Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 26 April 1939 — Page 12

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PAGER alii The Indianapolis Times

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Give Light an8 the Peopis Wili Find Ther Own Way

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 1939

THE REORGANIZATION PLAN EDERAL bureaucrats may find reasons to dislike it, but Reorganization Plan No. 1, which President Roosevelt sent to Congress yesterday, strikes us as generally sound and good. It may be that Mr. Roosevelt's preamble language, intimating that this plan is a life-saver for democracy, went a trifle far toward overselling. One of the gravest threats to our democratic form of government is its extravagant and increasing cost. A reorganization that does not insure real economies is much less than ideal. But the President estimated administrative savings of only 15 million doliars or 20 million dollars a year from Plan No. 1. And it will be surprising if, by the time the new agencies are set up and staffed, total costs are found to be no less than before. It will be a real gain, however, if the machinery of government is made more efficient and if the President’s almost overwhelming administrative duties are so simplified that he can give more time to the planning and execution of broad national policies. As to details of the plan, many questions might be raised. Whether, for instance, the U. S. Employment Service should be taken from the Labor Department and grouped with social security, education, public health and youth activities under the new Federal Security Agency? Whether the new Federal Works Agency should include the Bureau of Public Roads as well as WPA and PWA. But such questions as to details are academic. Within 60 days Congress must either reject the whole plan, without change, or let it become effective without alteration. And, except from the viewpoint of the bureaucrats and of Federal employees who fear any change in their jobs, we think its merits so far outweigh its possible flaws that Congress is not likely to kill it. From the viewpoint of ordinary citizens and taxpayers, the vital question is not how various lending, security, relief and construction activities shall begrouped but whether they are managed wisely.

FINE MAN, TOUGH JOB E can think of many good reasons for President Roosevelt’s appointment of Dr. William M. Leiserson to the National Labor Relations Board. He is eminently qualified for the job, by temperament and by his rich background of a lifetime of success in the employer-employee relations field. He is widely respected for his fairness, his judgment and his ability to handle difficult problems. He will give to the NLRB a measure of prestige—something it sorely lacks. But we can think of only one good reason for Dr. Leiserson accepting the troublesome assignment—the opportunity it offers to perform a truly great public service. Dr. Leiserson has seen enough of industrial strife to believe that the interests of all are better served by promoting mutual confidence—which is just the opposite of what some of the NLRB have been promoting. The NLRB is not a mediation agency. Its function is to enforce the law which guarantees to workers the right to bargain collectively with their employers. Unfortunately the NLRB too often has interpreted and applied the Wagner Act in ways that have stirred up distrust, setting workers against emplovers and vice versa. Because of this unwise administration friends of the Wagner Act in Congress are now having to fight to preserve the collective bargaining principles. Until that principle is established and accepted it wilt not be possible to build up a national mediation system to perform for industry as a whole the same service which the Railroad Mediation Board now provides in the railroad industry. : Dr. Leiserson’s influence toward reorienting the NLRB'’s attitude—though he will be only one of three members—should go far toward building up an acceptance of the collective bargaining process. We wish him well.

TRAFFIC DEATHS PREVENTABLE

OT so long ago this newspaper carried a lengthy article listing *he four states and seven cities which won national honors in 1938 for their traffic safety programs. Indianapolis was not on that list. It could have been, we believe, if it had applied modern traffic safety principles as consistently, intelligently and relentlessly as did Providence, Milwaukee, Cleveland and the other winners. . But Indianapolis has a tendency to coast along and to wait until a situation reaches emergency proportions before it acts. This must not be allowed to happen with traffic fatalities and accidents. Inclement weather played an important part in keeping our accident death rate down during the first four months of the year. But the moment good weather arrived the accident curve record shot up like the price of wheat in a drought year. Only constant pressure by our traffic police, by our traffic courts and by city officials can keep our fatality record from reaching shameful proportions. Let one’ of these groups relax its efforts and the story is traced in black on the accident charts.

“DEAR ADOLF-—"

HAM FISH complains that President Roosevelt acted like a “spoiled child” in omitting the usual birthday greeting to Adolf Hitler. We should have liked to see Ham try his hand at composing an appropriate anniversary message to Der Fuehrer, without being hypocritical. Something like this, maybe: “Dear Adolf: So you are 50! That’s splendid. I wish you at least another half century; in fact, I wish you were half a century older right now. “Why don’t you run over and see me some time, and bring your paint brushes? 1 should be happy to commission you to repaint, say, the Grand Canyon. That ought to keep ‘even you busy for a long, long time. Or you might do a mural clear across the face of Boulder Dam.

