Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 5 February 1941 — Page 10

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The Indianapolis Times)

(A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPERS)

ROY W. HOWARD .. RALPH BURKHOLDER President

Owned -and published Price in Marion Couns

daily (except Sunday) 4 7 by ered by carrier, 12 - a week. .

Mail subscription rat:s in Indiana, $3 a yea:; outside of Indiana, (i$

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Ep RILEY 551

Give I[Aght and the People Will Find Their Own Way WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1941

GROUND FOR DEFEAT Aah He HE Republicans have included one’ provision in their proposed revision of the~state’s liquor laws so darnaging, so ill-advised, and so contrary to sound public polic7 that it calls for defeat of the entire bill. We refer to the provision which would have the Circuit Judge of each county name the county board which is to control liquor sales and policy. In other words, boss of the liquor traffic in his county. Somehow that doesn’t square with our notions of a function becoming a judge. Tt has always been our belief that the soundest judiciary’ “was the. one farthest removed from politics, not imbeddex! most deeply in politics. If this provision ever became law, it would mean tha’

| ‘Member of United Press, ‘ScrippssHoward Newspaper Alliance, NEA Service, and Audit Bue ‘reau of Circulations,

pany a judge would be elected solely on the basis of his

wet and dry sympathies. It could mean the defeat of able judges, whose sentiments concerning liquor might not. _ square with those of their communities. And it could just as easily bring about the election of worthless candidates whose only qualification ‘for high judicial honor would be

that they were “right” on liquor.

$10, 000,000,000 FOR BRITAIN EP. MELVIN MAAS of Minnesota is talking big’ money in his proposed Amendment to the Lend-Lease Bill, to purchase Great Britain’s Western Hemisphere possessions. The price to be negotiated, he admits, might run as high as 16 billion doMars. The out-of-pocket figure wouldn't be quite that much, however, since he proposes to subtract therefrom the six billions which Great Britain still owes “us on the World War debt. Even $10,000,000,000 is a big round mead a lot more than the sandy islands of Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Antilles and the coastal jungle of Guiana and British Honduras could possibly be worth on any conceivable measurement of economic value. But, as Mr. Maas convincingly argues, the United States doesn’t want these lands for economic exploitation, but for purposes of national defense, and there is no way to measure in dollars the value of such a cordon of naval and air bases protecting our shores pnd the Panama Canal. ? The primary purpose of this proposal— and ts greatest virtue—is that it would provide financial aid to Great ritain promptly, and on a grand scale. The $10,000,000,000 ade immediately available would be enough to pay for all e ships, planes, arms and ammunition that Britain could purchase in this country ‘for a long time to come. And Britain would get what she desperately needs, on a straightout quid-pro-quo deal, with no strings attached. And, at least, under the Maas proposals’ we would have something to show for our money, real estate and defense outposts, something far better than bad debts and embit-

tered debtors.

GOOD ‘RESOLUTION IVE Republican state senators, especially Senator Kdward Green of Marion County, credit for one of the - most sensible ideas yet brought forward in connection with the investigation of the Two Per Cent Club's activities, Their idea is simple. It is common knowledge, as they point. out, that various individuals and the club have beer under investigation by. the Internal Revenue Department for income tax liability. Why not, then, authorize Governor Schricker to ask for the Government's findings and deter-

mine whether these individuals may also have a further |

~ liability to the Gross Income Tax Division? The Senate yesterday speedily passed the resolution giving Governor Schricker such’ authority. We hope it receives just as prompt attention in the House and is signed by the Governor.

MR. GIRDLER’S SPIRAL PLEDGING his Republic Steel Corp. to forego price advances “so long as costs remain what they are,” Tom ~ M. Girdler says this: “The problem of wage advances is now confronting the industry and the millions of American people who must, pay = for the defense program with the sweat of their brows, It may as well be recognized that increased wages, if forced ‘upon the steel industry, not only would greatly increase the ‘cost of national defense, but almost certajnly would touch off a vicious spiral of inflation Hhroughout the whole structure of our country.” We would hesitate to call Tom Girdler a spokesman for the steel industry, and in this utterance we hope he is not. The danger that wages and prices will chase each other up out of sight in a vicious spiral is real. But this attempt in advance to put the whole blame on labor—to prejudice the American people against any attempt by labor to get higher wages—is totally unjust.

