Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 14 April 1947 — Page 14

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month. pe RI-5851 ;

BARERE Give Light end the People Will Pind Their Own Woy

CLEAN,UP—OR WHITEWASH? THE penalty imposed by the police department on the seven patrolmen it found guilty in the tow-truck racket is ridiculous enough to be funny if it didn’t strike so deeply at the very roots of honest government here. Any impartial observer of the “trial” conducted for these men would naturally have assumed that it was the complaining witnesses themselves who were being tried. “In the face of obvious intimidation some witnesses denied the.sworn statements they had made to the prosecuting

appear were heckled and brow-beaten by both “prosecution” and “defense” in a plain attempt to break down their testimony and whitewash the defendant policemen. | * Even so, enough evidence got in to convince the board of police captains that these men actually had solicited and accepted money from certain tow-truck operators—amounting in fact to half of the total business incomes of these complainants. Then the board “punished” the guilty. | Each of them gets eight days vacation without pay. A cash penalty equal to about the estimated “take” per man for each month of the racket, which has been going on for many months. Most of them are back on duty today, in . position, if they are so inclined, to make things very, very tough for a tow-truck operator. :

THE penalty prescribed by law for the offense of which this board found these men guilty is two to 14 years in state prison, $5000 fine, and loss of the right to vote or to}.

attorney, some were afraid to appear at all. Those whodid|

hold public office. : . This police board, of course, has no power to invoke

that felony penalty. It did, however have power to make}

Hoosier Forum

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

the suspension 30 days instead of eight, and to recommend that the guilty be dismissed from the department—and anyone. who is guilty has clearly proved himself unfit to be a policeman. The only inference to be drawn from the decision is that the high officials of our police department do mot congider bribery a very serious offense. And that is the inference certain to be drawn by every other policeman on the force. A tap on the wrist if he’s caught—a lucrative racket if he isn’t caught. This kind of powder-puff justice will do nothing to retrieve the sadly soiled prestige of the Indianapolis police force, nor to restore the public respect the department has so largely lost through just such episodes. ’ s . . w # ” the department itself wilt not take proper action it ; should be taken elsewhere. . In our opinion there’s a job crying for attention from Prosecutor Judson L. Stark. .

ATTENTION, HENRY

ing the British to oppose America’s policy in regard to Greece and Turkey. He has talked with Prime Minister Attlee, presumably in the same vein. : Henry probably is traveling light, as usual, and it’s * unlikely that he took along with him that bulky volume known as “The Code of Laws of the United States of America.” But he might be making good use of his time if he would drop around to the American embassy in Lon_don, lay hands on that book, turn to page 459, title 18— criminal code, chapter 1, section 5, and read the following excerpt: “Every citizen of the United States, whether actually resident or abiding within the same, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof, or in any foreign country without the permission or authority of the government, directly or indirectly, commences or carries on any verbal or written correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or'agent thereof, with an intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the ur POASYres. of the government, of the United States; and. -gvery-pevscn,-being a citizen..of or..resident. within the United States or in any place subject to thé jurisdiction thereof, and not duly authorized, counsels, advises, or assists in any such correspondence with such intent, shall be fined not more than $5000 and imprisoned not more than three years.” - That's pretty involved legal language, but with a little study even Henry ought, to be able to get the point.

+

BALKAN INQUIRY HE United States has asked the United Nations to direct its Balkan investigation commission to station * meutral observers in the trouble zone along the Greek border, until the commission's findings have been presented to and acted upon by United Nations security council. We see no reason why the United Nations should hesitate to grant so reasonable a request. Time is of the’

investigation. : L The United Nations debate on the Truman proposal for Greek-Turkish aid which has been devoted to the politics in the situation, has served to mask the highly _ explosive conditions on the actual ground. ' The immediate danger is that raids across the Greek border will be resumed on a mounting scale, if the trouble zone is left unattended while the security council is discussing what “#0 do about the problem. e danger of such raids from Yugoslavia and Bulgaria

border’ s ne United Nat s assumed j

to notice violations of these regulations (and he has excellent information—collecting facilities) it is odd that he failed previously to point out the offending mines. He s = would have been on safe ground in ordering miners off the job in spe-

