Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 October 1936 — Page 11

iE 3 goto . ° : ; The Indianapolis Times ‘(A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) ROY W. HOWARD LUDWELL DENNY EARL D. BAKER President Editor . Business Manager Member of United Press, . Beripps-Howard News-

paper Alliance, News

dress 214-220 W. ‘Mary-

daily (except Sunday) by land-st. ; ~ The Indianapolis Times Phone - Publishing Co. - > Riley 5851 -

Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1936

“BOARD UP THESE HOLES”

HE escape of Alfred Brady and two members of his be gang from the Greenfield jail adds to the evidence that the Indiana change of venue law is regularly abused and that facilities for holding desperadoes pending trial are dangerously inadequate. ; Yesterday's escape recalls that Red Giberson, Willie Mason and others have escaped from small, undermanned jails to which they had been transferred from stronger Jails in the counties where they were accused of crime. One suspect admitted he confessed to a murder he did not commit, in order to be moved to a small jail from which he felt certain he could escape and thus avoid a burglary sentence. ~The demand of Herbert M. Spencer, Marion County prosecutor, for a strengthening of the law, and for amendment of the mandatory change of venue statute, should receive serious attention when the Legislature meets. In ~ the words of the prosecutor: “They (the Brady gang) will be recaptured, but at great expense to the taxpayers, and perhaps after the commission of other crimes. . , . These holes in our law which

permitted this must be boarded up so this can not happen again.”

~ BE SPECIFIC, GOVERNOR

HIS week Gov. Landon promises to shoot the works on unemployment and relief. Since his discussion of these subjects thus far has been in generalities only, it is something to realize that now, within three weeks of election, he proposes to tell just - what is wrong and just what he would do to right it. At Freeport, Ill, he read his text: “The American _ Dbeople are demanding that waste and extravagance in the Federal government be stopped.” With that no American will quarrel, “Waste and extravagance” are bad, and in the spending of some seven billions there have been some of each. The Governor, however, should point out, first, how he would change relief administration, and, next, what he would eliminate to stop waste and extravagance. Administrative costs under WPA are not high, an estimated 4.4 per cent, compared with FERA’s 10 per cent and private charity’s much higher overhead. Wouldn't there be more waste and extravagance’ with localities spending Federal dollars? The works program has been costly, but it has en-

tiched the country in many ways. .Qut of the 90,000 WPA

~ “projects in 300 counties there stand: 109,000 public buildings constructed or repaired, including 83,000 schools, 9000 of them new; 400,000 miles of improved roads, 121,000 miles of which are new; 11,000 bridges built, and 17,000 more repaired; 7000 sewer systems substantially enlarged; 5000 water control works, 3000 water systems, 1100 new swimming pools, 5000 tennis courts and 25,000 playgrounds built; 271,000 acres of eroded lands terraced; 1,500,000 children given daily school lunches; 1,000,000 children immunized against typhoid and diphtheria; 500,000 people taught to read and write. Which of these projects would the Governor have eliminated ? Relief is not a simple thing on its constructive side. It “ should not be made a political issue, for it is a national heritage from years of planless economy, false prosperity - and social neglect. If Gov. Landon chooses to make it an issue, then he must depart from mere fault finding and offer a better way.

THE ACUTE HOUSING SHORTAGE : HE sharp increase in home building is scarcely making a dent in Indianapolis’ problem of an accumulated housing shortage, : The Apartment Owners’ Association reports less than 2 per cent vacancies exist in the 12,000 apartment units here. An increase in the marriage rate and an “undoubling” of families due to better times have increased greatly the demand for homes. But the construction industry has ~ lagged during the depression years. Even a 200 per cent rise in residential building has not affected the Indianapolis ~ shortage. : ; ~ This situation adds significance to the experiment here with low-cost housing. WPA workers are tearing down a house at Smith’s Lane and Coffman-pl, owned by Marion County, to clear the way for erection of a model low-rental house. This house is being fabricated in laboratories of the Purdue Housing Research Project for the State Planning Board and is to be erected within a few weeks. The experiment should give private enterprise a chance to study the feasibility of entering this large field of lowcost housing.