“Ygurs hopefully,—F. D. R. i

and spirit.

In Washington

By Raymond Clapper

League of Nations' Group Backing Mass Meetings to Mobilize Opinion Behind Roosevelt's Plea for Peace.

(Mr. Pegler is on Vacation.)

ASHINGTON, April 26.—Activity has begun to mobilize American public opinion behind President Roosevelt's effort to induce Europe to solve its crisis by peaceful means instead of by war. There is no desire to regiment sentiment behind any fixed formula, but rather a desire to throw all possible public pressure toward the principle of adjusting differences without a senseless resort to mass murder and destruction. American friends of the League of Nations have brought together a cross-section committee for concerted peace efforts. The week from April 26 to May 3 has been designated as “peace and security week,” with Donald R. Richberg as national chairman and Mrs. Lucretia Grady of California as vice chairman. Mass meetings are being arranged for Friday, when Hitler speaks in reply to Roosevelt's recent peace proposal. One mass meeting is to be held here, at the foot of Washington Monument. Mayor La Guardia is organizing one in New York, and as chairman of the Conference of Mayors he is requesting Mayors in other cities to arrange similar meetings.

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HE American people don't want war, either for themselves or for Europe. But we have talked so much about not wanting war for ourselves that we have not made it as clear as we might that America would suffer from a general war in Europe, and that we therefore feel strongly that no ruler in Europe should take it upon himself to begin hostilities while other nations keep open the way to readjustments by negotiation. Roosevelt's recent peace move, to which Hitler is preparing a reply, presented the opportunity to Germany of obtaining needed economic readjustments by peace instead of by war. American sentiment has not rallied behind that opportunity as strongly as it could, being so preoccupied with the fear of being trapped in war ourselves. Hence the timely importance of the mass meetings now being organized. Such mass propaganda needs to be conducted with the greatest care and intelligence. Otherwise it is apt to jump the track and land nobody knows where. For instance, it is not going to help anybody in this situation to harangue the American public about how the good democracies must gang up on the wicked dictators—not unless Hitler slams the door shut next Friday. It will be time enough then. For the moment all emphasis needs to go on the constructive opportunity opened by Roosevelt in his peace plea 10 days ago. #” = » HE “peace and security week” committee states the case effectively: First, aggression must be opposed. The United States should aid no nation which resorts to war while the door to peaceful readjustment still is open. Second, the United States must promote economic justice and redress of grievances between nations. Third, world institutions to accomplish these objectives must be developed. In short, those who would make American public opinion vocal sav that resistance to aggression and international justice must march hand in hand.

Business

By John T. Flynn

Tax Reform Cause Hurt by Blast From Utility Earning 9 Per Cent.

EW YORK, April 26.—Sometimes the worst advocates of reform are those who stand to benefit most by it. Certainly there ought to be a reform in Federal taxes. But it is doubtful if the American Telephone & Telegraph Co. makes a very impressive argument for tax reform by the kind of report it has just put out. Walter S. Gifford, its president, told stockholders that rising taxes was one of the most disturbing factors in business. Then, as an example, he told how the American Telephone & Telegraph had managed to make its 9 per cent dividend in the first quarter of the year; nevertheless, if it had not been for the Federal taxes it could have made $2 or $3 a share more annually. It may be questioned whether any considerable number of businessmen or voters will be moved to tears over the piight of a company which is able to meet all the enormous taxes it complains about and still be able to pay a dividend of 9 per cent. Rather the impuise of the hearer will be to think that the company has been collecting too much money. The figures which ‘the company quotes as representing its tax payments are very impressive. The company paid $147,000,000 in taxes last year. That's a lot of money. But it must be remembered that this vast corporation includes an immense number of corporations operating all over the country, If it were split up into 48 companies or 200 companies—each of them quite large—we would not be so impressed with the taxes of each.

Profit Is Guaranteed It must be remembered that this company has been operating literally upon a guarantee of profits, because, being a monopoly and a utility, it is subject to regulation. Regulation has meant fixing its prices in a controlled market to guarantee it a profit. And year in and year out, in good times and bad, it has been able to pay its 9 per cent dividend, despite all the taxes it has had to pay. It is not well for such a favored corporation to be complaining about its taxes.

The tax laws of the nation ‘and states and cities’

are in a deplorable condition. This is a matter of the greatest seriousness. There is little or no chance of reducing in any important way this tax burden. But there is a chance of checking it and a good chance of distributing the burden in a way to do less harm to business. But a blast about taxes from protected utilities making 7 and 8 and 9 per cent hardly serves any purpose in achieving this end.

