Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 9 February 1939 — Page 16

he Indianapolis Times

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1939

ROOSEVELT AND CONGRESS : PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT took office in a national = emergency when strong leadership was needed and ‘demanded by the people. He supplied strong leadership. And, because Congress was willing to obey, Mr. Roosevelt developed something very like contempt for Congress. The emergency passed. The fime came when the people wanted Congress to resume its normal function. Last November's elections were an indication. The failure of the “purge” should have been notice enough to the President. But he has refused to see, or acknowledge, the change. He still seems to regard anything less than unquestioning acceptance of his leadership as akin to treason. His bitterest scorn is for the “yes-but” men. He still insists’ that agreement with his methods, as well as his objectives, is the only true test of liberalism and righteousness. He still believes, apparently, that the people want him to dominate and Congress to be subservient. But he is

now almost alone in that belief. » » »

WHEN a Congress becomes as independent as this one has become, it is because the members, who hear more directly from the people than does the President, feel certain that public opinion supports them. And Mr. Roosevelt seems deliberately to raise issues on which public opinion will support Congressional rebellion. If Mr. Roosevelt wants to destroy his own prestige, wreck his party, leave his Administration’s truly great achievements wide open to their enemies and let the world conclude that America’s President is not her spokesman on affairs domestic or foreign, that is what his present course seems most likely to accomplish. But if he wishes to avoid these dangers and disasters, _ then we think he has need to make a change as simple and wise as it would be right. Let him cease to treat Congress as an inferior servant, to be shocked, coerced or frightened into obedience. Let him recognize ungrudgingly the rights and responsibilities of Congress as an equal and co-ordinate branch of Government. Let him appeal sincerely to Congress for counsel and co-operation. We believe it is not yet too late for such an appeal to win response.

WHY FORTIFY GUAM? : (UT in the Pacific, 5400 sea miles west of San Francisco and 8337 miles beyond Honolulu, lies the tiny islet of Guam, belonging to the United States. It is in the midst of a swarm of Japanese islands known as the Marianas, and all around the Marianas are still other islands occupied by Japan. : : ; Guam is now a minor naval station and a convenient stopover for our China Clippers to and from the Orient. But there is talk of “fortifying” it. There is a bill in Congress to appropriate $5,000,000 to deepen the harbor there, build an aviation field, and so on. We cannot think of a single good purpose to be served by this move—unless, of course, we wish to improve Guam for the benefit of Japan. Every informed naval and military officer admits that in case of war Japan's first move in that area would be to take Guam. She could do that without much difficulty, and our expenditure of a mere five million dollars or so on’ Guam would not delay the process an extra 48 hours. Experts estimate that it would cost us 50 to a 100 million to transform the station into anything like a decent naval base, and it would still be surrounded by islands fortified by Japan. : Fortifying this flyspeck in the Pacific would not make us one whit more secure, Psychologically, it would do us many times five million dollars’ worth of harm. It would ‘be a constant but needless source of irritation— like ‘exclusion. If “fortifying” Guam contributed anything worthwhile to the national defense, we could afford to overlook the effect abroad. But it won’t. Japan could and probably would fortify two islands for our one. Anyway, we are scheduled to get out of the Philippines on July 4, 1946. If we were staying, it might make sense to convert Manila Bay — not Guam — into an American Singapore. It might even make sense to spend $200,000,000 or more to make our base at Manila impregnable. But we “are getting out. And once we are out, Guam would become only a foolish salient sticking out 3337 sea miles west of Hawaii. Or, to change the metaphor, just a chip on Uncle Sam’s shoulder and about as useful. ’

JUST IN TIME

THE increasing perplexity of legislators over the textbook controversy is understandable. Few subjects are more controversial than this one. And few get more involved than the debate over the relative merits of free or rented textbooks, single or multiple adoptions, frequent new texts or readoptions, and so on. . We suspect legislators will be among the first to embrace the suggestion that the whole question, hide and tail, be turned over to a Special Commission for leisurely study and carefully thought out recommendations for the next Legislature. If we wished our legislators ill, which we do not, we could think of no more cruel punishment than to compel them to pursue this topic for a few more weeks.

ONE WORRY ENDED A SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION scientist has worked out a formula by means of which the weight of a whale can be computed mathematically without the use of "scales. wr This is good news, indeed, For years we've wondered what we would do if we happened to catch a whale when we didn’t have our scales along, and it is a great relief to know that. here i :

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Mail subscription rates |

Business ‘By John T. Flynn .

