Indianapolis Times, Volume 48, Number 35, Indianapolis, Marion County, 21 April 1936 — Page 14

PAGE 14

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TUESDAY. APRIL 21, 1938. TOO MUCH FOR ROOSEVELT y 4 S supporters of the general objectives of the New Deal we get no thrill out of the recent rather overwhelming trend toward Roosevelt as shown In the California and Pittsburgh registrations, the Wisconsin, Illinois "and Nebraska p-imaries. California, indicating a Democratic majority of some half million votes; Republican Pittsburgh for the first time in history showing more Democrats than Republicans enrolled; Illinois with a total Roosevelt balloting exceeding by almost 400,000 the combined vote for the opposing candidates in the Republican primary; Wisconsin a ratio of about 2 to 1 for the Democrats; Nebraska a ratio of about 3 to 2. Even afftcr discounting for local factors, it begins to look tco lop-sided. And there are dangers, in a Democracy, in lop-sided power. To be effective, a two-party system such as ours should have a strong opposition. When that is lacking, overconfidence, carelessness, and sometimes ruthlessncss and corruption result. We had an example with Harding. That took the corrupt turn. The scandals of the Ohio Gang could not have developed to the degree that they did had there not been that overbalance of power resting in the executive and his congressional majority; a situation which brought on that reckless "anything goes” state of mind which characterized the Harding regime. tt it tt npODAY it would be better for the country had the Republicans made a stronger showing in the congressional and senatorial elections of 1932 and those that followed. Had the legislative power been better balanced there would have been fewer Quoddys and Florida Ship Canals, a less free and easy handling of relief and pump priming endeavors, a more careful administration of the fiscal policy, fewer mistakes here, there and everywhere—for the very simple and human reason that the threat which lies in strong and watchful opposition breeds diligence. Too much power is a hazardous thing wherever It appears. And for that reason we get no comfort from what the figures today are indicating. We believe that Roosevelt, assuming his re-election, would be a better President were the Republicans in 1936 able to put on a real battle, able markedly to strengthen their congressional position. Unfortunately, as matters have developed since the campaign got under way, the trend is not in that direction. For a while it seemed as if the Republicans were making some progress. The fateful Liberty League-A1 Smith dinner changed the tide. It has been running in the opposite direction since, swelled by a flood of managerial and strategical mistakes ranging everywhere from Georgia and the Southern Committee to uphold the Constitution to the importation of a Republican brain trust. We hope that as the days go on between now and November the opposition’s now all too scanty supply of political wisdom and skill may increase.

SOMETHING TO CACKLE ABOUT "XTOT to be outdone by factories, mills, mines and such, the humble hen is showing her faith in recovery by stepping up production in a big way. The Bureau of Agricultural Economics reports that the output of farm flocks was about 4 per cent greater on April 1 than at the same time in 1935, and 2 per cent greater than in 1934. More eggs were laid per 100 hens on April 1 this year than at any time since 1929. Don't lay this to technological improvement, or a new Hen-ry Ford speed-up system on the farm, or eggs-aggerated hennish self-importance. It's a case of hard-shelled, barnyard optimism. And it's something to cackle about. A MAJOR MENACE OTATE health officers, at an annual conference in Washington, devoted a full day to discussion of the dread, widespread disease of syphilis. Here are some of the things the health officers said: That an estimated 12.000,000 American men, women and children suffer this affliction; That an estimated 3.000.000 new cases a year should be given treatment, but that only about 1,000,000 cases actually do receive treatment; That, in the opinion of Surgeon General Parran. new head of the United States Public Health Service. the control and eradication of this disease would constitute a more important contribution to society than discovery of a method of immunizing against infantile paralysis; Th£t syphilis is “one absolutely controllable disease”; that the cause and mode of spread is known; that diagnosis by blood tests is reliable, and that tried methods of treatment are effective; That despite the medical world's competency to combat this disease, it continues to spread because of public ignorance on the subject, because many doctors have not been educated to recognize early symptoms and because of lack of facilities for free treatment of millions of sufferers who have not the money to buy the cure. a a a ■JTERE are some of the things the health officers proposed: Compulsory examination of the entire population ti search out the 10 per cent said to be infected , Providing, at public expense, clinics for free treatment oq a mass scale; Pronding, also at public expense, better laboratory service and information for private physicians; Educational publicity. ana O'fPHILIS ranks with tuberculosis and cancer as a major cause of death. It causes untold misery. It denies many married couples the privilege of parenthood. It causes helpless, innocent children to be born blind or deaf. It cripples and finally drives insane many of its luckless victims. It pollutes the wells from which posterity must spring. If we as Americans are to preserve the physical, mental and spiritual vigor of our society, it is high time that we start a conquest of this menace. The tragic seriousness of the problem tps sum-

