Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 19 April 1946 — Page 18
dianapolis ‘Tim
“Friday, April 19, 1946 FARD WALTER LECKRONE wk Editor
Kk Busines§ Manager A SCRIPPS-HOWARD !
NEWSPAPER
es
HENRY W. MANZ
Owned and published daily (except Sunday) by Times Publishing Co, 214 W. Maryland
st. Postal Zone 9.
Member of United Press, Scripps-Howard News-
| paper Alliance, NEA Service, and Audit Circulations. f
ered by carrier, 20 cents a week.
Mail rates in Indiana, $5 a year; all other states, U. 8. possessions, Canada and Mexico, 87 cents a
RI-B551. |
month. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way
‘GOOD FRIDAY
(CLIMAXING observance of the last week of Jesus’ ministry upon the earth, inter-denominational services were
held today in the annual Good Friday worship sponsored by the Church Federation of Indianapolis. Traditionally, these meetings are intended to help every man to find a way of life which will lead him to spiritual victory, no matter what the cost personally. In this post-war period, when the peace won at such great cost still is at stake, men feel more than ever before the deep urge to give thenfselves to some great discipline. : Holy week in Indianapolis, with its downtown meeting today as its high point from the inter-denominational standpoint, again has turned our thoughts to the force of divine inspiration in our history. Brave army and navy leaders in the war just closed, from Gen. MacArthur on down to the men in the fox-holes, called for divine guidance to victory. They are the first to feel that a force greater than man alone helped to shape . the destiny that today places America in the position of moral leader of the world. ‘The year ahead will show whether the people of America deserve that leadership which the rest of the world granted in its hour of trial.
MacARTHUR IS SUPREME COMMANDER
S a member of the allied control council in Japan, Russia has started to undermine Gen. MacArthur. She began it at the first meeting of the council on April 5, and is keeping it up. This, of course, is not surprising, since it follows the line long taken by the controlled Moscow press and by American Communists. But Russia's seat on the council now gives her an opportunity to back up her propaganda methods with«direct administrative obstruction—if she can get away with it. . Lt. Gen. Derevyanko, the Soviet representative, opened the diplomatic battle with two flank attacks, He charged that “undemocratic” .and “reactionary” Jap leaders were being allowed to hold office, and had been given an advantage in the elections. Then he demanded that MacArthur
submit to the council all supreme command orders to the]
‘Japs seven days in advance and all Jap government orders 10 days in advance. » . THE first charge in effect. questions MacArthur's compefence or democratic integrity, or both. The demand for such long advance notice—if granted—would prevent efficient administration, and would open the way for council usurpation of the supreme commander's function. MacArthur's reaction was characteristic. Speaking through his personal representative on the council, he
“
denounced the Russian member for ‘‘casting aspersions on
the occupation” without troubling to get accurate information. The supreme commander then reminded the council that its function is “exclusively advisory and consultative,” and that “no arbitrariness of procedure must be allowed to interfere with the prompt and orderly process of government administration.” . . "
* THIS is the basic issue. Is MacArthur to rémain supreme commander in fact as well as name; or is there to be a repetition of the folly of Berlin, with the chaos of divided command and Soviet obstruction through the veto power? The double-talk agreement setting up the Tokyo council, as we pointed out at the time, almost invites Soviet chisel ing. That makes it all the more essential that Washington vigorously support MacArthur's undivided administrative authority in—carrying out the Potsdam surrender terms. So far, throughout his brilliant career, where MacArthur sat has been the head of the table. He will continue to set an outstanding example of governing an occupied country if—and this is an important if—Washington supports him.
