Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 25 September 1946 — Page 16

anapolis Times ednesday, Sept: 35, 1946 ——

WALTE: ECKRONE HENRY W. MANZ Editor ! Business Manager SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER ‘ Owned and published daily (except Sunday) by Indianapolis Times Publishing Co. 314 W. Maryland st. Postal Zone 9. Member of United Press, Scripps-Howard News paper Alliance, NEA Service, and Audit Bureau of Circulations. - Price in Marion County, 5 cents a copy; delivered by carrier, 20 cents a week. Mall rates in Indiana, $5 a year; all other states, LU. 8..possessions, Canada and Mexico, 87 cents a month. “ RI-8551.

Give Light ahd the People Will Find Their Own Way

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‘OUR BIPARTISAN POLICY YT is'a paradox to hear Winston Churchill, the British ~ * Tory, urging the enlightened doctrine of a United States of Europe, while Henry A. Wallace, whose followers regard him as a great American liberal, champions the old and outmoded theory of rival-European spheres of influence. The explanation for this situation, which finds the practical statésman becoming a visionary, and the idealist a horse-trading politician, probably is in the unfortunate tendency of the leaders of causes to give blind adherence to labels, without going behind them into the substance of things. : : In the present world situation, the politicians such as Mr. Churchill and Secretary Byrnes are living with stern reality. Operating by trial and error, with an ear to public opinion, they must pursue a course which squares with their national traditiens and with their national sense of justice. Under these pressures their leadership is likely to be more trustworthy than that of the idealist who is wedded to an ideology or an alliance, and who feels constrained, consciously or otherwise, to defend that position under any and all circumstances. Mr. Wallace is in this unhappy predicament since he is unable to see through the avowed Soviet program of economic and social justice which so thinly masks an autocratic and brutal imperialism. .

. ” » » . » THE Byrnes-Vandenberg foreign policy, which Mr. Wallace condemns because it runs counter to the aspirations of the Soviet Union, is not a tough policy. It is not, in fact, always a firm policy. Basically, it is a defensive position into which we have been forced in trying to uphold the same principles we espoused during the war. It is in keeping with the American concepts of justice and fair play, and of protecting the weak against the strong, that we should support Greece against Russian encroach- . ments upon her sovereignty. On similar grounds, we have defended a weakened Italy against the threatened aggres-

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.

"Times Has Been Unfair to Judge Rhoads in Pollard Case Comment"

By W. E. Batchelder, 40 W. 27th st. On Sept. 19, 1946, The Indianapolis Times ran an initialed letter

in its editorial column, “Hoosier Forum,” laying the blame for the tragic criminal career of Howard Pollard at the door-step of Judge Mark W.

readers might have drawn the same conclusion as Mr. Batchelder. The Forum writer said “I'd vote for any; one in preference to the judge who turns the young hoodlums like Howard Pollard loose to prey on the public.” There again a misconstruction is possible on hurried reading. We wish to make it clear that, while

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OUR TOWN 7: Sy Anton Scharrer Ace Swindler Settle

PACKED ‘AS ‘IT 18 with intricate detail, today's’

piece isn’y easy reading. Even so, it might be worth trying if only to learn why Austin Bidwell turned up in Indianapolis. He was the genius who swindled the Bank of England out of» almost five million dollars which was thé nearest anybody ever came to breaking that institution. 3 Et If I remember correctly, Austin

'| Bidwell wds born on a New Eng-

land farm and brought to New York at a tender, impressionable age. Fventually ,he wandered into Wall st. There he learned the art of handling negotiable paper and got to be so good at it that his boss sent him abroad on several delicate missfons. Each time

‘he returned with wads of money which, no doubt,

inspired him with the idea of going into business for himself and on a somewhat bigger scale—nothing less, indeed, than cracking the Bank of England. To prepare himself for this enterprise, Mr. Bid~ well organized a staff of two to help him, For one, he picked George McDonald, a New Yorker just out of Harvard who was an expert penman (for which

4 his grade school, rather than his college, should re-

ceive the credit). The other scamp was Edwin Noyes, a Westerner who was to serve as Mr. Bid- &

| well’s clerk and “go between.”

