Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 20 February 1946 — Page 14

vote of hotel owners in any town or city on | e question of whether there should be another hotel, gould have a unanimous “no.” ~~ * for restaurants, gasoline stations, department newspapers, drugstores, or peanut stands. & the fact that ours is supposed to be a free o system, it isn’t human nature that those in business should ask for more competition. t under the free competitive system our country the miost prosperous in the world, - sause it was a profit and loss, not just a profit, sysn, many were called but few were chosen. More businesses nt broke than made money. But still the system

4 g8 8» | came the depression crisis of the wat crisis, 10 years later. As a result, government had to get in—or thought it ‘had to--and help regulate and finance and shore up this and that industry which couldn't survive on its own. ‘Restrictions and controls multiplied. So now we don't have a free competitive system any more, mitich as we pay lip service to the principle. We have price-fixing, ceilings, Jaws and moré laws that are the complete opposite of free ' That has come about because the stress of the times compelled government to step in and police the economic

. ¥ . 1929, followed by

desl A

em or

"1 do net agrees with a word that you say, but | will defend to the death yout right te say it." — Voltaire.

‘Hoosier Forum

just as the police power has to function in times ‘of physical chaos-~great fires, floods afid earthquakes. Out of all this has come our national debt. Which means simply that we are living off our fat to carry ourselves through emergencies. But we aren't paying the bill from income. It's on the cuff. : i Is the imposition of this police power through borrowed money becoming chronie? . Our system—under which we achieved the highest . standard of living in all history—has been changed, and ik being changed at a rapidly accelerating rate. #5 . . . . . » ’ ALL public expressions, including those from Price Con- ] troller Bowles, President, Truman and others in the government, as well 48 labor and empldyérs, urge return to private industry as soon as-possible. But the trend isn't that way now. Will we ever get back on the track? That's he above has to do with 4 minor but concrete and significant incident now occurring. Returned veterans are putting on a taxicab ‘‘march” on ‘Washington. They stem from Chicago. ‘They are protesting against a limitation on the number of taxicabs in Chicago imposed by the city and the interests representing # the already existing taxicab operators. : Wellin a free competitive system, why should there be a limitation on taxicabs? Any more than a limitation on the number of hotels, restaurants, gasoline stations,

department stores, newspapers, drugstores, or peanut stands?

ot Our federal anti-trust department in the last few years has made much noise with monopoly suits againdt a lot of big shots—aluminum, oil, movies, etc. What about | paying some attention, say, to taxicabs ? And thereby | perchance to give the riding public a break in what we once called a land of plenty?

P.-T. A. ANNIVERSARY A NUMBER of Indianapolis groups of the National . “7 Congress of Parents and Teachers today observed'the . 49th birthday. of the parent organizations with Founders

The P.-T. A. has been a constantly alert force for improvement of our schools in every phase of education, from ~ housifig to curriculum. Through these meetings of parents and teachers, an understanding is reached which is of great ~ benefit to the children. ; ; So we say “Happy Birthday” to thé Indianapolis . P.T. A. Your 50th anniversary is just around the corner, . and should be an occasion for even broader ¢élebration than that held this year,

WE MUST DO BETTER THAN THAT THE paradox of the international situation is that the = first meeting of the United Nations succeeded beyond (pectations and yet the world is in worse shape now than efore. To blamé one nation exclusively for failure to jock the growing forces of conflict would be over-

. L101)

But certainly Russia is chiefly to blame. Hardly a day § by that she does not cause trouble in some part of @ world. Her role at the London conference was rule-or-That the United Nations has survived its first test, be these Russian tactics, is the best proof that it is ing infant—and will grow if allowed to do so. pans must take some responsibility for Russia's Ourofficial policy at London on the whole was $0 be proud of. ' We did not provide the courageous stent leadership expected of us. Mrs. Roosevelt asion stood up to the Russians magnificently, But too often United States policy, as determined oh and applied by our delegation at London, k that it invited the Reds’ ruthless tactics, jopean correspondent, Mr. Parker La Moore,

10f a good sense of direction too often we become of the British. It was proper enough to many points. But the British are 0 many places, and too willing to gloss to let that echoing become a a YL : hy skilfully is building her fences talks in Paris. She knows may be expected to be tougher If we do not go there ith the same ink Franklin

Phoenix tidian anc

scenery was reduced to a

secret was, Of course, that, with the patrons

D not Seem to know our own minds, and in the

"Realtors Should Stop Listing Unreasonably-Priced Property"

By Thomas H. Malsey, 38510 BE. New Yoi k ot.