OUT OF THE DARK is altogether fitting that the Roosevelt Memorial Medal ~~ for “co-operative achievement” should go to Helen Kellér and her teacher, Anne Sullivan Macy. These two great American women have lived an epic of struggle and:triumph to thrill the ages.

Herself a victim of affliction, Miss Keller grew to ma- |

turity with a deep sense of the suffering of others. She has written, laboriously but profoundly, of the poor and

AMES E. ROBERTS SCHOOL

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A Long Voyage—By Herblock ~~ -

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Fair Enough | By Westbrook Pegler ;

Doesn't Care Who Is Elected If New President Commits Himself . to American Form of Government. NEW YORK, Oct. 12.—It doesn't make much difference to me, really, whether Roosevelt or Landon or somebody’s grocery man is elected President next month if the new head man commits himself to the preservation of the ‘American form of government and the liberties which go with. it. We have had some. punk Presidents in the past,

but if you think this country is in bad shape or that

life in the Republic is hard, you ought to read up on conditions in the European countries from which

“some of our patriots are nowadays

eager to import innovations. I don’t think Landon would be any great calamity if, by some political miracle, he should come in on top. And I have to remind some of ‘my friends who think the old deal as dreadful servitude- to the economic royalists that we enjoyed a very pleasant taste of the more abundant life back there in SR X the twenties, when skilled work- ; men in the building trades around Mr. Pegler New York got up to $20 §.day, and * : a man could make six digging a hole with a spade. Hootch sold readily for as: much as: $20 a quart in those days, and there.was much amusement in the early twenties at the spectacle of horn-handed sons of toil going to work in candy-striped silk shirts at $8 a copy. We take as a matter of course in this: country, many normal conveniences which under the dictators of Europe are regarded as miracles of single-handed achievement by supermen. Mussolini and Hitler build a few miles of paved road and proclaim a regional

holiday at which they strut their:troops and sprinkle

themselves over with new-mown rose petals as thousands cheer. But paved roads are routine with us, and a sugary spot in a highway where the concrete has erumbled; and the cars go bump, is regarded as evidence of the decline of democracy. Mussolini drains a swamp, and dedicates a little tailor-made village, and the ‘Ttalians dust off a big spot of ground and throw themselves a patriotic spasm over this stupendous feat. : : . ” » » UR railroads got pretty bad for a while, but at their worst they were better than those .of Europe and today they are not: only much improved, but much cheaper than the European lines. > Of course, we have city slums, but they are peopled in the main by Europeans with slum standards of living, and the problem in this case is not so much to lift the American standard as to eradicate the domestic habits and the heavy odors imported from the old world. And, accustomed through generations of plenty to carelessness about food, we waste through shiftless handling and bad cooking enough food to feed one European for every one of ug Ser Se TUROPEAN soldiers who fought, not six weeks or three months, but whole years in the line in the big war, and were shot up and gassed and turned back to civil life dismembered, blind, crippled or ved no bonus. : any Be in. even when we are tangled up in the problem of levelling off great accumulations of wealth and spreading: it around, we are still the envy of all European’ peoples; and in addition to the abundant natural riches which Hitler so openly envied in his speech a: few days ago, we still have the right to come and go, to vote in secret, to pop off with our opinions and read what we want,

V7 ASHINGTON, Oct. 12—As this column pointed

some time ago, the grave threat of a ship-

maybe. if they would start from the

no jobs available. There are enough

The Hoosier Forum 1 wholly’ disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it—Voltaire.

CHARGES STREET CARS VIOLATE ORDINANCES By ‘Betty Hiram

Street cars are supposed to stop for preferential streets the same as automobiles. Isn't Capitol-av a “stop street”? Then why do street cars think they have the right-of-way when they cross Capitol-av. at’ 34th-st?

Oh yes, the motormen say they stop—they pause, not stop. ' The pause is just long enough to ring the' bell and all the automobiles on Capitol-av are then -supposed to stop. I have never crossed 34th-st at Capitol-av when I didn’t have to stop and let a street car have the right-of-way. - As I understand it, the street car are run on schedule, and they are allowed “so much time for stop lights and preferential streets. Well,

end of the line and allow themselves enough time, they could stop as they are supposed to do. : Do street car motormen ever get a ticket for exceeding the speed limit? They do things wrong just the same as any one else driving on our city streets.