System Made Big Money THE THREE WENT IN 1872 to England. Bidwell had $100,000 on his person in the shape of a letter of credit which he hoped to persuade the Bank of “England to accept as a deposit. Accordingly, he passed himself off as Frederick Albert Warren, the son of a wealthy railroad builder who had big and profitable contracts in Russia and South Africa. The Bank of England fell for the pseudonym, accepted the letter of credit. as deposit, and never once asked for the customary references. With sueh a propitious start, Mr, Bidwell had the stage set to begin operating. He went to Rotterdam and from bankers there purchased bills on all the large London banks, These bills he brought back to

s D in Cit London where, of course, the banks honored them. In the meantime, however, every one of these hills had been copied by the resourceful Mr, McDonald.

He forged as many as thirty exquisitely etched copies of each and filed them away for future use. Ineach

case, the date line was left open to be filled in later.

After six months of legitimate trading, the gang got out their forged bills and began turning them in (by way of Mr. Noyes, the clerk who had been ) brought along for just that purpose). Believe it ogy not, the Bank of England accepted every one. At the end of nine months, Bidwell had nicked the bank for $4,600,000. ‘There's no telling how long their luck might have § lasted had not an oversight led to the discovery. Seems that in one case, Mr. McDonald had forgotten to insert the date on one of the forged bills. Even then, the Bank of England had honored it. . Next morning, however, a fussy employee sent a messenger to the bank mentioned in the document with a re quest for the bookkeeper to fill in the date. The bookkeeper got suspicious right away and the jig was‘ up.

Hoosiers Gain Release BIDWELL AND HIS TWO HELPERS were sentenced to prison for life. In 1892 however, President Benjamin Harrison, Attorney-General Wm, H, H. Miller and John C.. New, consul-general to London, got interested in Mr. Bidwell's plight not becat e they condoned villainy, mind you, but because this was a case of an American stranded on foreign soil. Mostly because of their efforts, Austin Bidwell was = § set free after spending nigh on to 20 years in one cell in England’s Chatham prison. o Well, that's why Mr. Bidwell turned up in Indianapolis flve years later. He wanted to meet his Indianapolis benefactors face to face and express the gratitude that was in his heart. However, it is just possible that: Mr. Bidwell had another reason for coming. By that time he was an intinerant book agent and, like as not, he wanted to sell his benefactors a bill of goods.” I don’t know what luck he had. - Chances are, though, that several private librarjés were enriched because of his visit. After all, Austin Bidwell was a mighty glib talker, .

IN WASHINGTON . . . By Peter Edson

Must Pay Better

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25.—A national shortage of school marms and masters has showed up in Washington, and the National Education association is

swinging into action to see what might be done about it. From a]l over the country come bad reports. Two hundred schools to be closed in Maine for lack of teachers. Forty-eight schools consolidated, but still 750 teaching vacancies in Kansas. Twentyfive hundred sub-standard substitutes hired in Virginia, ‘2800 in Oregon, 5000 in Kentucky, Two thousand more teachers needed in Ohio, 5000 in Texas, 7000 in Georgia. In Norwalk, Conn. a teacher strike for more pay.

to Attract Teachers

out replacements for either loss, because of reduced high school and college enrollment. . But by far the greatest casualties in the teaching ranks were for purely economic reasons. Salaries paid teachers weren't high enough to enable them to pay their bills. They quit teaching to take war jobs that paid more money, says Dr. Givens. Teachers’ salaries have increased from the prewar average of $1400 to $2000 a year today. But that’s less than most day laborers are getting now, and even the average -government worker gets $2600. Getting better pay to attract more and bettereducated people into the teaching profession is the crux of the whole situation, as analyzed by the ninemember commission on teacher.education just organ-

pion of a more powerful Yugoslavia. Thus, too, we stand

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for free elections in Poland, for the rights of political and racial minorities in the liberated states, for prewar property rights in Austria, and for a live-and-let-live economy for Germany, This policy has its: roots in our declaration of independence, in Woodrow Wilson's doctrine of self-determina-tion, in the four freedoms of Franklin D. Roosevélt. It is not a policy of expedience or appeasement. It may on occasion run counter to the aspirations of Russia expansionfsm. But it is the policy we fought for, a policy we can live with—and it offers our best hope for peace.

