Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 8 August 1939 — Page 12

PAGE 12.

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Give Light and the People will Find Thetr Own Way x TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 1939 ~ 5 LETS FINISH THE JOB ' HE Hatch Act, great reform that it is, needs to be siipplemented by state legislation to make its principles the nation.

i throughout "The Hatch Law has taken employees of the Federal

Government out of political campaigns. It has greatly ‘minimized. the danger that any Federal agency, or group, .of Federal agencies, will build a machine of such might that it could have held the balance of voting power in the United Bates. : - To the degree that Federal employees have been reHioved from the political picture, state and local ‘machines ‘will flourish with added vigor unless the states promptly set up the proper curbs. It is necessary now, it seems to us, for the several states to neutralize this new danger. And we, for one, would like to see Indiana take the lead in such a drive. «.- Why not “a little Hatch Law” for Indiana? Why, after all, should state and local employees be herded into “2 per cent clubs” and neglect their jobs to beat the bushes for votes every time an election rolls around ? Loading of payrolls around election time, compulsory ‘assessments on workers and other abuses are familiar stories in Indiana. Take away the incentive for the politicians to use state and local employees to perpetuate themselves in office and some of our fat-waisted payrolls would ‘drop like the price of wheat in June. Now that the Federal Government has set the lead, “with a promise that the principle of the Hatch Act will be extended even further by the next Congress, let's doublerivet its application here with a state measure modeled

after the new Federal law.

CONCERNING CHIEF MORRISSEY

HIS newspaper has received an anonymous letter directed at Chief Morrissey and “certain other police of_ficers.” It refers to an incident in a county courtroom in " which the material in question was struck from the records "by the presiding judge. ‘We don’t like anonymous letters. We have no respect ~for people who hide behind anonymity. The reason we take notice of this one is that it affects the Chief of Police ~and the entire police force. It is not our business to be publishing anonymous, un--supported libel. The situation that has grown up is ‘unfair both to the community and to Chief Morrissey. If anyone has any facts to present there are proper

agencies toj go to—the Mayor, the Prosecutor the Satety i

Board, the Grand Jury.

HIGH COST OF DICTATORSHIP “FT'HE Huey Long machine continued itself in power by arranging the election of tall, athletic, impressive, “amiable Richard W. Leche. And it now appears that the people of Louisiana got what they voted for—“a man who “looks like a Governor.” Recently Mr. Leche resigned in a hurry, and one reason “therefor came to light yesterday when a Federal Grand Jury in New Orleans indicted him and another Huey Long yes-~-man on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the Government in a $148,000 “hot oil” deal. ... Thus Mr. Leche is now “out on bond,” and mentioned "in the same breath with Dr. James Monroe Smith, former “president of Louisiana State University, who maybe “looks dike an educator,” but who is alleged to have gambled in * nthe'markets with the university’s money and then took to » his heels. "The people of Louisiana are now learning the high cost of leaving their affairs of government and education in «the hands of dictators. and machine politicians. |

‘BUSINESS AND RELIEF OR a long time businessmen have been asking for a a more ~ efficient, less expensive administration of Federal unemployment relief, and the Congress which has’ just adgourned made an effort to meet this demand. They include “two different kinds of reductions in WPA rolls. One; long-range -and comparatively gradual, aims to sdecrease the number. of people on WPA from the average f three million in the last fiscal year to an average of two million in the present fiscal year which began July 1. It 15 necessary because President Roosevelt and Congress agreed to reduce the WPA appropriation by one-third. The olls have been cut from about 2,500,000 in June to about 72,100,000 5h month, and the tentative plan is to cut them

.

ob .

