Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 17 June 1946 — Page 12

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‘May 1 and June 13.

Mexico, 87 cents a RI-585L

IS GAMBLING LAW ENFORCED? . ; ‘revelations Saturday by Heze Clark, veteran Times police reporter, regarding handling of gambling cases itt Marion county were startling. Analyzing all of the arrests made under the gambling law recently, Mr. Clark found that no jail sentences were imposed and that only 11 defendants were found guilty out of 06 cases disposed of by the municipal courts between Some 150 charges against 81 other persons charged with gambling were dismissed. Fines, not jail sentences, were handed out to those convicted. - Iti other words, despite the drama and hokum of raids and high-sounding official pronouncements, nobody went to jail and only $35 in fines and $20 in court costs were collected from almost 100 persons accused of gaming. The president of the board of safety says that gamblers operate under virtual immunity because of law prosecution and court procedures. The police campaign against gambling isn't paying off in the courts, The laws against gambling therefore actually are not being enforced. The prosecuting attorney accuses the police of making improper arrests and invalidating their own efforts. The police are not satisfied with the way their cases are handled in court. And the judges certainly aren't handing out very, stiff sentences when they do find a defendant guilty. It's high time the prosecutor and the police and the judges co-ordinated this and other phases of law enforcement. The picture presented by The Times investigation isn’t one to build confidence in the municipal courts.

Hoosier

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“| do not agree with a word that you say, but | will defend to the death your right to say it." — Voltaire.

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BE WISE IN BUYING. BUSINESS journals report that in many cities consumers are becoming less eager to buy almost anything offered for sale at almost any price. This is a hopeful sign if it means that, instead of relying wholly on government to protect them from an inflationary bomb-bust, péople are beginning to think sensibly about protecting themselves. Even in wartime, government could not do that job alone. Price control succeeded as well as it did then be¢ause so many people saw the wisdom of saving a good part of their incomes, of not bidding against each other for scarce goads, and of submitting with reasonably good grace to wage controls. Under present circumstances, government's efforts to do that job tend more and more fo be self-defeating. That's the real reason why congress is so cold to the OPA. It's easy—too easy—to accuse congress of serving “the forces of greed.” The fact is that many if not most members of congréss ake honestly convinced that the administration has made itis own price-control policy unworkable; that the

OPA, given all the power Chester Bowles and Paul Porter |

want for it, would do more harm than good. The adininistration’s phony theory that it could hold prices down while wage rates were forced rapidly upward invited gremt strikes. The strikes have delayed reconversion by many months and prevented production of bil lions of dollars worth of desperately needed goods. Bungling labor palicies are encouraging more strikes to put wage gains ahead of price increases, although nobody can win that leap-frog race. And falsely optimistic administration propaganda, to the effect that our post-war problems are just about solved, has given the public an impression that now is the time to spend and buy. ; 80 the black markets are booming, the price ceilings are bulging, and OPA’s efforts to hold them down against the upward thrust of wages and other costs are, in countless cases, further discouraging production. If that continues, the value of wage increases and of wartime savings will. be destroyed by an inevitable breakthrough of prices. Those who have been able to save least, or to get only; small wage increases if any, will be hurt first and most. But everybody, except perhaps a few slick profiteers, will be hurt. We think this is emphatically a time to be wise in buying; to refrain from frenzied scrambling for scarce goods; to avoid spending for its own sake; to shop for values instead of grabbing for gew-gaws; to do without rather than pay high prices for non-essential things; to save money, not to toss it away. Enough people with that spirit might do more than the OPA bureaucrats to restore real competition among producers and sellers, reverse the upward trend of prices, remove the excuse for more strikes, and hasten the day when a plentiful supply of goods can make it possible for purchasing power to be used most profitably.

BRITAIN IS PREPARING THE British Labor party's vote for peacetime conscription is at once a grim and hopeful sign. Grim because the party always has opposed that system and would not réverse its traditional position unless it feared another war, Hopeful because, if there is future conflict, Britain intends to be prepared next time. Defeat by the party's annual conference of modifying resolutions, to exempt youths under 21 ‘and to defer those

in apprenticeship or academic training, shows just how

seriougly the British take this world emergency.

Apart from the normal opposition of the British; as well as Aniericans, to peacetime conscription because it is linked In the public mind to old militaristic systems, there is an important economic factor. Britain is desperately in need of civilian manpower. Every one of her immediate economic and social problems is related to the employment Under these conditions neither the British government, nor the trade unions which play such a large part in Labor party

shortage—particularly housing and agriculture,

conferences, would embracé conscription lightly.