The U. S. Bureau of Labor statistics reports that retail |

food costs in large cities were 3 per cent higher in January than they were a year ago. Steel labor can hardly be held responsible for raising the price of food. The steel industry is a bell-wether, all right. The in. fluence of its ‘example is powerful on other industries. The

defense program is booming the steel industry, with the net profits of many units at record or near-record levels.

Perhaps Mr. Girdler’s qualified promise to forego price advances is not enough. Perhaps Republic and other com. panies ought to reduce present prices, thus decreasing the

cost of national defense, doing something really effective . to prevent the touch-off of that vicious spiral, and making

it unnecessary for labor to demand higher wages _.to meet a higher cost of living.

SPIRIT OF 41? No% on all-out national defense:

. Thirty-one future soldiers entrained at Trenton, N. "J., at 7:45 the other morning. The local draft board, consid“hour too early and the weather too cold for the usual brass band, sent the boys away to martial music “played by. # Phonograph over an auplidies Bh the railroac :

ering the

Jtatiops »

MARK FERRIE Business Manag:r

ty, 3 cents a copy; delir13 cents

+ million-odd members. But yoiu.don’t know the Amer-

‘bers, even the most enthusiastic organization men,

‘Hitler ballot to vote when they held their so-called

with no opposition?

can burn them with fines, suspensions and other dis-

‘ ferring with your gangster pal, Browne, down there

Fair Enough

By Westbrook Pegler.

An Open Letter to William Green Expressing Doubt Unions Would Support Him in Boycott of Press. NEW YORK, Feb. 5. William Green,

President, American Federation of Labor, Washington, D.C. * Dear Mr. Grean: O you and your friends now find the pressure so flerce that you are on the point of ordering your féur million-odd members to boycott the newspapers which have been expGsing your collaboration with grafters, extortioners and white slavers. So you think these four million-odd Americans will obey an order to close their €yes to evidence which might convict you in their minds and cause them to kick you out of the job in which you betrayed your

indorsement of your office to men who have preyed upon them. You think they are as docile as that. Well, go to it, Mr. Green, and while you are offering this proposal to your executive council in Miami, including gangster George Browne, whose record you approved in a speech last June, you had better Jvarn all concerned that the racket of preying on American working people will be.all washed up unless you do manage to silence the disclosures.

Listen to me, Mr. Green, You seem to think you can censor the American ‘press by box-office pressure exerted through disciplinary pressure on your four

ican citizen or the press very well. These union mem-

are going to be suspicious of you, not of the press. They will reckon that if you had the answers you would come clean instead of trying to. suppress the facts.

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to you to be exercised in their interest, not in the interest of your rich, unioneering friend Joe Fay, the thug who runs the operating engineers and slugged Dave Dubinsky at the New Orleans convention for offering a resolution which would- have eliminated him and the corrupt influence of the Frank Hague mob of political and ‘union gangsters. There was no intention on the part of the workers that their president should certify the good character of a criminal of the Nitti-Capone mob who was even then operating one of your big international unions on a percentage basis in combination with some of the most notorious gangsters in the country. You have offered that autonomy stall of yours too often, Mr. Green, and even though you may not have the autocratic power to kick out known criminals, you certainly have the power to discredit such and help their victims kick them out. Answer this, Mr. Green: You are now full of initiative to censor the press without any special warrant in the terms governing your office, but when did you ever exert yourself to the same extent or to any extent to decontaminate the American Federation of Labor? Mr. Green, these disclosures haven’t even scratched the surface. For instance, do you think the public knows that Fay’s operating engineers were given a

election of international officers last July on which there was named for each office only one candidate,

