Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 February 1939 — Page 16

TH

‘The Indianapolis Times

(A i, NEWSPAPER)

ROY W. HOWARD President’

o g 3. io p

MARK FERREE

LUDWELL DENNY : i ~ Business Manager

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: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1039

RAMPARTS WE WATCH

| DESPITE the many discouraging symptoms of ‘Europe’ Ss drift toward war, certain signs point to the hope that, before the irreparable happens, the tide may turn back in | the’ direction of sanity, and peace. : Prime Minister Chamberlain started things ‘Satirday by holding ‘out: ‘his’ hand to the Fascist dictators, at the same timeg ‘warning them of Britain’s and France's readiness to fight: Monday Reichsfuehrer Hitler replied with a-speech which, for him, was surprisingly moderate. And Tuesday Mr. Chamberlain in the House of Commons made a direct bid for Eutopéan collaboration for peace and limitatir of armaments. : < Now it is Italy’ Ss turn to make her contribution. “The United States should do everything it reasonably and a can to encourage this trend. If another general war breaks out in Europe we will have the utmost difficulty to keep from being sucked in. Even if we managed to stay out, and then Great Britain and France were wiped from the map, the Nazi-Fascist menace would sweep on to, Spain, to the Azores and to this hemisphere.

8.8 =» : 2 8 = O convinced are most Americans of the reality of this "menace, that the President has proposed the biggest pedce-time national-defense program in our history. And the country is overwhelmingly behind him on this issue. : What. made Herr Hitler's coup at Munich possible was the weakness of Britain and France, especially in the air. Today if Germany and Italy attack Britain and France it will be for the same reason. If, on the other hand, the dictators -believe their forces are fairly evenly balanced with those of the two democracies, there will be no war.

=~ Which leads up to the sale of American airplanes to _ France and Britain. ~ "As long as our own basic interests are not overlooked in the deal—and Congress is perfectly right in seeing to that—then we would be foolish indeed to object. In terms of national defense, one plane delivered to England or France today would be worth 10 times that many delivered to Kelly Field six months from now. “There is nothing either in law or morality against such sales. The Johnson Law bars credit, but as long as Britain and France: can pay cash on the barrelhead they are as free to buy planes—subject to certain safeguards—as they are cotton, wheat, automobiles or radio sets.

THE GARBAGE BOYS, AGAIN

'E'VE started receiving propaganda handouts again from an outfit in Washington which calls itself the “Domestic Fats and Oils Conference,” and that, we pre-

sume, means that the old garbage-pail lobby is at work

again. The latest release veproduces a speech by the Hon. Sam Hobbs, member of Congress from Alabama, who runs quite a temperature over statistics showing that this country imports large quantities of Philippine coconut oil, Sumatra palm oil, etc., and that these. oils are used to produce shortening, soaps, étc.. The Hon. Mr. Hobbs says ‘this competition of cheap foreign oils is ruining the cottonseed-oil business, which in turn is ruining cotton farmers. « Ho, hum! We've been through this before. Some four years -ago the cottonseed oil boys and the dairy-products boys: lobbied through Congress a tariff of 3 cents a pound on Philippine .eaconut. oil. .. That was supposed to prove a boon to ‘cotton and dairy. farmers. But we followed the market quotdti thereafter, and about the only change we noticed: was tha there was a Phenomenal rise in the price of’ tallow. Practically. all of the tallow produced in this country is rendered from’ city garbage, and we've never been able to stretch our “imagination far enough to visualize any farmer deriving any profit whatever from what is made of the contents of city garbage pails. make coconut oil, etc., too expensive, soap manufacturers use tallow as a substitute. ‘And the tallow boys pocket the margin, but no farmer in Mr. Hobbs’ district, or elsewhere, ever sees the .color.of that money.

NEW AUTO TAG DEADLINES?

MONG, the few measures on which both Houses of the Legislature appear to be in substantial agreement is one giving Indiana: ‘motorists a 60-day grace period for the purchase’ of ‘automobile license plates. The House passed such a bill this week, 87 to 1. A similar, though not identical, bill was approved by the Senate last. week. There are several reasons why this change is desirable.

