Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 28 November 1936 — Page 10

Give Light and the « SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1936

SIR BASIL, SON OF INCE most humans t

People Will Find Their Own Way

in terms of personalities rather

than ideas, a war-sick world will pretty generally, hail

the death of Sir Basil Zaharoff as good riddance.

This Croesus-rich unitions. vender appeared on the

surface to fit ideally the| role of first-class devil. Courtly, urbane, worldly, he mo red from one capital to another selling his wares, hand in glove with death. To this fabulous character was added the lure of mystery. He was almost a legendary figure, and few knew his age, his nationality or the extent of his wealth. A Lucifer in spats and cutaway!

Behind this mask of mystery death reveals a figure of

pathos. His single romance at the age of 74 and his be-’ reavement two years later turned him into: a recluse. He was not a happy man with all his power arid wealth, But.was Sir Basil any better or worse than his customers, the governments of so-called Christendom? All of them sought the things he sold. England knighted him, France, Russia, Italy, Greece decorated him. Like the

makers of his merchandise—the Armstrongs, Vickers-

‘sMaxims, Krupps, Schneiders, du Ponts—he found a ready

- market in the hates and rivalries of nations. The strutting little rulers and cynical politicians who play on these hates

and rivalries must share with the munitions makers and sellers blame for the great conspiracy against humanity and the sixth commandment. -

CRY FROM MACEDONIA

HEN officials in Washington urge an amendment to ‘the Constitution spelling out Congress’ power to pass social legislation for: meeting national needs, the answer ~ comes easily from the new states’ righters of the right: “Oh, that’s just Federal bureaucracy trying. to extend its . power over the states.” But when a conference of 'state labor officials declares

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in favor of a Federal amendment “to permit minimum wages and other social legislation,” such a demand will be harder to laugh away. And the Third National Conference

on Labor. Legislation did just that. These state labor officials are out on the social firing

line. They know the familiar arguments of Governors and

state legislators that if one state passes regulatory laws, that state’s employers are at the mercy of those of other states that refuse to pass such laws. Since March, 1933, these state officials have "worked

tirelessly to get their state governments to act. Secretary | of Labor Perkins proelaims: their achievements, but: it | strikes us that what they have done is less sensational than

their failures. The depression’s misery and an aroused interest in social reforms worked for them, yet in that time— Only nine states enacted minimum wage laws; ~ Only 183 states shortened work hours by statute; Only four states ratified the child labor amendment;

Only three states regulated or Abolished home. work.

(sweatshops) ; :

‘Only seven states established 16-year age minimus

for boys and girls in industry.

THOSE SIMPSON WAFFLES

And when she brought the waffles, the edt begun: to sing: “Now isn't thet a dainty dish ‘to, set before the

King?”

" # ® » = ®

HE Affair Simpson may not result in a new Anglo-

American alliance, but already it appears to be bring-

ing the two great English-speaking powers closer together

in the things that really matter. We refer to Mrs. Simpson’s storming of that hitherto jhvincible Gibraltar of British tradition, the kitchen. ~All of Mayfair is talking about the Southern waffles, Maryland fried chicken and frozen desserts that the Baltimore belle ‘has been preparing and serving King Edward with her own

fair hands. Smart hostesses in emulation are dashing into

. their kitchens with noses buried in American cookbooks ‘and emerging with fluffy offerings to tempt milord’s palate, With every tasty innovation such titans of the Empire's uisine as kidney pie, boiled potatoes and brussels sprouts are forced to retreat. A culinary revolution, it seems, is under way as Wally leads the charge with unsheathed waffle iron. Let Britain look to her roast beef!

ECONOMIC PLANNING

HE National Retail Drygoods Association’ 8 walkout from the United States Chamber of Commerce, while in the restless spirit of the age, is less_interesting than its tlantic City planning program now being submitted to:

the retailers of America for approval.

pugh statutory i a 2 other at finding decent. trade pratioa by Jaw.

MARS bo A

conferring and then

Fair EnGugh

By ‘Westbrook Pegler

#'s a. Bad Year to Publish: a

Book Because Miss - Margaret Mitchell Has Market Cornered.