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truth is a Foreign Minister Bevin bluntly warned «that Russia already is beginning to divide conflicting areas. That, as he said, is the

eat evidenced of British intention to be easier to deal with Moscow, particu-

"Unless Price Control Trend Is Reversed We're Headed for Trouble"

By Puzzled Veteran, Indianapolis

A few days ago, a friend quipped that if prices continue on the upgrade we might need OPA to keep the box score. That's no joke, son. Living costs (U. 8. Department of Commerce figures) havé increased 2 per cent in the last month. Most of this increase was in forms of 6 to 10 per cent jumps in commodities we.need daily. The figure was pulled down by failure to increase prices of articles not so much in need. Each price increase opens the way for another, commodities can rise in price without affecting the price of other commodities. OPA can't seem to get this in their heads.

OPA actually is operating in reverse from the way in which it was! intended to work, thanks to powerful blocs with plenty of hard cash to support their demands. Just how the cash is used is a matter for speculation.

Not being an economist, I don't

know the question . .. “Are we going to have price control—in the right direction—or aren't we?” Jack Bell's article in The Times, from Budapest, dealing with {nfiation in Hungary should serve as a warning to people who want OPA abolished. I agree, though, that if it is going to operate in the interest of capitalistic blocs instead of for the public, we'd be better off without it. After all, the public does pay its operating expenses and the salaries of it8 employees. Perhaps the Belgian method (as told in The Times recently by Frederick Othman) would work. It wouldn't put prices back to where they were, but it might help, who knows?

Everything seems to be reversed right now. Manufacturers are boycotting their own markets. Why? They are convinced they will be able to get more increases. Therefore they hold their goods. They won't sell them now when in a month they may be worth 10 per cent more. Perhaps the only sure cure for inflation is a national consumers’ boycott. It might also prove disastrous. Unless some cure for the reversed price control trend is found, Americans soon not only will not have a pot to cook in , , . they won't have anything to cook in it. » n - “PEOPLE INTERESTED IN MEETING GREAT PREACHER” By Robert Inman, Crawfordsville Having gone to the Youth for Christ rally meeting held in your city May 28, I was pleased to know

of the working people, would not mind helping feed the peoples of Europe that were our enemies just a few short weeks ago, but we do refuse to die for them, or starve, rather. The diet ‘here has becpme seriously unbalanced, propaganda to the contrary notwithstanding; and promises to become uncontrollable in the near future. We have always had 50 million people in this country that were under-fed, under-housed, under-clothed, un-

Very few, if any,

|der-paid, under-privileged. Passing lon to them another dollar added |to the price of a ton of coal, an|other penny on a quart of milk, {another dime on a pound of but-

VIEWS ON THE NEWS

By DANIEL M. KIDNEY

There seems to be no precedent|is adding an extra hardship to an profess to know the answer. But I\for the supreme court being held|already over-burdened people. Mr.

in contempt by its own justices. ow. 4 8 Either the bill or the veto was a Case of Bad Judgment. 8. a # The senate voted 'to reorganize, but it may turn out to be just-one on the house. » ” ” Under the LaFollette-Monroney reorganization plan congress will cost more. Next step is to get one worth the increase.

that movie stars were not the only ones to sign their autographs and shake hands with everybody. After the meeting was over I think most of the people there went up to meet Rev. Charles E. Fuller and shake hands with him. I think if more people were like that, the awful wars that we have been having would go to the rocks. I had never dreamed that there were So many people interested in meeting a great preacher. The Youth for Christ rally is to be recommended for the wonderful things they are doing: » = 5 “LEGISLATORS HEADING FOR EARLY CATASTROPHE” By Frances Jones, 2878 N. LaSalle st. The congressmen and senators of this state that have been made responsible for the welfare of its people should do sométhing immediately to head off the catastrophe that seems to be in the brewing. There is a fendency of the higherups in this country to fight the common people, the working class,

in other words. And they don’t seem to care how they do it. We,

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2 : " COPR. 1948 BY M/

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Side Glances—By Galbraith

w , " Me. wk. &. “on. | "That's three times this week the car has broken down—reminds

me of the jalopy we had in the good old depression days when we ie couldn't buys new one beceuss we didn 1 have any money!"

