Indianapolis Times, Volume 48, Number 22, Indianapolis, Marion County, 6 April 1936 — Page 12
PAGE 12
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MONDAY. APRIL 1938 THE FIGHT FOR SAFETY “OIX Die in Auto Crash!'* This headline came in the midst of a campaign for traffic safety in Indianapolis. It came on the heels of a national survey showIng Indianapolis high on the list of cities with heavy traffic fatalities, low on the honor roll of ‘‘safe cities.*’ Already, 38 have been killed in the city's traffic in 1936. It came as police—with disappointing success at the start—pushed a drive to enforce automobile laws by the use of “non-flxable” stickers. The head-on collision on W. Washington-st the other night, taking six lives and striking four families, was the city's worst auto tragedy in nine years. It jarred civic leaders into new activity in the war on accidents. A few hours later, a 7-year-old boy ran out into a street and was injured fatally by a truck. Yesterday, two men, struck by automobiles several weeks ago. died. Citizens were shocked and officials pledged anew offensive to cut down the toll of death. man TJUT no intensive temporary “campaign" will get results. While grief-stricken families and close friends will not forget, other citizens in a land where 36,000 are killed by automobiles in a year will not long remember these particular tragedies. The combat with death must be constant and never-ending. The problem is not one for the law alone, although strict enforcement is of first importance. Better automobile design for safety, to keep up with advances in power and speed, is one essential. Improved highway construction, such as the separation of opposite traffic lanes, is another. More scientific timing of signals for the benefit of pedestrians as well as of motor traffic would encourage pedestrian obedience and promote safety. Too much can not be said about enforcing the limit on speed.
NEVER AGAIN? a fine spring morning just 19 years ago today the United States formally entered the World War with the pious purposes of ending all wars, giving small nations the rights of self-determination and making the world safe for democracy. The costs of that ironic adventure across the seas may never be wholly assessed. We know that this country that gained no new territory or added security paid the biggest bill in treasure—some 42 billions, not counting 10 billions of bad debts nor the bonus and pension bills still coming on. President Coolidge estimated that our participation eventually woulo cost 100 billions, or three times our present national debt. We paid in a casualty list of some 126.000 dead and 234.000 wounded. We reaped an aftermath of unpopularity abroad and our worst depression at home. In 19 years a great change has come over the people’s thinking. Today, in spite of big Army and Navy appropriations and preparedness agitation, the people are peace-minded. Only the craziest Jingo wants war. The Senate Finance Committee has stirred itself to consider a drastic bill already passed by the House to take profits out of war, fix war prices and conscript all workers from day laborers to corporation presidents. Peace and neutrality agitation stirs the country's campuses, clubs and forums. Most significant are ceremonies being conducted today at the statue of the late Senator Bob La Follette honoring the handful of congressmen who voted against the war resolution in ’l7. Almost in one voice America is saying: Never again! But war forces are at work, too. These are not only the propagandists of Europe, who are trying to coax us into dangerous alliances. They are not only the Fascist-minded and truculent propagandists at home. They are chiefly our own troubled economic conditions. Historian Charles A. Beard warns that these conditions are almost the same as on the eve of our entry into the World War. Now, as then, we have “surpluses” of farm products, factory capacity and Industrial workers. Historically, when confronted with domestic trouble the world s rulers have sought the easy way of foreign war. And such conditions have obtained on the eve of all five of our own major wars. Given another World War and its pull upon our resources and men, it would take a strong government to withstand the arguments for another foreign crusade. Neutrality and peace can not be won through resolutions by Congress, nor even by legislation to prevent business intercourse with belligerents. They will be assured when our economic house is so ordered that we will be too busy feeding and clothing and housing our own people to be tempted into war. DEATH SENTENCES THE Hauptmann case threatens to make capital punishment a live issue once more. Opponents of the death penalty are pointing to the doubts raised about the Hauptmann conviction In support of their argument that an irremediable penalty should never be imposed for even the gravest crimes. At one time 14 states had abolished the death penalty, but seven of these have restored it. Michigan, first state to frown on capita! punishment, still bars it. and a plebiscite in 1931 confirmed this attitude. Others in which there is no capital punishment are Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. The death penalty has been restored In Arizona, Colorado. Towa, Kansas, Missouri, Oregon and Tennessee. Advocates of capital punishment insist that only the severest penalties will deter criminals. They point out that life imprisonment seldom means just that, and that political influence is often able to win commutations. On the other side it is argued that murderers do not visualize punishment at the time of committing their crimes, that they would be deterred more by ihe speed than the severity of punishment, and that juries hesitate to rnnvict when conviction means an irremediable penalty. Borne states impose the death penalty for treason, robbery, arson, train-wrecking, assault by a life