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O you call that a democratic election, Mr. Green, and do you think the engineers who have been tossed around by the officers of their union, bled of their money when they could get work and compelled to contribute “substantial checks” to their officers in token of their love and esteem, will obey your boycott? I don’t know, Mr. Green. Maybe you and the mob

cipline fpr reading disapproved papers and patronizing goods advertised -therein to such an extent that they will be afraid to look at the truth. But if they do obey your suggestion that will just mean that thuggery, thievery and racketeering in its many ingenious forms will have won absolute approval in the American Federation of Labor. It will mean that henceforth the rule of the gorilla will be beyond challenge by the press or the rank and file; So go to it, Mr. Green, and while you are con-

in Miami amid the criminal scum, you can tip off your friend Moreschi of the commcn laborers, -who hasn’t held an election in 31 years, and never tells his men what becomes of their sweaty money, that, come boycott or what the hell, he hasn't heard nothing yet. Tell him that, Mr. Green. Yours truly, , WESTBROOK PEGLER.

Business By John T. Flynn

Britain Seeks Our Ships, Yet Keeps Many Vessels on Neutral Routes

EW YORK, Feb 5.—It becomes daily more difficult to disentangle the facts about current economic war aims from the mysteries which surround them. I have been trying to find out something. about America’s condition in the matter of ships. American foreign trade has suffered disastrously save for the war trade which, of course, is merely transient. American shipping is at a pretty low ebb. Yet we ‘sold nearly 200 of our oceangoing cargo ships last year and a movement is on foot to strip us of an ever. larger share of our ships. Of course, the shipping companies are generally oprosed to this. But there is an interest that "is very much larger than shipping company interests. That is the economic position of this country when the war ends. These merchant ships of ours service trade routes that help to keep alive our foreign trade. They have been having hard sledding in competition with British lines. If ships are taken from these American companies it may very well mean the end of that struggle to keep our own routes alive. We are a comparatively small maritime nation. Britain is the greatest. The National City Bank in January reported that Britain has many millions more tonnage. in merchant ships than when the war started. She has bought ships from us and from other countries and seized large numbers of enemy vessels and acquired large numbers of allied vessels,

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HE Journal of Commerce has pointed out that Britain has almost nine million tons of shipping running in routes which have no relation whatever to supplying her with either war or peace-time goods— vessels operating between no-British, neutral ports. The National Maritime Union has been checking up on British sea routes and those of Scandinavian and allied countrie$. It claims it has located at least six million tons of British ships plying as freight carriers between neutral ports and playing no part whatever in supplying Britain with arms or anything else. Many of these ships are operating in competition with American vessels. The contention of these people is that America ought not to be asked to strip her own fast dwindling merchant marine of any further cargo ships until Britain has used up some of those in her own lines plylng between neutral ports. A year ago shipping experts said we were dese perately in need of 643. ships for our own merchant marine, Since then we have suffered an actual loss of 180 ships sold, and now we face the prospect o another heavy loss. of newly built ships out of a service which ig Hbporiant to our trade and to on national defense. .

So They Say—

IT'S ABOUT time that German propaganda about her industrial achievements be debunked. —William O'Neil, president, General JTre.

I THINK I'M DOING ti he right thing. —Winethrop sil son of John D, Jr, on te oa

fox Army service,

trust to the extent of giving the]

== power of your office and influence was given |

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES °

| Grab Allo Alle

To HAND

rp

.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5, 1941

Ir

OVER OR DO:t HAVE TO: GRAB

I wholly defend to

: - | : — > The Hoosier Forum with what you say, but will your right to say it.—Voltaire.