One is that a March 1 deadline, instead of the present Jan. |

1 date, will conform with that established in most. other states. Another is that it moves the deadline for buying licenses out of the holiday confusion and extends it to a period of the year when there can be no valid excuse for further extensions. It ought to end, once and for all, the annual spectacle law enforcement officials make of themselves by threatening dire penalties to tardy buyers, only to swallow their threats on the deadline date by granting a “grace period” of 30 days or so. Either of the measures under consideration ought to end that silly business.

PAYING IS DIFFERENT

Al BROOKLYN, N. Y., woman, $1228 in arrears on a $9273 loan, has gone to court in an attempt to throw _ the Government’s three-billion-dollar Home Owners Loan Corporation into receivership. . Her petition asserts that the HOLC was never properly incorporated; therefore it is “invalid and unconstitutional,” all its acts are “null and void” and it has no legal right to collect payments from its borrowers. In other words, if we understand her contention, the Brooklyn woman is willing to forgive the Government for making her an unconstitutional loan, but objects to having the Government ask her to pay an unconstitutional debt. Her attitude, we may add, is not unique. Even the most optimistic New Dealers must get a little discouraged, at times, by. the pumber of People who cheerful

Price in Marion Coun-’

To the extent that tariffs |

sacrifice. they would do more to stimulate recovery

In Washington By Raymond Clapper Congress Ought to Determine Its

Stand on National Defense Now That | . ;

» Administration Position. Is Revealed.

(Pinch Hitting for Westbrook Pegler)

TASHINGTON, Feb. 2.—Members of the Senate Military Affairs Committee who conferred in an off-the-record meeting with President Roosevelt were left in no doubt about the policy of this Government toward the dictator countries. This policy is to throw the economic aid of this country definitely on the side of Great Britain and France as against Germany, Italy and Japan. In discussing this poiicy with the Senators, Presi-

dent Roosevelt pledged them to secrecy. Some of those present feel that the questions involved are of

such deep national import that they should be sub- |

jected to public discussion. The policy of throwing economic aid against the totalitarian aggressor nations was forecast by President Roosevelt in his recent annual message when he said that he favored measures more effective than mere words but short of war. Actually the policy has beer in effect for some time although that has been revealed only recently, =

8 8 8

HE State Department’s unofficial embargo on |

planes to Japan became known when the heat of publicity was turned on one holdout company which had refused to accept the embargo. The Administration decision to give the French Government access to the newest army-type;plane, over the opposition of the War Department, was disclosed accidentally when a test model crashed bearing a French aviation expert. This situation "has. caused anxiety among some members of the House and Senate because they see in it dangers of deeper political involvement in Europe. The Administration explains that the sale of planes to France and Great Britain now is for cash and that it will enable the American aviation industry to reach a mass-production basis more quickly. : On the other hand some members of Congress, such as Senators Clark and Nye, say this amounts to a tacit military alliance. Their point is that the Government, in committing itself to aid in providing planes, acquires a moral obligation to follow through. While the planes are being paid for now in cash,

what wii happen when Great Britain and France |]

come to us and say they are out of cash? Will we let them down then and cut off a source bf supply which has been built up? Those are questions which these Senators say should be considered by Congress.

NDERLYING it all As the question of neutrality. . Theoretically the Neutrality Act does not permit the United States to discriminate between nations at peace. On the other hand the Administration feels very strongly that the future of the United States is deeply involved and that it is to the American interest to do what can be done to break the rising power of the dictatorships, and that if we neglect this now, we may be faced with the task of meeting them head-on later. ~ The Admijnistration has made up its mind and has begun to move. How can Congress make up its mind? Certainly not by such piecemeal committee hearings as have been held on National Defense. It still seems —although the prima-donna committee chairmen are opposed—that a joint committee would provide a competent and balanced body in which to consider: i of these questions and their relation to national efense.

