Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 6 February 1939 — Page 10

The Indianapolis Times

(A SCR1PPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER)

ROY W. HOWARD LUDWELL DENNY

MARK FERREE President Business Manager

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Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1939

BREAKING THE JAM HE Tennessee Valley Authority’s agreement with the Commonwealth & Southern Utilities Corp. is a vastly hopeful development because of what it can mean in releasing the only force that can insure this country a real and lasting recovery. That force is private capital investment. The Government has ended by peaceful negotiations a bitter struggle with a big utility. The corporation will get a price that seems fair for its Tennessee properties. The TVA can now devote less snersy to fighting, more to its constructive job. The private utilities should be spending much more than a billion dollars a year on normal expansion. Actually, since 1932, they have spent less than half a billion a year. Government power policy, in so far as it has been indefinite and unfair, has been a major reason. ~The utilities have no right to demand that the Government abandon its power policy. They are justified in asking the Government to say exactly what its policy is, gen thereafter stick to it; to be a fair competitor; to deal didly and justly with them as it insists they shall Ne with the public. Unless the Government does that, the ufility industry—the most immediately obvious field for expansion of private enterprises—can’t persuade private investors to risk their capital. “ t 4 8 . 2 2 ® HIS agreement comes, fortunately, at a time when the new Secretary of Commerce, Harry L. Hopkins, is said to have set his mind on a determined effort to arrange an honorable peace between the Administration and the utilities. Mr. Hopkins has a great opportunity there. For we believe that the issue between TVA and Commonwealth & Southern was a key log in the jam of private capital investment. With it out of the way, chances are much better for reasonable settlement of other issues. “The billion a year or more that the utilities might borrow and spend for expansion, if assured that Government power policy is to be fair and stable henceforth, would be only a start. They could well spend other billions to catch up with their seven-year construction lag. Spending by the utilities would create much direct employment and would stimulate activity in the heavy industries, which are most necessary to sustained recovery. And the example set if the Government and the utilities would agree to get along together would be an immense encouragement to other industries and to investors who have idle billions waiting for work that offers reasonable safety and profit.

One great first step has been taken to release the force

of private investment. Now is the time when intelligent effort by Mr. Hopkins and others may lead to real jobs at real wages for more people than are on WPA.

EARLIER, NOT LATER

NERTAIN State Senators are anxious to do some more tinkering with the joint city manager resolution passed by that body 10 days ago but never sent to the House for concurrence. | This is the resolution which would set up a Governor's ~ commission to study the best method by which Indiana cities could adopt the city manager plan if they desired to do so. As originally drawn, the resolution provided that the Governor name the commission not later than July 1, 1939, and that the commission report back by Oct. 1, 1940. Now Senator Weiss of Indianapolis proposes an amendment to delay the commission’s report from Oct. 1 to Dec. 1. The reason for delaying the report, these Senators an-

nounce, is to keep the manager question from becoming an |

issue in the 1940 elections. Our interest is precisely the opposite. We want the manager plan to be an issue in 1940. And to be more certain that it is, we urge the Legislature to amend the resolution so that the commission will be named not later than April 1, 1939, and that its report will ‘be in the hands of the Governor not later than Jan. 1, 1940. Nine months ought to give an able group of people ample time to study the entire question and prepare necessary legislation. ‘ We suggest this course to our Indianapolis delegation, instead of the policy of delays and evasions being used by ; enemies of the manager plan.