THE RUSSIAN ‘EMPIRE’ J UPWELL DENNY, our European correspondent, raises the question of whether the satellite states with which the Soviet Union is surrounding itself would be assets or liabilities to Russia in a war against the west. Undoubtedly, exploitation of the puppet states, “liberated” from Hitlerism and now enslaved by Stalin, has tided Russia through some of her economic difficulties this last year, not, it should be added, without substantial aid from UNRRA. But with the end of UNRRA after January, the one-way Russian pipeline can soon pump the puppets dry, leaving a residue of poverty, bitterness and resentment. When the point of diminishing returns is reached, the costs of military occupation are likely to discourage initiation of long-range rehabilitation programs, for it is easier to wreck an economy than to rebuild one. “Nor are the political factors in the situation to be overlooked. . Poland, for example, has had a long history of political serfdom. But although Poland has been dismembered and enslaved, the Poles themselves have remained unconquered and unconquerable. Czars and Kaisers failed to kill their spirit, and Hitler could not do it, even by mass murder. The Serbs are a submerged minority under the Tito dictatorship at the moment, but Serb hatred of oppression has the same deep roots asthe Polish-urge for freedom. They have thrown off chains before, and may be expected to try again.

» ” . . » . STABILITY of the new empire, however, is as likely ‘to be determined within the Soviet Union itself as it i& by developments in the states now linked to Moscow by Red army controls. Forced back upon its own resources, the Russian economy must balance the immediate need for consumer goods against demands for longer range construction and rehabilitation. Added to the inevitable strains upon the Russian economy will be the new factor presented by millions of returning soldiers who have seen enough of the outside world to know that living conditions at home are inferior to those: in countries like Germany and Austria, Another | five-year plan may not satisfy these men, who have lived upon unfulfilled promises of previous plans all their lives. That perhaps helps to explain the reluctance of the Kremlin to bring them home. Russia does not seem to be in any condition to support an all-out war. The danger is that the Kremlin will con-

clude she is even less well-equipped to adapt herself to the stern realities of peace,

AN OPPORTUNITY .

‘A SERIES of lectures on basic issues of the day has been , announced for the Indiapapolis Open Forum, with speakers who should attract large attendance. First on the program is Frank Gervasi, chief of Collier's magazine Washington bureau, who speaks Oct. 20.. We have some knowledge of Mr. Gervasi, as well as of Leland _ Stowe, one of "the country’s foremost war and foreign

correspondents, inasmuch as both are newspapermen of

high standing in their profession. We feel no hesitancy in recom: g either of themi as having an up-to-the-. interpretation of world news and a significant mesfor the community, fiphe.

“Others on an. exceptionally strong program are Gov- :

gia, a “liberal” in the true sense g governors now in office; Salo, faculty; Saul D. Alinsky,

il Jacoby, vice president of

and economics authority. mk Te

As a reader of The Times for

But—we wonder!!!!! What The Times has printed in Times reporting personnel be slipping or can the department heads of the paper be so prejudiced against a man personally that they: will allow their editorial columns used for a libelous attack on a judge who, in four years, has achieved more for Marion county children than the five judges who preceeded him, with the possible exception of the first juvenile court judge, George Stubbs?

Had the reporters, editors or those responsible checked the public records of the court they would have found that Howard Pollard has the following juvenile court record: On Dec. 22, 1036, Pollard, then 16 years old, was charged with delinquency for discharging a gun within the city limits of Indianapolis. Judge John FP. Geckler, finding him guilty, gave him a suspended sentence to White's Manual Training institute pending good behavior, and six months probation to the court probation officer, Mr. Rolles.

