of Pa Dillinger has small right to be finicky. Nevertheless, a number of people would be left with a better taste in their mouths if these jurors should reconsider. HALT CHILD LABOR Ttyl’SGß. JOHN A. RYAN, director of social welfare for the National Catholic Welfare Conference, is the latest public man to add his voice to the demand for ratification of the child labor amendment. This little incident gives us a good glimpse at the suppression of thought which is inevitable under an authoritarian regime. The function of a university is to hunt for and publish the truth —to hunt for it without preconceptions and to present it without fear or favor. Among the first casualties of a dictatorship, is the free inquiry which is a university’s excuse for existence. Dr. Ryan points out that, far from being the product of radicals, the amendment was drafted by such men as Senators Walsh of Montana and Pepper of Pennsylvania and was sponsored by Senator Shortridge of California. He emphasizes the folly of permitting children to work while their elders are on relief and reminds us that NRA’s prohibition of child labor—in some 500 codes—is not, as far as we know, a permanent thing. "It would be deplorable.” he says, "if this amendment should be lost now’ that it is w’ithin sight of victory.” Twenty-four states have ratified it. Twelve more are needed. The job can be done this ▼ear, if friends of the amendment do not relax their efforts. GERMANY MAY HAVE ANSWER A GOOD share of the pending investigation into the failure of our great naval airships might very properly take place in Germany. When you have said all there is to say about the unbroken record of disaster which our airships have compiled, there remains one fact which is not explained—the remarkable manner in which the Germans are able to build and operate airships without ever encountering any comparable trouble. The thing is well w;orth looking into. The big airship has vast potentialities. It could be an extremely useful thing, both in peace and in war. We don’t seem to be able to cash in on these potentialities—but the Germans can. What’s the answer, anyhow? Apparently Italy doesn't mind offering up the lives of thousands to avenge the deaths of a few. Doctors and dentists may deduct the cost of magazines they keep in their offices, in figuring their income taxes. Provided they remember, so far back, what they paid for the magazines. Now that the Prince of Wales has composed a piece for bagpipes, he has something to blow about. If Americans want no entangling alliances, why are we still keeping Huey Long in the United States Senate? v

Liberal Viewpoint BY DR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

IN my last column I pointed out that our American isolationists can get slight satisfaction from Washington's doctrines if they are intelligently read and honestly interpreted. Fr. iu Washington’s time, cnw’ard through the formulation of the Monroe Doctrine there was no important basic departure from the attitude adhered to by Washington. Jefferson deviated from the principles of Washington in no important way. Not even his sympathy with the French revolutionists was able to draw him aw’ay from the established tradition. He lost no time in expressing his views. The famous phrase, "Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations—entangling alliances with none,” was set forth in his first inaugural address. Like Washington, he merely wished to be free from involvement in European parties, intrigues, and systems of alliance. In all his intellectual traits Jefferson was a broadminded cosmopolitan, not an introverted isolationist. Coming to the Monroe Doctrine of Dec. 2, 1883, we find it to be no more than the logical and complete culmination of American foreign policy over the previous half-century’. The reactionary European powers, led by Prince Metternich, proposed to send armed forces to the new world to put down the revolutions in Latin-Amcrica. It was this which provoked the formulation of the Monroe Doctrine. tt r. a THE Monroe Doctrine has been regarded as a manifesto of American diplomatic independence and aloofness. It has been a corner stone in the apologetic of the isolationists. It might be very shocking to the latter if they were to learn that it was actually "made in England.” The British foreign minister, George Canning, fearing less the restoration of Spanish rule in Latin-America might hamper British trade with that area, proposed to the American minister in London that England and the United States join in a mutual rebuke to Metternich and the reactionaries. He promised the aid of the British fleet in the defense of the United States in the event of war. While we did not join with England in setting forth the Monroe Doctrine, it was the British support which gave us courage to do so. President Monroe in consultation with John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson set forth our attitude on foreign affairs. In the first place Monroe made it very clear that we had no intention of mir’ng in the domestic problems of Europe: “In the wars of the European pow-ers, in matters relf ring to themselves we have never taken part, nor does it comport with our policy so to do. It is only when our rights are invaded or seriously menaced that we resent injuries or make preparation for our defense.” tt tt tt ACCORDINGLY, the United States demanded of Europe a similar policy of nonintervention in the domestic policies of American states: “With the existing colonies or dependencies of any European power we have not interfered and shall not interfere. But with the governments who have declared their independence and maintained it, and w : hose idependence we have, on great consideration and on just principles, acknowledged, we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing them, or controlling in any other manner their destiny, by any European power in any other light than as a manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States.” Brought down to date, the foreign policy of the Fathers would mean a warning against an alliance writh Communism or Facism, with France, Germany or Russia, with Hitler or his opponents. We should hold aloof from alliances so that we may be free to decide our policy in regard to such truly world affairs as the League of Nations, the World Court, disarmament, and other organizations and issues of like import. Further, one may remind the isolationists of their own inconsistency. Henry Cabot Lodge, for example, inveighed mightily in 1919 against our entering the League of Nations. Yet, two years before, he had struck a man who came to his office to ask him to help keep the United States out of the European war. To have urged our entry into the World War and then to raise the isolation bogey about the League World Court is not unlike straining at the proverbial gnat and swallowing a camel.