NEW YORK, Nov. 28. ~ Your correspondend is one of the 10,000 who have had a great human document, or book, this year, and while it is: a, nice-looking book, with plenty of long words and shrewd insight calculated to make the people think, it begins to look as though it will be just one of the 9999. The other book is “Gone With the Wind,” which has become an industry by itself, with gross receipts of $3, 000,000 as-

sured by Christmas. Book people tell your correspondent that this was indeed an unfortunate year in which to have booked, so to speak, because Miss Margaret Mitchell, of Atlanta, is making all the: money. ‘Just for: an illustration, some dealers dend in orders for maybe a dozen or possibly 100 copies of your correspondent’s great human document, but when they order “Gone With the Wind” they waht . 10,000. ‘Assuming that Miss Mitchell is receiving 15 per cent of. the retail price, which’ is $8, :she will have earned $450,000 by Christmas, not counting the mov=' ing picture rights, and,- of course,tinue to sell in those ‘big, cléaring-house figures for some months beyond that. Thén it probably will drop to $2, like Hervey Allen’s “Anthony Adverse,” which hit the jackpot in 1933 and ran up a score of about 600,000 copies at $3 and 200,000 more at $2.

Mr. Pegler

The book people say neither of these books will:

ever get mixed up with the percolators and bathing caps in. the drug stores because the United States Pharmacopoeia calls for a price of not more than $1, and these are fat books which can; hardly be manufactured for that. # ¥ os

grit. H. G. Wells eventually reached the drug stores with his “Outline of History,” which is a big, long book, and Will Durant’s

after sales of 225,000 at $5 each. So maybe when

“Tony” and the “Wind” have mopped up at $3 and $2 some one can squeeze them into dollar compass, too. , ‘Having a steady job, your correspondent is not | seriously ‘upset to discover ‘that Miss Mitchell's book 1 is almost a monopoly this year, but it must be depressing to some who are book writers by trade, This is

a hazardous calling at best, because even in normal years a Writer puts in months writing, re-writing, and

years an ordinary. reading

os tom then d : : a attention and run up enough

e author through

A von turn out some very nice. books. among | - the 10000 and. when they appear in thew IWS tach one bespeaks much , work

‘relief. : ‘weeks.

“the Hook will cone. Ja

“Story of Philoso-: phy” has become a popular sedative at a $1 a copy

The Hoosier Forum

1 wholly disagree ‘with what you Say, but will plejend to the death. your. right to say it—Voltaire.,.

ROPER'S CENSUS PLAN | UNSOUND, HE CONTENDS By M. 8. Secretary of Commerce Dan Roper’s drive for an immediate |

‘census of the unemployed appears to

be based upon plausible but underdone thinking.

Certainly we want. to know how many “jobless there are. We have

‘wanted to know that for seven

years. But a mere nose count will satisfy not even our curiosity. Such a census would cost $20,000,000 and’ require’ nearly a year to complete, at the end of which time the picture ‘would be entirély changed. It could not be a guide to the next Congress in a appropriating for work “It would not even be a good: work relief project for white collar "since ' the ‘doorbell | about two

g would take on To mean anything, unemployment data must be kept up to the minute. The best way of doing this is through a highly efficient and na-

| tion-wideé ‘system of free public em-

ployment exchanges, now. lacking. All relief applicants should register’ for work at such offices, and only those for whom there are no adete private. jobs - at prevailing es should be certified for public ‘work relief. Such exchanges have |By beer effectively developed in Europe | - as Supplementary to unemployment. compensa tign systems. - Under our ‘Wagner-Péyser Act the state-Federal system of employment

offices has grown all ‘too slowly and: , - Only 37 states}.

unsatist have. set up- -such systems, and in only a half dozen states are they state-wide. They should be given grea Impetus by the new Social

-Securi

a the ‘mégntime a ‘more imporproject would be an expert bi ‘of the whole unemployment and relief problem fram the bottom up. government (1) “in working out a scientific and co-ordinated relief system and (2) in more quickly

liquidating the costly and demoral- | “burden.

. President | ne at might well ask 0

‘to - finance a special board of alta ci

of the new relief bill

the risk that the customers |

Such a study would guide the |

“being: enlorced. several months before . 8 ney are declared unconstitutional. Nii “However, what Broun tails. to un‘derstand is that the Supreme Court can not.pass on laws until there are

appeals from these laws brought up|’

- from the lower courts: It would be unconstitutional for the. Supreme Court -to- pass - judgment on a law jetare. there. is an appeal from that

The first Congress created the office of Attorney General. It is the Attorney General's duty fo pass un the pen, bros covierd Bn of. laws ‘before ghey S¢ enacted—that’ ig, if he is

It mi t be a good idea to give the Attorney General “nine old men” and to require these to pass on the ‘constitutionality, ph an is aws

Fares

“They platy can * themselves the "Constitutional ‘Court to distinguish ‘them from the Su e Court. In is | fact, Congress could, without any constitutional amendment, take the power of court veto away from the . Supreme Court and. give, it to this Sonstitatigesl Court.