CONCERNING ANOTHER 800 MILLION

- NATHAN STRAUS, Administrator of the U. S. Housing Authority, wants $800,000,000 more to lend to low-cost projects. He has earmarked most of his first $800,000, 000 loan fund, and he argues that as much again should be made available right away, so that there may be no interruption to the program. This would be a more persuasive argu- . ment if the country had any real basis for judgment as to whether the program should be continued. But, so far, the USHA has practically no evidence to show that it is going to be more successful than its predecessors. We hope it will be, of course. But we won't Snow until _ its projects have got beyond the stage of earmarking, and ~ beyond the stage of construction. To date, few of them have. : So we think [Congress should wait until Mr. Straus - shows it some actual results from his/first $800,000,000— ~ how some of his projects turn out, who is being housed in them, what the prospects are for repayment of the. Govsrnment loans. |

EENSIBIE PRECAUTION

HE Board of Public Health order requiring vaccination of all public sc shool pupils, teachers and employees not now adequately protected ought to have the widest possible yublie support. Prompt compliance will aid greatly in reducing the iov s smallpox epidemic in the community,

Fair Enoug By Westbrook oh

F. D. R. s Nomination of Virginia Judge Political All Right, “but So Is Attitude of Glass and Byrd.

N= YORK, Feb. 6.—Granting Carter Glass all the fine qualities that his friends and neigh claim for him and, with the same polite acknowléedgment to Senator Byrd, the rejection of a nominee for the Federal District Court on the mere ground that his nomination was “personally offensive and obnoxious” to them seems equally offensive and obnoxious

to justice. - The Senate Judiciary Committee turned back Floyd H. Roberts, proposed by President Roosevelt, out of respect for ‘the prerogatives and objections of ‘the two Virginia statesmen, .and there is no doubt that the selection was. political. Such appointments always are, but I am: not going to get expert about that or highstrung about the merits of Mr. Roberts, of whom I know nothing. @ The reasons given are insufficient, even when supported by Senator Glass’ charge that Mr. Roberts joined a conspiracy to discredit and dishonor the recommendation of Senator Byrd and himself. Noth=ing was said about the ability, character and reputa-

seem to stand on the proposition that a good man may not become a Federal judge if he is personally offensive and obnoxious to any two Senators affected. FE \

\HERE are Senators who would be fairly certain to find any decent citizen personally obnoxious and offensive. By the same process any man who tried to discredit and dishonor a rogue in the Senate would be disqualified for this noble public service, and any political hack who received the indorsement of such

ship which should condemn him. Of course,- Mr. Roosevelt makes appointments in a spirit of political malice, and it is not necessarily true that anyone he selects or approves is the best man available for the job in question. - Nevertheless, in opposing Mr. Roberts, Senators Glass and Byrd gave reasons which, being honored by their colleagues, acknowledge politics as the first consideration in the selection of judges, and thereby give approval to the principle of political reprisal by the President in such matters. If politics comes first with them, why may not the White House place politics first, too, and wouldn’t politics have come first. if he had respected their wishes? . 1 ” 2

GENaTORS there have been whose approval should be regarded as a stigma, and who should be discredited in the public interest. But the Senators work under an elaborate code of courtesy and though a member may be, by common consent, one who never has felt an honest motive in his life, his colleagues usually respect his prerogatives as long as he observes a similar respect for’ theirs. I lack further information beyond the fact that the President sent his name to the Senate for confirmation, but it seems plain on his record that much more serious objections shduld be offered against confirmation of Gaston L.)Porterie as judge of one of the newly created districts of Louisiana. Mr. Roberts was “personally” offensive and obnoxious to Senators Glass and Byrd, but would they

inform themselves on Mr. Porterie’s conduct as Huey

Long’s Attorney General of Louisiana and resist with equal vigor the confirmation of a man who served a ruthless dictatorship which used the courts to whip its political opponents?

Business

By John T. Flynn

Cumulative Effect of Levy Sought By’ Lehman in New York Attacked.

EW YORK, Feb. 6—In a country where every state government and almost every local government is scratching around for new sources of taxation, the proposal for the Governor of New York for a tax on business turnover will prove of interest

| to the tax hunters.