On May 25. 1938, Pollard again was charged in juvenile court for trespassing on the property of the B. & O, railroad. At the time of his trial, Sept. 2, 1938, Judge Geckler withheld judgment on condition the boy refrain from trespass ing on the railroad and on his promise of good behavior. Nothing more was heard ‘of Pollard until two teen-age girls complained of him on a rape charge on AUg. 8, 1042, asking that a comiplaint be filled against Pollard, another male companion and an 18-year-old girl in juvenile court. The girl was arraigned on a contributing charge Aug. 7, 1943. On Dec. 15, 1042: the cases was closed with no official charge being made against Pollard or his companion, and the official charge agairist their girl companion being dismissed by

Rhoads of the Marion county juvenile court. This attack on the juvenile judge was launched by The Times in a front-page editorial last spring at the time Pollard was apprehended for a viclous murder, and at the time Judge Rhoads was a political candidate for renomination in the primary election.

the past 15 years, we have had a

growing regard for the marked improvement and progress of this Indianapolis paper, particulacly in the past five years.

both instances is not fact—can The

Judge Wilfred Bradshaw. At this time Pollard was 20 years old. If The Times will recall, or check their record, they will ind Mark W. Rhoads took office Jan. 1, 1943, fully four and one-half years after the Jast official charge was made against Pollard in juvenile court May 25, 1938. Knowing that all Scripps-Howard papers believe in reporting the true facts first, we feel certain the record should be clarified, and a misstatement of fact, so precious to all good newspaper men, remedied. All public officials go into office knowing they are living in “‘glass~ houses,” that their records are open to the closest scrutiny. Judge Rhoads has been no exception in this case. But — being American officials, they also know their records will be reported from a real American viewpoint—the “Truth.” So far the reporting of The Times in this case has beeh as unAmerican as the America First committee. As a fond reader of The Times we wonder!

Editor's Note: Mr. Batchelder’s comment is well-taken, although The Times did not charge that Pollard had appeared before Judge Rhoads. The editorial in question, “How to Grow Your Own Criminals,” took to task all law enforcement Agencies who were lax in their duty, and stated that Pollard-—first arrested several years before Judge Rhoads was elected-—"first fell afoul of our notoriously inept and fumbling juvenile court.” We also feel that to be a fair descrip tion of Judge Rhoad’s court. In no place was it stated Pollard had appeared before the present judge, al-

though there is possibility some

Side Glances—By Galbraith

TTT

Chl.

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“I have to speak about a united world at our next club meeting— do you think the members are quite ready to listen to the / idea of a president from Manchuria?"

Pollard did not appear before Judge Rhoads, other young offenders have done so, been treated leniently and then been arrested later on serious charges. We oppose Judge Rhoads’ re-election, but intend to do it fairly, as well as vigorously,

» » . “WAR BRIDES GETTING VOTE RIGHT TOO EASILY” By A. S., Indianapolis Tuesday's Times contained an article telling of the reception in honor of the Indianapolis war brides by the G. O. P. at the Lincoln hotel. In the article it states that “foreign war brides are qualified to vote after undergoing modified naturalization processes” and further goes on to say that they knew little about issues in forthcoming elections. How could these war brides possibly be intelligent voters? It certainly is not fair for them tv obtain citizenship that easily while ether foreign-born citizens who have lived in the United States for twenty or thirty years and are citizens by derivitive birthright are forced to go through a great deal of red tape to obtain a certificate proving that they are citizens. It seems as though people born in foreign countries who -have been educated in American schools are far more qualified and intelligent voters than these war brides could

e. Why all the red tape? 5 » ” “LET MRS. CARLSON RENT HER ROOMS TO VETERANS” By A Veteran's Wife, N. State st, I see in last Tuesday's paper

