Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 14 January 1937 — Page 14

x t 5 3

_Teau of Circulations.

the Circuit Courts in Richmond and New Orleans.

A

PAGE 14 __ boku tlh dis The Indianapolis Times rv (A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER) Y H. HOWARD LUDWELL DENNY EARL D. BAKER

President Business Manager

Price in Marion'County, 3 cents a copy; delivered by carrier, 12 cents a week,

Mail subscription rates in Indiana, $3 a year; outside of Indiana, 65 cents a month.

Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way

| THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1937

Owned and published

‘| Member of United Press, cripps - Howard Newsaper Alliance, NEA rvice, and Audit Bu- - RlIley 5551

HE TOWNSEND MESSAGE OVERNOR TOWNSEND'S ,message outlined some State needs. But on most points he did not say just ow he thinks these needs should be met. He ignored the issue of merit system extension—a emocratic platform pledge. With President Roosevelt inorsing sweeping Federal civil service reforms, the Indiana fltuation calls for similar action. The Governor should be more specific about improving

oe the gross income tax. In his message, he paid high tribute

to this tax law and said, “if there be weaknesses and inequalities in our present tax system, now is the time to chase out the bugs.” Why the “if”? In the campaign, he admitted inequities in the law and promised to correct them. ‘The people would like to know what he proposes. ' | He properly indorsed highway safety proposals, opposed additional taxation, asked new buildings for State institutions, and emphasized refinements rather than further major governmental reforms. Most of the recommendations were broad enotigh to allow the Legislature to give its own interpretation. In short, the job is left largely to the Legislature. “We are assembled to legislate and to sign laws which will promote the best interests of all of the people of In-. diana” he said. “Just remember that if the pressure groups become too, persistent.”

| ~ We would like to add that a Legislature without executive leadersHip—no matter how conscientious—is likely to pass legislation as a result of such partisan group pressure. The final responsibility of approving laws in the “best interests of all of the people” then falls more heavily upon the Executive. First or last, the position of Governor carries with it the responsibilities of leadership.

THE INFERIOR COURTS

ET those who endow the courts with infallible wisdom consider some recent decisions on the constitutionality of ithe National Labor Relations Act. Sitting in San Francisco the Ninth U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-to-1 decision held the Act in violation of the Fifth Amendment. Sitting in New York the Second 1]. S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously last July held same Act constitutional. So did the Fourth and Fifth Beneath this judicial stratum, Federal district courts have heard more than 70 injunction suits to halt the procedure under this Act, and although the Government has won an overwhelming majority, a score of injunctions have been issued in violation of the spirit of the Act. The bewildered layman will wonder why an Act of Congress is a law in one part of the country and not a Jaw in lanother part. Others will wonder how it comes that these inferior ‘courts, creatures of Gongress, can sit upon Congress’ laws, some nullifying and others approving them. Others will wait patiently to hear what the Supreme Court says next month about Congress’ powers to spell out the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively, hoping for more unanimity and less confusion of tongue among the nine all-highest,

MISFIRE TAX : RESIDENT ROOSEVELT asked Congress to make no. changes in the tax laws that would diminish the total

budgeted receipts. But he pointedly left it to the discreof Congress to eliminate or modify any of the existing

‘Congress should take a new look at that tax, which it

EXCELLENT ORDER

FICIALS and employees who leave government service ‘carry with them knowledge of government personnel

and procedure that may be highly useful to private business.

When they sell this knowledge, as some of them do, the public interest frequently suffers. :

We applaud the order issued by Rexford G. Tugwell

"as one of his last official acts before retiring as Under-

secretary of Agriculture. It forbids department employees

to discuss legislative or administrative matters with former

employees who have been out of government service less than two years and who have entered the service of private business affected by such matters. It will apply, of course, to Mr. Tugwell, who is himself going into private business, ns to others. 2

It should be a general rule throughout the government.

THE MARCH OF TENANCY

A” the recent conforenive here on farm tenancy, it was pointed out that Indiana is among the more for_tunate states, with “only 32 per cent” of its farms operated

by tenants. Farm tenancy and .share-cropping in some Southern states is as high as 65 per cent. Since 1880, ten-

ancy has increased at the rate of 33,465 farms a year.