Regarding material submitted to The Times recently on the subject of “Sales prices” on old houses in. Indianapolis, I hope you will permit mé space to elaborate further on my interest in the mattet. Asidé from thé truth that many who need houses cahnot buy at present prices and owners cannot sell—there are many more serious considerations involved, This situation is nationwide, and is of the kind that breeds hate and sets Americans into opposing factions. Known reactions to my letters and to other information published or- discussed on the subject indicates that in Indianapolis this is now hate breeder

number ore. I do not believe that ant “organized campaign” by realtors td hold tip exorbitant and often ridiculous prices oti real property, “wHEN.1 WAS IN SHOWS old or new, actually is existant—| FOLKS ASKED ABOUT HEX” but do believe that responsible real- |, tors might do much to discourage condition

«fii,

“GIVE D. 0. STEPHENSON FAIR HEARING, FREEDOM”

Editor's Note: We just must say “gh-Ruh” in thé way that méans no-can-do.

Side Glances—By Galbraith

| [7k

at Yalta”

“BOOING AT POLICEMAN

By Clsude Paitisen Jr. Ex-U.SN 1 Iv ma "

NOT DISTURBING PEACE” By Robért Bedwell, Indidnipolis Apparently when oir civic leaders spédk of “freedom of speech” théy do So with certain reservations and with the idea that saying one’s thotights i8 reserved for special occasions and certain péople. This remark i§ fhadé ih connéetion with an article that appearéd on the first page of thé Feb. 14 issue of The Indianapolis Times. Generally speaking, this littlé story concerned the arrest, conviction and penalizing of a citizen of Indianapolis because this individual was not foresightéd enough to make his disparaging noises of boos to a policeman, who was in the act of placing a ticket on an illegally parked atitomobile, when 4 fellow officer was not in the immediate vicinity. It is granted that the public booing of a4 policeman 18 in no way a courteous act; but never will we concede thé fact that such action is disturbing the peace, the chargé on which our hero was booked and fined. No, the fine was not mugh but the principle was and is more than I can stand to go unnoticed. It séems a pity that officers whose duties aré ‘to enforcé the laws of their city and protéct its citizens can spend their time with such petty grievances when so many more important things are to be donte in the way of law enforcement. Since returning from thé serv. ice of our navy, I hive noticed so many such things as thé arrest

a people in a democratic nation.

4 4 “I'M BUYING HOUSE AND WILL RENT TO SOLDIER”

By Mrs. M. D. Donica, RB. R. 4, ‘Greéniurg .

As a reader of the Forum, 1 wish to state & little Incident that

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bit to make their return home a little bit easier and justify their faith in what they fought end died for. y 8 88 4 “FREE FISHING PERMITS CAUSE A $450,000 LOSS”

Mr. Inman should be stralghténsd

suffer greatly for our Small gain, Thete are nedrly 300,000 veterans in Indiana. That means the eon

the state would reimburse the conservation department, I'd be for the frée loénses. Until they ll be & sportsman buy leetise. 2

ili T find so much of

IN mén whom men condemn. 11]

OUR. TOWN a . . By Anton Scherer "Twas ‘in an Old-fas

first such institution 1 can remember was rden on ‘the southwest corner of MeMorris sts, & loca La be

‘pleturésqué place, despite the fhet that its n minifum, - it wis

it wis

gratifyingly decorative, notwithstanding the fact that I eater at pains 10 make it so. Thé

{nside the place, Phoenix Garden needed no other trimming.

Under the Stars . AS NEAR AS 1 recall, Phoenix Garden had only

posts, thus enablifig- one to see the stars at night. This was a requisite, for without it the old-time béér gardens wouldn't have been the cultural ihsti--tutfons that they were, Which is to say that 60 yeArs ago, When 1 was a littlé boy, it was deemed a raré privilege to listen to music under the stars. Phoénix Garden Had @ latticed viné-coveréd stand alohg its west boundary, atid there every Saturday night, dha sometimes during the week, d 12-plecé band was stationed. It played the Strats things and those by Von Suppeé, Waldteufel and Offenbach. That wes, of course, long before Victor Hetbert had everythitig sewed up in the way of entertaining music. 1 doti’t believe that I éver hedrd the “Poet and Peasant” overturé—especially the livély Peasant part —played better thdn it was in Phoenix Garden. And

WASHINGTON; Feb. 20—The next 180 days are likely to be the most crucial in post-war history. With the entire world in flux, they should tell us pretty well which way mankind is headed—whether toward peace Or more bloodshed. Food will be one of the chief determinants. For, while the internatiohal situation is in the balance, and the domestic scene in one country after another teeters between Hope fof restoration and fear of political upheaval, thréé-quartérs of the eafth’s popiilation facés hunger From {ime immemorial, empty stomachs have spelled unrest. President Truman and thé staté department have focused attention on the plight of Burépe. Unless Hurope géts brédd, the President said, “wé miay lose sothe of the foundations of order on which thé hope for world-wide peace may rest.” Undeérsectétary of State Acheson stated that more than 125 million people across the Atlantic will have to get alofig on less than 2000 talories & day. About 28 million will get less than .1500 a day and some even 1000 or less. And that means disease and death for many.

