Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 18 October 1938 — Page 12

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Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1938

OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT ON Monday, Oct. 24, the Wage-Hour Act goes into full effect. Thereafter it will be unlawful for employers producing goods for interstate commerce or engaged in moving goods across state lines to pay any worker less than 25 cents an hour, or to employ a worker more than 44 hours a week (unless he pays overtime at time-and-a-half), or to employ children under 16. But these verbotens are complicated by various exceptions. Borderline cases will be subject to interpretations by Administrator Elmer Andrews and eventually by the courts. That is a big job for Mr. Andrews, and we like the way he is approaching it. Here is what he said in a recent speech: “] have no intention of succumbing to what is facetiously and somewhat scathingly referred to outside the District of Columbia as ‘the Washington viewpoint.’ : “That term probably is greatly exaggerated but it is meant to imply that Government officials, newspapermen and others, after a brief sojourn in the Capital, arrogate to themselves a pontifical and brahmanesque outlook that is slightly out of focus with what is being thought and discussed in St. Louis or Seattle or Rochester... “The Fair Labor Standards Act is a national law. It will be administered in that spirit. And the Administrator and his staff intend to keep in constant touch—physically whenever possible, mentally at all times—with the pulse of this great nation.” : We can think of several Washington officials who would do well to take those words to heart. But Mr. Andrews so far has barely scratched the surface of his job. Plenty of disagreeable controversies lie ahead. So we echo the words of Samuel J. Gompers, chief clerk of the Labor Department, who after administering the oath of office to Mr. Andrews clapped him on the back and said: “And may the Lord have mercy on your soul!”

MARTIN M. HUGG

ARTIN M. HUGG'S life was one of unusual activity. Keen witted and versed in literature as well as law and ~ politics, he played an important part in local affairs for more than a half century. After entering legal practice here in 1895, he was elected to the State Senate in 1896 and also served in the 1905 and 1907 sessions. He was named Marion County Attorney in 1901 and more recently was Marion County Republican chairman. ; Mr. Hugg counted among his friends men of all professions and politics. Many mourn his passing.

ENGLAND’S CRY OF DISTRESS INSTON CHURCHILL, Britain’s wartime First Lord of the Admiralty, has appealed to the United States to join hands with England and stop the dictators ‘before it is too late.” It is futile, he warned, for us to think we can “wash our hands” of the European mess. And while people on the other side of the Atlantic know where our sympathies lie, that is hardly enough. Are we, he asks, going to “wait until British freedom and independence succumb and then take up the cause... alone?” There is much in what Mr. Churchill said. If the peace-loving nations of the world would only stand together, they would overwhelm the evil-doers. Unfortunately, however, things haven’t worked out that way. The covenant of the League of Nations, as President Wilson conceived it; the Kellogg Pact outlawing war, and the Nine-Power Treaty to safeguard China—the whole, post-war conception of collective security—today are but one-time hopes that are dead. Some day, perhaps, there will be a resurrection. We trust it will be so. But for the present that conception has passed out of the picture. ; And must of the blame for the untimely demise must be laid at the door of Britain. We can fix the time and place and even name the man who was largely responsible. The time was Sept. 18, 1931. The place was Manchuria. The man was Sir John Simon, today Chancellor of the Exchequer, but ‘then British Secretary for Foreign Affairs. At that time, Japan was a member in good standing of the League of Nations, also a signatory of the Kellogg Pact and the Nine-Power Treaty. On that day, she deliberately attacked China, a fellow signatory, and when our Secretary of State, Henry L. Stimson, almost begged Sir John to help head off Japan he met with a flat refusal. In vain did Secretary Stimson point out that this was the turning point; that here was the first challenge of the collective security system by any major powers, and that if Japan got away with it, others would do the same. Sir John still said no.

3 » ” ” ” ” HERE is no use trying to fool ourselves any longer. Nations simply are not willing to go to war in defense of democracy or any other ideal in the abstract. Nations will fight only when they feel their own direct interests are menaced. That was true of Britain in 1931. Her interests were not materially and directly involved on the plains of Manchuria. Nor in Ethiopia. Nor even on the banks of the Danube. This, Prime Minister Chamberlain plainly stated in his recent historic broadcast. However much he sym- - pathized with Czechs, he said, Britain would have to have a broader issue before he could plunge the empire into war. We have no quarrel with Mr. Chamberlain for saying that. Pretty much the same can be said for America. If Canada is set upon, the United States will not remain indifferent. If Latin America is attacked, the Monroe Doctrine will be found doing business at the same old stand. If America’s vital interests are challenged in the Pacific, or elsewhere, by the dictatorships, the chances are she will respond just as she always has. But there is little in international relations since the armistice of a nature to induce her to change her mind now about alliances or other similar peace-time undertakings. Regardless of our natural sym- - pathies, America’s traditional prejudice against that sort of ing still stan{ 3. sii i

Buropeal oneses, but how many ba

Enough By Westbrook Pegler The U. S. Can Avoid Getting the

Treatment Hitler Gave England by |

Making Itself Strong in the Air.