HENRY WALLACE is running around England exhort- Sige Stas where the

leaders are not taking unfair ad-

"Knowledge of Lewis Power Over Economy Should Speed Legislation”

By Lloyd G. Veazey, 2108 N. Meridian st.

can be made entirely safe against

We mustn't take too seriously the enraged bellows of that great champion of humanity, John L. Lewis. A short time ago—do you remember—he was quite willing to let every hospital patient in America die from cold if necessary to win him further acclaim as the labor leader in the race for individual power. In the current case, however, his own followers have suffered and he sees a chance to make political capital from a disaster. That's different! Results of the Centralia explosion are pitiful, of course. Miners deserve every protection that engineering can provide. Mining never

“U. 8. IS LIABLE IN MINERS’ DEATHS” By T. McGuire, 1126 Eugene st. The editorial in <The Times was very gratifying to one who has stood at the top of a mine shaft and seen the smoke billow up and heard the: reverberations of explosions when men were down below with the terror. Perhaps it would ‘also be well to say now that Mr. Krug and the United States government have been and still are

slate falls and gas pockets. But, there seem to be plenty of states and, U. 8S. regulations designed to) afford protection. If Mr. Lewis was not too preoccupied with politics

mines . "= were dangerous. The American people have quite a lot of sympathy for miners when their|XeP Sangre in Sasion. vantage of conditions to hijack the public.

Mr. Lewis was ever an opportunist, and he has been quick in using 2 8 this pitiful happening to demonstrate again his ability to pull miners off the job. It came just at the time he had threatened to take in front of. them out at the expiration of the| 2 wn winter strike truce. I remember only too well some 20 years ago that workers in ‘an Illinois strip mine declined ‘to stop

Study Reveals.”

cratic national committee.

VIEWS ON - THE NEWS

DANIEL M. KIDNEY

We didn't need that runaway balloon to remind us of inflation.

BY the time the meek inherit the earth it may not be worth much.

President Truman's popularity poll will continue to mount if he can just

An army day news release said “War Costs Rise Sharply, Informal Figure it formally and you get the same answer.

Those new automobiles make it more difficult than ever to see the “No Parking” signs they are parked

Sometimes 'G. O. P. Chairman Sufficient in mines, : Carroll Reece sounds like he is talk- inflammable gases collect next to

ing under the auspices of the Demo-

work at union dictation. They were

guilty of breach of contract in not {complying with the bargain they

{

imade with the United Mine Workjers last summer. The contract was that the United States bureau of safety would inspect and enforce the safety standard laws in the mines of the United States. Also it wis contracted that 5c a ton royalty would be collected on every ton of coal mined to care for survivors of such a calamity as just occurred at Centralia, Ill. The miserable nickel per ton has been collected but Mr. Krug and our government have not set up the legal organization for the administration of this vast sum which is still intact. For more than a year the ventilation of this mine was known to be inadequate and even rock dust was not spread to keep down the dan|gerous coal dust below the 500-foot llevel. Whenaver and wherever the 'eirculation of air is poor and inexplosive and

{the roof and the deadly lethal black damp forms in the low places and

— unused parts of the mines.

|OUR TOWN . . . By Anton 5 IA Bachelor Loves a

Te XE LT NI erry? Me en ! oly Vn an Ty

THUS FAR this column has not invaded the private life on any Indianapolis bachelor, an exhibition of restraint unmatched by any other scribbler. Today, however, I can't help breaking down, With the smell of spring’ in the air, it is humanly impossible to conceal any longer the secret \ of Louis Reibold’'s romance, Until Tom Taggart got going good, Louis Reibold was the most gifted . hotel-keeper = Indianapolis ever had. His fame extended even to Europe. On one occasion back in 1893, for instance, when Father registered our family at a continental hotel, the reception clerk greeted us with the remark: ‘‘Ah, that's the American town that has the Bates House.” There is also a legend (circa 1800) that George Boldt of New York was once heard to say that if he could pry the man who runs the Bates House away from Indianapolis, the two of them could think up and run the most wonderful hotel the world’ has ever seen. Mr, Boldt ran the Waldorf-Astoria at the time. ” As a matter of fact, any number of hotels tried to lure Mr. Reibold away frorh Indianapolis, but never worked. What experienced men couldn't do, a little girl did. In support of which I cite the romantic story of Louis Reibold's love affair.