A ONE-FEATHERBED LAW
PRESIDENT TRUMAN has signed the “anti-Petrillo” bill. That makes history because, 80, far-as we can learn, it's the first time a President has ever made law of any measure to penalize abuse of organized labor. ~ Other Presidents—Mr. Truman's predecessor most notably—have advocated and signed bills to give unions more power. Others have signed bills to exempt unions from laws. Others have fought to keep congress from passing bills to curb unions, or have vetoed such bills when passed, as Mr. Roosevelt unsuccessfully vetoed the wartime Smith-Connally act. Mr. Truman has done something that seems unique, and that may be pretty significant. But the new “anti-Petrillo” law itself is a poor and feeble thing. 7 It aims to protect just one industry—radio broadcasting—against restrictive “featherbedding” practices which have been carried to outrageous extremes by James Caesar Petrillo and his musicians’ union. It forbids union coercion to compel broadcasters to hire more employees than they need or to pay for services not performed. But it leaves Mr. Petrillo free to demand that moving picture studios hire and pay three times as many union musicians as they need. And he is now doing that. It leaves other unions free to compel people who build homes to hire and pay more carpenters, more plumbers, more painters, bricklayers, plasterers, electricians than they need. It outlaws the Petrillo union's extraction of a royalty, or tax, on each musical phenograph record used in broadcasting. But that union can still levy a tax on each record Jou buy to Ploy In your home. And John I. Lewis remains ree emand for his union a tax Son La <eman of 10 cents on each ton It makes the Petrillo featherbed a little narrower, but leaves all the other union featherbeds undisturbed, Of a pusillanimous piece with ‘the “anti-Petrillo” law 18 the proposal by a majority of the senate labor committee » ‘punish. unions that extort money from farmers by i or prevent farmers from transporting perishable ducts to market. That would leave everybody but it the mercy of labor extortioners, and even 8 would
Bureau of | ok
Price in Marion County, 5 cents a copy; deliv-
Lh me re
| While Everything Else Goes to
the Dogs
Hoosier
"I do not
Forum
say, but | will defend to the death your right to say it." — Voltaire.
agree with a word that you
question.
every turn. And he doesn’t drink. His story is true.
out the evidence. He brought his wife and son (age 2) to Indianapolis, and registeied at one of the best hotels (the-only place that had a room available when he arrived). The clerk looked the group over, rented them a double room, and announced to him that it would cost him $6 a night. During the days, he was on the job, while the wife and son joined the multitudes house-hunting. After the third day, this ex-G. I. checked out of the hotel and was informed by the clerk that it would cost him $8-—not $6—a night, for they would charge for the baby as a third per-
"Here's My Odyssey of Home Hunting, and Many Brush-offs"
By T. L, 8, no address yet Here's one returned serviceman who is convinced it’s all in the mind. The housing shortage, that is, son. though whose mind and whose matter pose something of an insoluble
A case of mind over -matter—al-
This Pollyanna of the real estate realm sees nothing but empty houses, empty apartments, empty garages, empty chicken brooders at
He has an Indianapolis Odyssey that began April Fool's day and continues today. But let us hasten to his record to cull
ington blvd, and dozens of other nearly empty homes on the north side. Alse a mortuary—on Meridian street—with attached living quarters. Or perhaps you'd like a clean, remodeled attic apartment, ready for occupancy May 1? Mr. G. H. has one on Washington blvd, and all you have to do is jibe with his policy of paying a year's rent in advance—$850. Better still, why rent when you can buy and move right in?=" A fellow has some brick - doubles
son. The humble ex-G. I. paid the $24 for the three nights. So hippety-hop for several days now to a motor court on highway 52 ~—husband, wife and 2-year-old. Tariff $4.50 daily. Comes the weekend and our ex-G, I. finds that he can leave a few hours early to drive his family home to the inlaws in northern Indiana-—free meals and lodging for two days and nights! So our hero phones the motor court. Hello, and he explains the deal. Yes, checking-out time is over, but you can leave now without paying another $4.50, says e man. But, half hour later while checking out, the woman of the court (termagnant curiae) announces, “NO!” It's pay up or else,
for t'would be necessary to change the linen ere they could rent the joint out again for the night. The G. I. and wife (now more economy- | minded) reply that they willl change the linen for the motor courtesan to save the extra $4.50. Strange, but she backs down. The veteran and wife change the linen. Fade out. |
We mustn't omit the daily streetpounding in search of a more per-
manent apartment or house. It's | continuous. And places are plénti-