Capital Capers BY GEORGE ABELL

HIS EXCELLENCY, Dr. Tancisco Castillo Najera, new ambassador of Mexico, has arrived in town—with 20 pieces of hand luggage, The entire Mexican embassy staff and their wives were at Union Station to greet their chief. He descended from his train smiling, wearing pearl gray spats, a large black fedora, and carrying a brief case. Canaries twittered in two gilded cages, as porters began piling Ambassador Castillo’s luggage on hand trucks. Red Morocco suitcases, English hampers, shiny black leather bags, alli-gator-skin valises and crimson hat boxes held together with straps followed in quick succession. "He must be coming here to stay for a while,” commented an onlooker. Just then porters unearthed a Mexican guitar. Waving his hat, Dr. Leo Rowe, director general of the Pan-American Union, came hurrying up. He spied the guitar, and for one breathless moment it appeared that he was going to ask Envoy Castillo to play a tune. The ambassador will certainly be required to strum Mexican airs at Dr. Rowe’s musical evenings. tt tt tt PRECEDED by the twittering canaries, the guitar, the suitcases covered with brilliant stickers, Ambassador and Mme. Castillo (the latter dressed in a smart brown coat trimmed with chinchilla) and their four children marched down the platform. "How do you do, Mr. Ambassador?” beamed Ed Reed, Chief of the State Department’s Division of Mexican Affairs. Photographers rushed up to take a picture. "Hold that pose, Mr. Ambassador,” they called. Mme. Castillo affectionately placed an arm about her husband's neck. Prentiss Gilbert, the State Department's special observer at Geneva, who is just back from Europe, effusively shook Castillo's hand. They are old friends. To expectant newsmen, Dr. Castillo made a brief statement. “I am,” he said in good English, “a newspaper man myself ... I desire to have pleasant contacts with the press here. ... In Geneva I have many newspaper friends.” NOTE—Dr. Castillo is noted not only as a distinguished poet, diplomat, surgeon and litterateur, but also as a connoisseur of good beer. He bids fair to become the most colorful of the Latin-American envoys in the capital. tt tt a DIPLOMATS had lots of fun sending funny valentines to each other. Many envoys, however, will not admit receiving any, because some of the light missives piqued their vanity. Here are some valentines, which were suggested by a diplomat for his colleagues: Irish Minister MacWhite—An Irish harp, surrounded by tiny cupids with the faces of President de Valera and his ministry, carrying bottles of Irish whisky (on which Mac White recently had the tariff reduced) and shamrocks. Swiss Minister Marc Peter—A St. Bernard in the Alphs, with valentine greetings instead of whisky in the keg around his neck, and the legend: "I miss my Swiss.” Ambassador Aranha of Brazil—A facsimile of the new commercial treaty with the United States, signed "Valentine Greetings from F. I). : Roosevelt.” Almost any convict could tell the experts how to relieve prison congestion. Just give him an automobile and an hour’s start.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