prisoner, poisoning, and perjury to convict an innocent person of a capital offense, as well as for murde*.. Five states kill with lethal chambers, Utah gives condemned men an option of being shot, and the other states are about equally divided betweeen hanging and electrocution. A FLOOD HARNESSED in the Tennessee River Valley, has escaped what might have been a disastrous flood. The reason was that up near the headwaters of the Clinch River, a large tributary of the Tennessee, some 25 miles from Knoxville and about 150 mile3 from Chattanooga, the Tennessee Valley Authority built Norris Dam. Constructed to help control floods, to assist in navigation, and to manufacture power, Norris Dam is part of the great river-harnessing project which is TV A. As such, it has been the subject of wide attack in and out of the courts, by the power trust and others. But, because a wise Administration and a wise Congress approved the TV A Act, Norris Dam was there last week piling up a great wall of water. It has only been at work since March 4, when the siuice gates were closed. And after so short a time, it was able to hold back from the Clinch, and in turn from the Tennessee, 39.000 second-feet of water which would have been added to the already flooded Tennessee. Or, if you like your figures big, the dam held back 12,303,200 gallons of water every minute or 798,192,000 gallons every hour. Perhaps it will be better understood if we say that because Norris Dam was there and working in the Clinch River, the flood crest of the Tennessee at Chattanooga was about four feet lower than it would have been had not the Clinch been harnessed. This is but one example of how a public river has been controlled for the public good. This example can be repeated in other sections of the country which recently last millions in property, and hundreds of lives, from disastrous floods. ' DR. ECKENER DR. HUGO ECKENER, a modern Magellan who won great honors for his German Fatherland through a decade of amazing Zeppelin flights, has just added another by flying the new dirigible Von Hindenburg from Germany to Rio De Janeiro, carrying 37 passengers and an automobile. His flight got less notice than it deserved in American papers because they were full of the story about another German, facing execution in New Jersey. It got none at all in Germany, because Hitler’s little Herr Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, had sent out to all German papers this notice: “The name of Dr. Hugo Eckener will no longer be mentioned in newspapers and periodicals. No pictures or articles about him shall be printed.” This sentence of silence was pronounced because Dr. Eckener refused to participate in propaganda before the recent farcical election. So, as far as the German press is concerned, Dr. Eckener is dead. The rest of the world will honor him as a great liberal journalist, a master scientist snd one of the boldest navigators of the modern era. We will honor him the more because he refused to betray Viis conscience. And some day when Germany is finished with its day of little dictators Dr. Eckener will be seated in her Valhalla along with the other authentic German heroes. A WOMAN’S VIEWPOINT By Mrs. Waiter Ferguson T RECALL the pleasurable excitement which came to millions in 1933 when the new President used the radio and newsreels to talk to the people. An awed hush fell over the vast throngs when the voice of Franklin Delano Roosevelt was heard over the air. The applause was wild when his smile flashed' upon the screen. It was all a part of some miracle which was to save us. The power of such appeal made directly to the voters will inspire confidence and affection, it was said. Along with everybody else I believed it Now doubts assail me. For it is possible to see too often the flashing smile; to become too familiar with certain vocal inflections and certain well turned phrases. The citizen who attends three movies a week, let us say, may hear the same speech three times in the space of seven days and see the same benign countenance. And within a fortnight the experience is likely to repeated. Figure it out for yourself. Human nature being what she is, the results may not be so good—for the New Deal. It is to be hoped the publicity forces of the Administration will remember the ancient saying, as true as it is old: “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Contempt, of course, is not the right word. Indifference would be a better one in such a case, but for Presidents and political leaders it is equally dangerous. It is very evident that Mr. Roosevelt's charm of personality, his beautiful diction and his undeniable sincerity are beginning to bore the* radio and moviegoing public, even that part of it which admires, respects and loves him. It’s a pity we are made that way, but so it is. He who would remain great to the masses must remain secluded. The legend of Calvin Coolidge persisted because Calvin himself was a good deal of a mystery.