EW YORK, Oct. 18.—Great Britain has not waited long to learn that the peace of Munich was a terrible defeat, no less harmful for the fact that it has been up to now almost painless. But already the British are aware of sharp twinges which will increase to agony very soon. : Hitler has undertaken to impose on the British people a blacklist of anti-Nazi British statesmen or politicians who may hold national office only at the risk of his anger. This is a forthright assertion of the power which Hitler is attempting to exert in this country through his anti-American Bunds. Nations of equal rank always reserve the right to reject ambassadors unacceptable to them, and in reality strong nations often interfere in the elections of the weak. But even in this hour of irresolute confusion in Great Britain, when the pride and character of the nation are numb from shock, it must convey piercing humiliation to the people to be told in very plain effect that Hitler claims a right to censor their ballots. # ® » BVIOUSLY, if British candidates for appointive or elective office are to be disqualified for criticizing Hitler’s conduct the British Foreign Office might as well move bodily to Berlin. Foreign policy will be

the great issue in Great Britain from this time on,

and the question of foreign policy will be whether to fight Hitler or surrender. He would blackmail, with a threat of consequences adding up to war, all those who advocate resistance to anything that he has done or may do. Incredible as it may seem, the German dictator has presumed to thrust in the hands of the British people a one-way Nazi ballot with a space in which they may vote “ja” but no place on it for a vote of “nein.”

All this comes of the fact that the British neglected to keep up their air force and air defenses, but the United States 1s now, happily, only on the far outskirts of a similar predicament. This country still has time in which to organize for quantity production of airplanes and with its resources should be able to build not merely two ships for one but conveniently five or 10 ships for every one that Hitler and Mussolini together can create. 8 8 = PF Hitler and Mussolini are confronted with an effort .as mighty as this country can make without straining half as much as they have, they will treat the United States with respect. Otherwise, they will follow the same general course that they have pursued toward Great Britain and France.

Up to now both Fuehrer and Duce have refrained |

from the direct approach to the internal politics of this country that has been seen in their invasion of Great Britain’s domestic prerogatives. But, two years ago Hitler, through his press, warned “the nation of people: who wear their hats in the house, put their feet on the table and spit chewing gum at the walls” that he might take an interest in American domestic affairs, which would not be pleasant. That interest manifests itself now in the operations of the anti-American bunds, whose program is out of the same book that was followed by the Henlein treason in Czechoslovakia. :

Business

By John T. Flynn

U. S. Steel and the Railroads . . . One Solved Its. Problem, One Hasn't.

EW YORK, Oct. 18.—There are railroad apologists as well as apologists for the Government's policy who are now saying that the railroads’ troubles do not arise from their bad capital structures but from competition. Anyone who wishes to test this matter might do well to compare the railroads and a great industrial corporation—let us say the U. S. Steel Corp. If the U. S. Steel Corp. were managed as railroads have

been managed it would today very probably be a bank-

rupt concern.

First of all, the railroads in order to finance whatever improvements they have made have resorted to bond issues. They are not entirely to blame for this. The Interstate’ Commerce Commission encouraged, even pressed for bond issues instead of stocks. The result has been that in the case of most roads they are loaded with fixed charges and their credit is exhausted.

Because the railroads have had no credit they have gone on operating with the antiquated equipment they have. They are fighting 1938 motor carriers and pipe lines with horse and buggy railroads.

The U. S. Steel Corp. faced very much the same situation as some of our railroads back in 1929. The great steel corporation had been running along under the leadership of men who had grown gray and lethargic. Newer kinds of steel, newer processes, newer steelmakers and ironmasters had come upon the stage.

A New Era in Steel

I have no figures to stgte the case with precision, but I think it a fair statement that of the plant which the Steel Corp. operated 15 years ago—with the exception of its rail mills, some of its blast furnaces and

a few other odds and ends—practically all has been supplanted by new plants.

If the Steel Corp. had not replaced its old plant it would today be a wreck. It could have said, of course, that the disaster was due to competition. But that would leave the question unanswered. It was due to competition because the corporation had refused to put itself in a position to compete. It did put itself in such a position and it did so. because it had surpluses and credit and was hot being drained by vast bond issues. The railroads cannot compete because they cannot scrap structures and equipment which are groaning under crushing debts. The lesson is that if all American industry were run as the railroads have been run all industry would be in the bankrupt court.