ter, that can’t be had at any price,

Willis and Mr. Capehart, attention, please. If you intend to continue fighting the working man in this country, without any restrictions whatsoever on the capitalistic side, 1 think you should be prepared to accept the consequences. When you went into office you promised to preserve the rights of the people; all of the people, that is, brother. And that right, right now, seems to be the preservation of what food we have left in this country; and a willingness to get along with all of its people. yor ¥ “WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO HAVE BREAD AND BUTTER?” By 4 New Bride, Indianapolis I need the advice of a grand-

mother. Surely a grandmother, with her years of experience in

marketing, could givé me a few encouraging words, Perhaps she could tell me what it was like to have bread and butter at the same time. How can I ever learn to bake a ple if IT can't talk the grocer out of a little shortening. Why, I'll never be able to cook things “the way grandmother- did” at the rate I'm going. No meat, no butter, no flour,

no bread, no shortening, no canned fruit—and pretty soon, no patience. If the old saying, “fhe way to a man’s heart is thfough his stomach,” is true, then pity the newlyweds. Did I hear the old joke about the can opener? Yes, many times. But where.do you find the canned goods? Maybe I just can't get close enough to look behind the grocer’s counter. Maybe the butcher doesn’t like my looks (even if my husband does)—I haven't had a whiff of bacon since—well, I must have been too young to remember. It was tough enough finding a place to live, buying the bare essentials to set up housekeeping. But that was a minor struggle compared with the present food situation. " Is there a grandmother in the crowd? I really need those encouraging words. » . » “WHO'S DOING ANYTHING ABOUT GARFIELD HYDRANTS?” By ©. 0. Miller, 2141 Singleton st. I read with interest and heartfelt sympathy the letter written by a Mr. Jones, I believe, on 8. Applegate st. recently regarding the removal of the drinking fountains and hydrants in thé city parks especially Carfield park. 1 would like to ask Mr. Jones

_|or anyone else who knows about

the prevailing conditions, what they are going to “do about jt,” and when.

DAILY THOUGHT And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast saying, God. be merciful to me a sinner.—Luke 18:13.

» » ” ’ | Man-like is ib to fall into sin, © Piend-like 1s it to dwell therein Christ-like is it for sin to grieve God-like 1s it all sin ‘to leave.

REFLECTIONS: ~ sr Fmml Sole... = ~ "A V.C Is Liberal in Best Sense’

DES MOINES, June 17—A refreshing experience,

They made this clear in the thunderous applapse

sitting tn at the sessions of the first national con- for Bishop Bernard J. 8hiel of Chicago when he

vention of the American Veterans committee after attending a cut-and-dried, lackadaisical Republican stitée convention in Indiana where everything was fixed long in advace. {4 Demiocracy was rampant in this collection of wideawake world war II veterans; in fact, so rampant at times, with speeches and motions from the floor, | that the observer wondered how they got their organization work done,

Members Have Faith NO STEAM-ROLLER HBRE. And everything was done in the open—nominations, platform, constitution. 3 They came here from all parts of the country—the pipe-smoking boys from Harvard, Yale and Amherst; ° the wiry boys from the South, with shirt collars open; the garrulous young men from Manhattan, full of words; the quieter young men of the Middle West; the forthright, breezy boys from the Pacific coast. Gilbert Harrison, founder of A. V.C, said some came 10,000 miles for this first organizing convention, and some had. to take up collections among friends to pay their expenses. _ This new organization, which started with the idea that this time the veterans should do something about making a better world for themselves and their children, is a dynamo. That strikes you: forcibly. Energy oozes out. It now has 60,000 members in some 500 chapters. It had only 12,000 in January this year. It has prospects of growing fast if it sticks to its principles and to its motto: “Citizens first, veterans afterward.” It is starting a campaign for a million members, ’ These veterans form a lever that might do much to turn back the tide of reaction that recently seems to be setting in. For they are in earnest. They believe something. Politicians might remember that. They are not satisfied with things as they are, They are not satisfied with what congress 1s doing now.

Students Could

EVER SINCE our wartime coalition with the Soviet Union wé have been askéd to understand the Russian people, but nobody—least of all the Soviet government—has seriously attempted to make such understanding possible.

As a correspondent who was muzzled and blindfolded like all the others during the eight months I was in Moscow, I 4m convinced that, as conditions are today, genuine understanding between Russians and Americans is impossible.