ga £3 bi PRAISES PLEA FOR <; FREEDOM OF SPEECH

here 5:00 denying the fact that school teachers, throughout the nation, have been alarmed by the past attitude of the American Legion on problems -of education. It. will be recalled, hae. at the last Teeting of

FANTASY ;

BY. “HARRIETT. SCOTT’ OLINICK I think if T should meet a gnome Who had three wishés in his pack, lor ‘even found a wishing stone, Pd never ask to have yout bask, i

My wishes would be that I might

ini to walt the night SURE, Seep as. heart nq

That 1 might never ‘Jove’ again Nor see a lilac tree in flame, part | Or find hat rapture has an end, i

, TRrSVEL foe: you: upme, yous

mame,

Oh ride. it T Hd toad & gnome t| with

for me in his pack,

d' have wished \ your Wild | fended

heart home. 30a Jove. hed 45 a. you

{in

Stow ool is tiesen- sions ‘on |b

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the national teachers’ association (the N. E. A), Dr. Counts warned that Americans had more cause to fear the activities of the American - Legion shan the activities of Communists. . But the new national BTer. Harry W. Colmery, has done much to renew the confidence of the

gion. His recent speech before the

Chamber of Commerce was prob- |:

ably the most statesmanlike plea for freedom of speech and freedom of education that has been made in the last’ decade. Let me quote:

“The Legion is opposed to all arbitrary types of absolutism. ... The average business man is unwilling understand that we are undergoing a social change. He thinks that those whose views are contrary d/o his should be thrown out ‘or regulated by law and policemen. He does not realize that if the ideals and. principles that: have made America what she is are to be maintained and the American system under which he operates is to on tinue, that it is up to him to and prove his case before ‘the gad of American public opinion.” Certainly. this is a far cry from many of the campaigns of “Americanism” carried on under the name of the Legion in the past. In fact, it is a courageous challenge to the foes of freedom and liberality in education.’ It states the situation in America better than any of our educators have beén able to state that ‘situ .. A copy of the speech 1 should be sent to every school board | the nation.

arn ox SAYS. MANY DRIVERS. MENTALLY ARE INFANTS

By H. L. Seegs? | In many cases an iriferiority

have not been trained beyond horse and buggy age action; they ought to have kiddy car licenses instead of drivers’ licenses. :

4 Just take @ look at Capt. Lewis

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teachers in the purposes of the Le--

In Washington

By Rodney Dutcher

Good Time fo Take 5 Cook. Back af Platform Promis es Democrats Made Last Jun, (Substituting for Heywood Broun). | ASHINGTON, Nov. 28.—In all of the "heavy speculation as to what the next

four years of Roosevelt Administration may -

bring forth, you rarely hear any one mention the Democratic platform and its premises of last June. Everybody knows that no political party ever entirely lives up to its platform. Nevertheless, this one . caused quite a stir at the time and it was the work of *

the President and his friends, who" have been continued in power. The platform may be considered at least enough of a vague guide’ to justify: looking at ‘it’ agein, to sort out such relatively concrete promises as it contained and add to them such few similar promises’ as Roosevelt ‘made in ‘campaign’ speeches. One of the most sensational promises in the Democratic plate’ form has generally been forgots ten: *, ,. We will act to secure the consumer fair value, honest sales, and a decreased spread be« tween the price he pays; and the &

Mr. Dutcher - ke

“price the producer receives.”

+On the face of it, this appears to mean an ate’ tempted reform of the distributive’ system which would hit at waste, deceit and excessive profits. The. Administration is being urged to createra government agency which would advise on Federal policies, disseminate information, and conduct research in the

. interést of consumers.

pressure groups are in better positi ; ‘persuade: the Democrats to’ make good. an ta:

‘instance. This groups finds thuch more’ nourishment

“in the Madison Square speech platform, except as the lafter dealt with the constitu.

Garden than in the:

‘tional amendment issue,

labor will seek to give the answer, Wage, child labor legislation seems a certainty Dext four yea and even 4 Hkelihood in the vita:

Roosevelt promised continuance of the. fight “to improve werking conditions. . . to reduce ‘hours. overlong , . . to increase pin 3 that spell starvation ~ to end the labor of children , .. to support collective bargaining , , . to wipe out sWeatshiops,?.

F Era

there is a gestion as to when hours are om” * or wages on the starvation level, organized’ hour, and:

within the -

gress ~ Democrats at Philadelphig promised that if they couldn't solve such vital Jzoblems as minimum maximum hours, child labor, monopoly, and pv : Vusiniess practices within the Constitution, they would : a “clarifying amendment” which would leg Congres and state legislatures, within their respéce ” jurisdictions, adequatel “regulate coms’ a, protect public. health and ty Sd ty

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ito definitely promised a