around Clarendon and 42nd. “Rent? Say, I'm over 21. I have lots of apartments, and I'll keep 'em empty before I'll rent 'em again. I'm a building contractor, not a landlord, anyway. Price: $12,250.” And so we take leave of our returned serviceman who, by spending more than he earns, encounters nothing but places to live whereever he looks. There's. no housing shortage in Indianapolis; it's all in your mind! ” » » “A GREAT BIG WELCOME TO SOLDIERS’ BRIDES” By Mickey Woods, 3057 N. Gale st. I have also been following the reactions of our Indiana folks to the new foreign brides. Just think; all of you people put yourselves in these returning veterans’ shoes. Would you want to leave the girl you love just because she isn’t an American? No! You, the same as they, would bring them back with you. Yes some of you hdve the answer all figured out, haven't you? If there had been no war, these boys would have married. girls from this country, as you feel they should. But, there was a war, and they did meet and love these other girls, so let them enjoy a happy life to-
ful. . Homes Registry tells of a|gether. How many boys that met woman who will let you rent her|their girl over there would be satapartment, how long she says not, isfied back here without her? You but all you have to do is give her say let them marry someone here. $1500 for her furniture. It's a O. K. How long do you think this cinch. ; |second choice would last? Would There's a 10-room vacant brick | you want to marry a returned vethome in the 3000 block of Wash-|eran knowing he was in love with
Side Glances—By Galbrait
-~
] a _L2COPR. 1946 BY NEA SERVICE, INC. T. M. REGU. §. PAT. OFF. . "We got such a good price we sold ur house, so. if you don’t
Id be unprotected 4 foo he \ is
ca
when they transport non- |“
2 ’ Hi : ™ AE -
mind we Il geturn that visit you made with us during the depression!” *
a foreign girl, but was marrying you because he could not have the girl of his choice? May I say I believe most of this slander is caused by a little, greeneyed monster. Come on, folks, admit it. All of us talked big about letting the boys have what they wanted when they returned and the war was over. Well, now let us make good our promises to them. I for one say a great big welcome to them, one and all. And I would feel very honored if I could meet them. I am ashamed to call anyone a Hoosier that is so selfish and narrow-minded as these few gripers who were not only willing to let our boys give their lives over there, but also would like to run the lives of the poor kids who came back. Former servicemen who brought their brides here should know that y people feel as I do. I know they can and will make their little brides happy, and I for one am wishing them all the luck in this crazy old world of ours. # » n “F. D. R, COULD UNTANGLE WORLD STRIFE OF TODAY”
By James W. Cullings, Advance Though wholly unadvertised by the Circle theater, I had a pleasant surprise in again seeing the likeness of our great late president. Though the newsreel didn’t do him the justice it might, I feel that it was well edited and worthy compliment to him. Franklin Roosevelt made mistakes. To err is human. He, however, made more contributions — beneficial contributions—to society than he made mistakes. I have traveled widely in the United States and long will his monumental achievements, stand to remind us that he lived and fought to accomplish actualities not mere promises as most politicians do on paper. Moreover, Mr. Roosevelt was a statesman, not just a politician. He was liked and intensely disliked by various and sundry. Whatever might have been your personal opinion of him, his personal integrity could not be questioned. He gave us assurance during crisis and a stauncher, more capable leader during the war years we could not have found. I served four years in the navy under him as he led us to near victory. In conclusion, I can only say that I wish he could have lived to place the United States in her. proper place in the world organization and lived to untangle the strife caused by communism’s insidious debut into the United Nations. ” » » “I'D RATHER CALL MYSELF AMERICAN THAN IMMIGRANT” By An American, Indianapblis \ It always seéms a bit strange that people say one has to bé an Indian to be an American. This country was not called America prior to the coming of white people. Perhaps Indians migrated here also. Nevertheless it was our (we so-called Americans) forefathers who devel-| oped this America and not the In-| dians, ; When you ask a foreigner his nationality, if he says English, you don't then ask what his ancestors were. But I believe, according to history years and years ago, that country was invaded by other mna-| tionalities. When your sncestors for two or| three generations ‘have been born | in this country you certainly don't know much about the foreign customs except from studying it in books. | Perhaps calling ones self a 100] per cent American is smug and ridiculous, but sounds better to me than calling myself an immigrant, Of course, everyone to his taste ~thanks to a free country.