HEARD IN CONGRESS T> EP. KENNEY (D., N. J.): Mr. Speaker, my dear friend and colleague, Rep. McGroarty, poet laureate of the State of California . . . has written his masterpiece—a precious poem—in recognition of her humane service and as a tribute to the First Lady of our land, Mrs. Franklin D. (Eleanor) Roosevelt. It is an honor and a privilege to include this poem in the records of this Congress: THE LADY ELEANOR The roads that stretch from East to West, The high roads and all the rest. The roads that go Where all men know. Where men have come and gone before— They know the Lady Eleanor. They hear her footsteps. And the grass Os fields and meadows sees her pass On tireless quests. Where rivers bend And oceans wait and wide lands end: The miles that wind from shore to shore— They know the Lady Eleanor. What seeks the Lady Eleanor In her wide quests from shore to shore? She seeks the faltering heart, and' they Who bear the burden of the day, The steps that lag, the faiths chat fail In the bleak hovels of travail, The eyes that sorrow dims with tears, The soul that cringes in its fears, And all who in the shadows grope To find the vanished door of hope. So fares she with a word of cheer To leave in places dark and drear. And with a smile that leaves a, light Like sunlight through the gloom of night. Upon her quest from shore to shore So fares the Lady Eleanor,
THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES
Squaring the Circle With THE HOOSIER EDITOR
C* AM TYNDALL, The Times police reporter, was mooning around headquarters the other day and came across a ledger containing a list of baffling numbers. A policeman was in charge. “What’s that?” Sam asked. “Those,” the policeman replied, “are numbers of people’s watches. When they’re registered here we have a check on them. If they show up in a pawnbroker’s or in some loot some place, then we return them.” “Fine,” said Mr. Tyndall. “I’ll register mine right now." He took it apart, got a magnifying glass, and read the numbers off. The policeman took them down. Mr. Tyndall was pretty smugly satisfied with himself over his foresight. He started to put the works back in his watch. They wouldn’t go. The policemen helped him. They wouldn’t go. A mechanic was summoned from the police garage, and he worked and worked. The works stayed out. Mr. Tyndall, ruefully and a little sheepishly, took the mess to a jeweler and got it straightened around. It cost him„so cents. n a a FIVE long years ago, an Indianapolis woman ordered a $5 dress from Rink’s, and it, was sent to her. The other day she walked in and asked for the manager. Into his surprised ear she poured this confession. When the package arrived there was not one, but two dresses in it. A mistake made at the store in wrapping. She had considered herself very lucky indeed. And she wore them both out. But her conscience hurt her. She had come back, she told the manager, to pay for the extra dress. And she did, too. pat* NOW that we are coming into the wild mushroom trouble season, this story has a, new significance. A fellow we know was mildly batty over chasing over the countryside hunting mushrooms. With no scientific knowledge of how to distinguish a mushroom from a toadstool, this fellow went gaily on for years, never making a mistake. He gathered them by ear, as it were. Well, once a group was having a holiday in the country and this chap got up real early and gathered a lot of mushrooms for breakfast. He cleaned them and had them in a pan when the others arose. „ Immediately he was cross-exam-ined on how he knew they were mushrooms and not toadstools, and he withered on cross-examination. Couldn’t say a word. But as the barrage of questions continued, he peered into the pan, selected one of them. He put it into his mouth and chewed and swallowed. “Well,” he said triumphantly, “that one was a mushroom.” ana \ 10-year-old boy we know got mad at his parents recently and decided to set out into the cold world, all by himself. He packed his belongings—marbles and such—in a cigar box and slipped out the back door, over the fence and away. His mother was watching him from an upstairs window, but he didn't know that. She went into his room, and looked around. There was a note for her. It said he had grown tired of being abused and that he was going to make his way. He was not bitter about it, though, because at the end there was a postscript. It said: “I’ll see you some afternoon between 2 and 5.” It turned out to be that afternoon.