By Jameés B. Tretton, General Manager, Indianapolis Raliways, Ine.

We have given positive orders that all traffic laws shall be: obeyed. It would be a violation of company rules for a street car operator to disobey traffic ordinances. A man who violates such rules will be disciplined, if we are informed. The company would be grateful to anyone who reports such violation.

8 = » DOUBTS SPRINGER WILL ABOLISH JOBS By Donald Washam

There must have been considerable anger in the camp of the G. O. P. Old Guard political workers the other day when the party's candidate for Governor of Indiana served notice on the people of the state that he expected to abolish the gross income tax and reduce the personnel of state departments sufficiently to make it possible. At the same time, they must have remembered his utterances a few days before in which he pledged himself to maintain experienced, competent and qualified personnel in office. sie These promises, together with the fact that there are now a large number of old-line Republicans holding jobs under the Democratic state administration, give no hope to the Republican workers ‘that there will be x i available in the event the gly impossible of a Republican victory should visit the State of Indiana. If Springer should find himself in a position to make the cuts he promises (which promises, judging from the state’s past sad experience with Republican officials, are not to be taken seriously by any one), it would leave the Grand Old Party workers out in the rain with

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious controversies excluded. Make your letter short, so all can have a chance. Letters must be signed, but names will be withheld on request.)

simi

Republicans on the state pay roll

taxes Springer claims he will get along with, even if he would follow precedents set by all former Republican = Governors who have succeeded Democratic Governors and kick out every Democrat who is holding a job, regardless of efficiency and ability. We. suspect that Mr. Springer is likely passing the word along by the usual party grapevines that he does: not mean this threat very seriously. = : It would be nice if Mr. Springer would tell us just what jobs he will .abolish, : ” 2 8 QUERIES ARE GIVEN - AS VOTERS’ GUIDE By F. 8. Dudgeon : Do you know when the public schools of the state: could not pay the teachers? When were many schools closed and would not open again in many parts of the state? Who put the public schools on a sound basis? Who cleaned the outside of the Statehouse? Who wants to clean the inside now? Do you remember when your dad and a few other working men would gather on the street or in a hall to try to plan how to make an honest living?—how they were classed as Reds and scattered by our public police? Do you know when it was o. k. for the heads of large industries and corpofations to hold all-day meetings in upper stories of our hotels to plan to crush labor? Did the police scatter them? . . . ‘When was the country under the

THE SAME STARS

BY HARRIET SCOTT OLINICK

She said, “The same stars Will be blooming in the desert

nights; | : These same stars!”

Later she wrote, “The desert is Beautiful, and there. are stars!” She did not mention she was dying.

I wonder if God granted her a star In his celestial Heavens For her own keeping?

DAILY THOUGHT

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever—Psalms 136:1.

y may imitate the Deity in all His mortal attributes, but mercy is the only one in which we can pretend to equal Him. We can not, indeed, give like God, but surely

General Hugh Johnson Says— 2 Newly Appointed Maritime Commission Should Go to San Francisco : © and Settle What “Threatens to Be a Most Serious Shipping Strike.| in a situation that might have the most serious civil

now to eat up the small amount of.

we may forgive like Him.—Sterne.!

control of about 15 multi-million-aires? When they could operate industry or close down at their own pleasure? Did the G. O. P. put the banks on a solid basis? What great man ordered defenseless men, seeking work and food for their families, out of Washington? Which shall it be, continuation of the Square Deal, or the return to the dictatorship of a few?

: ” s ® PRAISES ADMINISTRATION FOR FARM LOANS By E. S. Hamlyn, Acton The Republicans have referred in a great many instances to the great outlay of money by the Administration for relief purposes and have criticised them severely and continuously and questioned the integrity of purpose which has inspired them. The Administration, without cost to the government, loaned the farmer money on his corn in the crib at 45 cents a bushel. For this the farmer paid a small interest charge. - Corn has never sold for less than 45 cents since that time and is selling for considerably more. It has brought a degree of prosperity to the farmer since wheat, in sympathy with corn, doubled in price and the meat-packers were forced to pay more for hogs, beef and the like. : As a result, the farmers who were not already swamped under the Republican Administration could receive money and pay their taxes again. These taxes are not half as high as they were in Republican Administrations and business begins to. show signs of life once more.