Indiana’s “relatively good condition” speaks eloquently

of tl e need of more stabilized farm income, moderate land values, reasonable credit and other factors that enter into-

"to labor because that would increase

u a

\

Jobs Before Congress—By Herblock

~

THE IDEA 1S TO PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT AND IMPROVE WORKING ‘CONDITIONS FOR EVERYBODY EXCEPT THIS GLY?

1937—190)5_y

TNENPR YM av Log,

Fair Enough By Westbrook Pegler

If All Persons Were Allowed Two Divorces and Took Advantage of Them, Imagine the Probable Chaos.

EW YORK, Jan. 14.—I think I will have to see my pastor or my actuary—probably my actuary—about a problem which has been raised by a recent historical event involving a king who shall be nameless here. The king in question loved a lady who

had loved two other males to a serious degree, and the boss-parson of the kingdom took the position that the king should not make her queen because that

would seem to indorse to the people the proposition that each human being had a right to at least three lawful mates. I am in no need of telling that divorce is a legal institution in this country, as sound as the chattel, mortgage and the principle of collective bargaining. I know, too, that it is a dreadful thing for a man and wife to live together when the sands of the desert are cold. : I will mention, however, a suspicion that divorce is often the resort of persons who have reached a certain time of life known as the dangerous age, and who would be better off if they would just realize that these throes, like some earlier crises, are just a part of the experience of life, and probably occurred in the lives of their sainted great-grandparents.’ . Dreadful as it may be for man and woman to continue to live together when the fire appears to be definitely out, it has been even more dreadful in certain conspicuous cases, for him and her to go roaming around at an advanced age, making notorious chumps of themselves before a public which knows precisely what is going on.

Mr. Pegler

” 8 ” UT the problem which I want to present to my actuary has to do with the enormous confusion which seems likely to ensue if we take as a standard the career of a lady who has two ex-hushands living and apply that to all of us. Suppose every man and woman has a right to two divorces, and that every man and woman takes advantage of that right. I will go so far as to suppose also that each of these ladies presents to each of her three husbands no fewer than two bundles from heaven, and that each husband, in the legal nature of things, becomes re-

sponsible for the education, maintenance and medical care of his own bundle. So, then, each woman has three husbands and each man three wives and each of them six children, and if you start with the original cast of the problem you discover that the possibilities are infinite, and the perplexities too large and rapid for anyone but my actuary, who is a fictitious character anyway.

# # ”

R DO not wish to propose arbitrary restrictions on poor troubled souls in search of happiness, and the answer to it all. But it is plain that if each of us got a ticket at birth entitling bearer to a certain number of divorces, like a meal-ticket in war time, and used it’ to the full, the result would be, to use a political word—chaos. ‘ I think it would be just plain hell, and I haven't carried the ‘problem beyond the third degree. And the expense of the court clerk’s office for the handling of the alimony, and the bookkeeping and the you're--ancthering and the fighting and the killing when the ex-husbands pass pitying remarks to the current incumbents!

I wish I hadn't brought up the subject, but 1 think regular polygamy would be better.

~The Hoosier. Forum I wholly disagree with what you say, but wil defend to the death your right to say it—Voltaire

AN ANSWER TO THE GUIDE LAMPER OF ANDERSON, IND. L. O. Royer, I. T. U. No. 1, Indianapolis I agree with you. It is sad your strike can not be settled like the Indiana Railroad Case. I also agree and believe the majority of residents of Anderson oppose the strike in your good city— that is obvious to one who has been a trade unionist for 30 years and has studied workers’ problems. My sympathy is with those who have been forced to stop work. I know your earnings represent a very small portion of the profits you earn for G. M. and are not sufficient. Did you approve or like the wage cut you received? Would you have the courage to go alone to the Guide Lamp management and protest over wages and hours? You are proud of the fine factory and safety devices. So am I. But if you do some research you'll find that organized labor in the U. S. has fought for and provided many of the conditions you now enjoy. My advice to you, Mr. Guide Lamper, is to talk the situation over with some real union man who can enlighten you on labor problems. Bargain collectively, for it is your recognized constitutional right.