New York State faces a huge budget. And the Governor finds it necessary to raise $57,000,000 more for the current year and next year than will be yielded by existing taxes. Goverdfor Lehman has wisely resolved to meet these outlays by taxation rather than by plunging the State deeper into debt. And so he has had to join the hunt for new taxes. One of the taxes he proposes is a tax of two-tenths of 1 per cent on business turnover, ' * This tax has in it, perhaps, more uldesirable features than can be found in almost any tax that can be proposed. Bad as a tax on payrolls is, this is worse. A tax on business turnover is a tax levied on each business enterprise based on the total gross turnover of the business within the taxable period. The tax rate here, of course, sounds all—two-tenths of 1 per cent. But it is one of those taxes which has a cumulative effect by the time it reaches the payer of almost all taxes, namely the ultimate purchaser. Business X has a turnover of a million dollars. It will pay the turnover tax. Business X manufactures semiprocessed materials. And so it sells all its output to Business Y. Business Y adds another processing to the goods and sells them for $2,000,000. It also pays the tax. But it is paying the tax again on the million which it paid out to Business X.

The Consumer Pays

« Business Y now sells its product in Business Z, which processes it again and sells it for $3,000,000. Here again another two-tenths of 1 per cent must be paid on the same goods on which both Business X paid the tax to the extent of a million dollars and Business Y paid it to the extent of two million dollars. In the modern productive process raw materials move through innumerable stages from their first state to the final finished product. This means that at each stage there is a turnover and this same money turnover appears in the succeeding stage and in every one thereafter. The more stages there are in produc= tion the greater will be the tax on the article involved. The more stages to the productive process the more the tax will be multiplied. And all these multiplications of the tax will appear in the price which the final buyer pays. The tax is as bad as the transactions tax proposed by Dr. Townsend. °

A Woman's Viewpoint

By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

LIKED the movie “Jesse James.” Maybe its because I saw part of it filmed. Then again it may be because I've always had.a special fondness for Western outlaws. As a little girl I preferred the Diamond Dick books to the Little Elsie series, and at the time a number of my acquaintances predicted

| a vicious cdreer for me.

* Some complaints have been made about the glorification of such notorious outlaws and the bad effect it might have on boys. So far, however, I've heard nothing about the danger to girls. In my opinion, if

| suffer it,

for his wicked deeds? Although his boyish virtues may have been exaggerated and his last years touched with glamour by a pitying posterity, the story does maintain the high moral which Mr. Hoover and his G-Men fry to instill in the public mind—crime does not pay. That's right. But according to Hollywood, stupidity does. Look at dear little Zee, heroine in “Jesse James,” for proof of that. The usual handsome gigolo was at her beck and call: throughout the film, for the script writers are always generous with them. No good woman in the movies ever lacks a fine man to love her—and if the one of her choice proves a bad bargain, well, there's sure to be an unimpeachable extra hanging around to take his place. The last scene of our subject was touching on that score. widow’s weeds, gazes into space above the gravestone of the dear departed. gracefully against |

tion of the nominee, and the men who blocked him |

would be assisted, at least, if not put over, by sponsor- :

‘Wives are citizens of this country

there’s any harm in the picture the females will |

After all; didn’t Jesse, the Bad Man, get plugged:

The sorrowful wife, dressed in becoming |

Gen. Johnson Says—

Roosevelt and Ickes ‘Are Sincers, | No Doubt, but We Didn't Think We'd Be Dragged Into World War. EW YORK, Feb. 6—Mr. Ickes says there is no

danger of this Administration getting us into ‘any European ‘war. The President suggests that

| there are measures short of war with which to con-

Arol dictators and that there is no intention of ever sending our troops to Europe. +

. No doubt these gentlemen are sincere. | Many

,'| earnestly believed something like that in 1917. In

planning for the first draft, I suggested that one million men be selected at once. That memorandum came back ‘disapproved in President Wilson's own hand. His indorsement said that our participation was to be largely economic. Our so-called national

| (draft) army was to be only 500,000 men. The first

draft was accordingly planned for only that plus the, regular Army and National Guard to statutory strength. Before the Armistice—counting all uniformed : services—we had called to our colors more than 6,000,000! It is a well-known fact that before the Russian collapse, nobody expected us to send great armies to France—and certainly not to Italy, Siberia and Archangel. The first Allied military mission which came here early in 1917 advised against it. They said there was no time to. train troops and that the supply problem was too difficult.