urther to 1,800,000 in September and October; to build Ethem up again to 2,400,000 in mid-winter, and after that fto trim them month by month to 1,500,000 next June. The other reduction, sudden and sharp, affects 650,000 .persons who have been continuously on WPA rolls for 18 months or more. All of these will have been dismissed by “the end of this month. They may apply for reinstatement after 30 days, but will have to prove then that-they are still eligible and will have to wait: until such time as there is room for them on the rolls. But, of course, while these 650,000 persons are belig dropped others will be taken on—at least 850,000 of them if the WPA total is kept as high as 1,800,000 in September. These ‘will be people who are just as eligible as anyone now on the rolls. One reason why Congress ordered the enforced 30-day “furloughs” was that it wanted to give a chance to some of those who never have been able to find places on WPA. Another reason was. that it wanted to discour- { age the tendency to make WPA a career. + Every good citizen will hope that the reductions. can be carried out with a minimum of hardship to ‘the needy and deserving. We think that businessmen, in: particular, have a great opportunity and a great responsibility in this matter. There is only one way to reduce the cost of relief and at the same time to avoid hardship to the unemployed. That is to provide more private jobs.

by Congress to business. Every step taken by business to put idle money to ‘work, every ‘plan for expansion under.

- Here, then,: ig" another phase of the challenge” issued

Fair Enough -

By Westbrook Pegler

It's Odd That. None of the Better | Fo Housing Champiqns Raps Divorce as| J = ‘One of the Dangers to the Home. |

JEW "YORK, gu i ‘heard the other night on ’. the air, in a’discussion of various topics, a young

orator deploring the Heartiessness of those Who had | ¥

opposed the housing bill on politico-economic grounds, In, the ‘course of this ‘address in which, toward the

| end, the profit motive, was revealed with elephantine | | subtlety, our orator grew almost tearful about ‘a blue-

eyed, elfin ‘child “who lacked . the material comforts of a good home. ‘She lived in the slums. : ~ We received the benefit of his wisdom and high-

mindedness on the subject of slums and their effect on ,

the young, and as +e talked I just wished that, found time. to discuss the ‘impoptance of Lhe had

morality and integrity in the home and the effect on

children of the abandonment of one parent by. the other and, later, complete: divorce. It seemed to me that this young statesman valued plumbing, certified milk, clothing, play-space and other material comforts far above, indeed to the total exclusion, of all the other factors that contribute to the moral and Spiritual well-being: of a child. . - » 2 : TEE divpree’ ‘rate in this: country, Tis row risen to about one in six marriages ‘and ‘someone’s: best friends, and I suppose divorced so we may here . Dave created another taboo. However, along with thosé graphs and time-table statistics which shew the ‘propeition: ‘of ex-newsboys in American prisons. there are some which indicate the proportions. of prisoners who. caine from broken and disrupted homes and whose waywardness is attributed to this condition.” This proportion is very high. Divorce is a luxury which is sparingly patronized by the poor people of the slums so one may take it that the broken-home criminals in prison did not come from such neighborhoods but from homes in. which squalor was spiritual not material and, in some cases, undoubtedly chargeable to the selfishness or worse fault of one or more parents. Squalor is not only physical. It exists in luxurious homes in the high suburbs and cases of waywardness have occurred in which young offenders received leniency or sympathy on the ground that the moral surroundings of well provided homes were bad. 8 # 8

OW, no sensitle person would undertake to argue that poverty, hunger and dirt are good for growing children, -although Abe Lincoln is one among many who could be cited as exceptions to the general theme that such childhood conditions must produce waste citizens.

Ever so many eminent Americans of the genera- |

tion which is now distinctly old came from homes in neighborhoods which were undoubtedly slums. They, too, were the children of immigrants and were. raised in poverty but, given decency and a certain type of gamemess in the parents, the children grew to maturity with character and took their place in society

on equality, at least, with others who were raised in ||

riches.’ I suggest that if Congress were to examine the divorce traffic, the flippancy with which some parents far removed from the slums shirk off their moral obligations to their children, they might arouse a serious popular demand for a national law which would make it impossible for a young man with no excuse of poverty or ignorance to abandon a wife with a new-born child and leave the young one fatherless.

Business By John T. Flynn HOLC Formed Not te Help Home

Owner, but to Bail Out Note Holder.