Business

| By John T. Flynn

Capitalism Won't Work Properly . Until Tax ' Exemption Is Ended.

rw YORK, Feb; 2.—Someone has observed that it is possible ito make adjustments in the capitalist- system which ‘will make it work for greater prosperity but that they will never be made because capitalism will’ never permit them to be made. The attempt now being made by the President to put an end to State and Federal tax-exempt securities’ offers an example. Attorneys representing the Attorney -Generals of 40 states appeared before a committee in Washinglon to oppose the cancellation of the exemption of State bonds from Federal taxation, The ending of these exemptions is perhaps one of the most important measures which Congress is asked" to deal with this year. A great demand has gone up to put an end to these exemptions, but for the most part the wrong reason-is given. The ‘reason. assigned is the injustice of permitting some bondholders to escape taxation. Another reason is the loss tothe Federal Government. of taxes from.this loop-hole. Doubtless these reasons are, in a measure, sound. But the actual loss to the Government is not as enormous as it seems. First of all a large amount of tax-exempt securities are held by institutions which are exempt from taxes anyhow. Also there is little doubt that if the tax were collected on State and

‘Federal bonds, both State and Federal Governments | would have to pay somewhat higher interest. charges.

The real and commanding reason for doing away

“with tax-exempt securities is quite a different one and

it. is connected, not with the question of justness at all, but with the effective functioning of the capitalist eystem.

Continuous Investment Needed

The capitalist system requires continuous investment. Anything that discourages investment or entices capital funds into other than investment channels is generally speaking not good: for the system. If the tax-exempt refuge were abolished, the saver would have the choice of pufting his funds into private industry or of holding them idle without any interest return whatever. Doubtless many would prefer’ at the present time to hold their funds in idleness. But there would be ‘many more who would feel differently. : : If those most fitirasted in the fate of the capitalist system would be willing to make this brief and modest

than by any other device. This is why so many economists vigorously urged the ending of tax exemption in 1933. This course is even more urgent now. It is not an attack on rich capitalists. It is fundamentally an effort to make capitalism work.

’ 7 ° e A Woman s Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

M* HUSBAND used to say women had no business driving’ automobiles, unless they knew how to change tires and get themselves out of muddy ditches. Otherwise, he insisted, they imposed on the time and good nature of the more capable sex.

I generally agreed, which did not prevent me |

from driving all over the country alone, even though I have never learned the difference between a fan belt and the carburetor. As for ‘changing tires, I could no more do that than I could perform a surgical operation. What’s more, I shall not learn now; there are too many more interesting ways of spending one’s

time and I have an abiding trust in the courtesy of men.

The other day, when the car in which I was riding with a woman friend slithered gently into a ditch, it wasn’t more than five minutes before three gallant

| Oklahomg heroes had the situation in hand.

First came the one driving a red truck. Seeing a couple of stranded ‘middle-aged women, I suppose he was moved by the usual Western chivalry. We. certainly fluttered at his approach. A bitter wind tore out of the north, so that the prospect of lingering on the spot for long was not alluring. Several minutes later a brightly colored car drew alongside and out popped a nice-looking man whose every gesture spelled efficiency. He promptly got himself into our car and headed it straight down the ditch, with engines roaring and mud flying. Soon a third car which had zipped by slowed down, backed up, and the driver who emerged said he suddenly remembered after he had passed that he had a chain with him. In little more than a jiffy they had landed

our machine safely onto the pavement. Blessings 0 ir ] |

INDIANAPOLIS

TIMES A Labor of Lovely

THURSDAY, FEB. 2, 1939

Talburt

; : 2 is ; : The Hoosier Forum I wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.—Voltaire.

URGES HOUSING PLAN TO RESTORE PROSPERITY By Demopublican Large scale housing offers the nation a sound way out of the depression. Thus far ous gestures along that line have been feeble. Lockefield Gardens is just a starter on the slum clearance program. There are seven slum areas in our own city which ‘were so designated by the Russell Sage Foundation survey. Slums are an expensive luxury. They are disease and crime breeding places. ' Large scale razing of these slum areas would pay the city a large dividend. Legislation providing for public © condemnation should be passed by the present Legislature. Tax valuations should become the basis of compensation for land and existing buildings. Razing of these areas should be ‘a ‘WPA project. ‘Beautification of this land would

Here is a relief project that will pay its own cost in reduced taxes for our crime and social health costs. This should and can be done now if we will ‘deny slum property owners the privilege of maintaining these pest holes. There is enough work in this one phase of the housing problem to employ five million men

for three years.