I consider this one of the major |

strokes to Old Man Depression and a boon to the farmer and business generally. - The Republicans had this same opportunity long years ago, but they could not agree to let the farmers have any money. They said the farmers would not know how to use it because they had seen none for so long, and that they would appoint a committee from the family of money who would know just what to do with it. This is a characteristic of the Republican party.

2 2 =

URGES INSURANCE NATIONALIZATION

By C. D. Wadsyprih Some of the Administration’s pol{cies in regard to farm relief are to

be commended: namely, the extension of credit to the farmers and, in part, the conservation program. It seems to me, however, that the real problem: has scarcely been attacked. When we do away with the conspiracy that exists between the insurance companies and industries, and when we put labor back to work

|The Washington Merry-Go-Round CX

It Seems to Me

By Heywood Broun

Budding G. O. P. Girl Spellbinders Get Poor Coaching for Heckling; Old Soap Box Orator Believes.

EW YORK, Oct. 12.—An extremely ine teresting but highly dangerous experiment took place at the Women’s National Republican Club last week. Budding female orators were baptised in their own boos just

for practice. ise

According to the story in the Herald Tribune, the instructor explained the situation as follows: “We know you are a group of highly educated young women, but for a little while now you are to be a group of bums, & woman with a fat baby face, a ~ person eating a banana, or men making remarks about the girls on the truck. You are Commuiists with quite a few Democrats and perhaps a Republican who is not out playing golf. We are to cone vince you.” : As the speeches progressed the scrub team of amateur hecklers was called into action and inter rupted the proceedings by booing the name of Landon and some called out, “What's he ever done?” This sounds to me like a Sood deal less than expert training. In the first place, Mrs. Robert Morey, the coach, asgimes too much when she suggests that anybody who boos Landon is a bum. Some of my best friends go to the news= reel theaters almost every other night to boo Landon, and if John D. M. Hamilton is also shown they regard that as so much gravy. . en The potential hecklers pictured for the budding street corner orators do not fill the bill at all. There was mention of “a woman with a fat baby face.” People with fat baby faces are practically all Ree publicans. For instance, Herbert Hoover has a fat baby face and you wouldn’t expect him to heckle any Republican orators. .

Mr. Broun

® » os . UESTIONS will be shot at you from the lean, or Cassius type, in the audience. . The instructor was not at all clear in pointing out the difference between “heckling” and “booing.” I think the frst practice is entirely legitimate. We will waive booing

for the moment. The whole purpose of street corner meetings is to presént political arguments in a more intimate way than they can be done in big halls, or in the newspapers or over the radio. gil Accordingly, we have the street corner meeting, which ought to be conducted in the best tradition of Hyde Park. These fledgling Republican orators are certainly being thrown out of the nest on the wrong if they are all advised that the hecklep is a bum and ‘a ruffian, : : § 8 = = : = USED to be a fair street corner talker 10 or 19 years ago, but I have lost the touch, and besides I was a one-speech man. I couldn't make up new things as I went along. Indeed, I don’t know that I will ever be able to go back into politics again. Everya body has heard my speech. ghd > vir However, I would like to add a little advice to the rather inept coaching-which has been given fo the Republican young women. First of all, always give a heckler an even break. Do not try to shut off. his question. Invite him up to the stepladder where he can be heard, but slap a time limit on him. Booing is quite a different matter. quite a lot of it, and I don't know any sure system for handling it. . I've always tried just to stand still and wait. 'em out. But that wouldn’t be a good system for Republicans. You can’t do that unless you. feel sure that your cause is just. Siar ka

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Borah Is Sure of Re-Election, But He's Campaigning in Idaho. and A 8 Sight for Gods of Politics to See’ as He Wows ‘Em on the Hustings.

By Drew Pearson and Robert S. Allen

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