marized by Dr. Joseph E. Moore of Johns Hopkins Hospital. He said: "If there were in this country a million cases a year of smallpox, typhoid fever, poliomyelitis, plague, meningitis, Pocky Mountain spotted fever, or any one of a dozen other infections less serious, there would be a public health war indeed. The public health official would not require to be forced into action by popular panic." THE RELIEF HEADACHE 'TH'HROUGH the looking-glass of politics in a campaign year your ordinary citizen gazes, like Alice, into a crazy world. Little things appear big and big things little. Partisan Mad Hatters and Mock Turtles talk endless nonsense. One is told the sea is boiling hot and pigs have wings. So sensible folk will discount the more intemperate of the charges being leveled at the bloody but unbowed, head of Harry Hopkins, overworked and under-appreciated man of all (made) work. We believe that time will accord Harry Hopkins a verdict of which any American would be proud. He faced a Gargantuan task. He had to move quickly, spend billions freely and cut all corners. That he has met the cry for bread and jobs from millions, unaided by precedent or policy, without a hint of major graft is something of a record. The surprising thing is not that from here and there come charges of favoritism and politics; it that there have not been more. Particularly in a campaign year. However, the American people as a whole are not happy about this relief picture, tfhey know it is the great national headache. They want jobs for the jobless, not doles for the starving, and they knew the Federal government must supply money and leadership now and for some time to come. But they also know there is a vast amount of wasted effort and money and that great savings in wealth and human values could be effected through a more orderly program. The creation of a National Relief Policy Board has been urged as a way to evolve such a program, to tie relief into other Federal security services; to plan a co-ordination of local, state and Federal efforts; to get more in social enrichment and human rehabilitation from the billions we now are spending. The care of millions of jobless and the gradual liquidation of the relief problem is too big a job for one man. It would be too big for a superman. The best brains of the republic are needed to solve it.