.TEW YORK, Aug. 8.—Just at the moment of the Administration’s plan to launch a great movement for Government lending, a demand came for an investigation of the greatest of the Government's

lending agencies—~the Home Owners’ Loan Corp. The

demand was made by a Republican Congressman, but concurred in by some leading Democrats.

The alleged object of the HOLC was to save home

owners whose mortgages were in default. Actually it was to bail out the holders of the mortgage notes. I

"saw that movement born. It did not originate with

home owners, but with the note holders. The plan was as follows: If a mortgage was in default on a home,. then the owner and the note holder could get together with the HOLC, arrange for a reduction in the amount of the mortgage and then the note holder would exchange his mortgage for Government bonds. The mortgage for the reduced amount was to be transferred to the HOLC. In practice this was followed with one important omission. The note was not reduced, save perhaps in some instances. The note holder was bailed out. He exchanged a mortgage note, let us say of $5000, which was not actually worth 75 per cent of that sum and in many cases not half, for United States bonds bear-

ing 3 per cent interest which he could sellVat a ‘premium. The. note holder was thus out of the pic-

ture. The Government held the bag while.the home owner remained in his house, still loaded with a mort-

1.gage which was too large and which In many cases

he could never hope to pay.

Fahey Honest and Capable

It would be very difficult to convince me that there has been anything irregular or dishonest in the general management of the HOLC. ‘It has been asserted by a high-minded .and able businessman —John Fahey of Boston, a liberal and a capable

citizen whose honesty and ‘capacity are beyond re-: I have often shuddered at the thought of

proach. what might have happened here if the head of this institution had been on a par with the general run of Roosevelt appointments. But before John Fahey took over this agency it was in the hands of as bare-faced and indefensible a group of hack political appointees as could be found in Washington and what inheritance of that dreadful prelude still remain‘ no one knows. Ironically enough, it may very well be that the growing ‘dissatisfaction with the HOLC will arise largely out of resistance to application by it of sound principles. of administration—efforts to collect the money due it, etc.

A Woman's Viewpdint

By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

“MORAL rearmament,” say Frank Buchman and |

his Oxford Group, “is the only salvation for the world.” You smile at that perhaps. but have you any other suggestions to offer? . . Are you prepared to deny it? Most of us dislike pious presnings. We do not hold, we say, with those folk who depart from Stevenson’s formula expressed in these simple words: “There is so much goed in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it ill behooves a one of us to talk about the rest of us.”

“That pretty doctrine probably is responsible for a |

great deal of moral confusion. It has caused us to make some very unpleasant compromises with conscience. And, adding to.the. confusion, we find ourselves tangled up in court mazes. It was easier to live when men and women looked squarely at facts. They recognized black for black gad white: for white and knew you couldn’t mix the i without getting a very ugly gray. The grays as mixed lately get uglier and more drab as the years

pass Which keeps the average parent in a fog. Nobody knows what to do. We can’t be “wet blankets,” can we, even if we glimpse dangerous fires raging all around? It’s easier to give up our convictions than our friends and so we are faced with bitter questions. Can we tell our children that a little drinking is all right for them, without subjecting them to the

| temptation of too much drinking? Is divorce right | under some’ conditions and wrong under others? Is

chastity a pearl we can cast before swine? . Is the

lobbyist who bribes a legislator to pass laws in favor}: | of a professional group any worse than the upright Sitjaen who: bribes the policeman

po to tear up his red

ost -ihportant. advisers, are |

TUESDAY, ATG. § 8, 1989,

FOR A

BREAK

OV VE Bren ASKING

2

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

/

THINKS MUSIC SPREE MAY WHIP DEPRESSION By Music Lover ; Why dén’'t our state political

aes enlarge their vaudeville per- ‘| formance idea? They might hire

one of our closed theaters and give three or four shows daily to the public. Then again, why not have 50 or more band units parade down-

|town once or twice a week? We've

tried almost everything to whip this depression. Maybe a good music spree is the answer. 2 #8 = DOUBTS WATER RATE INCREASE IS THREATENED By H. W. Daacke Presenting the negotiators’ side of the proposed sale of the water company to the city, Mr. Johnson asserted that retention of the com-

pany by the owners, or sale to a pri-

vate concern “carries the possibility of an increase in water rates.”