8 uw = URGES DETERMINED CHURCH STAND AGAINST LIQUOR By H. S. Bonsib

The church could destroy: the liquor traffic if it would, and the liquor traffic would destroy the church if it could. It is high time for the church to cry aloud and spare not—to take a definite stand against that which has ruined more bodies, damned more souls and corrupted more politics than any other one thing. The Eighteenth Amendment lost out because the churches were recreant to their trust. Prohibitionists never had the means to push our work, the enemy had dollars to our pennies. We have never had the money which we needed for our success. This cause is not like a barrel of cider. It will not work itself. I feel that in spite of all the obstacles our cause, which has been crucified, will eventually win the day.

# 8 =n KOKOMO MAYOR APPLAUDED FOR JOB REQUEST By H. W. M.

Three cheers for Mayor Olin R. Holt of Kokomo, who requested that city employees who have benefited by recent salary increases have their wives give up jobs in order that unemployed persons might also make a living. . Nearly everybody who has advocated some plan of giving jobs to the unemployed has overlooked the fact that thousands upon thousands of homes throughout our country have several members of the family making enough money to keep the home comfortably.

There are no better places to start

General Hugh Johnson Says—

Recent Pronouncement of Brookings Institution in Defense of the

Hoover Philosophy Sounds

EW YORK, Jan. 14.—The Brookings Institution is out with a new attack on some of the President’s announced policies and a defense of the Hoover philosophy which licked Mr. Landon— hours and wages should not be made more favorable : prices, reduce production and retard recovery—that recovery came in 1932 and was hindered by the New Deal and that recovery has been greater abroad than here. The fact is that we are here mainly dealing with the dogma of a very able but highly headlong pros fessor named Harold G. Moulton, Ph. D., LL. D. It would be more “scientific, objective and impartial” if he would stop calling himself the “Brookings Institution” even though he is 99 99-100 per cent of it. u ” = 3

A LTHOUGH some other countries are relatively more active industrially than we, none but Germany has improved nearly so fast—and so far

from its low point—and Germany is an economic wreck.

Was the bottom of our depression. reached in-

1932? The statement is an afiront to the intelligence of every survivor of March, 1933, Leave hours and wages free to . lune low prices; will resto ent! Wi

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

this movement than; in our national, state, county and city governments. Here are two examples of this unfair practice of job giving. A father and two sons, all work in the Fire Department of a nearby city, each making enough to support the household. Another case—The husband is in the Police Department and the wife is employed by the County. Both making good salaries. What better social security could be had than the proper distribution of jobs. ... : Let me say that if every Mayor in Indiana would do what Mayor Holt :is doing it would put thousands te work and help solve the unemployment problem. on ” ” STARS ARE LIKE PEOPLE, WRITER TOLD By Charles L. Blume Jr. ; I went walking with my aged Uncle Mike, the Irishman of our’ family, one night last summer. It was a beautiful night. The Heavens sparkled with stars, giving a glorious show of loveliness. Suddenly a star fell earthward, blazed and disappeared. “Sure now, my son,” said my 'soft-voiced, wise uncle, “stars are like the people around us. Some laze in glory for awhile and then fall into oblivion. Some grow cold, lose their light and become useless. Some never are seen nor felt. Some are comets that rush hither and yon, going nowhere, restless and unhappy. You see countless numbers that have been faithful for millions of years; steady, radiating warmth, beauty and happiness.” : 2 8 = CITY WAGES AVERAGE $15, WRITER DECLARES

By William Lemon

Roosevelt. is advocating a living wage for all, while here in our city wages range from as low as $9.60 per week, with an average of about

MAN OFF TO WAR

By KEN HUGHES We moved together up the hill; Our hands warmly clasped To forget the inward chill. Two figures, dark against the sky, And love was born with this goodby.

DAILY THOUGHT

For I was hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, Matthew 25-35. .