UNSUNG HERO ' A MERICAN chemists, in convention at Kansas City, hear of anew compound that can be made from corn, “more explosive than nitroglycerin.” And not a single scientist rises to pay'tribute to the probable source of the discovery—the old cawn moonshiner whose "white mule” gave such a wallop to the prohibition era. AND A GAS MASK SCIENCE SERVICE reports invention of anew telescope which will penetrate a smoke screen. We wish it could be perfected to the point where it would be available to voters during the campaign. WHEN DOES A BOONDOGGLE? New York World-Telegram r-pHE annual report of the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research makes us think it was lucky for the Administration that the WPA wasn’t back of all these projects. Suppose, for example, the WPA had fostered the Mellon Institute’s shaving clinic, which just completed a scientific analysis of the perfect shave. It went into the whole subject, from particular steel alloys which give the perfect blade to the “effects of razor design upon the shape of the hair stump remaining on the face.” One learned conclusion Is that “adequate facial preparation prior to the shaving operation” is 'essential. This knowledge cost three years’ effort. Well, that's science, and we take it with due seriousness. If it were just another WPA boondoggle it certainly would be a laugh. But how are we always to tell the difference? Perhaps that depends upon whether the sponsor back of it is Harry Hopkins or Uncle Andy Mellon. A WOMAN’S VIEWPOINT By Mrs. Walter Ferguson TJOOR little Frqddie Batholomew! Like so many other children he seems destined to be dragged through the courts by two women who profess to love him. And maybe they do. One hesitates to express an opinion on such meager information as news reports give. From ristorical records we do know that women have often battled over children even w T hen those children did not have potential fortunes in their fingers. Distracted claimants for the same baby came before Solomon, you remember, and he gained much of his reputation for wisdom by his decision in that case. * He announced he would sever the child in twain, giving each woman her half. But the real mother cried in anguish at the judgment, so he delivered the infant into her hands. Although we hear occasionally of legal strife over a poor child it Is undeniably true that most court cases in which children are involved hinge about the guardianship of the rich or those who some day may be rich. We shall err, too, if we believe the mother to be always right in such controversies. Unfortunately motherhood does not guarantee a complete change of disposition in the individual. The selfish woman remains selfish and the mean woman continues mean, no matter how many children she may have. In Freddie's case, the aunt seems to have done most for the child's career. Perhaps it was chance, but at least sh?. promoted him into the movies and what now appears will be a distinguished future. The situation nevertheless is deplorable. However the quarrel ends, the boy will be its victim. Millions of people who remember him best as the appealing young David Copperfield will be sorry for that. But stop)—here is another thought. It's a swell publicity stunt getting us all wo-ked up over Freddie, his aunt, and his mama. Perhaps the press agents are behind it. FROM THE RECORD TA EP. MASSINGALE <D„ Okla.): Illustrative of the ravages of invention on employment it is estimated that the completion of the Norris Dam, and similar projects, will furnish sufficient-power to take the place of the equivalent of all the labor performed by every slave set free by Abaham Lincoln. a a a Rep. Rich (R., Pa.): Mr. Speaker, a parliamentary inquiry. The Speaker: The gentleman will state it. Rep. Rich: Would it be appropriate to congratulate the President at this time on discontinuing the Florida ship canal? The Speaker: That is not a parliamentary inquiry. #

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

Our Town By ANTON SCHERRER

npo get this one it is necessary to recall that Ferdinand Schaefer’s last symphony concert began with Franz Liszt's "Preludes" and ended on the terrifying note of Gioacchino Rossini's overture to “William Tell.” A North Side youngster, who is something of a sign and portent, reported that the program got better as it approached the end. “Gee,” he said, ‘‘that ‘Bill Squeals’ number was a wow.” tt tt tt pEOPLE tolerant of and fond of the “American language” generally credit it with a superior terseness and it would seem so when we consider what the automobile people around here have done to the word “coupe.” One swallow doesn’t make a cocktail party, however. It occurred to us the other night that Englishmen circumlocutionary and obscure as they are in I many respects, really know how to ; handle their language better than we Americans do. • At least, in the field of transportation. They get around in prams, trams, tubes and lifts whereas we still put up with baby buggies, street cars, subways and elevators. We bring up the subject at this I time to learn what, if anything, has been done with the word “escalator.” We don’t propose complicating life with a word like that, a u tt T> ACK in the good old days of the -■-* gold standard when things were on an even keel, it always tickled us to see Volney Malott go through the ritual of spending a rickel for a cigar. It was grand to watch because the clerk always brought out a box of ten centers first just to hear Mr. Malott snort. That snort became the symbol of sound banking in Indianapolis. At any rate, it was a sign that one banker wasn’t frittering away the bank’s reserves on some new and unholy adventure. We lost interest in bankers after Mr. Malott’s death until yesterday. Yesterday we saw A banker of the new school dining in a public place where everybody could see him and, by, George, he was esMng corned beef and cabbage. Maybe it’s a return to the status quo. tt tt tt TTTE know something more about the 22 kids of the Nathan Morris Kindergarten who went to the Herron to have a look at Indiana art. When they got around to Hilah Mary Wheeler's “Nude,” one of the little girls immediately recognized the subject as a milk drinker. Asked why, she said: “Because the lady has such nice legs.” We cite little May Schuchman’s penetrating observation to vindicate modern education. Enough mean things have been said about it lately. tt tt tt Progress Note: George Calvert doesn’t handle a pipe a bit better than he did a year ago.