Specter Faces Asia ASIA WILL BE even hardér hit. A delégation from India 18 én route to the Unitéd States to ésk for aid. Many of that country’s 400 million face starvatioh before summer. The Washington officé of the government of India informed the writer that famine will hit a population auoat equal fo that of the United States in the next 90 days. Their only salvation lies in outside did, especially in wheat dnd rice. Madras, Mysore and the aréa atound Delhi are principally Affected. Pirst there ,was 4 disastrous cyclone and tidal wave in some of the richest districts of southern India. Next canie a Severe drought drying

Disposal of Surpl

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20.—Lt. Gen. Edmund Bristol Gregory, who a8 quartérmaster general bought several billion dollars worth of food, clothing and equipment for the army, now finds himself installed as thair-

man of the board of War Assets Corp. His new job is to sell from 10 te 15 billion dollars worth of surplusés which army, navy and the war ageneies now wish théy hadn't bought. Gen. Gregory's plight is perhaps the crowning irony of thé whole ¥ir. The gerieral, however, i§ cheerful. “I didn’t buy it all” he says, in self-defénse.

Handcuffed—and Key Is Lost!

ON TOP OF THIS, congress, in its infinite wisdom, set up a code of business principles for surplus disposal which would make it impossible for any private

TODAY IN EUROPE . . . By Russia Trying to

LONDON, Feb. 20.-~More than two months #go, writing from Moscow, I said that the first objective of Russia’s foreign policy was two generations of pédce, but added that it was the intention of the

| Kremlin to pursue an expansionist policy within

such limits as did not involve war. I still believe fhis view to be substantially correct but, in the two

‘| motiths that havé passed, many new factors have

become apparent which reveal thé tactics by which the Kremlin mean to advatice its world strategy. THe Russians apparéntly have decided that they have got all they are likély to get in the way of loot out of compromises and déals Aniong ‘he Big THréé or thé Big Five. They realize that UNO, where the small nations have some rights despite thé veto power of the Big Five, is not likely to assist them In their imperialistic designs. They know that the free nations of thé world posséss Ovérwhelming which could, in thé long run, frustraté their global and totalitarian ambitions. .

Tactics Are to Divide THEY RE have decided to try the free nations and, in particular, to rupture the close relations which exist between the British Em-

adopting 4 policy of conééntrating all their assaults of the ‘British Empire, which they belleve-to be the link fh the chain of capitalist states which : the free world. Meantime, all attacks on the United Statés have been called off with the idéa Britain and to persuade the United States that they are quite safe natural for thé British to be under

r in.the barracks when | was sergeant, and he went right to sleepl’ :

“Imaging tot! forgot myself and said ‘Pipe down!’ like | used fo

Sacks

oscow because of their “wickéd im-

to split

I stil believe that the stars aid the fact that 1. nad a bottle of réd pop) in front of me, had 4 lot to do with thie band’s superb performance. I mention the ‘ bottle of red pop beécausé of a vicious rumor (gaining curteficy) that I ¥a¥ brought up on Beer. Of cotirsé, 1 remember the other beer e1is, too. Theére was Root's Gardén on 8, M at, near Norwood, and another one iti the neighborhood of East and W ton sts, which served a delectaturday nights. Sire, under the

ble turtle soup on

- stars. It was in Root’s Garden that I saw for the :

first time 4 Bowling alley. It was in the open under a grape arbor. For the life of te, though, I can't récall whether the gaine was played oft 4 beéd of grass, gravel or wood. But, whatever it was, it was a mighty pretty sight. Compared with Phoenix Garden, the other filaces weren't anything as big—cettainly not in the way of muslé. As 4 matter of fact, musié in the smaller gardens wis réduced to a trio or, at most, & quértet, and it always struck me that the stars desérvéd sométhing better, : !

