Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 16 December 1936 — Page 16
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PAGE 18 .
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1936
INDIFFERENCE?
HERE was little fog in the black blanket of smoke and |
soot that darkened downtown Indianapolis yesterday morning. ‘The usual explanation—smog—couid not be blamed. It was just smoke and soot. sands of chimneys. Soot adulterated with sulphur and other minerals and buoyed by noxious gases—an estimated 1428 pounds of soot settling down on a two-square-mile area. It is not a strange sight to Indianapolis. Every December, says George Popp Jr, city building commissioner, approximately 21,540 pounds of soot falls on the downtown mile square, : But yesterday it seemed particularly bad. It was difficult to breathe. Motorists futilely turned on headlights in an effort to penetrate the pall. Yet the sun beat down on the roofs of tallest buildings, for the smoke layer was about 160 feet deep. j The smoke plague—one of the blackest civic marks against Indianapolis—has been with us so long and so little has been done about it that many citizens view it in a spirit of hopeless resignation. The Smoke Prevention Association in recent months sent questionnaires to 200 cities in all population classes in an attempt to reduce the smoke problem to its fundamentals. About 75 cities responded. Many blamed unnecessary smoke upon careless operation of furnaces. Lack
of proper equipment and poor fuels were given as other |
prime factors.
But 22 cities said public indifference was one of the most troublesome problems, 13 said “buck-passing” was at the bottom of it all, and 16 said the public simply was not ‘conscious’ of the smoke. There has been buck-passing in the siutation here, including the City Council's refusal a few months ago to make adequate provision for smoke inspection. We can not believe, however, that the public is not “conscious’—most uncomfortably conscious—of smoke. What some interpret as public indifference, we believe 1s merely a long-suffering forbearance. Something eventually will be done about the problem, because the public is not insensible to what smoke casts in health and business and civic attractiveness,
THOSE WAR DEBTS ESTERDAY 12 European nations were due to pay Uncle Sam £155,000,000 on the war debts. As usual all save Finland defaulted—including Great Britain, whose Deceminstallment amounted to $117,600,000, and France, owing $22,000,000, the second largest sum,
ber
There are signs, however, that the principal debtors may shortly resume negotiations for some sort of settlement. As matters now stand, each and all are barred from the American money market, The Johnson Act bans loans to those in default. Besides there is widespread sentiment in this country that even if Europe pays up, it will be because she plans to borrow more money in America for armaments. This group takes the position that we and the world might be better off to let the present indebtedness remain unpaid than to collect it and then help finance another war with some more bad loans, Much to Europe's surprise, she may find that Americans are not nearly so eager to collect as they once were or as one might now imagine. .
PROSPERITY: TRUE AND FALSE N Germany, Japan, Italy and some other countries a fearsome kind of prosperity is sweeping the land. There is little unemployment, Jobs are plentiful. The wheels of industry are buzzing night and day. Money is circulating and good times seem to have returned. ; What is happening is this: Industry is turning out armaments on a colossal scale. Factories are working on airplanes, tanks, cannon, machine guns, shells, bullets, poison gas, incendiary bombs, etc. To get the money to pay for all this, already hardpressed governments are bleeding their taxpayers white. It was against that sort of thing that President Roosevelt lifted his voice at Buenos Aires when he told the InterAmerican Peace Conference: “Vast armaments are rising on every side . . . and the work of creating them employs men and women by the million . . . however . . . such employment is false employment . . . it builds no permanent structures and creates no consumers’ goods for the maintenance of lasting prosperity . nations guilty of these follies inevitably face the day either when their weapons of destruction must be used against their neighbors or when an unsound economy, like a house of cards, will fall apart.” Inevitably the time must come when such false prosperity must come to its logical end. Factories will have turned out all the armaments that are needed, or that the country can “finance.” Then what? Just one of two things: Revolution or a foreign war. Either the factories will shut down, bringing unemploymet, misery and want out of which revolution will come, or the new and too expensive machine will be set in motion against some neighbor. “In either case,” said the President, “even though the Americas become involved in no war, we must suffer, too. The madness of a great war in other parts of the world would affect us and threaten our good in a hundred ways.” And that, likewise, is an indisputable truth. Which is why the two Americas must bulwark themselves against the shock which apparently no statesman today knows how to prevent. They must formulate a plan for the mutual preservation of their neutrality. They must act to discourage aggression from overseas. They must liberalize inter-American commerce so that trade among themselves will cushion the blow of economic collapse elsewhere. They must promote true prosperity among themselves as the only effective defense against irreparable harm if and when the crackup comes abroad, :
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Smoke from thou- |
oS
Gobbling Up Cupid-—By
Kirby
ROLLIN KIRBY,
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 16, 193
Lampe of China—By Talburt P .