TODAY’S SCIENCE BY DAVID DIETZ

PROF. P. E. BROWN, head of the department of agronomy at lowa State College, adds his voice to those who have been preaching that the future safety and security of this nation rests upon the adoption of a wise and carefully planned land policy. “The important thing to remember,” he says, “is that the land is our one and only real heritage. Its proper use is of national significance and demands the attention of all our people. “We must take care of what we have, not only from the standpoint of selfish interests, but also in the interest of succeeding generations. We must have a land-use plan, and then we must have action.” Such a plan, he points out, must be based upon consideration of the future as well as the present and must take into account many factors. First of all, he says, it must take into account the soil itself, its characteristics, capabilities and possibilities. “Then the proper use of it in the interests of the future,” he continues. “This involves the elimination of tb r uneconomic, submarginal areas und the purchase by the government of such areas for pastures, forests, parks, or recreation or wildlife areas. “It also involves a planned farm use of the land in accordance with its abilities to support pasture or cultivated crops. The whole problem of livestock production enters the picture here, the type of livestock, the system of farming, etc.” The. relations of farming and industry 1 and the relations of land use and taxation also require carefu study in the opinion of Prof. Brown. OTHER OPINION On Unemployment [The Wall Street Journal] Hundreds of millions of dollars are* being expended in this country for no purpose other than supplying “relief.” There has been much "made work,” particularly for the white collar class. Why can not some of this money be spent and some of these people utilized in getting an accurate census of the unemployed, if we must spend millions anyway? Why, in other words, can not the unemployed contribute to the solution of their own problem by getting reasonably accurate figures so that the whole question can be faced on a factual rather than a guesswork basis?

STOP THEM WHILE THERE’S TIME

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The Hoosier Forum 1 disapprove of ivhat you say—and will defend to the death your right to say it. — Voltaire.

Inclose a 3-cent stamp for reply when addressing: any question of fact or information to The Indianapolis Times Washington Information Bureau. Legal and medical advice can not be given, nor can extended research be undertaken. Be sure all mail is addressed to The Indianapolis Times Washington Bureau, Frederick M. Kerhy, MONOPOLY IS DECLARED SECURITY MENACE By John Kennedy The great political philosopher, William Jennings Bryan, in an address on monopolies, quoted J. D. Rockefeller Jr. as stating, in defense of the trust system, that as the American Beauty rose can not be brought to perfection without pinching 99 buds, so that the hundredth bud can receive the full strength of the bush, so great industrial organizations are impossible without the elimination of the smaller ones. Mr. Bryan also stated on that occasion that the Democratic Party championed the cause of the small enterprises. I do not beileve that any one would doubt the sincerity of the immortal commoner’s words. Yet as we witness more than ever the monopolizing of all industries and business, we must wonder if the great statesman didn’t have too much confidence in his party’s intentions; for although that party is now in the saddle, it surely has made no attempt to check the monopolistic trend. Through this greedy system which is proving a menace to every in-

Watch Your Health

BY DR. MORRIS FISHBEIN A WOMAN who is going to have a cnim must eat not only for herself, but also for the baby. The child depends on its mother for its food supply, which comes to the baby through the blood vessels which connect it to the mother. The food substances going to the baby are, for the most part, governed by the food the mother takes. If her food supply lacks substances that the child requires, these substances will be extracted from the mother's tissues and organs to her considerable detriment. There used to be an idea that a mother had to lose a tooth for every child that was born to her. It was a well-established fact that the mother's teeth would become loose and decay during that period previous to childbirth. Now we know that, if the mother eats enough calcium and phosphorus and gets enough vitamin D during this period, her tissues need not be compelled to give up these elements to supply the child. b a a f I ''HIS does not mean, of course, A that she ought to overeat. Overeating would throw an excess burden on her deigestive organs, and certainly her body is not in any condition to undergo excess of any kind. There is some slight increase of weight of the mother, which is normal during this period, but any abnormal increase in weight will have a bad effect. At the same time, the prospective mother need not

IF YOU CAN’T ANSWER, ASK THE TIMES!