* England exercised the sovereign power. to condemn and raze these slum: properties as nuisances. Attached group housing is the only answer to solve low-cost housing. We can’ better afford subsidized decent housing for low income groups than we can afford high taxes to maintain these slum areas as sources of crime and disease. Let’s start now by setting up a municipal housing authority under our State law, and wipe out this social menace. 8 2 =» NEW G. O. P. GROUP ROUSES MISGIVINGS By Uncontrolled Republican

. As a Republican I agree with the announced principles of Republican Builders, Inc. But my knowledge of what is going on behind the scenes causes me to have very serious misgivings -as. to -the real purpose and motive" of this movement.

of the highest character whose motives are assuredly for the best interest of our party. This applies particularly to Messrs. Bair, Sims and Lynn. I am suspicious, though, that perhaps | these mer have unwittingly = dent their names and restige” to a program. to give conrol- of‘ the party organization to selfish interests. - It is significant from the small

| number ‘of persons hamed as offi-

cers and directors of the new organization that it is intended to be a closed corporation. This is in line with the tactics of the old

add. to all adjacent property values. |

Certain of their directors are men .

(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.)

Coffin organization. They invariably were able to obtain a few big names of persons who did not know practical politics to lend dignity to their group. © Where in this new organization are those militant Republicans, -who as judicial candidates waged such a vigorous battle for the party in the last campaign? Where are the women? If the Republican Party is to serve the people it must rid itself of domination by selfish interests.

8 82 = RELIEF CUT RESENTED BY WPA WORKER

By W. C. Gulick

There is great elation on the part of some that WPA is to be reduced. Granting that I may be prejudiced —since I am a WPA worker and may be one of the 5 per cent turned out to starve—I nevertheless cannot see how any ‘one can find occasion for rejoicing. About a year ago, Big Business prevailed upon President Roosevelt to cut down on WPA. The argumen* was that if WPA were cut, industry would put men back to work so fast it would make your head swim. After about a 50 per cent cut of WPA, what was the result? Big business, little business and every other kind of business started

GROUNDHOG DAY

(A Prophecy) a By. M. P. D. The sun is lost behind the cloud The winds are blowing loud. From out of sight the groundhog . creeps . And steals. softly over the road. The light of winter day is dim Far blows the Februdry wind. No darkness lingers on the snow The groundhog does not see his shadow. The winter skies will soon be clear. Bright spring days are reaching near.

‘DAILY THOUGHT

And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, ‘and please them, and speak good' words to them, they will be thy Servants for ever—~II Chronicles

IN hearts, and and you have all

men’s hands and purses.— Burleigh.

laying off men. This was the recession for which President Roosevelt was blamed. ° T'o save the day, all WPA workers were placed on the payroll again. The result: One of the biggest holiday business periods in years. - Now it is to be only a 5 per cent cut. Perhaps the stores won’t mind such a small loss. Seventeen hundred families only earn $102 each month. This wouldn’t be much for grocery stores and clothing stores anyway. But why not cui out WPA entirely? Why punish only 5 per cent? By what kind of logic does anyone arrive at the conclusion that it will not huit to cut off only 5 per cent to starve? Oh, yes, I know the old argument that these will be absorbed by. industry. Rubbish! If these people could be absorbed they would, be working at private employment now. They are all registered with the State Reemployment Bureau. This agency has hundreds of trained men who do nothing else bu’ attempt to lo‘cate jobs for these men. If a job is: obtained they must accept it or be removed from WPA anyway. I know many ‘who have been dropped because of receiving Social Security payments. This gives them only a few dollars a week. The fact that a man has been on WPA for three years is not evidence that he does not desire private employment. On the contrary it proves he does desire wor and will work. A man who will riot work doesn’t stay this long, everi on WPA. You cannot show me ong instance where a worthwhile job lias ‘been offered and not accepted. I can sympathize with the taxpayer, but I firmly believe that had it not been for the WPA, today he would have nothing to pay taxes on. We WPA people are not the only ones on relief. Practically all business is on relief. If you wish to prove this, cut out WPA entirely.