rrVI A/T - r-o n X 11G iVIGSSUGG

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns. Make your letters short, so all can have a chance. Limit them to 250 tcords or less. Your letter must he signed, but names will be withheld at request of the letter writer.) tt tt tt SEEKS MORE INFORMATION ON LIQUOR CONTROL BILL By Harry L. Herndon. Just a word about the liquor control bill. I read that it has a provision banning the sale of liquor at all roadhouses, night clubs, etc., outside the city limits. Does this also include beer? If it is passed as it now reads, would that mean that people who have thousands of dollars invested outside the city would have to close up or move into the city and add to the already too many beer taverns that are here now? There has been very little printed about this bill in any newspaper and I am sure other readers besides myself would welcome an explanation of this bill in your paper. I am a musician playing in a night club just outside of the city and it is the first steady job I have had in a long time. It is a nice place, run by nice people who pay their musicians well. I have played here in town at places where you had to play everything from “hill billy” to “grand opera,” and be expected to beam with gratitude if the boss handed you a dollar at the end of the evening. Those are the places that should be closed, not the man who pays his employes a decent living wage. an tt SUPPORT IS GIVEN TO S-NRA MEASURE By I. M. Frank. You have at last realized that The Times is worth more than 2 cents and iny opinion is it always has been. It seems to be the only paper that gets things correct and your correccness on the S-NRA is highly commendable. I hope that through your publication and support our state Senate will lose no time in passing this important bill. I don’t believe this bill is intended for the ones who are complying with NRA, but for those who have never complied with any part of it since it has been in effect. I know of some in this city and I can't understand why some are and some are not. It seems to me like the NRA administrator and the code authority are laying down on the job. If they would investigate a little they would know I am telling the truth. / know these people are reaping the oenefits of the National Recovery Act, so why make fish out of one and flesh out of another. Why discriminate, why not treat all alike? If one business is forced to comply with the NRA then I say go after all of these exploiters and chiselers who lie to the compliance board and rob their employes. More power to you, Mr. Editor. Boost the S-NRA. tt o tt PASSAGE OF S-NRA BILL IS SUPPORTED By K. S. I have been a constant reader of of your column and I am surprised that there are not any comments on the NRA bill which is pending now. I think that the laboring man’s opinion is as good, if not better, than the big business man's and the Chamber of Commerce. This bill is the only protection that we have ever had and I think that we should stand back of it. The business men talk about in-

ME AND MY SHADOW!

Primary Re

By John R. Jones. The Democratic party in Indiana is a majority party in the present Legislature. As such, its duty is to keep itself in harmony with the Roosevelt leadership. It must serve as the minute-men for the protection of the measure of democracy here in Indiana. Surely the Democrats will go slowly in the matter of repealing the primary law. Any proposition of this kind, in my opinion, will direct the people’s attention to the days of 1915, when the primary law was being fought for under the leadership of the writer. The minute the attention is diverted to those days, I am sure the people will recall the determined opposition to the Democratic measure on the part of a party faction which, I am sure, does not at this time dominate the party. Any measure which proposes to remove the people from direct participation in their government can not be made to look democratic by the most active imagination. Indiana under the convention system hatched and matured the nefarious machinery organizations which held the state subdued for years. Instead of encouraging the convention, by repeal of the primary law, the Democrats should be giving thought to ways and means of restricting it and placing creased overhead if the bill passes. Well, that isn’t hard to figure out. If they have never lived up to their hqnor, naturally their overhead will increase by the amount of wages they will be forced to increase. Well, you would be surprised at the amount of chiselers there are. If the Senators and Representatives would only stop to think why they were elected this time and by the working man’s vote, they would not ponder over the bill. They were elected to uphold the NRA to the last word. Nov; let’s get together and send our opinions in to our Representatives and show that we are in back of this bill. It is for our own good and for the good of this nation. Would you rather work for what they want to pay you, or a standard wage and forty hours a week and give some other man a chance for a job? A penny postal card and your opinion will help get this bill across. tt tt tt PASTOR SCORED FOR ALLEGED GROCERY TIEUP By A. Pfaiffer. Recently I read a news item of a pastor of a church who had a "commission” tieup with a chair, store. This should be brought to the attention of everybody in the city. Can any one imagine a pastor of any church pulling a stunt like this —anything to get a few dollars, regardless who you hurt. He probably has several independent grocers, their wives and children attending and donating to his church, still he strikes a bargain with a chain store to gain a few dollars. Such a church. Such a pastor! n a u TIMES IS URGED TO PUBLISH GAS CO. LIST By Alvin Lewi*. The Times failed its readers in not reporting the Citizens Gas Cos. preferred stockholders list. The ultra-conservative papers always have refused to publish this list, but the drug store boys were betting the courageous Times would do so. All we got (winch we already