A Woman's Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

HERE does all the money appropriated for national defense get to? This is the most confusing financial question for “yours truly” right now. According to scare heads and news reels, Europe has been madly getting ready to fight for the last six years. Yet, since the Munich conference, we find

the evil day has been postponed because the big |

boys, after all their spending orgies, aren't quite ready. This, at least, is the way certain men of my acquaintance patiently explain the situation to me. Hitler, they say, needs time for a further accumulation of food and guns; England, aiming for the same objective, has already planned to spend more on its defense department; while Mussolini wants a longer breathing spell. Over here, too, the work goes feverishly on. Although our peace time budget for war is the largest ever dreamed of, the clamor for extra defense money is general. That's all very well, perhaps, but I feel in the mood to ask, “Where's that last billion we gave you, Boys?” - Wasn't it in the spring of 38 that we handed out just such a sum? Of course, I know that a battleship costs about $65.000,000 equipped, and that it goes out of style almost as quickly as a woman’s fashion fad. Nevertheless; I felt we could all relax because we had a good start toward that super-super-super-Navy a good many good Americans want. I was wrong, as usual. For here comes our martial Oliver Twists asking for more. Every housewifely instinet in me is outraged at the spend-thrift habits of the groups that are hot to defend their country and willing to bankrupt it in the process. Naturally we must keep up with the ttleships have we

Gen. Johnson Says—

The One-Man Control in the FCC

Easily Could Bring Regimentation .

Of Radio if Such Were Desired.

ASHINGTON, Oct. 18—The row in the Federal Communications Commission is beginning to smell. The split is supposed to be on questions of policy or the absence of policy. Actually it is over whether that quasi-judical quasi-legislative body is & seven-man commission or a one-man tsardom. If it is to be the latter, the tsar will be Mr. McNinch as chief of staff for the Corcoran coterie at the White House. One row within the Commission has been as to whether that body shall prescribe general policies so that the radio and other communication companies may know what is expected of them or whether, as at present, they be required to act at their peril subject, as to radio companies at least, to a sentence of economic death by having their licenses revoked

3 | if they guess wrong.

The Hoosier Forum

I wholly disagree with what you say, but will : defend to the death your right to say it.—Voltaire.

WANTS TO HEAR MORE FROM VANNUYS By D. S. y You go out of your way to commend Senator Frederick VanNuys for his promise of continued activity on the antilynching proposal. We heartily agree, at least, in commendation of his humane sentiment, although our understanding of the law prompts us to question whether it is a subject to be prop-

erly dealt with in the United States

Senate. Unless the lynchers unwittingly carried their victim across a state line, it would seem to be a state rather than a Federal matter. At least this is the principle recognized in Federal auto theft, in the new wage-hour law and other statutes. However, what we really want to inquire is this: The Times has an enviable. reputation as a newspaper of crusade and reform, of high editorial integrity, and likewise demanding integrity and consistency from our public servants. You commend Senator VanNuys, so undoubtedly you are acquainted with his record. Is there any reason why you have not noted, or inquired of him why he remains silent now concerning those oft-repeated threats and promises to expose a “crooked, rotten State House gang’? The Times, to bear out its earned reputation of the past, should ask him about these matters, even volunteer to help expose any dishonesty, and help run any dishonest public officers out of power. Isn’t that right? Ah-ha! we've got you there,

2 an x SAYS U. 8S. CAN'T LEARN FROM EUROPE ON LABOR

By Voice in the Crowd. The Times seems to have a very

high regard for the report on Swedish and English labor conditions.

They are probably all right for Sweden and England. Labor in those countries is happy with its lot. Well-to-do labor in those countries is contented with its bicycles and they have not as yet acquired the radio habit, nor do they generally enjoy electric lights and refrigeration, a telephone for every 3econd family, a bath and a heating plant in nearly every city home, nor a motor car for each five people. It is still the height of ambition over there for a workman to look forward to the ownership of a light second hand car or a motor bike. They are content to follow leadership that will give them a small standard of

Think |

living and ‘a certain amount of security for a life that was bettered

(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.)

in America in the “horse and buggy days.” What did Europe ever have in the way of general living standards that we did not predate by 30 years? Before the inevitable drop in our inflated speculative values in 1929, Europe was sending commissions over here to learn how we maintained the high living standards of

labor. Now we are sending coinmissions to Europe to learn how they restrict initiative and keep their subjects contented with the little that they have.