AX they wanted were a few troops to show the flag, access to all our reserves of raw material and manufacturers and money, money, money. They got what they asked on the economic side in fantastical abundance. For several months our military mobilization went on at a snail's pace. Then Russia cracked up. The Germans broke through on the Western Front. Less than a year after the first mis-

"| sion: which sold us the economic idea, a new Allied

3 ® The Hoosier Forum Cad wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.—~Voltaire.

SUPPLEMENTS SUPPORT OF WORKING WIVES By Feminist

To say that working wives are eating the heart out of American home life and setting up a class system, as Working Husband charges, is carrying male bitterness and resentment very far. The charges don’t quite make sense to me, but to contend that it will destroy the last vestige of democratic principles

(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.)

is talking through one’s derby.

too—or doesn’t the Bill of Rights include women?

I was not trying to prove that black was white. The Gallup poll on working wives had provoked me to look around and see what the situation was in my own circle; it Was quite to my amazement that I concluded working wives helped make employment for men. If saving to help a husband build a home that wouldn’t otherwise be built, doesn’t make employment for carpenters, bricklayers and other workmen, I don’t know what it could be called. The hope in writing was to stimulate others to look around in their own back yards, as it were, and see how the problem looked to them. But instead of getting more light on the subject, it just drew more heat. The survey conducted by the business and Professional Women’s clubs showed the majority of business women have dependents. But that doesn’t mean théy neglect small children to go to work. Few, very few mothers, outside possibly the economic top layer, will entrust the training and care of their children to others, unless there is no other solution for their domestic problem. Working wives may be of any age and they may work for many reasons; to help found a home for their families, to help rear. and educate a growing family or build a career in business or public service after children have grown. Some work to maintain self-respect from selfish, drunken, brow-beating or philandering husbands and find this, rather than divorce, a solution to their domestic problems. This, too, I think is justified. To me it seems a healthy sign that women are willing to work for the things they want from life instead of nagging their husbands for them as they have always been charged with doing. In helping. to buy more things they add to male employment just as much as does any other group which gets more money to spend. Working wives cannot wholly be blamed for the unemployment problem. What share they have in it can only be determined by impartial inquiry. But I know this much: Even in the days when women in business were a nine days! wonder there was- plenty of unemployment.

BLAMES OUTSIDERS . FOR SPANISH OUTRAGES By Alfonso Franco Propaganda by the Reds of the World in favor of a communistic form of government in Spain has had a wide range from charges: of fascism, use of Moors, wrecking socalled democracies. And, finally, the Reds want to make the people believe that Gen. Franco's victory is solely the result of superior armament. -. Militarily speaking, such an assertion is not correct. You must have sound plan of action, excellent and well-manned lines of communications and last but not least high morale. Without these, in spite of superior armaments, no general will

win a battle.

Now as to the refugee problem. Spain has been at war for about two and a half years. As Gen. Franco’s armies have advanced, he has driven’before him a conglomeration of Reds of all nationalities. They are responsible for the burn-

AFTERTHOUGHT

By VIRGINIA VAE I said, “Let’s part while love flames

high, While every touch and look can thrill :

For wise men say that all loves die Inevitably—and so ours will,

“Let’s part while it is at its peak And so gscape the agony of oye 2 grown commonplace and But you Btn to part with me.

O, would I had not heeded you! ‘If I'd been strong and made us rt .

pa While love was highest, now I know I sil Yould rule your wayward eart.

DAILY THOUGHT

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and perse=- . cute you—Matthew 5:44.