Budding of Romance IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, it was in the early 80's when Mr. Reibold, a confirmed bachelor, made up his mind to make a cruise around the world. In the course of that trip, at an European capital, he met a party of Americans. In the party was a New York banker, his wife and their “little blue-eved, golden-haired daughter.” That's the way John P. Hannegan always identified the girl when he told the story. i Because of his ingratiating manners, to say nothing of his world-wide fame, the New York banker invited the Indianapolis hotel-keeper to join the party. Mr. Reibold explained he had started out to make a trip around the world, but that he wouldn't mind interrupting it to have some fun with his countrymen.

WASHINGTON, April 14—Two nation-wide strikes are in progress as the senate labor committee sits down to try to agree on legislation that will bring peace in industry. The coal miners and the telephone workers are out. There are angry rumblings that indicate trouble in other sectors. This. is a convenient background for those in the senate and the house who want to go all the way and put organized labor into a legal squirrei-cage. It follows a long period in which strikes were at a minimum. :

Sharp Controversy in Senate WITHIN THE senate committee there is a sharp controversy over the kind of bill to be finally reported to the senate. Chairman Robert A. Taft favors an omnibus bill that as one senator put it, would contain everything, including the kitchen sink. > A faction in the committee repgesented by Senator Wayne Morse, Oregon, and Senator Lister Hill, Alabama, believes that separate proposals covering separate phases of labor legislation should be put into separate bills, This would make it possible, Mr. Morse has argued in closed committee session, to get agreement on a minimum of legislation intended to correct the worst abuses of labor's recently acquired power. The draft the committee is now considering limits industry-wide bargaining. It outlaws the closed shop and limits the union shop. It excludes foremen from collective bargaining. At the same time, of course, it corrects the inequities in the Wagner labor relations act and outlaws jurisdictional strikes and the secondary boycott, changes which Mr. Morse and the

NEW YORK, April 14—The ancient mariner, who was forced to wear a slightly decadent albatross around his neck, is a blood brother to Miss Tallulah Bankhead, except that Miss Bankhead's albatross was twins and maybe smelled a little riper.

This piece has been in the icebox for a couple of

Heads,” a play whose lines resembled the impassioned message one reads on -the back of a box of soap flakes. This theatrical ulcer has finally healed, which is to say Miss Bankhead's chains have been stricken off by merciful time, and I am able now to quote the damsel on how it feels to wear a large limp turkey around the neck, night after night.

She's Good in Poor Play

SOME TIME BACK Miss Bankhead was saying that being trapped into a thing in any play foredoomed to early discard is like being engaged to a condemned man. No future. Hollow.

«By Anton Scherter r

weeks now, awaiting the close of “The Eagle Has Two -

Ber

J . . x Blue-Eyed Girl ~The little girl, who had not yet attained her teens, took a great fancy to the Indianapolis hotel-keeper, and there is every reason to believe that he liked her too. They were always in one another's eompany, climbing mountains, going on larks together, and thinking up funny things to do. In 1862, they parted. Mr. Reibold returned to Indianapolis. The Mttle girl entered school. = Shortly after Mr. Reibold's return, John P. Man. negan came to Indianapolis, by way of Richmond, to take an important post at the Bates House. Mr, Reibold thought a great deal of him; so mueh so that one day, in a burst of confidence, Ne Sosa Mr. Hannegan about the “little ‘blue-eyed; golden-haired girl” he met in Europe. Indeed, he confessed that when she grew up to be a woman, he was going to propose marriage. Mr. Hannegan kept the secret for nigh on to 15 years. Finally, however, he spilled it, which is why I know the end of the story.