Fair Enough | By Westbrook Pegler "Attention Is Drawn to Magazine Article by John T. Flynn in Which

He Attacks Social Security Reserve. EW YORK, Feb. 9.—John Flynn has a piece

in Harper's called “The Social Secutity Re-

serve Swindle” from which it would appear that this country’s only hope lies in the possibility of his being wrong. He gives little comfort on that score, for hé is one of those tip-of-the-tongue, I'm-glad-you-asked-me writers who can carry ip his head a string of figures as long as the score-by-innings, and he never steps back. He is an economic Anthony Comstock, forever on the prowl for obscenity in the field of his interest and yelling, “Officer, arrest that man!” He can fuss big. : John is saying that, in the first place, a government insurance plan needs no great reserve because a Government can put the bite on the citizens for the necessary money as it goes along. If it puts a great big lump into dead storage that is not so good, because the money ought to be on the loose among the people, buying shoes for the baby and all like that. If it invests in property or industry, then pretty soon private industry is paying taxes to finance cutthroat rivals in which the Government.is a partner. And if it invests the money in its own bonds at 3 per cent and spends both principal and interest for current expenses the money is gone and the bonds are strictly peruvian. = : ; 8 ® ” FP HAT is what they are doing with the. reserve. Employee and employer pay their money into a kitty, but instead of saving it for them the Treasury grabs it as fast as it comes in, dropping in its I. 1D. Us and spends it off on quoddies und rest cures for tired cabineteers. It pays the reserve 3 per cent on these touches, but that interest money, too, is then lifted uh and spent and replaced in the reserve for further . O. Us. “All the time.” says John, “the Government will pay interest on the reserve. To pay this interest it will have to impose additional taxes. Byv 1942 it will have to raise taxes for interest of $84,000,006. By 1950 almost $500,000,000.” John calls this a fraud pecause the people were given to believe that the benefits would be paid out of the tax on the payroll and wage of American industry and labor. They didn’t understand they would be double-taxed to provide spending money for the Government, and he puts the finger on this reserve thing as an intentional gyp never intended as a reserve at all. 0 2 2 ” ARPER'’S costs 40 cents, which is more than most people can afford to pay for good news, much less for bad, so I hope John will warm over his piece for the 3-cent trade. He writes, for all that I can detect to the contrary, a very high-learned type of knowing on this kind of thing, but does it in language that can be understood by my friend George Spelvin, the average American, ie If John is right, then the social security embodies and conceals an income tax on a lot of people whom Congress expressly exempted.from the regular income tax on the ground that it would be a shame to take their money. : : ? It recalls a story they tell in Louisville of Henry Watterson’s informality about money. He used to help himself out of the cash drawer, which was always out of balance because he wouldn’t bother to drop in chits. So they called him on that, and next time he hit the till for poker money Marse Henry put in a little memorandum which said, tersely, “Took it all. Henry Watterson.”

Ukraine Most Likely War Scene, Despite Italy's Feud With France.

ASHINGTON, Feb. 9—=While there seems to be a general fear that Germany and Italy will stage some sort of adventure in the spring, or carlier, there is no agreement as to where the blow will fall. Until Sig Mussolini began his agitation for the return of Tunisia, it was more or less understood that, whatever the time of the next putsch, ihe direction would be toward the east—the Ukraine. The weight of probability is on that still." Up now Herr Hitler's course has been logical, however cruel, and in complete conformity with his long announced intentions. Having moved with so much success and so little opposition toward his goal, it is reasonable to suppose that he will not stop short of its most important stage. The Sudeten country comprised a few Germans and a rich industrial district and some coal and iron. But Germany is not so much 4n need of industrial equipment. What she is in need of most is grain. | History proves that the great empires, with a single exception, were those which had access to abundant supplies of grain. Germany can manage to obtain with infinite difficulty and great sacrifice various kinds of other raw materials. But to do this she must make her population suffer for food.