AVE you 50 friends?—it is not enough. Have you one enemy?

—it is too much. —Italian Proverb.

* yings, sackings and torture of ‘he

peaceful and nonradical persons of the towns captured by Gen. Frarco. These people are guilty of serijus crimes and naturally as they 3ot closer to Barcelona, their numbers increased tremendously. You cen’t blame France for not accepting these criminals. If they stay in Spain, they krow that they will be tried for treir murders. They also have created another problem in that they have driven before them as hostages good citizens who do not desire to leave Nationalist Spain. Gen. Franco vill allow anyone to stay in Nationa list Spain, even if his record is bad. In such a case the courts at the projer time will render appropriate justice. Please America, don’t be misied by any more propaganda. Th re are two sides ‘to every, question, . 8.» un RESENTS PROPOSED STATE WAGE CUT By Times Reader, Acton Isn't it strange? Every time uur overzealous politicians want to .‘educe the budget they spring at the laboring man, reducing his wages. When election rolls around, he has to kick in for everything, even furnish a car and gasoline without pay, but the salaried employees have cars furnished and get off every legal holiday with pay. On Saturday mornings they al the gas tank, check the oil of their state car, and are ready for a trip on Sunday; naturally they have to fill up again Monday if they want to use the car for work. I suggest every state-owned car, the Governor's excepted, be off the streets and highways after working hours. You will be surprised at the savings in gas, oil and wreck repairs. 2 8 8

THINKS PAIR ESCAPED WITH LIGHT SENTENCE By A Mother The other day in Criminal Court I heard a case in which two youlg men were convicted of an attack on a 14-year-old girl. They were seitenced by a Special Judge to tle County Jail for 20 days each. It strikes me that this was a very

Jlight sentence for so serious an of-

fense. Under the .law a sentenZe of from five to 10 years could Hare been imposed. I do not say that these defeniants should have received the mazimum but it would seem to me that it will take more than a 20-day juil term to deter others from such of-| fense, if such indeed is among the

purposes of our penal system.

sy / = i — =

TH ou \

REE TERE

TRUE in a . general way. If a man had’ to, Spend about threefourths thoug

NG WRITER ASSERTS, "A MAN ai

LET'S EXPLORE YOUR MIND

——By DR. ALBERT EDWARD WIGGAM

first. But importance to

- |thing. ‘Billions of _

does. not lead her to neglect her face by any means—or I should say by every means. & = 8 IT IS often the very cornerstone of success. As Dr. Hepner, psychologist, points out, it was Lord Byron’s lame foot that stimulated him to become a master horseman, fine shot, the best swimmer in England, a great lover, poet and patriot. Many businessmen who attribuie

their success to “will power” have succeeded because of their despera’e

{efforts to compensate for some hari-

dicap or feeling of inferiority. When an inferiority feeling rouses one 10 say “I'll show ‘em I'm as good (is anybody” it acts as a stimulant; if it leads one to say “I'm no good-ard can't succeed" it leads toward failur 2. hy as NO. If we did not forget near'y everything we see, read ard hear we would not remember any'- ; souncs,

smells, tastes and fee s flood olir

ir |nervous systems ‘every hour and if

military mission was in Washington for men by the hundreds of thousands—“men in their undershirts.” . We stepped up our rate of man-power mobilization and ‘troop movements 1000 per cent in a few weeks. Before it was over, we had more than 2,000,000 men in France—a larger force than the British ever had there. If we had not done that the Germans would have won. And we never could have done that if a few individuals in Government had not revamped our whole system of mobilization on a more realistic theory than that “food will win the war”—or that “our participation will To be military, but economic.” ” ® 2

“HEY began that change before the Russian col lapse and the change of Allied policy not to rely on American military effort. They did so bee cause, as Hindenburg himself later said: “They understood war.” They knew that once you are in it you can’t control its course or fight against it partially or secretly. It is a death-struggle between peoples. There is no longer any chivalry, As Tommy Corcoran says: “If you are going to strike at all strike for the jugular.” Once you push the button that gets you into war, you can no more proceed “gradually and gently” than you can pulls trigger and fire off a gun “gradually and gently ” We have repeatedly erred on the other side. We went into both the Mexican and Civil Wars with “90-day volunteers”—just a frolic. When Gen. Sherman said the latter might lake years, he was thought to be crazy.