Fair Enough
By Westbrook Pegler
Archbishop of Canterbury Doesn't Need to Look Down His Nose at Us Accusingly, Mr. Pegler Explains.
NEW YORK, Dec. 16.—The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke in riddles when he
' said that Edward VIII sought happiness
within a social circle whose standards and
ways of life are alien, but it would be my
guess that he meant the rich and swift
| Americans for whom the King showed a preference. However, the night club society of London is nct
much different from that of New York and neither
set has much to learn from the other about sin, idleness or allround useclessness and they are interchangeable. I was about to say that the present crop of rich and profligate wife-traders and chasers are some= thing new in the world but there were plenty just like them in the nineties and at other times, all the way back. My reading tells me of spectacular goings-on at Newport 40 years ago and they do allege that Edward's grandfather showed high speed around London and Paris in his time. There was this difference, though, that in those days the rich liked to hide from the public whereas nowadayse®they frequent the most prominent saloons and court publicity with pictures. When we read of pre-war Vienna as a city of romance and pleasure we think of fiddle-music and wine and the plumage of beautiful officers, but if we could put witnesses on the stand it would be learned that the habits and morals of the Austrian aristocracy were about the same that prevail these days in the night clubs on both sides of the water.
a Mr. Pegler
” ” ” HERE is much complaint here about the hypocrisy and difficulty of the American divorce laws but, although New York's law resembles that of England,
divorce has always been popular with our betters. Ever since the nineties, holy matrimony has been so frivolous among the best families of New York society that by now a dashing young scion may discover that he is his own uncle, cousin and grandfather and a single-handed foursome at bridge. Our European friends found divorce slightly repugnant for politicoreligious reasons, but annulment was one way out. If that wasn't feasible, then tradition and the morals of the upper classes and the clergy readily excused extracurricular relations, calling that by the pretty name of romance. Still, it does seem that the late King and the scions and scionesses of the American royalty have a solemn public duty to hold themselves slightly aloof perhaps even at the cost of creating their own night clubs and promoting their own prize fights apart from
the common hera. » ” ”
| ITH great reluctance I have to admit that in WW
Italy and Germany autocratic control does better in this matter, The dictators make a cult of muscle, early-rising, deep-breathing and restraint. The archbishop of Canterbury needn't look at us in that accusing way. The late King was a headache, to be sure, and his American playmates of both sexes, but especially of the other, have been no testimonial to the power of religious training. But Americans feel about the same as he does since it became impossible to drop in for the fights »or a pitcher of beer at night without wading through the scions and scionesses neck deep.
The Hoosier Forum
disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it—Voltaire.