DAILY THOUGHT
I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord yeur; God.—Exodus 16:12,
IF Heaven sends no supplies,
|OUR TOWN . on By Anfon Scherrer a ; amy |
SOMETHING ELSE that might reward study is the “Trilby” craze, a phenomenon of the Nineties that contributed as much as anything to the excitement of my formative ‘years. “Trilby,” in case you youngsters never heard, is a novel by George du Maurier, a . French-English artist who had achieved considerable fame by way of his satirical pictures in Punch. Today he is remembered
‘| mostly because of the biological
fact that he was the grandfather of Daphne, author of some of the best selling thrillers of our time. The story of “Trilby” revolves around a Parisian laundress and artist's model (of that name) who ‘will have a lot to tell her grandchildren because of her relations with three artists (Taffy, the Laird and Little Billie) living in the Latin Quarter at the time. All of which sounds rather tame if that were all to it. The punch was contributed by Svengali, a black-bearded greasy character who had some evil power over Trilby--to such a degree, indeed, that you held your breath every time he showed up, The villain was capable of anything.
Not for Girlish Minds
IT WAS NO BOOK to read at night. As a matter of fact, most Indianapolis mothers forbade their daughters to read it even in the daytime. Chances are, though, that every 70-year<old grandmother live
ing in Indianapolis today read the book when she was a young girl. ¥ “Trilby” first appeared. in Harper's magazine in serial installments sometime around 1895. The in-
| terminable wait from month to month was almost | unbearable. | it was a different version,
When the story appeared in book form, I can explain that, too. The magazine version contained a veiled but transparent description of James McNeill Whistler. It so enraged Jimmy that he started a libel suit (a habit of his) against the publishers, with the result that Harper's deleted everything about Mr. Whistler when the story appeared in book form. After the book was published, “Trilby” was dramatized. Paul Potter produced it in America and Sir Herbert Tree in England. Wilton Lackaye, 1 seem
‘REFLECTIONS . . . By Thomas
Rankin Sets an
WASHINGTON, April 19.—Latest spectacle staged by the so-called un-American activities committee of the house is just another proof of the un-American philosophy that has guided that committee and its predecessor, the Dies committee, in recent years. It is rather frightening. Is it a portent of another era of intolerance, of Red-baiting, of Ku Kluxism, of persecution of minority groups such as followed the last war? The committee, under the leadship of Rep. Rankin (D. Miss.), dragged in and cited for contempt 17 officers and members of the board of the joint antiFascist refugee committee. The house voted a contempt citation by an overwhelming majority.
Committee Is Dangerous THIS COULD have been expected, since the house was challenged to back up one of its committees. The committee did have the right of subpoena.. Congress jealously guards its rights of investigation. Members undoubtedly were moved by this and other reasons, some adhering to legalism, some doubtful but voting to pass the question to the courts. Some undoubtedly were inspired by prejudice against political philosophies they don't like. Questions were raised during the brief debate as to whether the committee exceeded its power, whether it had the right to subpoena books and records before it" had proved “un-Americanism.” But legalism is not the real issue here. This incident proves once again that this whole procedure of setting up a congressional committee to ferret out “un-Americanism” is unwise and dangerous. It gives license for the exercise of passion and prejudice to persecute anybody whose views differ from those prevailing on the committee. That seems, as a practical matter, to mean John Rankin. The spirit of John Rankin is the guiding spirit. And that is no guarantee of fairness or tolerance.
WASHINGTON, April 19.—Housing Administrator and Expediter Wilson W. Wyatt has been on the job three months and a half, in which time he hasn't built
one new house, Early in February he announced his emergency program to build 2,700,000 houses by Jan. 1, 1948. It has taken two and a half months since them to get legislation authorizing him to start to work. Even so, that's something of a record for speed. When the Wyatt program was first presented to congress, the most opiituietys \preictiors were that it would take six months for passage. Getting the job done in less than half that time is the expediter’s first good break.