This same shop-worn phrase, now used to justify an exorbitant purchase price, namely $22,300,000, was used in years past to justify a low valuation of about $15,000,000 for taxation, permitting the water company to pay less taxes, proportionately, than was paid- by the small

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious cone troversies excluded. Make your letter short, so all can have a chance. ‘Letters must be signed, but names will be withheld on request.)

sus private ownership as it is on the excessive price asked. “No one of those who assert that the price is excessive pretends to be competent to pass on the question of the value of the property.” Based on past experience of cities, in similar situations requiring no engineering ability, a mean price between the asking price and the price used for taxation brings you! ¢ very close to the original report of Mr. Dickerman. The supplemental report of Mr.;

‘I Dickerman, based as it ison bene-|

fits to be derived by the City, in the event of purchase, such as lowér interest rates on purchase bonds, etc.,

for passing them on to the seller in increasing the purchase price beyond his original report of $19,914,-

businessman or the small home 848.

owner. Citing figures prepared by Mr. Dickerman, net profit to the City would be about $931,000. a year, or more than $2500 per day. Our calculation (McNear’s) is about $1,200,000 a year, or about $3000 a day. “The discrepancy between the two figures arises out of different accounting methods.” Those different accounting methods are ably exemplified by a recent McNear statement that the amount paid by the Water Co. to the City in taxes in past years, in the event of purchase, should be figured as “profits” for the City, while Mr. Dickerman contended that they should be paid into the city general fund, by the utility, as current expenses. This one item alone would run into the

hundreds of thousands of book-|

keeping discrepancies. “The ‘acquisition of the company by the City should appeal to those who are not ‘implacably opposed tc

public ownership.” The opposition

is not based so much on public ver-

a 8. 8 QUOTES LINCOLN ON RIGHTS OF LABOR By James A. Scott Our ardent advocate of a dollar a day for WPA workers returns to the Forum. This labor baiter and de-

fiant defender of the man of millions speaks solemnly of the source of taxation. He warns against consuming that source. Are the Wall St. monopolists that source? Abra-

definitely belong to the City as. buyer, and there is no justification

ham Lincoln, - -while President, said

the following: “Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and never could have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital and deserves much higher consideration.” { To be sure, any dollar a day exponent quite naturally will reason that Lincoln was afflicted vith an objectionable habitual reasoning. But the first test of any program of recovery is: How amply does it provide for the welfare of labor? Such a program . must include the following: Guarantee of the right| to work; high wage; liberal pensions for those too old to work; un< selfish compensation to disabled war veterans; and humane allowances to the crippled and afflicted. Tax the costs to the mdnopolists of Wall St. . Why worry about consuming that source. Rather let | that source worty that labor doesn’t | get wise, lest they ‘become the ones { who shall be “lucky if they get soup.” :

CLAIMS REPEAL : MENACE TO WOMEN By H. S. Bonsib

Since repeal a daily sompiaint is heard in our larger cities—the complaint of husbands and fathers who tell of coming home from work to find their wives and daughters in taverns drunk and neglecting their families. , . . No one can afford to drink— especially the mother It takes a clean mind in a clean body to make a strong mind in a strong body. The young folks could save themselves a world of trouble if they put their standard high and would work up to that standard. ... Why should the liquor traffic be

licensed? Prohibition is coming back. Ld of

New Books at the Library

HE MAGNIFICENT ROTHSCHILDS” by Cecil Roth (Hale) is a sympathetic account of the lives and fabulous expenditures of the English branch of the Rothschild

family as it existed in legendary

Side Glances—By Golbrith

gnlendor during the century preceding the World War. Men of genius in the understanding and handling of the intricacies of international finance, men of|

with governments, men of deep loyalty to the cause of Jewish emancipation, men of extravagant gener-