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—How many passengers were killed in railroad train wrecks in the United States in 1935? A—None. Q —What does the name Koppelman mean? A —lt is a German family name meaning “son of Jacob.” Jacob is from the. Hebrew, meaning "a supplanter.” Q—Did Boake Carter serve in the World War? A—He sewed with the British,

dependent small business enterprise in America, we eventually shall become a nation of nothing more than regimented, cheap wage earners, not unlike that of Soviet Russia. Surely our political leaders have the common intelligence to realize the independent farmer, small business men and fair wage earners are the ones who build prosperous community life, so vital to our national security. tt tt a WARNS VOTERS TO BEWARE THE BACKSLAPPER By Hector Gentle voter, beware of the backslapper. His kind have cost you a lot of money that you didn’t get that way. Statesmen up in the sixties usually start the wars. When the oldtimers stop doing that we can afford a liberal pension for them. There is somehting funny about, if not under, a mortar-board cap. Eventually some political party will do what is obviously the thing to do, and advocate a plan to put money to work for commerce and industry, instead of permitting it to be dictator of the whole outfit. tt tt RETIREMENT AGE SHOULD VARY, W ; RITER SUGGESTS By V. M. K. A growing philosophy of American living today seems to be that a man no longer is fit for active work after 60 or 65. It is, therefore, refreshing to consider exceptions to the rule—notably

think that she can keep down the weight of the baby by starving herself. The baby’s weight is not dependent entirely on the amount of food its mother eats. All food during this period should be well chewed to aid digestion, exactly as it should be well chewed at any other time. Indeed, a good general rule for tne prospective mother is to eat the same foods that she usually eats, but to make certain that she gets plenty of milk, and more fresh fruits and vegetables than she would take ordinarily. a a a CJHE should watch particularly her supply of vitamins and such salts as calcium, phosphorus, iron, and iodine. She ought to have eight to 10 glasses of water a day, unless her amount of fluid are restricted by her doctor for some special reason. The necessary proteins will be supplied by meat, eggs, milk and such vegetables as peas and beans. The fats are important, particularly butter, cream and cheese, because they provide vitamin A. The carbohydrates and starches, including bread, potatoes, and cereals, are needed to provide calories which take care of the mother's demands for extra energy. Besides getting a rich supply of vitamins A, B and C from fresh vegetables and fruits, particularly citrus fruits and tomatoes, the prospective mother may require extra cod liver oil or halibut liver oil, or perhaps viosterol, as prescribed by her doctor, to be certain of vitamin D.

Royal Air Force during the World War. Q —Name the doctor who operated on the eye of King Prajadhipok of Siam when he came to this country some years ago. What was the operation? A—The operation was for removal of a cataract on the left eye. and I was performed at Ophir Hall, Westchester County, New York, May 10. 1931, by Dr. John M. Wheeler. Q —Did the United States have any railroads in 1837, and how many miles were there in 1860? A—ln 1837 there were 1497 miles of railroad in operation in the United States, and 30,635 in 1860, according to Poor's Manual of Railroads. *

Chief Justice Hughes of the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Hughes recently celebrated his seventyfourth birthday at his desk, and friends recalled the lecture he delivered at Columbia University 10 years ago. Said Mr. Hughes: “Under present conditions of living, and in view of the increased facility of maintaining health and vigor, the age of 70 may well be thought too early for compulsory retirement.” Justice Hughes and most of his colleagues on the Supreme Court bench certainly have proved this contention. America could produce thousands in the same category—too young at 70 to retire. Whatever is done about mass pensioning, these men will stand out as classic examples of useful, vigorous old age. tt tt a PRAISES STUDENTS FOR SATIRIZING WAR By V. P. Whatever may be your opinion about the Princeton-inspired “Veterans of Future Wars,” there is this healthy note about the whole satiric affair—America still retains its freedom and ability to laugh off a few things. Where else in the civilized world today could a group of college students turn a major national issue into a farcical jest? And if the “Veterans of Future Wars” can, through clever satire, bring home to the nation the utter folly of war, they’ve made a real contribution. The whole nation ought to laugh with them. A GIFT BY MARY WARD I have put the poem by for today— I read it over and over again— I know it well, know all that it can say And sing to me in its tinkling refrain. A poem speaks, offering a golden key— It sings if one unlocks its melody— And so today I put your poem by— Deep in my heart, which it will sanctify. DAILY THOUGHT My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.—Proverbs 8:19. I WOULD not give one moment of heaven for all the joy and riches of the world, even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years. —Luther.