The Process of Elimination

But the German is not accustomed to going a long time on an empty stomach. He cannot be convinced that any regime which subjects him to this indefinitely is a good regime. There is, therefore, nothing Herr Hitler needs so much as the Ukraine. _ Herr Hitler's recent speech contained a significant implication. He said there is not a foot of English territory he wants, nothing from France. There is a colony question we can settle, he said, by conference. We enjoy the co-operation of Poland and Hungary. Yugoslavia has contributed much to the peace of

"Europe by its friendship for us, We are establishing

the friendliest relations with Bulgaria, Greece, Rumania. What remains?—only Russia! Here is Herr Hitler at the very gates of his great goal—complete isolation of Russia with Japan on her other frontier ready to pounce cn her if war with Germany comes. \ ; To isolate Russia, Mr. Chamberlain and M. Daladier have co-operated with Herr Hitler to the fullest extent. If Germany attacks the Ukraine or succeeds in provoking an uprising in the Ukraine— will France and England lift a finger to stop her? Despite all the fog about Ifaly’s demands, it stilt looks as if the site of the next explosion, if ‘it comes, will be in the east of Europe. And conceivably it

may be a war without Engl Jay be gland and France being

A Woman's Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Ferguson |

"Your column is a menace to the peace and happiness of the American home,” is the news I

get from a reader. “It fosters sex a nism - divides men and women instead of iagonis Soi closer together. It gives married women wrong ideas about their importance. Sometimes it looks to me as if you were trying to start a sex war” Now I had never thought of that, but it’s a good idea. Imagine what a lively sex war would do for Gérmany right now! Besides taking Herr Hitler's mind off the Jews and democracies, it might give enough spunk to the women over there to crush dictatorship. : Anyway, I like sex wars better than other kinds because they are bloodless. Also, unlike most, they bring good to humankind. Out of them comes progress. True, the domestic peace and tranquility may suffer for a time, and maybe the economic machinery gets upset, but while they're going on things are entertaining and lively and so they divert us from our other woes.

And here's a thought for men to ponder. . Each

new liberty women obtain brings some new freedom | |

to the opposite sex. Although the rights of men

and women cannot be gauged altogether according to |

legal codes, the relation between two people, even when they are one, can be maintained with tolerance, justice and common sense. : And those are the only domestic rights for women this column has ever fought for, or ever will. I believe also that a certain amount of sex antagonism’ is as necessary to our welfare as fresh air and sunshine. It prevents us from becoming mired in a slough of sentimentalism, and it also stops the in-

at last one problem that we don’t |

fiation of masculine and feminine égo. The minu omes too o OFLDe 1

: ; ° 3 ; | » ; The Hoosier Forum 1 wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.—Voltaire.

DESPAIRS . OF FORMS AT THIS SESSIO By Voter > Regarding your editorial on the tinkering in the Legislature with the city manager resolution, the whole thing seems to be nothing more than a political show for the benefit of Indianapolis citizens. A sop

to the public to make us think we're

getting somewhere. It is probably a sample of the fate that will be accorded other pieces of reform’ legislation and I can only

conclude that the cynics and wise guys are right: Mr. McNutt isn't taking any chances selling his control in the Indiana Democratic machine while he, has an outside chance of winning the Presidential nomination. ‘The . Legislature will pass just those bills that he puts his okay on and no other, The cynics are just as unbelieving about the Republican blather about reforms, reduced budgets and what not. The G. O. P. high command is playing as much politics with the legislative circus as are the Democrats, and it does not want any laws on the book now that will embarrass it in 1940. In short, the whole show is purely and simply a jockeying bout for the 1940 elections. - And so Johnny Q. Taxpayer needn’t hold his breath in hopes. This sort of thing goes on time after time and no reforms are ever made unless they play into the hands of the politicians like Mr. McNutt. New brooms sweep clean, but they sweep precious little for the “outs” gain avoirdupois too derned fast after they get in. The only recourse the disgusted citizen has is at the polls, and even there his desires are fraudulently juggled to suit the party. in power. I notice there is nothing done about our election laws, either. The whole miserable procedure convinces me that the only means by which we'll ever be able to get anything done is to enact initiative, referendum and recall laws, so that we can effectively remind our wayward, promise-breaking officials in a way that hurts.

’ #88 STREETS DIRTY, AIR UNCLEAN, IS COMPLAINT By W. C. W. : About the only consistent quality

of our Board of Health is its in-|

consistency. [Instead of attacking the worst problem first the Board concentrates its influence on smallpox while 10| times the number of fatalities are| occurring as a result of respiratory diseases—caused no

(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.)

doubt by the sweet, pure air over the entire city. Nor is the general health and appearance of Indianapolis helped by the filth in our streets, which present a most realistic impression of a return to the Middle Ages, at

which time it was the- custom tof

throw all refuse into the streets. Suoh conditions would not be tolerated by the people of any other city, but seem to be quite ordinary to the stolid, indifferent citizens of this community. Perhaps if the Board would force a correction of the aforementioneri conditions, it would have fewer smallpox cases to treat.