A Woman's Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

QOUND the trumpets! Beat the drums! The women are off on a new campaign! This time it’s against an ancient enemy—cancer. With ‘true military zeal

and because we seem fo love army titles, corps of us are marshaled under the management of our captains, colonels and ‘majors into battling regiments. War is officially deciared. Why not volunteer? For this kind of fighting is a splendid, thrilling experience, and when we have learned to conquer disease, maybe we will have found out how to conquer our desire to slaughter one another. We women are always getting off to a fresh start in some such enterprise. It makes us happy to lead attacks against a newly recognized foe. We are proud, too, remembering our past campaigns. Fighting tuberculosis; tackling the demon rum; facing syphilis, the unmentionable, and that sneaking foe, infantile paralysis. Now we go out against that mightiest slayer of them all—cancer. Our battles have been hotly waged and some were nobly won. We could have done better in every case, however, and perhaps come through to permanent victories, if we had ‘used ‘our heads as ably ‘as we have our emotions. Our heads would have told us that there does not exist an evil that can be disassociated from economics.

Yet, generally speaking, women shy away from that

problem. They gather up their skirts and pass by on the other side when mention is made of the basic cause of most of our disease and crime—money ‘matters, the unequal distribution of wealth and the grave injustices of our ‘economic system. Poverty is the instigator ‘of ‘most ills of the flesh The restoration of release of ‘men, women

This Suspense Is Awful !—By Talburt

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REMEMBER

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1937

The Hoosier Forum

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

ASSAILS PRACTICE OF COLLECTING SOOT By Arthur S. Mellinger For several years the City has paid thousands of dollars to collect soot; compare the amount per acre, etc. I would like to know what excuse for such a waste of money could be offered. This strikes me as about as sensible as a man who discovers a hole in his roof, painstakingly measures it and sits down and computes the amount of water that will run in with a given amount of rainfall. He does not do that. He fixes the hole! How could we fix the sootfall? Fifty per cent could be eliminated if coke, of which we have mountains, was available to the householder at not more than $5 a ton. The factories, I think, would try to co-operate if the proper attitude and knowledge of smoke elimination methods were available. Instead of more soot data we want some action besides passing another ordinance or passing the buck. It doesn’t seem to make much difference which is passed, judging by the results obtained.

h % % URGES EFFORT TO SAVE TRACTION LINES

By Robert M. Stacy, Member Electric Railroaders’ Association and Indianapolis Ruailfans, Inc. Patrons concerned in the Indiana Railroad’s proposed IndianapolisTerre Haute and Seymour-Louisville traction abandonments should do everything possible to save these electric lines. The people in this case should not give up before the fight starts, nor should they shift responsibility to someone else. There is hope for continued interurban operation if a sufficient number of patrons of the divisions appear at the hearings before the Public Service Commission to voice their need for electric railway service. The hearings for the Terre Haute and Louisville lines have been set for May 2 at Indianapolis and May 11 at Scottsburg respectively. There are many improvements which the traction company could make in public relations, employee morale, and physical property such as roadway, stations, and rolling stock, which undoubtedly would increase revenue to the extent that continued rail operation would be justified. Communities which have lost interurban service have complained bitterly at the loss of taxes, business and employment. People along the Terre Haute and Louisville traction lines should avert such a situation before it happens. The Indiana Railroad is giving a splendid passen-

(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.)

ger and freight service; it deserves the patronage of the people who can well afford to patronize the electric railway transportation if they will consider their own interests.

" ® = SODA DISPENSERS ARE FOUNTAINEERS

By John M. Shirey

Down through the years men of different professions and crafts have called themselves by fitting and respectful names—examples: Doctors, lawyers, merchants, etc. Let Mr. Joe Collier and others whom it may concern be advised that the persogs employed in dispensing sodas and other fountain items have accepted the name “Fountaineers.”

WHEN AND IF

By WILLIAM H. CHITWOOD I do not know just when this world will end; Though prophets have declared for generations That Ruin's hand eventually will rend Its mountains from their natural foundations. Nor do I know, despite prognostications,

If it will really ever end at all,

(Provided certain European nations _ Dont’ foolishly necessitate its fall). But this I do know—it is very small, Scarce measuring an atom midst the stars. And if it crumbles, like some ancient wall, Its demolition will not come from Mars; "Twill come from schemes in which proud Science delves; In other words, ‘twill come from us, ourselves.

DAILY THOUGHT And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously betwesn every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.—Deuteronomy 1:16.