disagre the he death

CLAIMS CENTRAL BOARD FAILED IN INDIANA By Mrs. E. F. Mildner Concerning the present controversy over Central vs. Individual Boards controlling our State institutions, may I refer you to a booklet entitled “The Administration of Indiana State Institutions,” by Timothy Nicholson, 1917. In this pamphlet Mr. Nicholson describes with what lack of success the Central Board of Control has been tried. Few Indianians know that this experiment has already been tried and found wanting. 2 ” 2 A CHEER FOR FIGHT ON LABOR RACKETEERING By Smiley Fowler, Greensburg, Ind. Your editorial, “How's That, Mr. Green?” Times, Jan. 27) should be flooding your desk with congratulatory letters from a tolerant, disgusted and somewhat frightened public. I don’t believe that any newspaper in the United States has been a more effective and consistent friend to organized labor than The Indianapolis Times, and I am positive that The Times is still a wise and true friend of labor when \it urges its leaders to rid the movement of rackets. Labor owes its present great power to the’ New Deal, and yet it does everything possible to embarrass the Administration, to

thwart its social. policies, -t0 ham-

per its efforts at economic recovery, and -to slow up the all important national defense program, “A Better Way to Help Britain” (Times, Jan. 29) deserves a public expression of approval and thanks. Is there no strong voice except that of Scripps-Howard to be raised in favor of the “real estate deal with Britain?” Senator VanNuys and a few others. in Washington have mentioned it'and dropped it timidly. This country may soon be in desperate need of English possessions in the Western Hemisphere. Britain's full use of thém js forbidden under our Monroe Doctrine, but in our ownership they could still be safely regarded as her western Atlantic line of defense. As temperate and sub-tropic they

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

would have for us a peace-time value approaching that of Hawaii. Such a fair and honorable deal would avert a further proposed raid on the U. 8. Treasury and, best of all, would hush the old howl:about debt -welching. Why not? 2 2 =

RESENTS CRITICISM OF WENDELL WILLKIE By the Rev. Nelson Alley

In the Forum of Jan, 27 appeared an article by the Rev, Daniel H, Carrick in which he states that Wendell L. Willkie is the greatest tufn-coat and underhand worker ever known in American politics. Mr. Carrick supported Mr. Willkie for President. I did not. Now because Willkie has proven himself to be a real red-blooded American, ready to do anything for his country, he is called names that no real American would call another. Mr. Carrick also states that Mr. Willkie had an agreement with Mr. Roosevelt and had never had a patriotic heart. Ninety-nine per cent of real Americans disagree with and condemn such statements. Real Americans love and respect such men as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Wendell L, Willkie. Under the; leadership of such men America will never go far wrong. More than 19 hundred years ago Jesus Christ taught people to love and not condemn. Some have strayed far away from His teaching. America is thankful that we have only a very small number of ministers who preach the Gospel of hate. , « «

8 » = DEFENDS UNION FEE

IMPOSED FOR SCABBING By Sam Earhart This is not intended as a defense of Williain Green or of labor racketeers. The regular fee of most building

Side Glances— By Galbraith

unions is usually between 650 and 200

" | The owner profits and the nurse gets

_ {Pulses of loveliness, I shall walk and

dollars. When a member of a union #5 caught scabbing, he is usually fined at least 100 dollars, depending on the number of times he is in and out of the union. He is usually allowed to pay the fec in payments according to his wages or the number of days he works. The fee plus the fine is usuajly about 200 dollars. This can be verified by anybody at any union. During the last depression, most of the real union members had to make some pretty big sacrifices in order to keep their unions together. Others quit like rats leaving a sinking ship and began scabbing. As soon as business picked up, back they came and were willing enough to pay their hundred-dollar fines. This same thing happens every time business gets a little slack. They won't stick when the going gets tough. Now that good times are here again, these scabs want to come back in the union and reap the harvest after trying their best to destroy the very thing that is getting them their good wages. As soon as ‘the boom is over, they'll grow their long tails again and the union will have the same old thing to contend with. Do you still think from 50 to 200 dollars, which is and has been for the last several years the regular fee, is an extortion fee for these scabs and rats?

» y 8 DEMANDS AN INQUIRY INTO NURSING HOMES By P. N.