” s ” AGREES WORKING WIVES MAKE JOBS FOE MEN By Ted Steinkamp

An article. in the Hoosier Forum of Jan. 26 by “Feminist” states that working wives mak: jobs for men. I firmly agree with her. Before the “working wife age” what man on his arrival home from his day's work ever had to don an apron and help. prepare the evening meal, and select a clean dish towel after dinner from those he had previously washed’ and procezd vigorously to clean up the dishes? Can you: imagine Father giving up his evening pire and his Times for a trip around the rugs with the sweeper? No, that was all done while: he was at work by his wife. Many men have learned to turn out a pretty good washing on their

Saturdays off, to say nothing of ironing.

OF : 152. ORM me IR ves 1

_No. Dr. Morris Viteles, pect

LET'S EXPLORE YOUR MIND

By DR. ALBERT EDWARD WIGGAM

E NOWADAYS Y TO AND PRIDE er & KER FACE. WiLL ER RE

P Your armioN—

Jone PEOPL ARD BOILED ON SHOWING

mon pEOPLE ONABLE TO "oTHAT ONTROL Hi 15 THOUGHTS? Yes oR Nor 3,

and did no night driving i were carefully ; to start with,

{and _|suffering. Try writing down a dozen happy past experiznces and names}

for supposing they would make a different record with airplanes, and owing to the greater strain and

: Tesponshility; might: make ‘worse.

Slim eller YES, I'think it will’ “It means . they are ‘posing and repressing their natural emotions. Their chief idea is’ to seem important, strike

| heroic attitudes and show them-

selves superior to the universe. But, with many, this results in bottling up their real emotions and desires with harmful results. It is not necessary to gush, but any one who | pretends .indiffererce to emotional things is missing most of the inSpiring things of life.

- ss 8

| NOT AT ALL. Tt merely proves | -

these people he ve not learned to

| |control their thoughts. The late '|Gamaliel Bradford, | philosopher, said just before his

essayist and

death that if he had learned, in early life that he could think of

- |anything he wanted to think of it

would have changsd his whole life him worlds of mental

of a dozen fine friends and, When me thought comes—

1Says—

| { realistic.

Gon. Johnson |

Hitler's Economics Are Sound: Wilson Didn't Concur on Terms of Pact Which Handcuffed Germany. 'EW YORK, Feb. 2—The economic principles of

"Mr. Hitler's speech are hard to contest. Germany is, and for many years has been, the greatest

converter of raw materials into finished products—the

principal activator of the commerce of the world. If the Kaiser had been willing to rest content with that, without political domination there wouldn’t have been any World War. He was winning all contests on the . ‘economic side. : With one exception, Mr. Hitler seems to be more

He says truly that Germany is an expert fabricator of raw materials and that she hasn’t suf-

. | ficient supplies of food, coal, petroleum and some other

“strategic” raw materials to compete. She must have these things to live. The peace of the world depends on the commerce of the world and so on the economic efficiency of Germany. However wistfully we may look at thé” trade of South America, the fact remains that, while ourselves being one of the greatest fabricators of raw materials, we are one of the greatest sources of raw material. In the case of many South American countries we cannot ask them to buy from us because we cannot permit them to sell to us. ® » » AKE the case of the Argentine Republic. Its principal products are wheat and beef. Our

difficulty in economics is that we have more of these

| same raw materials than our markets can absorb,

and that our cost of producing them is greater than that of our South American neighbors. If they can make a better trade with Germany, what right have we to complain? You cannot, in the long run, amend by statute or diplomacy, the essential principles of economic law—any more than you can amend by statute the multiplication tables or the mortality rates. The purely artificial restrictions placed upon Germany by the Treaty of Versailles were no device of ours. As a bit of unrecorded history, it is amusing to recall that, when those restrictions were proposed,

| Alex Legge, former President of the International | Harvester Co., and & sort of industrial Abraham