Soviet Citizens Not Free IT WILL REMAIN IMPOSSIBLE, I think, until at least two conditions have been fulfilled: Until Americans of every station—students, government officials, businessmen, tourists and correspondents—are permitted to travel freely to the farthest corners of the Soviet Union, and to communicate their uncensored experiences and observations in the United States. Until Soviet citizens of every station are permitted to communicate to other Soviet citizans their uncensored experiences and observations in the United States. Certainly the United States has been living up to these conditions. Soviet citizens are free to travel everywhere they wish here, make all the friends they want, and say anything they desire about us, good or bad. Their own government, however, through its secret police, prevents Soviet citizens from having any but the most formal relations with individual Americans. The secret police also prevent citizens from com-

cept the dullest sort of technical information, fre--quently imbedded in dreariest propaganda. It is well known that the Soviet government still refuses to permit Americans to travel freely in the Soviet Union, to make friends with individual Russfans, or even to communicate to other Americans information not permitted to appear in the heavilycensored Soviet press. : If the world is to remain at peace for lang it will be necessary for the United States to take drastic steps to overcome these Soviet barriers to the knowledge and understanding on which friendship and peace depend. : We have utterly failed to date in our efforts to

WASHINGTON, June 17.—A new probe into the growth of business monopolies in the United States is scheduled to get under way within a month before a special hotise subcommittee on small business. But

if this investigation doesn't do more for small business than the numerous wartime efforts -in this direction did, it might as well fold before it gets

going.

Mergers One Question EXCUSE FOR THIS newest congressional investigation is that during the war the concentration of economic power in the hands of a few firms increased alarmingly. Of course it did. Half a million filling stations and similar small businesses had ‘to shut up shop because they couldn't find anything to sell. At the same- time, a lqt of big businesses got bigger because it was impossible to build 75,000 airplanes a year out behind anybody's barn. But the war is over now. Most of the big war industries aren't doing as big a business as they were doing a year ago. Most of the surplus war plants aren't yet sold. And any economist who will take the trouble to walk around a block in any business community will see that plenty of war-suspended and new small businesses have opened their doors. In that situation, nobody knows how ‘much eco-

ROME, June 17-—It's doubtful if any king who lost his throne has ever been so popular as Humbert II of Italy. Two years ago, when allied forces liberated Rome, King Victor Emmanuel IIT signed over his royal powers to his son Humbert, who became leutenant general of the realm. Both Mussolini and Victor Emmanuel had denied any function of importance to Humbert as heir to tHe throne. Mussolini opposed any political position being granted to Humbert because he knew that the crown ptifice was anti. Fascist, anti-German and democratic at heart.’ Thus, before and during the war, Humbert Was written off 48 4 cipher by all who didn’t know him.

Has Strong Personal Following BUT FROM THE MOMENT, two years agd, that He became lieutenant general of the realm, he began to show qualities of high order. These qualities were mostly of & negative char“acter. IM circumstances of exceptional difficulty, he made hardly a single mistake. Thé way was not open to him to achieve any spectacular successes. But in tHe last two years, he has réndered outstanding service to the caute of the United Nations and to the long-term interests of the Italians. : Shallow -people are apt to jeer at any form of monarchy and to represent it as reactionary and

Englishman consclous of his country's history accepts

| & progressive seizure of power by the people from | the monarchy, but this, has resulted. in a situation in which the monarchy is the ultimate Safeguard of

~Frederich von Logaw.

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All fundamental British liberties. By being above all

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oppressive to the liberties of the people. But no. that point of view. English liberty has been based on

attacked congress as “peculiarly inept.” This congress, he said, had a great responsibility, but it did not meet it, failing to enact a minimum wage law. to pass F.E.P.C, ripping up the pricé control dct, emasculating full employment législation, and vet being in so great haste to pass anti-strike legis-

ation and the “ill-conceived” Case labor bill, Bishop Shiel’s theme was that if this country

provides a decent living for its people it has nothing ' to fear from communism, since people who are wellfed; well-housed and well-clothed are not interested in communism. ’

He touched a subject there that had significance

in this meeting. For there are those who are trying to Involve this organization with radicalism or

‘communism” because of what it stands for. It does

have left-wing elements, as well as liberal elements and some conservative elements. It had to face in some of its election issues the fight so usual these days over alleged Communist infiltration: No secret was made of tHat.

But it is basically a liberal organization in the best of sense, and it would be sad indeed if a tiny minority should so. confuse the membership, or, get in a position to smear it, as to hamper the public service it can perform,

Risk of Unpopularity \ ITS LEADERS ARE well aware of this threat, and well aware, too, that they must keep out any Communist influence. At the same time, they are conscious that they must continue courageously to fight for the principles for which they stand in domestic and international affairs, or, as Mr. Harrissn

put it, “You've always got to take the risk of unpopularity.” Its national chairman, Charles G. Bolte, also put it aptly when he said that the A.V.C. must “adopt no narrow factionalism” and must seek to “provide economic security within the bounds of freedom.”