TODAY’S SCIENCE BY DAVID DIETZ
r T''HE science of dentistry is ap- -*• proaching the most brilliant period of accomplishment in its history because of the new realization of the relationship between the teeth and genenel health. That is the op.nion of Dr. Leroy M. S. Miner,, dean of the Harvard University Dental School. Dentistry promises to solve some of the most important problems in the field of medicine, according to Dr. Miner, who urges that dental schools be accorded the same opportunities for expansion which have been given to medical schools in the past. The relationship of the teeth to general health was first discovered in the World War, Dr. Miner says, when it was found that many men in the front-line trenches, otherwise in perfect physical condition, were rendered unfit for fighting service through ailments of the teeth and mouth. Since then the medical profession has gradually come to realize both the seriousness of dental disease and its widespread. Almost the entire population of the civilized world is affected by some form of dental disease, Dr. Miner says. “The Osiers. Welches, Thayers and Cushings of the future will be attracted to the field of dentistry which now offers wider opportunities for important service than ever before in history.” he says. Dr. Miner believes that dental disease is so widespread that it is impossible to hope that treatment can ever be brought to all who need it.
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The Hoosier Forum I disapprove of what, you say—and will defend to the death your right to say it. — Voltaire.
(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious controversies excluded. Make vour letters short, so all can have a chance. Limit them to 250 words or less. Your letter must be signed, but names will be withheld on reouest.) . a a a CORRECTS PEGLER ON HOSPITAL SWEEPS By Leo T. McCauley In his recent article on the Irish Hospitals’ Sweepstakes dated from London and syndicated through the United Features Services, Westbrook Pegler misrepresents the position, when he states that —“the reasons for withholding the 25 million dollars from hospitals which are in serious want have not been explained officially.” The truth is that even the most superficial questioner could acquaint himself with the explanation. In order to ensure that the money available should be expended to the best advantage, the government of the Irish Free State appointed a commission under the Public Hospitals Acts, 1933, charged with the task of surveying the hospital and nursing facilities already existing in the Irish Free State, with a view to submitting schemes for the improvement and co-ordination of these facilities. This commission issued its first general report Feb. 28. It will be clear to any person of common sense that, while the squandering of the large sum available could be accomplished quickly, its wise application for the benefit
Watch Your Health
BY DR. MORRIS FISHBEIN OFFICIALS of the American Public Health Association recently expressed the belief that fish has not been occupying the important place that it should in the American diet. The flesh of fish is particularly valuable as a source of vitamin A, and the livers of fish are a bountiful source of vitamin D. Cod liver oil and other fish oils, especially those of the halibut, are rich in vitamins A and D. And the roe of fish provides B and E. In addition to the vitamins, the proteins provided by the flesh of fish include all that are found to be necessary for growth and health in the human body. lodine, too, an exceedingly important substance, can be had from eating fish, particularly the kinds that inhabit salt water. Various fish provide different quantities of iodine. The scallop is not rich in this substance, but large quantities can be found in the clam. The soft crab is a poorer source of iodine than even the scallop, but the lobster contains more of this mineral substance than does the clam. IF YOU CAN’T ANSW Inclose a 3-cent stamp for reply when addressing any question of fact or information to The Indianapolis Times Washington Service Bureau, 1013 13thst. N. W., Washington, D. C. Legal and medical advice can not be given, nor can extended research be undertaken. Q —Where is the home office of the Contest Board of the American Automobile Association? A—Mills Building, Washington, | D. C. Q —ln Henrik Ibsen's “Ghosts.” who is the real father of Oswald? A—“Mr. Manders,” the pastor of the parish. Q —What was the religious affiliation of Victor Herbert, and from what church was he buried? A—He was an Episcopalian, and the funeral services were held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Fifth-av and 53d-st, New York City. Q —Which is safer as a filter for gasoline, chamois skin or wire gauze? A—Static electrical charges of considerable magnitude may be produced when gasoline is filtered i through material that is a poor conductor, such as chamois skin. The amount of static electric charge j produced is so jjnueh less when the
SIX KILLED