.|osity to others, rivals of the De

Medici family in their stupendous collection of art—but also dictatorial, proud of social position and influence, lavish in their

Rothschilds. From the origin of the colossal fortune in a small dealer in old coins and medals in Frankfurt, Germany, through the branching out of the sons of the founder to five large European capitals where was woven the strong web of international finznce which consolidated and multiplied the fortune, to “the general economic collapse of the World War where the fortune was considerably dissipated by heavy taxation, death

ternational banking methods—ph nomenal are the facts and fascinating the story. LE EE

MEMORY is DANIEL FRANCIS G1ANCY * You shall sways Elue eyes / . And black. hair And a flare’ of dark-red In the blurry blackness af w ‘mind.

DAILY THOUGHT

And if a man have committed a Sin worihy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang hi on a tree. >= Deyistonomy.

highest integrity in’ their dealings]

hodes of | {living—such were the -mjgnificent

duties, and a radical change in in-}

Gon Johnson

Says—

Absurd Oui of ‘eid Seta ls Good Argument for Logan Bill To. “Regulate the Regulators.’

TASHINGTON, Aug. 8.—The Logan Bill to rege ulate the regulators in our miniature bureau dictatorships goes over until the next session of Con= gress but here is an example of why it is necessary. A newspaperman’s wife in New York bought a hundred shares of stock. S. E. C. wanted to question him about that. A bright young S. E. C.-er ordered

him to hop the-next train for Washington. He said that wasn’t convenient; he had an appointment with another Federal OGPU—that was the income tax. He would be glad to come later or make a full statement in writing. “So you won’t talk, eh?” The S. E. C.-er became indignant and threatened a subpena. Next day two minions grimly arrived with the threatered ukase —not only for him, Mr. R., but also for his secretary, Mr. W. Both were absent. Baffled, they cracked down on the girl in the outer office. This is a conJenshtion of her stenographic record of the inquisi~ on. . “Pirst I had to swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God. Then they asked me where Mr. R. lives, What he does and whether. he is married. . What does he lgok like —short, tall, medium, color of his eyes and Hair—his age, and ‘distinguishing features—glasses, whiskers, habits and fads. Does he carry a cane or umbrella or wear -a derby? = : 8s 8 . 5 SAID I hadn’t observed particularly, but- think he is in his thirties, is married, has brown hair and, doesn’t wear a derby or carry anything. . How often does he come to the office? Not very often. Once a week? Probably not. Once in two weeks? Perhaps. Does he have an estate in Connecticut? Don’t know. “They asked me my name and address and how long I had worked there. They wanted to know all about a telephone conversation between Mr. M. and Mr. R. when Mr. P. had declined to. come to their office. They asked how many entrances there are to our office and I said: ‘Only one. “They asked how to spell Mr. W.’s name—his age. When I said I didn’t know his age they thoyght I ought to have someidea. . I replied: ‘Young.’ About 25? Maybe. Color of hair and eyes and does he wear glasses? ‘Brown, blue, no’ Where does he live? ‘I think in town.’ Is he clean shaven? Neat? What color doés he. affect—gray or tan. I said: ‘Clean, neat, don’t know, think he likes both.” Does he carry a cane or umbrella? ‘Don’t think so.’ They asked at what hours he comes to the office, how often and

1 when he leaves. s

2 2 ® SAID that he suits Mr. R.’s convenience, has other duties, or doesn’t have to. observe any working hours from 10 to 6. They also asked me if Mr. W. wears a derby. I said I didn’t think so. Then they Suggested: “Well then, soft hat?’ I said: 1 so be< eve.’ “Mr. C. and Mr. M. were the men-who qiestioned me. They also asked if we had a private stairway between the 19th and 20th floors. I said no. I think that is about all.” This particular: victim happens to be a very distinguished editor. He registered neither anguish nor anger, but only an amused letter to a friend of the then chief 8. E. C.-er, W. O. Douglas. This letter said among other things: “I am now wearing a derby hat and going around with a cane in one hand and an Vinee in the other so if you see me youll know Ww! am.”