NE man’s word is mo man’s word; we should quietly hear

both sides.—Goethe.

DOUBTS LEFT-WINGERS RUN FOREIGN POLICY By H. S.

One of the most ridiculous statements ever appearing in the Hoosier Forum is that in Thursday's Times saying that our foreign policy is dominated by left-wingers. It is only too clear that our State Department is run by a most conservative crowd that has no independent thought but listens only to Downing Street. Our “neutrality” was the most unneutral attitude in the Spanish rebellion; we favored Franco because England wanted us to do sa. England, France and the United States will often be sorry for helping this dictator into the saddle. Placing the label of communism on everybody who differs from the reactionaries is the way out for people who are unable to think. When Japan established ManchuKuo, the State Department declared that it would not recognize a puppet government and has not done so although that government has now been in existence for eight years. Tn Spain there was a legally elected and legally constituted government that was overthrown not by the people of Spain, but by Moors, Italians and Germans, and these forces are still ruling Spain. Why was our government in such a great hurry to recognize this puppet government? Who runs the State Department? = = ” THIS ONE’S EASY~— IN THE FACTORIES By A. C. Dixon A stranger in your city over the week-end, I made a trip through your shopping district and strolled through your beautiful stores—including an apparently new 5 & 10 cent store—a beauty. I had occasion to call at a state office building and also the telephone business office. What puzzles me after making this trip is where the men of Indianapolis work. ® ® 5 BINGO FANS COMPLAIN OF BASEBALL LOTTERIES By Three Bingd» Fans Why doesn’t Mayor Sullivan stop the printing and sale of baseball tickets if the stopping of bingo games has done so much for business? There is five times as much money spent on this business as there was on bingo. Most every pool hall and beer parlor sell these

tickets. : If a million-dollar business can

operate here, why not bingo? Everybody knows what is going on.

LET'S EXPLORE YOUR MIND

By DR. ALBERT EDWARD WIGGAM

WHICH WILL A READILY=A ov

IT DOESN'T seem possible that & woman would ever do such a

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spies ‘were ‘convicted, the women not only lied but persisted in their lies

dreadful thing as tell a lie but, -ac- when they knew the examiner ‘to ‘experts, she ‘does, and knew they were lying and knéw she goes in for all|that they were caught. The same h, In th y | prt Ns A tes ONY C0 DE from m trial law

NO, you can only see when your eyeballs are still. Suppose while you are taking a photograph you should either move the lens in the front part of the camera or move the plate on which the light is falling. Of course you would get no picture—only a blur. Now the eye is much like a camera. Plainly, if the eye was moving no picture would be taken—it would just be a blur. In reading, for example, the eye makes four to six jumps per line and stops an instant with each jump. If it were not for these “fixations” you could not read at all—or find your way around the world. * ® = SOME do and some dont, Some extraverts are both good talkers and good thinkers bit some do a lot of talking and little or no thinking. Introverts talk much less than extraverts and, when they do, usually either have something important to say or else tell you of their troubles. Tn either case it is a pretty good sign real thinking, especially if they use a wide choice of words. People who ha small vocabularies are usually eeple with very few thoughts. is not always true but this is

Gen. Johnson Says—

Our Selective Service Law Proved Popular Because It Avoided Old Methods of Political Favoritism.

ASHINGTON, April 26.—England is. reluctant to order conscription and France is kicking about-it. There is nothing new about that. England did not have as complete a conscription in the World War as other nations and was very slow in adopting it at all. France never ceased to argue that England could have had more men on the Western Front. . This British shyness about drafting men to fight in her army dates since 1799. From the time of ‘the

old Saxon tribes, liability to military service was unie versal. It was always recognized as English law that the nation has a right to demand military service from citizens. But conscription for the army fell into disrepute under Charles II, because it too often was used to sift out all the bums, drunks and criminals in the community and dump them into the army, JIf a man didn’t have a drag or was otherwise une desirable he was drafted, otherwise he could escape. “Impressment” for the navy continued longer. That was one reason for our War of 1812, The British “press” gangs weren't particular. They “pressed” our sailors. The whole idea became hateful. Thus it bee gan to be generally, and erroneously, said: “Cone scription won’t work in an Anglo-Saxon country.”