Bands and Beer : MUSIC tinder thé stars came to Indianapolis ih & big wiy when a brewer of Terré Haute had the vision to start Fair Bank (gnd riot Fairbanks as some oldtithers would have you believe). This béér garden de lixé occupléd the greater part of what is now St. Viticénit's hospital, but it appetired éven bigger because, bck in those days, no boulevard depatated it from Fall creek. 1 can't rethember &ll thé big bunds that visited Fair Bank, but I seem to recall the 60-pléce affairs led by Créatore dnd Bohutilr Kryl—the one 4 swarthy Italian and thé othér a blond Bohemian—and it was fuh to see how the two temperaments fesponded to the spell of the stars. Gosh, it was bedutiful, especially whén they put everything théy had int6 the playing of the “Willidm Ten” overture. : 1 dor't know whether it was'a matter of aceidért or of design, but playéd under the stars, the “William Tell” overtlite always mdadé fre feel like ordering another glass of beér. By the tiifie Mair Bank camé along, I was plenty old enough t0 drink béer,

WORLD AFFAIRS .e By William Philip Simms Coming Asia Famine Is Peace Threat

up lakes, rivers and large reservoirs, and stopping large power houses, Millions are already living under famine conditions. Many now receive less than 1500 calories a day. Food reserves will be exhausted by May, according to a wire from Sir 8. V. Ramdmurthi, food adviser in Madras, and unless relief comés in time, “deaths might be counted in millions.” Ini 1943, some 1,500,000 people died in thé Bengal ‘faminé. Yet the fobd shortage there was not as sévere as that now experienced ih Madras, Mysore and other parts of India. This time, however, thanks to better control and distribution, thé niimbér of victims hardly will be propdrtionsate. - Barring 4 miracle, they will bé considerable, :

Unrest and Hunger

SINCE THE terrible 1ésson of 1943, India has taken steps to, make the best possible use of available foodstuffs. She Has set up a basic plan for the country with govéinment procurement, price control and rationing. But there simply isn’t enough food in the eouritry. Conditions among China’ 450 million also are disturbing. The Japs occupied most of the arable land and the movement of armiés back and forth across the eounfry cut production. Droughts in North Afried, Australia and Argentina have further réduced total world supply. As if famine werén’t enough in Europe, Asia and Africa, political unrest is almost everywhere present. Together, they make 4 highly explosive combination which subversive elements are exploiting to make trouble for already hard-pressed governments. The international situation being what it is, the whole thing adds up to a powder train with vicious sparks sputtering all about it. :

IN WASHINGTON . . . By Peter Edson

us Is Big Headache.

enterprise to do business at all. Anything Gen. Gregory sels must stimulate full employment, discourage monopoly, render more sécuré thé traditional American family-type farming, preserve small business, afford vetérdfis thé opportunity to establish themselves in business, discourage speculation, be sold at fair prices whilé préventing resellers from realizing unde profits, and utilize the normal channels of trade whilé still fostéring fiew enterprise. What congress was Shooting at when it wrote this highly contradictory code of business ethics was to prevent repetition of scandals which grew out of surplus salés aftér the last war, But if Gen, Gregory and his merry WAC meén afte able to encourage

, new enterprise. without giving some risk -taker a

chance at speculation, it will be & business miracle.

Quick, a Sedative! FIVE MONTHS of Actual experience In trying

. to get tid of thé first world war II surpluses have

discloséd thesé ad@itiondl héadaches: There i§ 4 lag of from two to 10 months between the time goods aré declared surplus and the time

. théy éan be inventoried, appraised and made ready

for resdle, Too much unSalable junk that should be scrapped of salvaged 18 declared surplus. Too much timé is Spent trying to study these rare. use that might nét 4 windfall profit to smart buyers with bright ideas. Too much of the stuff is too far away from markets, It can’t be sold where it is. There is too much red tape in the priority system. Finally, getting a staff of competent merchandisers is hard. During the war it was easy to persuade anyoné to take a government job. But not today.

Randolph Churchill Isolate Great Britain

It must be admittéd that the Kremlin already has had a measure of Success in this new campaign. The American attitude at the recent meeting of UNO showed that the U, 8. State department has décided to adopt what amounts to an almost neutral role in the war of nétves which the Krémlin has declared against the British Empire. The idea has been sedulously put about, and seems to have gaihed some currency in thé United States, that the British Empire {8 no longér a gréat world power and that - only Russia and thé United States réaily qualify.

1s Not First-Class Power

IT SEEMS incredible that anyone In the United . States, which fought shoulder to shoulder with Britain and the British Commonwealth during the war, could be decelyed by ‘his absurd ‘propaganda, But if we are to be forced by the Kremlin's use of naked power politics to consider the future of the world on these terms, let us evaluate the facts correctly, Russia, though a great European and a great Asiatic power, is not a first-class world power. Thére Are only two first-class world powers—the United States and the British Empire. . ) In thé wicked modern world In which we live ahd which certainly 18 becoming no mote under the ttiition 6f Molotov and Vishinsky, no. nation of group of nations can bé considered a firstclass world power’ which possesses virtually mo fleet, no strategic bombing force, no atom bomb. The shiver sisters and patlor pinks of the Western democricies do not 1ke to discuss politics In these terms, but we had better all face the fact that this brutal vocabulary is being forced upon us by the Kremlin apd that, if a free world is to survive without andth§r ghastly war, the sooner we get used to thinking An these terms, the better, . :