America is still the land of resources and opportunity. If the people of the United States cannot force a cleaning up of our putrid politics and again make it possible for small business and new opportunities to mature, then we deserve a death by termites.

The big strong union dealing with strong industrial organizations, as in England and Sweden, is not American. It would solve no eco-

SUCH LOVELY EYES By DOROTHY BEST

Such lovely eyes, that express Love and kindness in their depths! They seem just ordinary eyes Until I look and see the skies Reflected there as in the cool, Clear, shining waters of a pool. They look so understandingly At. all my faults and my. follies. Such eyes are blessed with inner sight And feast themselves on visions bright, Which leave behind an afterglow Seen through the windows of your

soul, : And looking through brings heaven near You have such lovely eyes, my dear.

DAILY THOUGHT Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with “the words of thy mouth.—Proverbs 6:2.

T is as easy to deceive one’s self without perceiving it, as it is difficult to deceive others without

their finding it out.—Rochefoucauld.

nomic problem nor would it be an asset over here. Where could new enterprise start or future leaders begin their climb, throttled by such a handicap? Where lies an opportunity for youth in such an economy of scarcity? Where is the opportunity for beginners in the restricted apprenticeship or the right of seniority over the ability and the ambitions of youth? Right there your future leaders would be stopped.

What America needs is a great turn toward morals in politics, a cleanup of every racket that profits only as others lose, and an individual knowledge that if we wish to ride we will each have to push, or at least do a little boosting. We don’t have to go to Europe to learn to do that. They haven't anything to push. 8s a =

FASCISM CALLED FOE OF HUMANITY By Mrs. D. G. Is communism and fascism a menace to the world’s peace? While Hitler is trying to convince us that his message is to clean Europe from Communism, it is of great importance fo rthe people of Europe and United States of America to have a clear vision of what is at the bottom o fall this and what are Hitler's real intentions. Russia is no menace to the world’s peace. No one doubts that Russia has no imperialistic aspirations, it is involved in inner construction and trying to make a success of the communistic experiment. Communists in Europe and U. S. are those who believe in the Russian experiment but they are lawabiding citizens of every democracy willing to co-operate with democratic governments, elping to build unions for workers, helping to improve the condition of the impovererished masses. The Communists have no intentions of overthrowing democratic governments. Fascism proved to be a foe of humanity; it is a step backward which the tories of all countries support in order to cover up their unwillingness to solve the economic difficulties in their countries.

Fascism means destruction of cultures, destruction of national minorities and of free public expression, it means to keep the people under an iron heel, taking away their freedom.

Fascism cannot exist without war. The sooner the people of democratic countries. realize it, the sooner they will be willing to act against fascism and wipe it out so that we could once again catch a free breath and forget the fears and nightmares in which fascism plunged the world,

IT DEPENDS upon how you define “patriotism.” Real love of one’s country—its culture, art, music, literature, its folkways, dress, manners, language and customs are

LET'S EXPLORE YOUR MIND

By DR. ALBERT EDWARD WIGGAM

ATR DEAS ON= ALITY A NECESSITY

TOA 2

ality,” and constitutes the only true patriotism. But when patriotism means the shouting, ranting, chip-on-the-shoulder, national pride, desire for wealth and power, demand 4) Sy NLS

tions—it becomes the greatest national danger. This is “economic nationalism” and is the chief cause of war. 8 8 = KICKING yourself for past mistakes merely wastes your energy and does no good. It prevents you from calmly deing the three things necessary: First, analyzing the conditions, previous acts,

habits, etc., that caused you to commit the mistake; second, estimating, without self-blame, just what have been the consequences; and, third, laying out plans so that you shall avoid the conditions that caused the error. : 2 8 = MOST political leaders have strong, impressive personalities, but business and military leaders are often quiet, even shy men whom

you would never pick out of a crowd as leaders. One psychologist rated a large number of executives on more than 100 traits and very few showed up as having “dazzling personality” or “pleasing personality” etc. Many of them were rated by their associates as “argumentative,” “fll-tempered,” “disliked” etc. Their outstanding qualities were not personality qualities at all, but such qualities as “ability to delegate au-

thority” “a liking for making de- him when he talks. This will encourage 110 11 0 LES : CULL

Another row has been as to the extent to which the Commission shall set itself up as an actual cene sorship of what is said or sung over the air. » 8 » VINALLY, there is a disagreement as to whether the Commission shall now launch forth a witche hunt called a “monopoly investigation” to punish, discipline of intimidate the radio broadcasting indus= try. One curious aspect of this particular row is that if a monopoly has been created in this industry it

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was created under the very wide power of this very .

commission.