Well, one day when the forsythia burst into bloom -

and robins resumed their caroling, Mr. Rel started seeing the girl again with the result Selig 5 consented to be his wife. Not so the father. He threw 4 monkey wrench into the works and said he'd give his consent only on condition that Mr. Reibold give up the Bates House and live in New York.

To the New Life

MR. REIBOLD replied that Indianapolis was his home and that he expected his bride to live with him. It was a deadlock or what in cupid's circle is known as an “impasse.” One day in 1897, which was 17 years after he

had first met the little girl, Indianapolis held its

breath when it was announced that Louis Reibold was going to get married. Nobody could believe it. The Bates House host had been a bachelor go long that nobody could imagine him as anything else. Next week the happy couple sailed for Europe te

resume playing where they had left off. So far as I .

know they never returned to Indianapolis. Nor to my knowledge did Mr. Reibold ever run another hotel. He didn't have t0. The Bates House showed a net profit of at least $75,000 every year Mr. Reibold ran it. To confirm®what you may already have guessed, Mr. Reibold had sold the Bates House to make sure of getting the “little blue-eyed, golden-haired girl”

IN WASHINGTON . .. By Marquis Childs

Taft Politics Charged in Labor Bill

other moderates on the committee approve. You do not have to look very hard to see the politics behind Mr. Taft's maneuver, bill goes to the White House, President Truman can be expected to veto it. It will contain prohibitions that go much further than he cares togo. The President does not have the privilege of vetoing separate items in- any measure. He must approve the whole thing or send it back to congress without his approval. It is highly doubtful if there would be sufficient votes to pass the catch-all bill over a veto. Under such a course, the strong likelihood is thas no labor legislation will come out of this congress Republicans will be able to put the blame on Mr. Truman. They can argue in the 19048 campaign that the only way to get adequate labor legislation is to put a Republican President in the White House work with a Republi¢an congress. -

Labor Legislation Needed

IF THAT 18 indeed the strategy behind the omnibus bill, it is a reckless one. Most people, probably even most members of unions, are for reasonable restrictions that would end the abuses which jeopardize ‘the ‘whole collective bargaining system. Failure by this congress to enact any labor legisiation would produce a sense of frustration and helplessness. It

would encourage irresponsible union leaders to further

abuses. aNext year, an election year, will be too late. We need reasonable labor legislation. We need legislation that will be siccepted and that cam thersfore be enforced. This i§ hardly the moment in history to play politics with industrial peace.

REFLECTIONS... By Robert C. Ruark Tallulah’s ‘At Liberty’ Again

a week, because, despite Miss Bankhead's assertion that you can't tell about a play until you see it on Broadway, “The Eagle” was so sour it should have curdled in the egg. Yet there were people who reSurat 18 see it three or four times. Miss Bankhead has something—something which has never quite come off on the screen—which has made her urique on the stage and in person. Her performance in the parlor, on any given day, is better than the average hit play in a theater. It's been said many times that she could read an income tax blank and make it sound exciting, and the same thing holds for her private conversation. I sat and listened to her for about three hours, during which she lit 20 cigarettes and made at least five entrances, and found myself unable to retrieve few exact quotes, although I remember being enthralled every minute. This fascinating inexactitude of Miss Bankhead's conversation is responsible, chiefly, for the legend

If the catch-all

besieged by union miners armed! mass murders. I don't recall any All of these conditions are prewith rifles. After being under fire statements by him then on the ventable and our government is more than a day the workers agreed | sanctity of human life. legally obliged to fulfill its conto quit if guaranteed safe conduct| Knowledge that Lewis is able. to tracts with the United Mine Work-

she has become, the vast amount of stories which are circulated about her, and her reputation as a mave erick. ,

“It is wrecking my health,” Miss Bankhead enunciated, in her best chest tones. “I arise to greet the new day secure in the knowledge that once again I must climb into my queen clothes and crawl up on

essence, however, as the commission is concluding its |

real. Evidence has been found that Communist | las fighting the'Greek government forces formerly supplies and ‘reinforcements from. those border ‘ ¥ ; . oy . f -

ituation is the first case of its

urisdiction, | ve it blow up in its

from the mine. A promise was throw America’s

happened? After all had:left what tion. down and beat to death something | resentatives and express

that Mr. Lewis now heads. He was| troublemakers, their head at the time of those|some action.