Lincoln, was asked by the big-four—Clemenceau, Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson and Orlando—to comment upon them. He said something like this: “You can’t enslave 60 millions of such militant and able people as the German nation. It is the blanketyblankest piece of blank-blank nonsense that has ever been proposed to intelligent men.” 8 8 ”

HEY hustled him out of there and, while our ' President agreed with him, the French engineered a press release announcing an agreement on the absurd economic principles of the treaty when there was no real agreement on the part of the United States. If Hitler would stick to his economics and leave religious and racial hatred out of his argument, many Americans would agree with his doctrine that .it is nobody’s business what Germany or any other nation does internally. But when he bases his policy on hatred and persecution of the Jewish race, we cannot forget that the basis of our religion, the kindness of our social philosophy, the greatest masters of cur art, science, and politics spring from this race. It is as true with us as it is with Germany. Jews are a part of our people and we will no more be complacent while they are persecuted because they are Jews than we would abide any persecution of Ger= mans who are also one of our strongest of racial strains.

Liberal Viewpoint

By Harry Elmer Barnes Ph. D.

Spirit of Fathers Revived by New Group Backing Real Americanism.

(Heywood Broun Is on Vacation)

EW YORK, Feb. 2—It is very popular right now to pay a fulsome tribute to the Fathers of the American Revolution. Their work in securing independence and in framing the Constitution is de= servedly praised, almost to the point of reverence. Yet it is not unusual for the very persons, who thus bow before the Fathers, to sanction laws which would put most of the Fathers in jail and to praise investigations which denounce as “un-American” the most characteristic opinions held by those Revo lutionary Fathers. Very few persons are aware that, in over half of our States Thomas Jefferson could be sent to the State penitentiary if he were to arise from the dead and read with approval the Declaration of Independence, which he wrote back in 1776. There has never been a time in American history when we had a greater” “need for understanding and reviving the spirit of the leaders of our Revolutionary period. They were the great apostles of freedom and political adventure, traits which we especially need today, if we are to resist the inroads of dictatorship and censorship. We need more men who will repeat with Jefferson his sworn enmity to “every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”

Take Constitution Seriously

Therefore, we may welcome the formation of a promising organization, “The Descendants of the American Revolution.” This group is truly faithful to the spirit of the Fathers and has as its primary aim the revival and preaching of their doctrines. : The Descendants contend that we are today as dangerously menaced by our Tories as Were the Patriots of 1776 by the Tories of that day. They not only. reiterate the ideals of the Declaration of Indee pendence, but also take the Constitution seriously and point out in: timely fashion that the Fathers framed it in order “to promote the general welfare and secure ‘the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” . The Descendants of the American Revolution emphasize the fact that peaceful change is our best guarantee against violence and dictatorship. But peaceful. change will never be possible unless we have the utmost freedom of discussion as to the heed and nature of desirable social change.

Watching Your Health

By Dr. Morris Fishbein

ECENTLY. the director of the Bureat of Food Control of the City of. Baltimore pointed out that danger lies in suppers held ona large scale by lodges, clubs and churches for the purpose of raising money, A recent supper held in the vicinity of Baltimore resulted in seven cases of typhoid fever, and one of these patients died. : “Dr. F. A, Korff has provided 10 rules for guidance when a lodge or club supper is to be given: 3 1. There should be appointed a supervisor of pere sonnel who is authorized to select and direct; the activities of each worker. 2. No person who has a sore throat, a cold or po or is suspected of being uncleanly in the matter of personal habits should be permitted to handle the food, %, All persona should, be iequired Wo wash le -hands with soap and hot water bejore enterix kitchen. ; res 4. No food should be stored or | ; are under direct supervision, 5H 5. All food equipment and con washed, rinsed and scalded. = Co} 6. All perishable food should be kept ref not just in cold closets or ice chests, bu in

constructed refrigerators. “Es 7. Under no circumstances should leftover. tog be

served the second or third day. 8. Food utensils if used the