I wholly
PAINT STREET NAMES ON LIGHTS, WRITER SAYS By Temperatus The problem of street name indicators—street signs—has come up again. A happy thought occurs to me. Suppose that instead of putting up metal plates, that the names were painted neatly on the glass housings for the lamps. At night you couldn't possibly miss them. . . . ® ” »
FHA INTEREST RATE
CONSIDERED HIGH By H. L. Seeger The reason we can not build new homes for the slum dwellers within their paying ability is that the FHA interest rate is too high. In Sweden, the government furnishes 90 per cent of the finance and the interest rate must not: exceed 35 per cent on the balance. The payments there run from 20 to 30 years. The homes must meet government standards and there are many thousands of these homes in Swedish towns. If the banks can lend the United States money at 23% per cent or less as they are doing, why can't the government create a housing corporation to build modest homes by the thousands? The cost on 1000 lots would be considerably less than on a few or one. Six million homes such as these are needed now. There is a job for 10 billion dollars and 3 million men. Forget the slum areas. Let the city acquire land near transportation facilities in a fairpriced neighborhood and set up 100 of these houses. Here is a practical way to solve the slum problem. The FHA is a flop on solving slum problems.
” = ” BELIEVES CARTOON
UNFAIR TO LABOR By Frank E. McNamara A cartoon, “Picketing,” by Kirby, recently appeared showing John Lewis as a sandwich man in front of the A. F. of L. office, his sandwich board reading, “The American Federation of Labor is unfair to Labor.” I am in favor of the industrial, or any other form of labor organization by which all laborers can be organized, but I don’t think that the above sentiment is fair to the craft unions. The A, F. of L. is biamed for many things, such as jurisdictional fights, racketeering and so on, which it has no power to prevent. It is an aggregation, net an amalgamation of unions. The Typographical Union, though =a member of the A. F. of L., holds no charter from it. The A. F. of L. has fought labor's battles in legislatures and Congress; has constantly pleaded for better working conditions, shorter hours and larger wages. It has been a bulwark against extreme oppression and a warning to labor's more
General Hugh Johnson Says —
There Never Was Better Opportunity for Industry and Administration To Get Together and Do Constructive Work on Unemployment Problem.
EW YORK, Dec. 16. — Some of my best friends keep jealous ears alert to the comment they hear on this column. Recently they have astonished its writer by reporting that, by some business men, its remarks on recent approaches to an “era of good feeling” between business and the Administration have been interpreted as critical, or gloating, or repressive or sour. There is only one deduction its conductor can draw —that his writing has been so lousy that when this column meant “white” with emphasis, enthusiasm and conviction, the words said “black.” The necessjty and the inevitability of a close collaboration between government and business to solve our overwhelming economic problems have been a principal text of this column since its first issue. In the past year, it has been repetitive and redundant on that subject. Quite apart from this column, its author has given a great deal of time in personal conferences, speeches, letters and lectures trying to bring about exactly what is now happening. " ® ECENT pieces commenting on action by the National Association of Manufacturers in New York, and Major Berry's meetings in Washington, were intended to point out what this col thinks are angles of approach to ends which almost
¥
(Times readers are invited fo 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.)
thoughtless and ruthless foes that it can be pushed too far.
Added Strength and Dignity It has added strength and dignity to labor. The thought of organizing through industrial unions has been before the A. F. of L. for several years. Reasons for such a form or organization are apparent, but reasons for opposition have not been explained. The sentiment is universal that there he no split. The situation reminds one of the controversy between the A. F. of L, and the K. of L. in 1886. They failed to agree on an organizing policy and the K. of
THE THREE SEQUENCES
BY DOROTHY TUCKER 1. War
The roll of the drums and the loud shrill fife, Are calling our men again forth to strife; A summons to faith and their loyalty, To give of their best for their fealty,
II. Death
They answer the call by the twos and tens, Coming from cities and small country glens; To step out bravely then stumble to knees, As poison gas comes with each summer breeze.
III. Despair
The word comes back to her died in action,” "Tis supposed to give her satisfaction; To know that he faced what was certain death, And to powers that be he gave his last breath.
“he
“Down with war! Down with war!” she shrilly cries, “Look at it, look at it, see with your eyes! “Come with me sisters of sorrow and grief, “Let's band together and in peace find relief!”
DAILY THOUGHT
Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty. —Psalms 74:20.