To Whom It May Concern: Nursing homes and old-age pension homes are becoming a racket in the city of Indianapolis. Some nursing homes hire practical nurses, work them 13 hours a day, sometimes longer, for the mere sum of $5 or $6 per week and work them 61% days a week. These women who run the nursing homes pay social security, but get out of paying compensation for their nurses. They have them classed as domestic ‘help. Yet their services could hardly be classed as domestic. Half of these nursing homes have no license, and. they are not for tke welfare of the patients. The owners of the nursing homes are only after the patients’ money.

the experience. Investigators should investigate all nursing homes. All owners of nursing homes should be registered nurses. Few are. I think, too, practical nurses should have a legal place to register as well as an R. N. for protection. And not be treated like dogs.

HILLS By VERNE MOORE

As a child I roamed these hills. As a child run Where the small creek twists and spills Itself in the sun— Where the wheat in the wind was a sea For vagabond feet . And Beauty leaned close as Melancholy Leans when the dusk is sweet.

As a child I lived in these hills, When I'm old [ shall remember woods where a bob . white fills Its spaces with bold

dream Of a wayward nest. I shall hoard forever wheat and wind and stream And a bird in my breast!

DAILY THOUGHT

And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin. . le

_|Gen Johnson

Says— ~ Applying the Old Industrial "Rule Governing ‘Acti Lend-Lease

Bill He Finds the Answer to Be 'No'

ASHINGTON, Dec. 5.—The good “old industrial “rule governing action” should be applied to “aid to Britain short of war” as proposed in the LeaseLend bill. That rule is to test every proposed new action by asking three questions in the order named. (1) Wh do it at all? (2) Why do it now? 3) Why, do it this way? If it gets by Question No. 1 with a good answer, it must reply to No. 2—otherwise it stops there. Only if No. 2 is satisfied does it proceed. If this happens, its acceptapce, rejection or amendment will depend on the answer to quese tion- No. 3. There are a few earnest, hon est, courageous and sincere men, like Col. Lindbergh, who answer : No. 1 (why do it gt all?) thus: “There is no good reason.” But the answer of a large majority “of sloganeered public opinion and also of informed authorities is: “Because such aid to Britain as will help to stop a threat of unfriendly European scuon westward is enlightened self-interest. ” i

2 BN # : / T seems a sufficient answer, so. we go on to No. 2: “Why do it now?” There is less certainty about that based largely on the objection that it will intex~

fere with our own terribly laggard and lacking de--fensive preparation. Put let us assume that, by wise.

administration, a proper ance can be. struck, While” no important aid can be effective this year without: stripping our .own defense and while we may face’ an’ entirely different situation next year, yet time saved now will be time saved in 1942. So let us say to the proposal at the barrier of question No. 2: “Pass friend and all's well. That brings us to question No. 3—Why do it this way?—the particular way proposed by the LeaseLend Bill?

That bill authorizes the President in his own ure

limited discretion to lease, lend or give away any. part of all the billions of dollars of property the Government owns to any nation he elects and every dollar's worth of stuff for which Congress has appropriated or may hereafter appropriate further ‘billions. That includes a great treasure in gold, silWer, copper, petroleum, cotton; corn, wheat and yast equity and first: lien interests in much of t ire pool of property in America. It includes all of our military and naval airplanes, warships, tanks, guns and ammunition. . It. simply but slickly appropriates “all the money there is for any purpose whatever.” In view of the

bankruptcy of other nations at war and their lack of supplies, it makes 4he President of the United States.

quartermaster general, chief of ordnance and minisster of military and naval supplies for any warring na« tion he may favor. It does much more than that, it empowers him to become banker to the embattled world—lord high keeper of the sinews of war every=

where on earth.