Aviation By Maj. Al Williams

+ Many Good Features Are Found

In the New Douglas DC-5 Transport.

ASHINGTON, Aug. 8—From its technical dee scription, the new Douglas DC-5 is the airline transport I have been waiting for. The new ship is high ‘wing, all metal, twin-motored. It will carry 16 passengers and a crew of three, Its all-up weight is about. 18,000 pounds, with a useful load (revenue earning) of 6700 pounds. ‘One delightful feature is its tricycle landing gear. Two wheels are in the usual position, beneath and slightly behind the engine. The third wheel is in a fork extending from the forward end of the fuselage. There’s a grin for students of aeronautical erigie. neering to find the latest ship for airline work reverting to the old tricycle landing gear. And there’s a sigh of relief for experienced pilots who have been making tail landings all these years. A tricycle landing gear means less trouble on the ground in cross winds, and iikewise better control for the pilot in cross wirid takeoffs and landings. But most important of all, such type landing gear means that a pilot can actually jam on the brakes, to cut the ground-run without tipping the ship over.

Full View for Passengers

Powered with either Wright Cyclone or Pratt & Whitney Hornet engines, the plane should be able to cruise at more than 200 miles an hour. The landing speed is 64 miles an hour. As a result of National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics research, the Douglas engineers effected a most etficient and safe compromise inthe wing design of this ship. In many instances, the wing tips of an airplane would stall first. By stall, we mean lose lifting power at or near low Speed at which the ship would remain in the air. This wing tip stall affected control of the ailerons, and naturally the lateral balance ‘could not be maine tained. The DC-5 wing design starts the stall ab the wing roots, where the wings are fastened to the fuselage. This gives the pilot plenty of notice that his ship is flying too slowly (if he is dumb enough to miss all | the other signs) and pefmits him to ‘retain aileron / control. The high wing enables the passengers. | see the country below and contributes much to the enjoyment of airline travel. Eausis wi will Have lots to say about this improvemen It has Jou been a marvel to me that the bigh wing airline transport was not developed right along from the sturdy and serviceable Ford. Now we are back again where we should have stayed, in the realm of air transport design. : (Heywood Broun Is on eoation)

Watching Your Health

By Jane Stafford

i1§—father, ‘mother, Junior aged. 10 and Sister aged 8—are not much worried about the price of food with their annual income of $4000 or more, but'Mrs. Adams wants to be sure that: she spends her food allowance wisely, so that her family ‘will ge ‘not only enough to eat but enough of the foods, t make for good hfalin. So she follows a liberal diet plan devised Government home economists for a family of yr that spends $16.25

weekly on food. The - Browns, with the same size family, have a smaller income or prefer to spend less of it for on so they follow the moderate cost diet, plan which al-

HE Adams fa.

| lows a weekly expenditure. of $12.25 for food. The | Carters, who may have between $1000 and $2000 yearly

income, find they are well nourished by following the minimum cost adequate diet plan at a weekly cost of | $9.15. The Davis family can only afford $6.15 weekly for food, so to be sure of getting the best nourishment for their money they follow the restricted diet plan, planned for emergency periods. Monday night a dinner in the Davis familly of four, on the restricted plan, might consist of onion: ‘soup with cheese and toast, fried potatoes and bread. At noon same day, the adults had baked or bolled beans, the children had eggs and milk, and they, all had bread. Breakfast was hot cereal wi with milk, tomato juice for the children, toast for everyone ‘and coffee for the adults. Dinner on the cost ‘adequate diet plan for the Carter family t have been meat and (ground beef or liver), scalloped potatoes,

Et ey tops, br ay ne