neighbors are against Mrs, Carlson

renting her rooms to veterans while at the same time over the radio they are telling us to rent any kind of room we have, but do we have to ask our neighbors if we can do so? The neighbors didn't ask us when the war was taking our sons, fathers and sweethearts to keep those fine homes. Yes, I do know how it is to be kept awake at night by the neighbors’ radios and loud parties, but I have a brother and a husband who know what it is to be kept awake by German bullets as well as Japanese, but they didn't gripe 4s thousands didn't gripe, but do we have to listen to neighbors when such littie things do come along that will help our veterans, I say no, I say let Mrs, Carlson rent her rooms, If I had a room I'd rent it, I'm sure. Come on, veterans and your wives, let's fight for the homes you lost while you were fighting for your nice nicey neighbors.’ u Ld ” “COUNTRY WOULD NOT BE IN MESS WITH ROOSEVELT” By Wesley A. Wise, 4621 E. 16th ot, I have just read where Mr, Truman has fired Henvy Wallace from the cabinet, a man better qualified for the presidency than Truman. This is the last Roosevelt man from the cabinet, I hope Truman is satisfied now, since he has constantly sold us down the river from the - time he’ had the President's job handed to him. I voted for President Roosevelt, the greatest President we ever had. I also believe that if he were still alive the country would not be in such 4 mess today that Truman got us into. , I am sure that if the Democratic party is foolish enough to nominate Truman for re-election the Republican party will have the biggest landslide ever known in the history of our U. 8. A.

DAILY THOUGHT

The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of Hosts. ~Haggal 278. ” » ” “What is wealth?” the king would say, :

“Even

this shall pass away.” —~Theodore Tilton,

Schools Raid Lower Levels

WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS that the number of college and university students has jumped from last year’s 1,400,000 to two million, while in primary and

secondary schools the number is up from 25 to 28 million. And there are only 1,140,000 teachers to train them, says N. E. A. Secretary Dr. Willard E. Givens. . To give all these 30 million youngsters a smattering of book learning, colleges are raiding high schools for- teachers, high schools are raiding grammar schools, city schools are raiding country schools, and the rural schools are either hiring poor subs or closing down. Instead of the normal one-in-200 teachers being sub-standard and giving instruction under temporary licenses to teach, the number is now one-in-10. The whole mess is the result of five years in which the educational machine has gone to pot. Since Pearl Harbor, some 530,000 teachers have quit teaching—an average of nearly 100,000 a year. In most cases they were not replaced. Marriage, retirement for old age, and death took their normal quotas of perhaps 25,000 a year, Normal schools did not turn

ized in Washington under chairmanship of Dr. W. E. Peik, dean of the school of education, University of Minnesota. * Almost the first recommendation that the commission came up with was a proposal that minimim pay for teachers be raised to the equivalent of $45 a week for all 52 weeks of the year, or about $2400 annually. It was further recommended that after 10 years, the college-trained teacher should be making $4000 a year.

Trend Upward for Pupils OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS ARE that the work load be reduced so that no teacher should be - responsible for more than 25 or 30 students, in place . of today's classes of 40 and 50, that better teacher pension plans be put in force, and that standards be raised for those admitted to teacher-training. The need for federal assistance is also being give a good boost. Today's 30 million students will increase to 34 million in the next few years, according to population studies. The birth rate is up and more youngsters are going to schoel for longer periods. That will create a demand for 200,000 more teachers. And it takes from three to seven years to train a good teacher.

REFLECTIONS . . . By Thomas L. Stokes ‘Democracy’ to ‘Republic’ Shift?

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25.—There is an idea creeping into our political language tha{ is interesting. perhaps significant and, if so, slightly disturbing. ' This is the insistence of late in certain quarters that our nation is a republic, rather than a democracy.

Are Reactionaries Responsible? IT CAME FIRST some weeks ago from Ernie Adamson, counsel of the house un-American activities committee, who obviously takes a dark view of

some of our present-day democratic tendencies. More recently, B. Carroll Reece, Republican national chairman, took pains to stress the idea that this is a “representative republic.” In conversation, a big industrialist emphasized that this is a republic, rather than a democracy, in déploring recent political developments, The word seems to be getting around. : Technically, of course, they are right. That was the idea of the founding fathers who patently were afraid of too much democracy, which was Patrick Henry's chief criticism of their handiwork. Certainly in recent years there has been no point made of this in our political campaigns. Why then now? Buspicion arises because of the sourceg.