WORLD AFFAIRS . .. By Leigh White

Help Red Relations

prevail on the Soviet government to abolish its restrictions on travel and information, Before resigning ourselves to the prospect that Americans and Russians may never be permitted to understand each other, we might do well to tackle the problem another way, in the hope that the wedge of friendship can somehow open the iron door. I am referring to the exchange fellowships which have done so much to promote understanding between Americans and citizens of other countries. I know they didn’t prevent war between ourselves and the Germans and the Japanese: but they might have, if their scale had been broader, and if freedom of speech and movement generally had been maintained.

Editor's Note: Mr. White, of the Chicago Daily News foreign service staff, is home on leave after spending eight months in Moscow and considerable time in other parts of Europe.

There is nothing new about this idea except its scope and official character. Heretofore, the Soviet government has been sending 10 or a dozen carefullyscreened students to the United States each year, and possibily the same number of Americans have managed to Study each year in the Soviet Union. But it has been a half-hearted and ineffectual thing at best. If Americans and Russians dre to understand each other well enough to avoid a war, we shall have to exchange thousands of students and observers every year, in ever-increasing numbers, In any case, it is difficult to imagine hostile intentions beirifrimputed to congress if it should authorize dur government to provide, say, 1000 Soviet students with free courses at American universities

municating anything about us to the Soviet public ex- ,¢¥ery years in exchange for equivalent facilities in the Soviet union.

See Russia and Appreciate U.S. ON THE BASIS OF my own experience, I can assure the reader that there is nothing like a trip to the Soviet Union to awaken in most Americans strong appreciation of the merits of our own imperfect system. ‘ Whether the United States has the same effect on most Soviet visitors 1 shall not presume to say. 1 shall presume to say that if Soviet culture is the rich and vibrant thing its admirers proclaim it to be, then the Soviet government has no excuse to fear such a proposal for a wholesale exchange of students.

IN WASHINGTON . . . By Peter Edson Small Business: Is Basis of Inquiry

nomic concentration there is or how much small business there is, Nobody will know until the depart: ment of commerce gets through with its next census of industry, sometime next year. A trend towards more mergers and greater concentration of management is noted. One-product and one-line companies are reaching out for diversification and new markets. In 1943 there were 135 major mergers recorded. In- 1944,it was 207, and in 1945 it was 295. These mergers cbvered the whole range of U. 8. industry—food products, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, chemicals, drugs, transportation equipment, wines and liquors, This trend towards more and more mergers is similar to what happened in the 1920-21 and 1925-29 booms after world war I.

Chairman Is Bitter Monopoly Foe THE CHAIRMAN of the- house subcommittee which will investigate today’s economic concentration is Estes Kefauver of Tennessee. The chairman is particularly important in-this probe because he also happens to.be the author of a particularly drastic anti-monopoly bill now before congress. What the Kefauver bill proposes is that bigbusiness mergers which concentrate more than 5 per cent of the total sales in any fleld be made subject to governmental review,

TODAY IN EUROPE . . .By Randolph Churchill : Humbert Has Strength of Character

parties and all classes, the English monarchy has become the final repository of the title deeds to freedom of the greatest free association of nations the world has ever seen. 1f Humbert tomorrow were to emulate the king in Bernard Shaw's “Apple Cart” and run for the presidency of Italy, there's little doubt ‘that he would be elected. But he is riot cut out for such a role. 1 had the hotior bf being received by him after the tecent referendum. I was struck by his selfflessness, charm, and gay, debonair manner. His first remark was, “First of all how are you? And how is your father?” It was only after he had compelled me to reply to these questions that he was prepared to talk of his own affairs. The Italians are a volatile, sentimental people. Hundreds of them, after the referendum, called .upon Humbert to say théy would accompany or follow him into exile. He gave the same reply to them all: “You are Italian, and your duty is to stay here and serve your country.” iB

Is a Good Democrat THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENCES between the voluntary abdication of King Edward VIII of England and that of King Humbert II of Italy. But the quotation of Ahdrew . Marvell about Charles I of Fngland can legitimately bé applied to Humbert. “He nothing common did or mean upon that memorable scene.” - ? © Humbert i a good democrat and a good Italian. It is only to be hoped that the Italians will show as much courage, civic virtue ahd hurhdnity as he has exhibited in the last two years. If they do, no one will be happier than Humbert, a i

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