300,000 Units Already Lost
IN ANNOUNCING his program, Wyatt said that every month's delay in getting started would mean a loss of 75000 housing units. The loss so far in 1946, therefore, represents more housing than was built in all of 1945. It really isn’t quite that bad. While the government has been getting organized, private industry has been getting started. Construction figures on the first three months of 1946, just released by the bureau of labor statistics, show $517,000,000 worth of new residential construction begun. This represents less than 20,000 family units per month, however, and it isn’t nearly enough. It wilishave to be five times that much in ‘order to achieve the goal of 2,700,000 new units in the next two years. The veterans’ emergency housing legislation, as now passed by congress, is better than Wyatt had hoped to get. Authority for premium payments, guaranteed markets for prefabrication, incentives, and
TOKYO, April 19.—~The Russians, British and, cautiously, the Chinese, appear to have lined up in the four-power allied council to make the going tough for American occupation of Japan, and particularly Gen. MacArthur's administration. The latest council meeting was a knockdown - dragout exposition of international antagonisms which have a focus in the Far East. To what extent the Russians are willing to cast doubts and suspicions on our motives and to what extremes they are willing to abandon pretenses of co-operation are shown by their attempted refusal even to listen to a MacArthur spokesman's interpretation of the recent Jap elections.
Try for Rubber Stamp Operation "WHEN Brig. Gen. Courtney Whitney attempted to speak, the Russians contemptuously moved that he “pnt it in writing.” But the most surprising development in the couneil's proceedings was the apparently prearranged decision of the British to back every move of the Russans, W. McMahon Ball, British® commonwealth representative, supported the Russians in all their uggestions ' : : rome there is a clash over what the functions .af the council shall be. The Russian-British idea apparently is that Gen, MacArthur should be ‘a rub= ber ‘stamp. The general's instructions and Washing-
The fairest binssom of ‘the garden dies.—~William Browne, .
- " + +
totr's understanding is. that the council is merely an advisory and consultative body. It appears there will
boitiggin ~
go Trilby,” Racy Rea
er
NT Am NT a.
ding of Nineti to recall, was the American Svengall.. The very s of him made your skin creep, ° YO ant When Mr. Lackaye turned up in Indianapolis, the Trilby craze was in full swing. Everything irre able was tinged with Trilby—even the English anguage. Ladies’ feet, for instance, were called “Trilbys” because of the fictional fact that Mr. Du Maurjer’s heroine had a set of toes nice enough for artists to rave about. The non-sequitur attained the purple heights when an Indianapolis butcher displayed a pair of pig's feet with a sign reading: “Pork Trilbys.” It was Mike that all along the line. Women wore Trilby chemisettes, Trilby tri-corn hats and even . blond wigs because, somewhere in the novel, it led you to believe that Trilby had hair the color of bleached straw. * Fach The craze had its tragic side, too. For one thing, there was “Ben Bolt,” a song mentigned iam thy book. There wasn’t a barber shop quartet in Indiapolis that didn't try to sing it. The result was nothing short of premediated murder.
{
Correspondence Course in Trances
BUT EVEN more alarming than the murder of “Ben Bolt”. was the Svengali phase of the Trilby craze. It took the shape of hypnotic exhibitions and included public demonstrations of cataleptic fits trances and even burials of live subjects, You won't believe it, I know, but it’s an absolute fact nevertheless that when the Trilby craze was going good, somebody in Indianapolis started a correspondence course in hynotism which promised (for a sub§tantial consideration, of course) to teach one everything Svengali could ‘do. The climax came when the police arrested and charged a girl with stealing. She said she couldnt help it. Everything she did, she told the judge, was the result of an evil power like that of Svengali, The evil power directed her not only to steal, she confessed, but to hand over the plunder to her master,
, & professional hypnotist.
‘The lawyers around here got terribly worked up about the case, I remember, and threatened to get the next legislature to do something about it. However, I can’t recall what, if anything, the legislature did. Come to think of it, though, I haven't heard of & public hypnotic exhibition in Indianapolis since the days of the Trilby craze.