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Soe of our colonies tried it unsuccessfully. Tt was tried in the Revolution and by both sides in the Civil War. It failed for the same reasons. It was used unfairly, politically and crookedly.’ A rich man could buy his way out or hire a “substitute.” Political influence could “fix” the registration ists so that favored names never were “drafted” from Jury-wheels—because they never had been dropped in. When we entered the World War, it was apparent right away that not enough Americans were going to volunteer to go as far away as France to defend this country from “invasion.” At the same time, it was freely said, as it was said in England, “conscription won't work in America.” j In writing the “Selective Service Law” we took a completely fresh start. The name of every man in the country within the draft ages went on the lists, There were to be no substitutes, no purchased dise charges and no local “jury wheels.” The order of examination for every man was determined by a single lottery in Washington that was mathematicale ly fixer-proof. ” o 8 i proved a spectacular success and appealed to the country as being so much more fair, even than any system of volunteering, that I know of no important opinion that we should ever use any other method in a big war. .

There may be other considerations governing the use of conscription in England. But, before 1817, the idea of any kind of draft was just as unpopular here as it ever was in England, perhaps more so. We had more recently seen the failure and unfairness of the old methods, It isn’t any of our business how Engiand raises her armies but if, as the French seem to suggest, the adoption of constription in England would have a profound effect to slow up Mr. Hitler, we would nich rather see that method used than threats cf our intervention. Whether England ever adopted “selece tive service” or mot in a new worid war, we would have it in effect in 24 hours if we were involved.

It Seems to Me

By Heywood Broun

People of Dictator Nations Want Peace Just as Ardently as We Do.

EW YORK, April 26.—Winter is over in our land. The sun breaks through, and bright stars seem: friendly in their courses. The new moon is no longera cold scimitar, but much more like a cradle. Lifecomes knocking at the door and rises from the earth. And should we, then, burrow like spaniels in our back yard and say, “Because the world is well with us we care no whit for any other?” Is it nothing to us that this same fair moon looms crimson in its foreign phases? Tt is not a private planet, and we, too, shall see it wax and wane. A gentleman from South Dakota, the name is Mundt, is quoted as saving that the United States should let Europe have the best war it can, and that we should find solace in our own comfort. But there are plain people in France, England, Germany and Italy to whom peace is just as precious as it is to any American. The love of a mother for her son is not unknown in those lands to which we refer as alien. And even though an ocean lies between, there are flowers and philosophers among the pressure groups. These things should be obvious. Bonds of religion, music and the dreams of prophets and poets are common heritages of mankind. The ideals which Jefferson articulated for Americans did not come from the mind of a man who thought thatthe rest of the world was populated by savage beasts. He had read the words of the wise men in all coun= tries and been molded by them.

Giuseppe and Joe

If there is one in Tibei who fains a grain of truth, . that becomes the boon of everybody. But today in America a new cult clutters the printed page and the air. Tt denies the kinship of humankind. " Some man in Germany at this moment is planting: tulips in a garden. An Italian plays with his baby. We are asked to believe that both are simply itching to take up a gun aad shed the blood of some French or British brother. Tt is offensive, they say, for the executive representative of our country to try and appeal for peace over the heads of those who sit in power. It is very strange to observe the awe in which many hold the dictators, even though lhey profess to be against dictatorship. Even added together, Mussolini and Hitler are only two. Behind them are. the millions. They are the people just like wus.” Wilhelm is really Bill, and Giuseppe is actually Joe or vice-versa. We all want peace, and so there is every reason in the world why we should shout toeach other across the water. Joe and Giuseppe have a lot in common. They ought to get together. :

Watching Your Health

By Dr. Morris Fishbein

[VHE sun which will now be with us considerably for, some months provides several types of rays, the short ultra-violet rays and the long infra-red rays constituting the major portions. The names refer, of course, to that portion of the spectrum in which the rays are included. The term infra-red designates a band of rays in the spectrum which give the greatest skin sensation of heat. This area includes not only the infra-red but also the red rays. The latter give much more sensation of heat than do the infra-red rays, but many believe that the infra-red rays provide hot only the heat effect but also some additional effects determined by

their action on the tissues. It is impossible to say, despite the vast amount of experimentation that has been carried on in recent years, how far the rays do penetrate. Tt is certain, however, that the rays do convey heat and that the redness and flushing of the skin is a useful reaction in overcoming inflammation and pain. It is also well established that there is a rise in the temperature of the body due to the heating of the blood and the prevention of loss of heat from the skin while the infra-red rays are being employed. At the same time sweating may occur which aids the elimination of waste material. The reasons for which heat rays are how most commonly employed include control of pain, which may be either at the point at which the heat is ape plied or referred from some other portion of the body. - Where is due ‘to pressure as in the presence

what en= |

pain absoess, little sun a accomplished by the use of

rind Tenens