T 1 wholl V disapprove of what you say and will 1

eal Is Scored

more power in the hands of the people by amendment to the primary law and placing back in the hands of the voter the secondchoice vote and thus giving them a near majority primary instead of a minority which was given them by the repeal of this sec- ■ tion by the Republican Legislature of 1917. Under the leadership of President Roosevelt, why should American political leaders in any state in the country, much less in Indiana, propose to re-establish the convention system and behind it, always, the political boss and the factional intrigue to tell the people for whom they may and may not vote? I find one of the reasons assigned for the repeal of the primary is the matter of cost. However, it has been my observation that conventions are not wholly free of cost, and I am sure such cost is not all measured by dollars and cents. Then again, if the cost is too much to hold primary election, does it not follow, as night j the day, that the r >st is too much to hold general election? The fundamental or underlying principle upon which the present primary was built is "majority rule,” and in harmony with the principle of government of, by and for the people, and the lull realization of this right of the voters should not be denied them. knew) was a list of local patriots forming the board of directors and trustees w’ho high financed the gas company into debt on purpose so that the city would be unable to take over the property. Why did not they retire their bonds by purchase on the open market out of surpluses which they were supposed to have accumulated in their prosperous years. Editor’s note: All is not lost. a tt a CITY HOSPITAL IS LAUDED FOR AID By J. A. B. and Family. I would like very much to tell everybody just what we think of the City Hospital. Last August my wife was ill and we had no money to pay a doctor. I called the City Hospital. A doctor was sent who gave ner a thorough examination. He left us medicine and called again next day. He came back that evening with an ambulance and took her to the City Hospital where she remained several weeks. The best of care and treatment* was given by the doctors, nurses, and orderlies. I will say this for the City Hospital, that it is a great help to those of us who can not help ourselves. a a tt FACTS SET OUT ON SPANISH INQUISITION By John Kennedy. Yes, I did write that the Spanish Inquisition was denounced by the j church and that the royalty of ]

Daily Thought

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.—Ecclesiastes 7:2. WHERE there is sorrow, there is holy ground.—Oscar WV.de.

FED. 21, 1035

Spain instigated it. I also state that they not only directed the inquisition against Jews and Moors, but also many Catholic priests and bishops of the church you claim instigate:l this inquisition. One of these was Bartholomew Caranza, Archbishop of Toledo, who was arrested for heresy and cast into prison for 16 years. All the protestations of Pope Pius IV, the official head of the Catholic church rnd final word in all church affairs ard questions, could not gain his release. History also shows that Pope Sixtus IV issued a bill against the inquisition rebuking it for its actions against the Jews and Moors. He also w'rote the king and queen, denouncing their cruel acts. When he could not eradicate the evil he encouraged the sufferers to flee to Rome. He received, in two years, 450 refugees from Spain, restoring to them the rights of citizenship. These are facts that neither the Encyclopedia Americana nor International can deny.

So They Say

The steam engine can be made to run as fast as any Diesel engine. —E. B. Hall, motive power superintendent, Chicago and Northwestern railway. I don’t think we can contribute anything to peace in the present situation of the world, especially in Europe. Nor can they contribute to us in any way of co-operation for peace.—Senator William G. McAdoo. I will have to admit this international finance thing is all Einstein to me.—Stanley Baldwin, Lord Privy Seal of England. Obviously, no one wants to drive at 272 miles an hour. But the lessons we learn at that speed never could be known in the ordinary way. Sir Malcolm Campbell, British racer. I want it understood that my political future is behind me.—Patrick J. Hurley, former Secretary of War. We had a bully time. And now we get an extra week of holiday Franklin Swenson, Jersey City schoolboy, one of 40 children hostages of Chinese pirates. The issue is whether democracy shall continue to hold sway in this republic or whether bureaucracy shall take its place.—Jouett Shou-.e. Mussolini has shown that he will defend Austria not only with words, but with deeds.—Mrs. Norman E. Mack. Buffalo, N. Y„ returning from Europe. Women wear shorts for other sports, so there’s no reason they should be bundled up like Eskimos for golf—Mrs. Tom Hanes, president Tidewater Women's Golf Association.

DAYLIGHT

BY VIRGINIA KIDWELL Will daylight never dawn for me? Must blackness press against my eyes Forevermore? Oh, will I see No glorious morning sun arise? Will night forever last for me? Black hours of sleeplessness and pain. Os shadowed bitter memory? Or win the daylight dawn again?