SIDE GLANCES

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“I'm going to be a little worried after you’re married, whether you will know jt&t how to coax him to eaU*

APRIL 21, 1936

Vagabond from Indiana ERNIE PYLE

EDITOR'S NOTE—Thl* rnvlnr reporter for The Time* core where he pleaiei. when he pleases. In search of odd stories about this and that. TAXCO. Mexico, April 21.—You pronounce Taxco like this— Tahsco. It’s 100 miles south of Mexico City. The road is all paved. Part of the way it’s through desert, and in midday it's so hot you almost get sick driving. The last 15 miles is through mountains. Very scenic, and very crooked. Nearly as crooked as the bad stretch on the Pan-American Highway between Texas and Mexico City. But not half so frightening, because if you fall over the edge you just fall 500 feet instead of 2000. When you come around a curve and see Taxco for the first time, you can hardly believe it’s true. I asked a man who has lived in Mexico a long time if there were any other towns as beautiful as Taxco. "Yes.” he said. "Several of them. In Jalisco, for instance." Now i’ll have to go to Jalisco. tt tt tt r T''AXCO is very old and primitive, and it’s built all over a mountainside. A rough mountainside, with ravines and shelves. The maps say the town is 5850 feet high. But they don’t say what part of town. The upper side must be at least 800 feet higher than the lower. I don’t believe any 200 square feet of Taxco are on the same level. Or that any street runs straight more than a third of a block. Or that any row of roofs makes a straight line. When you arrive, you have to take a boy on the running board to show you where to go. There’s no way you could possibly get through town the first time, without just trying every open space between any two buildings. Some of the streets are just wide enough for a car and a burro. Most of them look like walking paths rather than streets—and that’s exactly what they are. They were built for burros and sandaled men. tt tt it is about 5000 people, and -*• looks bigger. In the middle of the town is the most dominating piece of architecture I have ever seen—the great cathedral. It was built by Jose Borda, 200 years ago. He discovered silver here, ?.nd made more money out of miners Is than any one in the whole history of Mexico. And then he spent it all on this church (and the Borda gardens in Cuernavaca), and when he died he didn’t have anything. But it must have been worth it. For when you stand and look across the ravine at the pinkish old church over there on the mountain side among the white walls and the green trees, its two great towers ascending in massive competition with the mountain peak, I believe you could stand and just look at it as long as at any building in the world. There are no telephones in Taxco. There is a telegraph station, and they have electric lights. But gas stations have to stay outside of town. tt tt npAXCO is so perfect that the government has made it what we •in the states call a “national monument,” and nobody can build anything without the government’s approval. What will become of Taxco, I wonder, in the next few years, with tens of thousands of tourists streaming down over the new PanAmerican highway to Mexico City, and on to Taxco? Tourists will be so thick they’ll push the burros off into the ravines, and you’ll hardly be able to see a hog in the street. When there get to be more tourists than natives here (which isn’t unlikely) and: when every brown child has learned to say “alio” in bad English, then Taxco will be gone. But why, you ask. should I be shooting off the mouth about American sightseers coming to Taxco? Am I tourist, or am Ia tourist? Yes, I know. But at least I wear the same clothes I wear at home, and don’t go around in a pink shirt, green jodhpurs, blue spectarles, brown sun helmet and a pair of field glasses just because I happen to be in Mexico. And I never make any noise.

By George Clark