(Heywood Broun Is on Vacation)

EW YORK, Feb. 6—It now seems clearer than ever that far and away the most important ime«

| plication of the removal of Dr. Schacht in Nazi Ger-

many is the relation of this event to the future of world peace. In this respect Herr Schacht’s removal is probably the most important event which has taken place since the Munich Conference.

Dr. Schacht was a warm and vigorous exponent of the only important aspect of European foreign policy which seemed likely to preserve peace abroad. : The Clivenden Set, led by Lady Astor and her husband, have been dramatically played up as the core of the pro-Nazi developments in Tory Britain. There seems little doubt that they have assumed direction of the pro-Nazi propaganda in upper-class British society and that they have exerted a powerful influ ‘ence through their press connections.in carrying on publicity favorable to the Nazis and hostile to Russia.

But the real leader of the pro-Nazi Tories in Enge

of the Bank of England. He not only shares the general notion of the British Tories that fascism should be espoused as a protection against commune ism but also wields a financial power which gives him far greater influence than the Cliveden Set. !

Applies Pressure

France has been in financial straits and as a condition to British help, Mr. Norman has insisted that France abandon relations with Russia in favor ‘of acceptance of the Tory foreign policy. The Tory scheme is to strengthen and encourage the European Fascists until they are powerful and cocky enough to attack Soviet Russia. The Tories hope that this will lead to the destruction of both

destruction to remove both as a threat to British property interests and the British Empire. ; Dr. Schacht was the chief bulwark against this sine ister plan to upset the peace and well-being of the world. Field Marshal Goering and Herr Rosenberg are the leaders of the Nazi Party, which wishes im« mediate war upon Russia. Herr Schacht opposed this program vigorously. He favored a Russo-German entente and the development of pacific economic re-.

also ultimately involve the control of China and the Far East. He wisely believed that it was folly to 6 a desperate and expensive war to gain economic e ds which could easily be attained by peaceful relations. Now Herr Schacht is gone. Nothing is inevitable in human history, but a European war now seems to be just as inevitable as any human event can be. :

Watching Your Health

By Dr. Morris Fishbein

we nerves become inflamed or damaged 80 that they degenerate, the condition is commons ly called neuritis—which means an inflammation of the nerve, The public has learned to use the term for any undiagnosed pain which frequently is not neu=ritis but arthritis, meaning inflammation of the joint, or a myositis, meaning inflammation of a muscle. ; There are all sorts of causes for neuritis, It has been well established that poisons, particularly poison ing by lead, arsenic and mercury, may cause serious inflammations in the nerves. Excessive use of alcohol and many of the chemical poisons used Je industry may produce neuritis. Infections may attack nerves as well as other tse sues and all of the common infections may occasion ally produce neuritis. Disturbances of the blood which make it impossible for the nerves to receive nourishment may result in degenerative and inflam. matory changes. % " Finally, a Ee Aclency in the diet of certain vitaming has a definite effect on nerve tissue. : - It becomes impossible to : in the same way. It is exact causes in Sach instance and to treat the oon.

tion accordingly. ‘Alooholic Bedritis 1s now rare. Tt is quently among secret drinkers, particu This condition Is ses seen sigh | og! atten coholic neuritis associated | drinking at rare intervals. Recently

‘established that alcoholic

land is “The Old Fox,” Montague Norman, Governor 2

fascism and communism—at least close enough to

lations between Germany and Russia, which might