Man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn. —Burns.
L. died. The K. of L. was formed as a fraternal society in 1869 and a great many tradesmen joined it because it offered a chance for political activity. Most all unions cschewed politics and would not permit politics to be discussed, claiming that all power came from organization and skillful work... . . It was common to rate the assemblies of the K. of L. as unions, although there was no such means of testing the ability of new members as there was in the unions. Some of them were expelled union men. So when it came to trading cards there was friction. There soon developed ill will over wage scales, work, ete. Pride in Organizations
There is intense pride in some unions over the remarkable organizations they have built. The printers, for instance, have a wonderful system for training apprentices, a home for the aged and infirm and a generous pension system. In the midst.of the depression they doubled their pension contributions and cut one day's pay off the work week. Every union has something to be proud of and if they are willing to take the chance of change, all workingmen may be organized in another decade. I do not think there is much in the opposition of officers. In 70 years there never was as much said favorably of the workingman as there has been in the last three years. It is no wonder that the Committee for Industrial Organization wanted to get started. The greatest obstacle in organizing the workingman has been their fear. Organization is fashionable now. The A. F. of L. has been accused of laxity in organizing. The principal reason is that it did not have the power. It had a large name and scant finances. It has helped organize most of the national unions and several thousand local unions. In many of the larger industries craft unions are already oganized and on their account A. F. of L. action was withheld. The steel workers’ union is one. If all workingmen should be organized tomorrow, it would be years before some unions would be affected by the change. » n ” CRITICIZES ATTACK ON PENAL FARM By Mrs, G. A. King, Brazil In reply to Bob Burnes of Fountain City with regards to his statement that the Penal Farm isa curse and that prisoners are treated cruelly and sent there for nothing, I want to say that it is a blessing, training men for useful occupation, learning men more about God in Sunday services, giving them better food than many of them ever had before, If the prisoners behave themselves, they receive good treatment. They attract to themselves only what they give out. The Penal Farm is a protection for all lawabiding citizens. No one is sent there unless found guilty of an offense.
It Seems to Me
By Heywood Broun
David Windsor's Farewell Speech Ought to Assure Him Immortality Although His Reign Was Brief,
EW YORK, Dec. 16.—It is my notion that David Windsor may survive more actively in memory than any modern king, even though he reigned for something less than a year. lis farewell speech ought to
assure him immortality. I do not remember that the former King ever wrote anything before which attracted attention be= cause of its prose felicity. Of course, I do not know whether the farewell speech involved any ghostly collaborator. It sounded as if it belonged wholly to the man who uttered it. In speaking of the speech as a piece of writing, I do not mean to suggest that it bristles with any phrases which are eloquent in their own right. But that, after all, is its virtue. The speech fits perfectly the occasion for which it was intended. And if I ever had the opportunity or the temerity to teach English composition I would cite it to the student body as an example of the effect which can be achieved with one little word after another. With the exception of the opening phrase, “At long last,” there is nothing which smacks of the literary approach. Simple words are grouped in more or less eonventional combinations. When I listened to Prince Edward I knew from the beginning that he would end with “God save the King.” The entire tone of the talk marched in that direction. No ending could have been more convene tional and none could have been more effective,
¥ 2 0 ND if I may call attention to another piece of peculiarly happy simplicity I would mention the surprising effect produced by, “the woman I love.” And if you ask, “Well what else could he have said?” The answer is that he might have said a thousand things more fancy and more strained. For instance, he could have indulged in such a vulgarism as “the lady I love.” The best friends of the former King have never insisted that he is an intellectual giant, and the kind of education handed out .to royalty is not generally calculated to produce any simple style like that of Bunyan, let us say. But consider, “I now quit altogether public affairs and lay down my burden.” That might have been said by Christian.