of the present *and future generations of Irish Free State citizens required investigation such as that undertaken by the commission. ana RELIEF CRITICISM IS CALLED UNIMPORTANT, ILL-BRED By D. L. Strihle You printed in your column of Friday, March 27, a letter written by J. B. P., and he is, apparently, a disappointed person. Perhaps he failed to get an appointment to a WPA project. If such is the case, and he is unfortunate enough to be qualified, he has my sympathy. I am a relief worker, and I don’t consider J. B. P.’s insulting remarks important, but I do believe they show ill-breeding and lack of intellect. Relief workers generally, in spite of their sufferings, are a cheerful, clean-minded lot. They do not whine about their conditions. Naturally they talk about what they’d like to have and what they ought to have, even as other people. Most of them are qualified for better jobs. a a a WANTS INFORMATION FOR BRYAN BIOGRAPHY. By Henrv Steele Commaeer. Professor of History, New York University, Washington Square College. Washington Square, New York. I am writing a biography of William Jennings Bryan and I am anxious to get in touch with former friends ana correspondents of Mr. Bryan. I would be very grateful if
ABOUT .nine-tenths of the total fish supply of the United i States comes from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Since fish are among the most perishable of foods, refrigeration is of utmost importance if it is to be supplied in proper condition to persons living in the interior. It is not healthful to eat fish refrigerated improperly during transportation. When fish is packed in ice, it stays fresh for several hours and may still be edible after several days. But if it is to be kept for any length of time, it must be frozen solid. Os canned fish, salmon is put up to the extent of 290 million pounds a year. Most of this is eaten in the United States, but some is also shipped abroad. Salted and dried fish also constitute an important industry, the salt j cod industry centering in Massachusetts and the preparation of smoked fish having its most important center in Maine. Most of the sardines eaten in the United States come from France, Portugal and Norway. The only two states that are seriously concerned with this industry are Maine and California. ER, ASK THE TIMES! filtering is through fine wire gauze, that the hazard is practically eliminated. Q —What were the values of the estates left by Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge? A—Roosevelt, about $311,000: Wilson, about $610,000, and Coolidge, about $500,000. Q—Are all snow crystals alike in form? A—Thousands of snow crystals have been photographed, but no two have ever been found to be alike. Their formation may resemble one another, but slight differences always are present. Q —What is the effect of adding chicory to coffee? A—lt gives coffee additional col- | or, bitterness and body. Q—What is the address of the national organization of graphologists that registers persons qualified in graphology? A—The American Graphological Society. Inc., 36 W. 40th-st, New York City. Q—What is the religious affiliation of Senator William E. Borah. A —Presbyterian. - t
those in possession of information about Bryan or of letters from Mr. Bryan would communicate with me. a a a SAYS ECONOMIC IGNORANCE IS WIDESPREAD By Warren A- Benedict Jr. “Never Studied Economics.” So your March 26 headlines ridicule Townsend Organizer Clements. And without defending him or his plan, may I respectfully inquire, why the headlines about it? This country’s industry today is captained largely by men who either have never studied economics or else flagrantly flaunt and ignore some of its most fundamental laws and theories. How about our supposedly wise industrialists who attempt to sell luxuries to the masses to whom they are opposed to paying even a living wage? How about the financial wizards (medicine men of economic lore, according to the laymen) who in 1929 were advising small grocers to sell out and invest their money in chain store stock, and retire on the profits? Or who advised us all to purchase investment trust stocks, and become financially independent? And finally, have not most of our “sound business men” and Republican editors ranted and raved at New Deal “brain trusters” as visionary, impractical, theoretical and worse? Ridicule the Townsend organizer if you wish, but please, not because of his lack o.” knowledge of “the fundamentals of economics.” His ignorance in that field merely places him in company with the majority of our business, financial and Republican political leaders who put this country in the mess out of wh'ich we are now trying to free it. ARRIVAL By HARRIETT SCOTT OLINICK April steals upon the earth In the gray-blue hush of dawn. Fragrant flowering at birth; Brief peaked rapture, swiftly gone. DAILY THOUGHT And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He hath commanded us.— Deuteronomy 6:25. OBEDIENCE to God is the mast infallible evidence of sincere and supreme love of Him.—Emmons.