Some of these discussions are of long standing. Mr. McNinch was selected and sent as chairman to iron them out. Instead of doing this, his peculiarly arbitrary and cantankerous personality has made them worse.

Now he has launched ‘on a far more drastic purge than the President's own, possibly tactics of the same author, the brilliant Tommy Corcoran. It began by firing arbitrarily and without a hearing before the commission of its own general counsel. He was fired for charged “inefficiency.” Yet to induce him to ree sign, a job at the same good salary was offered in ane other department of Government,

T=: was followed by a move to purge practically the entire personnel, 50 to 60 officials of two dee partments, law and investigation. The purged general counsel was replaced by Mr. Dempsey, one of Tommy Corcoran’s fair-haired boys. A good deal of all : ‘is action was urged by Tommy. The mass purge of tl.e others, mostly lawyers, was protested by members ot the commission.

This required the connivance of the Civil Service Commission. This has not as yet been obtained and - may never be obtained, but the method and attempt has been exposed and they are something of a zealot and inquisitor,

All this is something more than a tempest in a teapot bureaucracy. If that commission can be ree duced by purge and intimidation to a subservient one man official gadget of the Corcoran type, there are almost no lengths to which it might not go to regie ment radio and regulate its use to political purposes. This has been a scarcely spoken threat of some third New Dealers and has been feared by their political opponents. That may be far-fetched, but if there

. were a desired end this would be a way to bring it

about.

It Seems to Me

By Heywood Broun i

He Urges a 'Come One, Come All' Policy Toward Visiting Lecturers,

EW YORK, Oct. 18.—I think that all visiting British lecturers should get in or none at all, The second system would be simpler, and it would be far more fair than the present helter-skelter method of picking and choosing the favorites,

? ik

There was a discussion of this very thing in Poughe .

keepsie only the other day. It centered around the

name and fame of young Randolph Churchill. A group of White House correspondents, who weren't corresponding at the moment, recalled the night young Churchill nearly got his ears knocked back. His contact with the American press occurred in a diner on the Presidential train. Mr. Roosevelt was « making a last-minute election swing through New England, and on the evening in question he had just completed his 11th speech, It was very tough on the reporters. And so a little group of weary men were seeking fo revive themselves and eschew all talk of politics. As nearly as I can remember, the topic was college football. . At this point who should bound in but young Randolph Churchill, He was representing one of the big English papers, and he had been in America pre glsely three days. Naturally, he knew all about the election,

Posing a Question

Young Churchill began to talk about democracy in general, and “your so-called American democracy” in particular, It all seemed to him very silly, “All this bally free press rot!” he explained. “Don’t you think that the American newspapers are being much too fair to your President, Mr. Roosevelt?” He addressed his query to a correspondent working for a bitterly anti-New Deal publication. “I don’s think so,” said the reporter, but another from the far side of the table was rising to give an even more emphatic answer.

a i

It may not generally be known, but I am a man

of peace. “Don’t take a poke at Young Churchill,” I sald. “Do we believe in free speech or don’t we?” : By a strict party vote free speech won, and we all sneaked off into a drawing room where we could be alone without young Randolph. It’s still the better system. Until such time as the State Department can learn to pick a winner it will be much wiser. for it to proceed upon the theory of “Come one, come all.” And while it may not affect the general principle

of the thing at all, it so happens that John Strachey =

is a nice fellow.

Watching Your Health By Dr. Morris Fishbein :

ANY uneducated people apparently take pride in speaking with a peculiar locution or accent. For example, in the movies, criminals invariably talk out of one side of the mouth and with a muffled tone. Bad boys always speak in this manner, and use a lot of slang. Unfortunately, too many boys want to be thought of as bad, and actually avoid speaking clearly and distinctly. : Language is such a matter of imitation that pare ents should keep this fact constantly in mind. Pare ents need not worry too much about the age at which children begin to talk, according to a recent writer in Hygeia. Remember that talking, like other efforts, represents mind and muscle co-ordination. A teacher of speech has listed seven rules for pare ents which will be helpful in developing good speech? 1. Do not correct the child's pronunciation or enunciation. 2. Do not imitate the child’s baby talk. When you say “dravy” for gravy and “wed” for red, simply bee cause the baby talks that way, you confirm him in his difficulty. But do not correct him too severely. 3. Never talk down to babies and little children, 4. Do not nag, coax, or raise your voice in an effort to get the baby to talk. 5. If the baby’s uncle and aunt stammer, or if you

stammer yourself, give the baby a chance to §

how to talk from someone else. Children will imitate, 6. Give the child a chance to talk, and‘listen to

“e