MONG other things, Edward slew the accusation of being nothing more than a night club tramp. The task of standing up to speak over the microphone to countiess millions was one of the hardest ever assigned to an individual. David must have been very lanely as he talked to London, Hong Kong and Montreal. Among the ironic incidents connected with the abdication was the editorial in the New York Daily News. It has always seemed to me that this paper prints some of the best editorials written in this country. The one I have in mind was at least exe tremely lively. It slapped Edward with everything in cluding the water bucket. It was in its own way a masterpiece by a man who stands close to the top in journalism. But when the play boy Prince did his own stuff he knocked the block off Captain Patterson. That was quite a wallop for a cub. Frankly I didn't know he had it in him.
The Washington Merry-Go-Round
Gen. Franco Can Not Win Now Without Direct Italian or German Intervention, Which Would Mean War in Europe, Mr. Pearson Says.
The courage and clarity of Mr. Chester in opening the Industrial Congress on a note of whole-hearted co-operation, -the speeches of Mr. Weir, Mr. Brown and Mr. Mead, the work of Clay Williams and the resolutions committee, all leave no question of the active and general purpose of industry to play ball. The utterances of Administration spokesmen, from the President down, immediately preceding and immediately following the election were wide-open welcomes to exactly what is being done throughout industry. $ = ® HERE never was a better atmosphere in which to do constructive work—not even in 1033, because while the spirit then was more evident, it was also more emotional. Today everything is on the side of progress—if progress is not sidetracked by some misstep—on either side. This column still maintains (1) that industry should come neither in a horse-trading mood nor with its tongue in its cheek, nor yet with a chip on its shoulder; (2) that resounding resolutions and expressions of good will standing alone are not enough—industry should advance, for purposes of discussion at least, a specific program; (3) that government should indicate where and through whom and how it desires problems.
BY DREW PEARSON
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Drew Pearson, now in Eurepe, is writing a “Merry-Go-Round” of the foreign situation. Following is his first dispatch. from Gibraltar, the Atlantic gateway to the Mediterranean and southern Europe.)
IBRALTAR, Dec. 16. —This Rock, identified in the United States with life insurance and in Europe as the mightiest fortress in the world, is on the verge of becoming about as useful as Fort Robinson, Nebraska, once a blockhouse against hostile Indians. Gibraltar is still a most imposing sight. Its artillery emplacements are so cleverly concealed that the strongest binoculars can not locate them. Its placid, rocky surface covers a labyrinth of underground passageways connecting a series of the most powerful big guns in existence.
But all that painstaking pfeparation is about to be rendered useless by one development, now recognized as plainly as the nose on your face by all those who have watched the Spanish Revolution. It is this:
a 8 =
I¥ order to get German and Italian airplanes, aviators, and the munitions without which he would have been defeated long ago, Gen. Franco has made the following promises: “i - v v YR - = > ES i aR 4 5 ; Pup . Sn
Ro
Just inside the Mediterranean and capatie of cone trolling its western bottleneck into the Atlantic. -2. Germany gets the Spanish colonies in Africa, chiefly Spanish Morocco, which is directly opposite Gibraltar, and capable of nullifying the power of the British batteries so carefully hidden inside the Rock: Even if General Franco is defeated—as is now beginning to appear likely—Hitler and Mussolini will go ahead with the deal just the same. A prostrate Spain, no matter which way the war goes, will be able only to protest. And it is doubtful that Britain, rapidly arming but still unarmed, will risk war, even though the proud might of Gibraltar is punctured. = ” = JERE is no question in the minds of impartial observers of the sympathies of the bulk of the Spanish people. They are overwhelmingly with the Spanish government. Furthermore, the use of black troops and the Foreign Legion—which have borne the brunt of Franco's fighting—has increased the bitterness against the Fascist revolutionaries. Finally, many Spaniards have come to realize that Franco is heavily mortgaged tao Hitler and Mussolini. This has played a leading role in the tightening of the loyalist morale and vigor the last few weeks. Franco can not possibly win now without - direct Italian or German intervention—and that would mean
war in Europe. :
&
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