SIDE GLANCES
•* W*- OF* '•>. ... t I
"If you consider my nickname amusing, professor, you should hear what they call you,”
.APRIL 6,193 G
Vagabond from Indiana ERNIE PYLE
EDITOR’S NOTF—This rorlnf rtpsrlrr for Thf Times joes where he pleases, when be pleases, in search of odd atorleo about this and that. T AREDO, Tex., April 6.—ln Laredo you stand on the threshold of all Mexico. From a little height you can look across the slim Rio Grande, onto the lights of Nuevo Laredo and into the darkness beyond. There lies the vast and ancient land of Mexico. It is Sunday night in Laredo. The air is sqft. The thermometer at. the corner of the plaza says 82. and it is a quarter till 9. A light breeze washes past. Stars twinkle a brittle blue color in the dark sky. All Laredo is bathed in a sweet odor of orange blossoms, and it fades and reappears as you walk along. The trees are green, and occasional palms rise and sweep out in tropical grace. The block-square plaza is covered with trees, and a circular lighted band stand is in the middle. Loungers, two by two, lie or sit on the grass. a a a THE sidewalks are crowded with walkers. You winder among them. All skins are dark. You hear no English spoken. Laredo is 80 per cent Mexican, or Spanish-Amer-ican. as the transplanted Mexicans prefer to be called. Laredo is run by Spanish-Americans. Boys and girls, coatless and hatless, are everywhere. They stroll, and talk, and take their time. But they seem to be more than strolli ing. here around the plaza. There is something different here. What is j it? I Gradually it comes to you. There , is something deliberate about the ! wav they are walking. There is m- ; tent to it, and purpose. Now you see. All the girls are walking around the square in one direction. And the boys are walking in the opposite direction. The girls are in twos, and some- ; times threes. Row after row, walk- | ing along rapidly, like an army on a broken-step march. They never stop, nor pause. Just keep going, around and around the square. a a a AND now you notice something else. The outer edge of the sidewalk, clear around the plaza, is lined with young men. standing in a solid row, like a picket fence. They stand mostly in silence, watching the girls as they pass. I began to ask questions. And I found what it was. It’s a custom as old as Mexico. A Sunday and Thursday night custom, that the Mexicans brought over into the United States with them. They call it the “promenade.” Every town and city in Mexico has its open, block-square plaza, with a band stand in the middle, and cement or gravel walks leading inward from the four corners. Every Sunday night, and in some places every Thursday night, too, the young people of the town turn out for the “promenade” around the plaza. In the old days, the girls' were always chaperoned. If a boy liked a girl’s looks, he would turn and fall into step with her, and walk along talking, properly chaperoned, of course. But now the girls parade without chaperones. The purpose of the “promenade” is to let the young men see what likely-looking girls there are in town. Many a mariage has come out of the first shy glances in the plaza. a a a BUT things are different now. I noticed only a few boys joining the girls. After a few Sunday nights, I guess, you know all the feminine faces in town, and there is no possibility of a delightful surprise. The “promenade 1 has become more an excuse just to come down town and stand around. I stood for a long time watching the girls’ faces. But I never saw a face that would launch a rowboat, let alone a battleship. They were nices faces, but not what we consider in our country beautiful. There must have been 500 girls parading, and as many boys walking. or standing along the walk. The parading went on for nearly two hours. Gradually the crowd thinned out. At 10 o’clock the music stopped. By 10:15 the plaza was empty and dark. The boys had seen the girls, and the girls had seen the boys, and they’d both had their walks, and it was all over for another week.
By George Clark