2 8 8 THINKS WORKING WIVES

HARM HOME LIFE By Mary O'Connor Working wives are eating the heart out of American home life. When a woman who has a husband to support her steps out of the home to work she mars that home life. : It is all right for a woman to work when a man is sick or not able to work, but married women today are crowding our young men out of work. If every married woman who had a husband working would be made to quit work, I know it would

SYNONYM . By MAUD C. WADDELL In writing “love” I made today A slight mistake : Instead of love I meant write “I live.”

When I noticed how alike they - were— A : i - This thought appeared To me,—that love is life and life Is love.

DAILY THOUGHT

Blessed are they ‘that mourn; - for they shall be comforted.— “Matthew 5:4. oe

\ ARTH : hath no sorrow that ds heaven cannot heal.—Moore,.

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help solve the unemployment problem and there would not be so many on relief. Let the married women step out and give the jobs to our young folk. Give them a chance to live and let live. . ® t 4 8 RAISES QUESTIONS ON TRAVELING ATHLETE By B. A. A resident of Indiana 40 years, I claim the right to ask a few questions. Os Is it permissible for even a great athlete to wear the insignia and uniform of his State office as he travels about to various competitions in cities and states?. I'm just asking. Does he remain in active service and still draw salary while outside the State? How is transportation provided for him to these faroff places? Do I help pay that, too? Why does the schedule seem inade to order so that participation in these events is possible? Who assigns the duties of employees of this branch of government? Are others accorded like privileges? If a crime wave or other catastrophe develops or threatens, how are his services to be had if he is in New Orleans or San Francisco or Orlando? Is my life and property safe while these servants are far away? ® = =» GOOD WORD SAID FOR YOUNGER: GENERATION By a Constant Reader - I have been reading much about the younger good-for-nothing generation. They have been criticized for being reckless and lazy. These criticisms have been pointed directly at students who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It seems to me that Grandma and Grandpa are jealous of our modern advantages. Or else they are growing absent-minded. What if some of the younger ones do indulge in a drink now and then, and take long automobile rides in the evenings. Grandms and her escort had their hard cider and buggies. If a horse was taught right he could refuse t7 go any ‘arther, at ihe hint of his driver, just as easily as we can run out of gas. And as to.the laziness of these upstarts—well, you know there was a depression and jobs are not as plentiful as they were. The truth of the old saying, “there is nothing new under the sun,”" has not

changed a bit.

IN HER fine novel, “Madame

A Claire,” Susan Ertz says that few men love with their eyes open

LET'S EXPLORE YOUR MIN

By DR. ALBERT EDWARD WIGG

women more than women preserve

their illusions about men. I imagine so; since a ek Stseivey

{But ‘until psychologists study the

| | beetle,

D

problem more thoroughly, - any

| answer is a ‘mere opinion.

» ” ” i ; NO, becaus: when you try to think of nothing or rather of nothingness, ‘you are thinking of the place where nothingness exists. And even if you could succeed in thinking of nothingness, the nothingness would have existence and you’ would still feel yourself as the thinker who was thinking about nothingness. Even if you don’t you

/ | |are thinking about something. # an ” » . ' I THINK he would be wiped off |

) the face of the earth in short

oR | | order by the insects. This is because

science has transported plants,

| animals and human beings all over

the earth. As a result many insects have bee: carried from their

and has giver them a chance to multiply. Examples are the potalo moth and boll weevil. We are now fighting them with airplanes. If man should lose this control the buzs would get the best of him before he could ejaculate Jack Robinson.. In fact to my mind

native habitats where their natural|’ enemies kept taeir numbers limited |

the chief danger now of a world

Gen. Joh hson: 2 :

Says—

Hopkins and Wallace, Are Reported Lining Up New Foreign Trade Policy Which May Bring Clash With Hull.

EW YORK, Feb. 9—On taking office as Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Hopkins told friends privately and was reported in the press as saying that part of his policy would be to go after South American trade in a big way. Most informed observers approve that. In the first place, high pressure mass trade methods of the dictator countries are a danger on the political as well as the economic

front. In the second place, Latin America seems to 4

be a logical and natural field for our trade expansion. : 2 The latter statement needs one qualification. Those are mostly raw resource countries and so partly are we. They must pay for much of cur manufactured product with goods of which we have a surplus. Germany and Italy have no such problem. Skip that for the present. The question is “how are we going to proceed?” The dictators put. on the pressure of government. They say: “Here is a bill of goods. You take it and we will take one from you. If you refuse it we will stop taking anything from you.” This is the “barter” method with government rather than mere private traders taking the leading role. ; : :