HIS is no exaggeration. Nobody who has studied this bill 'can successfully deny what has just-

been said. The only object ever announced for this

bill was to furnish munitions to Britain, China and. Greece even though they can’t pay for them. For.

that no such wholesale surrender of Congressional power is remotely necessary. For.that a far simpler method-.of specific grants-in-aid would be better and would meet-almost universal approval. Nobody denies that. “Don’t you trust the President? powers.” The answer is: why grant them#&and don't we trust Congress, too?" There is overwhelming further objection. The “chief of military, naval and financial supply’ of a warring nation is as much responsible for its victory or defeat as its commander-in-chief. He undertakes control of its strategy so far as logistics are concerned. —and that is exactly as far as armies and navies are concerned. We are not yet in this war and we don't want to see our President responsible for its conduct.

The answer to question No. 3 (why do it this way?) °

is don't.”

®,

A:

Nobody truthfully can deny it. It is said: . ° He will not use these _| “If he will not use them, |

A Woman's: Viewpoint

By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

SPORTSMAN, who forgot to sign his name, advises me to go back to dishwashing and knite ting. “It is plain to be seen,” he says, “that the world suffers now from too much feminine meddling.” But, good sir, think how women are suffering from the condition of the world! Unfortunately, modern women do not have ivory towers to which they can retreat when things get tough outside. They are of, and in, the world, and the impact of ‘torrid events bruises and destroys them. And surely it cannot be argued that these events are mot of man’s making. . To say we do not like the world we find ourselves occupying fis much too mild a statement. We despise, detest and abominate it, We are infuriated at the manner in which it is managed, and we believe: no female with an ounce of gray matter can knit in it com= fortably. Washing dishes may be a sweet occupation, but when the ceiling is likely to be bombed over one's head any minute it is not exactly a pleasant one, Therefore, as we’ get news of.so many kitchens becoming ruhble overnight, we find it impossible to relax and let Papa and the politicians look out for us. Their very protection has become our utmost danger, Their methods of safeguarding women and children seem likely to lead us, if not to death, at least to bankruptcy. Our country—every country—negds more feminine .neddlers. We Lope, after this bjoody era is ended, we shall find the men asking us to join with them In creating a better society for the children wko are getting a rotten deal in this one. It is discouraging and maddening to forts to help blockéd at every turn masculine opposition. Aren't we all, men, women ‘children together, victims of events which shape human destiny? Why, then, shouldn’t we work together and . in harmony for the good results we so keenly desire? If men were really as smart as they claim to be, they would ask the aid of women-in the management of the nations, just as they ask our help in the man« agement of their Hii and their lives.

Questions. and Afiswisis

(The Indianapolis Times Serviee Bureau will snswer' 1ay question of fact or information, not involving extensive ree

search. Write your questions clearly, sign nameé-and address, 5

inclose a three-cent postage stamp. Medical or legal advice cannot be given. Address The Times Washington Service Bureau, 1013 Thirteenth St., Washington, D. C.).

Q—Can Jack Benny actually play the violin?

A—He began practicing on the instrument before

he was 6 ‘years old. Later he played in orchestras for dances and firemen's balls. His family hoped that he would develop into a concert violinist. Ine stead, he neg Joo vaudeville and never seriously considered vi playing after that. Q—Where is the longest bridge in Europe, and when was it opened? A—It is across the sound between the islands of

ealand and Falster, and was formally .opened on pt. 26, 1937, by King Christian of Denmark. The .

bridge is 10,432 feet long. Q—What is the meaning of the term “displace

:ment tonnage,” applied to naval vessels?

A~This system-is invaribaly used for warshi ‘and represents the weight expressed in tons avo dupois of the vessel when fully loaded. It is Ae displacement because it is generally ascertained by calculating the weight of the water displaced by the vessel when immersed to the-loadline. Q—What caused the death of Heywood Broun, Noleg Jevspaper columnist? - What was the column

A—He died of pneumonia, Dec. 18, 1939, in New York City. His column was called “It Seems to Me.”. \ Q—How ig I get phonograph records of novels for the blind? A—Write to the State capital, or to the Library of Congress, Division for the Blind, Washington, Q—What word means the

rge)-on an expanse of water. __ A~Moonglade

ind our ef-

is

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