L. Stokes
Example of Bigotry
Mr. Rankin spoke to the house of “The American Way.” Does he mean the way that has prevailed in his district or his state or some other parts of the south? Does he mean beating up and driving out labor organizers? Does he mean suppression ot Negroes and denying them their rights as citizens? Does he mean low wages for whites and Negroes in mill and field? Another speaker, Rep. Mundt (R. 8. Dak.), quoted from a letter from J. Edgar Hoover saying that it had been reported to the FBI that the joint anti-Fascist refugee committee had engaged in political activities in connection with its fund-raising campaign. “In this regard,” Mr. Hoover wrote, “it is said that during the last week of September, 1945, the organization had a sound truck on the streets of New York City in order to implement its collection campaign to raise. funds allegedly for anti-Fascist - Spanish refugees. The speakers using the sound truck are reliably reported to have urged the breaking of diplomatic relations between this country and Spain and also to have tied in with their appeal labor controversies then current in the New York City area.” Think of that!
Seeks Restraint of Speech REPUBLICANS HOLD street meetings. So do Democrats and Socialists and Communists. You can stand 15 minutes in Hyde Park in London, too, and hear much more impious statements. The British § commonwealth still survives. }
Many years ago there was a man of the name of § Jesus, who held street meetings. He spoke plainly about injustices and the powers that then were. He can still get into lots of churches, especially on Sunday. : But he would probably have A hard time before the un-American committee—and John Rankin.
IN WASHINGTON . . . By Peter Edson | : Housing Program Is Still Dragging
similar new ideas came through without change. The only thing turned down was, strangely enough, the least controversial item of them all—price ceilings on existing houses. : The fight made against Wyatt's program by the established private construction industry trade associations—the real estate dealers, the materials producers and the contractors—has been bitter, Fortunately, it has been largely ineffective. And now that their lobbyists have taken a beating, individual leaders in the industry are beginning to admit, that the Wyatt program is seundly conceived, and that they will go along with it. ]
Win or Lose Battle Soon . LOCAL ORGANIZATION for the big housing drive § throughout the country is spotty. Most of the 400 7 community groups are organized on paper put haven't started to work. Only half a cities have changed their building codes to permit erection of | prefabricated houses and other labor, time and mate-rials-saving construction practices. Heads of the big building trade international unions have given their endorsement to the program, but local unions are largely indifferent. They need stirring up by the local community housing committees, to cut down restrictive trade practices and to increase apprentice training. This will become increasingly important as the program gets goihg. within six months, Wyatt predicts, there may be a skilled labor shortage in the building industry. That will put increasing pressure on local communities to amend their building and labor codes. The open building season of the next six months, in fact. will . tell whether the battle for adequate shelter in the United States will be won or lost.
WORLD AFFAIRS . . . By Sidney B. Whipple British, Russians Attack MacArthur
pe no peace here: until the terms of the Moscow agreement—which set up the council—aye fully defined and recognized. ; Bitterest of the day's quarrels probably was that engendered by Russia's insinuations that our democratization of Japan is insincere, and that we permitted reactionaries still to control of legislative processes through the recent elections. Buch charges, according to all evidence, are totally. unwarranted and apparently are based on generalities furnished by | Russian writers in“Japan. | Gen. Whitney pointed out that the Russian’dele- | gate, Lt. Gen. Kuzma Derevyanko, never has at- | tempted to get accurate information from allied headquarters either on the remilts of Gen, Mac= Arthur's directives or ‘on personalities involved in| our purge of Tojo militarists. ' #
Jap Results Good to Date IT SEEMS APPARENT that the Russians with |
the support of the British, and somewhat hesitant backing of the Chinese, are using the council to needle the occupation and cast suspicion on the | processes through which we are slowly democratizing | Japan, There is no disposition of the MacArthur government to recede in permitting this sniping to interfere § with operations which in seven months have gone far not only in democratizing the céuntry but in bring ing Japan out of economic chaos ry
es ‘e
.