‘7 INDNESS is the golden chain by which society is bound to-

gether. —Goethe.

and ye took me in.—St. J

$15 per week. The lower brackets include tie city employees. Take thi: average wage of $52 per month, de¢iuct house rent, coal, gas, light, inst rance, clothing and food, with bill collectors after you. like hungry fi:as after a hound and your patriotism will soon register zero. If you should have nerve enough to kick you are liable to be discharged and if you organize and offer any esistance you are classed as a_Comiaunist. . . . How loi.g; can a condition like this exist? The answer isin Russia, Germany, italy and Spain. Labor his grown weary of living on neck-‘ones, jowl, - liver, beans and promi:es. Today we could live like huma 1 beings if the Supreme Court had declared the NRA constitutional. At the bresent time those nine “grand old! boys” are “playing ball” simply beiause Roosevelt was reelected an there is an overwhelmingly Demnipcratic Congress. Rather han have their power curbed, they line up like disobedient school boyi after Halloween night: If this hac taken place last year the automobilt | strike and many others might hav: been-averteq. oon 8 =a URGES C OVERNMENT BUY PLANES MEANT FOR SPAIN By A. S. anil C. P. Iwas qite interested in reading the editcrial called “Tightening Our Neutiality” in The Times recently. ; It seem: that favorable solution to this pioblem of involving the United Stites in a European conflict woulil be for our country to buy these airplanes and* engines from this | certain person, offering him the :ame prices as Spain is giving hin. This ma: seem a bit extravagant but at thy same time it’ would be much cheg per than for. our country to become involved in a war. Anyway, it wold probably be sufficient until laws are passed prohibiting such a sali. \ Perhaps | the question * would arise, “What could our country do with all |! these airplanes and motors?” = The possible answer would be, “Give civilian pilots a chance to dwn their own airplanes. That is, lel: the government sell the planes to uivilians on credit terms, as automoliiles and various vehicles are obtaingl.”

Perhaps | this comment . seems

‘similar to ‘ome brainstorm that so

many peop: often get, but it is an idea. | ! Furthermore, it is the writers’ personal opinion that any individual so un-/imerican as to enter into any agreen @nt that would place his country in a dangerous or embarrassing position should at least be publicized, if the law can do nothing to stop him. ; . It is the case of the greedy, money-loviiig individual ,who either has not cor sidered the possible consequences «= does not care, so long as he can j:alize a profit. 2

tt]

It Seems to Me

By Heywood Broun

Roosevelt Will Have to Fight For Amendments if He Wants To Clear Path for Liberal Laws. EW YORK, Jan. 14.—That part of the President’s message which deals with the Constitution and the Supreme Court seems to me extremely discouraging. Mr, Roosevelt at the moment takes the attitude

that no change is needed in the instrument itself and that progressive legislation can be passed if only the judges will become loose constructionists. To be sure, he did not use that phrase. He merely spoke of “an increasingly enlight-

ened view.” But this brings us back

to the old difficulty of the mean= ing of words. The measure which may seem to Mr. Roosevelt. “enlightened” may quite possibly seem to somebody on a bench either reckless or reactionary. I have not devoted very much space to defending the nine members of the Supreme Court. I . ‘would like to see them all fash- . ioned along the pattern of BranLi deis. Cardozo or Stone, and yet it there was no legal warrant for : some of the most adverse deeisions against Administration measures. It is well to remember that NRA was thrown out by a unanimous vote. : I think myself that NRA was something less than a perfect setup, but I am beginning to wonder whether the faults did not lie in the administration of the scheme rather than in the plan itself. At any rate, it seems to me that something along similar lines is more desirable than the jungle philosophy of laissez faire. And yet there is reason to believe that even the most liberal members of the Supreme Court will be bound to rule that there is no constitutional warrant. : Mr. Roosevelt said in his message, “During the last year there has been a growing belief that there is little fault to be found with the Constitution of the: United States as it stands today. not an alteration of eur fundamental law, but an increasingly enlightened view with reference to it. Difficulties have grown out of its interpretation, but, right= ly - considered, it can be used as an instrument of progress and not as a device for prevention of action.” t 2 E-3 u 3 IX other words, Franklin D. Roosevelt has no present intention of urging any amendment. to him enough to shake his finger at the nine justices and say, “Naughty! Naughty!” | - I do not think this plan of action will work, and |I do not think it oyght to work. It is well enough for Mr. Roosevelt to identify himself as a football quarterback, but he cannot also be the bench manager of the nine and cry out to Mr. Chief Justice Hughes, “Take a longer lead, Charlie.” Probably I'm very old-fashioned. When the Presjdent spoke bitterly of a Supreme Court decision and used his famous “horse and buggy” phrase he was bit terly assailed as being guilty of a hideous impropriety. I did not agree at all with this criticism. There is