It all fits in nicely, it is true, With the reaction’

fn certain economically powerful places against such things, for example, as labor organizing itself to take part in politics. For some people and-interests, the ballot seemingly is being made too easy, spread too far down. It fits in nicely with resistance to extension of

| franchise to Negroes and poorer whites in the Bouth.

This resistance is encouraged by interests outside of

the South who do not want to see too much democracy in the South. = . . “It is well known that interests owned elsewhere put managed locally contributed to return of Gene Talmadge to power in Georgia. His No. 1 plank is to restore the “white prmiary” in Georgia through subterfuge to evade the supreme court decision. Weeding out and selecting of the franchise made possible by “white primaries” and poll-tax restrictions have proved most helpful in keeping in power in the South the willing servants of dominant economic interests which thus exercise control through a sort of “rotten borough” system. A similar selective representation operated also in other parts of the country, by default, until working men and women were aroused to their political interests. : We, of course, have never been a democracy in

the pure.and literal sense... Such .demecracy is-#een

only in the New England town meeting. But through the years and beginning rather far back, the fran chise for electing representatives to state and natior§ office gradually has been extended until now it is vir tually universal outside the South, subject only to qualifications ‘of citizenship; residence, etc. Outside the South, for all practical purposes, we are a democracy in the usually accepted sense.

New Approach Baffling WHEN WOODROW WILSON rallied the nation in world war I, it was for a war to save “democracy’’— and Dr. Wilson was a stickler for words and phrases, having been a professor and writer in the fleld of political science. World war II also was, for Franklin D. Roosevelt, a war for democracy. Why this new twist of late? It's well to be curious about that.

TODAY IN EUROPE . . . By Randolph Churchill End of British Stay in Egypt in Sight

CAIRO, Sept. 25.—Whatever the outcome of the present negotiations for a new Anglo-Egyptian treaty to replace that of 1936, one thing is certain: Britain's days in Egypt are numbered. All classes of educated Egyptians—even the pashas, who will probably be liquidated shortly after the British leave—are united in wishing to see the last British soldi#r leave Egyptian soll as soon as possible. What Rommel, in the hour of Britain's and Egypt's greatest weakness, was unable to achieve by force of arms is now to be brought about either by agreement between Britain and Egypt or else by unilateral decision of the British government,

Have Built Up Country WHATEVER ONE MAY THINK of .this extraordinary exodus’ from Egypt, it should certainly be noted as an interesting historical fact that, among the known records of the human race, never before has a victorious power voluntarily abdicated from a position which it regarded as vital to its safety, The story of European interventign in Egypt In the dst century is not a pretty one. While the British have been in Egypt, the population has grown from 5,000,000 to over 17,000,000. Britain at least brought law and order to the Nile valley. It is urged against. the occupation, that nothing has been done to improve the condition. of the Egyptian peasants who, with exception of the Persians and some Chinese, are perhaps the poorest people in the world. Since 1922, Britain has not

attempted to interfere with the’ internal administra

tion of Egypt. British troops have been there solely to assure imperial communications. In other respects, Egypt hds enjoyed independence for nearly a quarter of a century. It is with no feeling of shame that the British now quit Egypt. During occupation, Egypt has grown to nationhood and is now to achieve complete independence. Whether the people will thereby achieve freedom is another matter, for despite a veneer of democratic institutions, the wealthy classes possess todayan altogether disproportionate influence in the country's administration. Even the richest men—and some of them count their incomes in millions of doHars—never pay moré than 10 per cent income tax. ‘

Foreigners Not Welcome THE FORCES OF BOCIAL UNREST which have been carefully canalized against the British will be directed against the pashas, once the British have left. It's likely that the pashas will seek to use the European community in Egypt as an alternative lightning conductor to deflect the social appetite” ofg the depressed classes from themselves. Prohibit taxation will almost certainly be levelled against a non-<Egyptians in business. - Foreign communities realize this and are already beginning to sell their businesses. | : A Departure of the Europeans will impoverish Egypt, and the pashas will be left to “face the music.” The more enlightened ‘of them are already beginning to feel somewhat unhappy at this prospect.