2 2 = HEN President Roosevelt 1aid down his economic proposals in his first campaign, many of us thought that this was exactly what he proposed in his tariff speeches. But there were others in those countils who insisted that such a policy tended to increase peace-time economic warfare. They pointed to the “most-favored-nation” clauses in many of our treaties and said: “You can’t make such special deals and still be true to your {treaty obligations to treat all nations alike on the basis of the most favored nation.” These advocates proposed the Hull plan of “reciprocal trade”’—which means a gradual lowering of all tariffs, quotas and other trade restrictions to let private international traders in the ancient manner —rather than governments—restore world commerce. ‘The principal proponent of the barter basis was George N. Peek. A clash came. Mr. Wallace then sided with Mr. Hull—who prevailed, Mr. Peek went to the guillotine.

” » 2 r T is now reported that Mr. Hopkins is headed back to the Peek plan of inter-governmental trading. Mr. Wallace already has proposed quotas on farm products fixed by international agreement. If these differences in method follow theiz natural course, another clash is certain—this time with Mr. Wallace and Mr. Hopkins on one side and Mr, Hull on the other. Again the President will have to decide. It is an interesting situation. If the President decides against Mr. Hull, he will have to reverse a principal policy of his whole Administration. He will also have to upset what amounts almost to a religion with Cordell Hull. ‘There would be no alternative for the determined, high-minded fighter who is Secretary of State. He would have to resign. There could be no event of greater political importance, No man in this Administration has more of the confidence, admiration and respect of ‘the country than Mr. Hull. He would flash instantly to the top of Presidential possibilities.

It Seems to Me By Heywood Broun

Garner Prestige Seen as Issue as Maverick Seeks San Antonio Post.

AN ANTONIO, Tex., Feb. 9—When a man gets licked for Congress he generally has to stay licked for two years. But things have shaped up differently in the case of Maury Maverick. Mr. Maverick served iwo terms in Washington as a Representative, and when he was nosed out last year by Mr. Kilday, a comparative unknown, it was a matter of national comment. ' Maury had been prominent in the progressive block in the House. His liberal leanings were accentuated by the-fact that he comes irom a section of the country which has generally been considered conservative. Mr. Maverick, for instance, was the only Southern Representative who declared for the antilynching bill. He worked hard for the Wages and

‘Hours Bill.

Mr. Roosevelt passed a blessing on to Mr. Maverick during the primary campaign, and though it was little more than a “my friend” indorsement, it served make him a symbol of the New Deal in the Southwest. On the whole, the President’s kind word may have hurt the candidate more than it helped, for a great deal of money was spent to defeat Maury Maverick, and when the returns came in there was much rejoicing in all the camps along the right bank. But the Mavericks are the folk who gave their family name to the familiar word which means ‘unbranded.” They have fought in all the conilicts which were handy and in some a little more remote. No Maverick is content to lull himself to sleep for two long years by counting voters jumping over a fence, and Maury has found a chance for a return bout only three months hence. He is going to run for Mayor of San Antonio. i :

A Skirmish for 1940

That is neither an easy nor an important job, but this time it will be of more than local signifi cance. His chief opponent will be the present Mayor * (the name is Quinn), who was the chief lieutenant for Kilday in the Congressional contest. Moreover, the battle will be dramatized by the fact that Mayor Quinn is under indictment on the charge of sharing in responsibility for alleged irregularities in the election in which Mr. Maverick was defeated. oi But of even greater importance from a national point of view is the Yact that this election may well

‘be a skirmish having a definite bearing on the big

Democratic battle of 1940. Although a surface friendship has been maintained, it becomes increasingly evident that the lines will soon be sharply drawn for a knockdown battle between Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Garner for the body and soul of the Democratic :

Party. : the mind of Mr. Maverick and ,of his.

In ers and his enemies there is complete realization

San Antonio will be a testing spot of the G influence. He will be the real issue. If Cactus can be defeated, inferentially, close to his grounds his national prestige will be vastly ished. JRE ee

Watching Your Healf By Dr. Morris Fishbein 7h

crafts which readily be adapted of the : y stimulate a patient’s interest in som himself; Because of the physical: they can be made to provide scie exercise for impaired muscles or join Educational programs are planned elementary, which are used for organized reading, extension cou college work and training along pr stimulate healthy mental processes. make time spent in convalescence

a

Here is 4 man whose C wound may be healed, but tk

‘and the tendons which move

down as a result of inf

‘Thight get a great deal of a small hand loom:

his grip.