Mr. Broun

~ample American tradition which holds that the chiet

executive of the Nation has every right to curse the Court after the event, but this time Mr. Roosevelt goes much further. He goes too far, for it seems to me that in effect he is advising the Supreme Court as to. what it decisions should be. h : 2 8 = L. HAT, I think, really is interference by the executive. with the judiciary. Of course if a vacancy arises it will be Mr. Roosevelt's right (and I wouid even add duty) to appoint some one with a reputa< tion for liberal thought. If Franklin D. Roosevelt really means to fight for a clear road for liberal legislation he will have to advocate amendments. He will have to use his fist. An admonishing forefinger is not enough.

The Washington Merry-Go-Round

Dr. Townsend's Drastic Changes in Administrative and Financial Set-Up of

then ‘and fall

Like Propaganda and Needs Investigation.

years to the longest hours and lowest wages and prices

"of a generation.

The tom-tom repetition that unregulated automatic production “does not cause unemployment because displaced producers find other employment” begins to sound like propaganda. It should be referred to a competent gold-fish bowl hearing.

” # a

N 1900, two-thirds of all employable were working in direct production and one-third in “other occupations.” By.1636, 5-21 (12,000,000) of them had been shifted by machines out of direct production “into other occupations” (?), so that less than onehalf were direct producers. How do we get away from the conclusion from these figures. that machine production is destroying employment? Dr. Moulton gets away from that by intimating that this technological ‘displacement is mainly in manufacture, leaving plenty of jobs elsewhere. The census figures show that it is approximately as great in agriculture, transportation and mining, i. e, in all production and the 5-21 of employables (12,000,000) shifted “to other employment” look.a good deal like last year’s figures of the unemployed just as this latest Brookings pronouncement looks a

more 's brief than

good deal 8 va’

By Drew Pearsen and Robert S. Allen

ASHINGTON, Jan. 14- The Townsend organization is going “respectible.” That is the inside reason behind Dr. Francis Townsend's: anhouncement of a sweeping change in the administrative and financial setup of his mao iement. :

Henceforth there will be n: more state managers,fancy commissions and big-fizure expense accounts. Practically all the old whiiclhorses and one-time big guns in the movement eiiher have been ousted or stripped of their power. ¢& ate organizations and managers have been abolishii. Instead, a system of organization based on con :ressional districts has been substituted. ti 2 In each district the clubs, cliartered directly by the national office, will form a unit for political and propaganda action. Each unit; will be headed by an “employed” district manager, I red by the clubs. ’ : »8 O pay the salary of these managers the national ‘A headquarters reliriquishes the s assessments and ‘ donations it has required of he clubs in the past.

The national office will be su jported by the Townsend National Weekly, which has also undergone a

thorough Rous cldaiiing. Leis

His Perision Movement Indicate Organization Is Going ‘Respectable.’

Subscriptions are $2 a year and every Townsendite is expected to subscribe. The publication claims a 300,000 paid circulation. ; : : Under the new set-up $1.50 of the subscription price goes to the National office and the other 50 cents to the local club. Also, the clubs will pay 50. cents a year as “charter fee” for each member.

NOTE: Representative John McGroarty, Los Angeles Democrat who sponsored the original Towns send Bill, is no longer a member of the movement. . The $100-a-month pen ill he has introduced is , not the official Townsend pieposal. :

1%

8 2 8 g i GNATOR GERALD NYE, chairman of the Muni | tions- Investigating Committee and an advocate . of drastic neutrality legislation, was , belabor« ing the fresolution which embargoes arms ship ments to Spain. Nye contended it was a sham gesture, The aspersions outraged Senator Key Pittman, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and :

sponsor of the resolution. Leaping to his feet, he : shouted: ; 3

“It is unfortunate that the Senator from North =

Dakota should make such a speech. Great credence . is sometimes given remarks made on the floor of the !

would be most unfair to say that .

The vital need is.

It seems

a . J > a

OER cake

SH APA ET IE FOTN