economy into BTS: given them that no man would be | chaos at" least once a year should] harmed, and the workers came out|speed the congress in its search to the and headed for their homes. What | for really explicit corrective legisla- | nue ey : If the average citizen will{inal negligence, specifically at Cencover the mine afforded, the union | only arouse from his lethargy long tralia, IIL workers turned on them and shot|enough to write congressional rephis relike 18 men. The murderers in that |sentment "at tHe present: imttmity) paid writers: for-o- isos. nssmnd Cage “were members of the unionjenjoyed by such professional maybe we'll get

It is also my belief that the United States of America is liable fullest exvent for these deaths and injuries caused by crim-

It is easy for those who are ignoranf and uninformed to be misled by

it-is gratifying .to have The Times tell the belated truth about why Mr. Lewis and the United Mine Workers left the coal mines Plast

Side Glances—By Galbraith

| | |

4:

¢

November. It would be pleasing indeed if others of our enterprising press who realize their duty to the public would confess their sins of - | omission and fulfill their duties and responsibilities to their long sufferTo me, government by injunction | smacks strongly of Fascist and 1 totalitarian forms of government. Let's return to the American way of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. . ; ‘. 3 » n “DAYLIGHT SAVING MAKES POOR. SUFFER FROM HEAT”

my Prank Galloway, 4806 EB. Washington

In a few weeks we will begin this so-called hypocritical daylight saving. The factories and stores will continue to use the same’ amount of electricity. Hundreds of poor people living in poorly ventilated rooms and who can't afford. an electric ‘fan to keep’ them cool in the hot early. hours of the evening are the ones who really suffer.

Wonder what our civic and labor leaders (?) think and are doing about this daylight saving farce? Fl Or are they in the same category | a8 politicians? They, come first. "We vote a 10c tax assessment for slum clearance, donate to charitable of-

“The two just don't Work fools we mortals be.

ganizations for the relief of the ‘| poor and underprivileged. and then “| |we show our ‘stupidity by adding a A_|N burden on these people in the form

that stage in front of those poor people, to perform my rope trick. I am bored, I am embarrassed, I am losing sleep, and there is nothing to do about it because there was a big advance sale. I must continue to stride up and down the stage making queenly noises for as long as it runs : . “The only thing that I remember a8 worsg was an expensive play in London, called ‘Conchita,’ in which

my perfume, snatched off the ‘wig and hurled it into the footlights. A fool could see the play was lost, so in the general spirit of things I turned a handspring and added to the riot.” . Probably no other actress in America could have held M. Jean Cocteau’s buzzard open for more than

France Desperately

WASHINGTON, April 14.—Secretary of State George C. Marshall has turned the spotlight once again upon the historic, coal-laden valley of the Saar, one of the key areas of Germany and of Europe. French Ambassador Henri Bonnet, after a short visit home, recently remarked that “the talk in Paris over the -lack of coal amounted to an obsession.” Dearth of that vital fuel caused intense suffering throughout the wintet antl seriously interfered with French recovery.

French Position Equivocal NOW THE American secretary of state proposes

(1) that the Saar be detached from Germany; (2) that allied control over it be ended and, (3) that it be made into an autonomous state integrated with France—immediately. Up to now the Fiench position has beep somewhAt equivocal. The Communist Vice Premier Maurite

‘| Thorez has called for “internationalization” of. the

Ruhr and the “economic integration” of the Saar. But he made it clear he had no annexation’ designs. The French Socialists have taken’ a somewhat similar stand. On voting confidence in Foreign Minister Bidault on the eve of his departure for Moscow, they, went on record against “any dismemberment of Germany.” The Popular Republicans (M. R. P., France's third great party, demanded a federal organization of Germany, but laid: stress. on coal...

tween Secretary Marshall's views and those of, Mr. Bidault. For while he has not asked for the political

| be iptegrated

i

to do something about it. At Moscow he suggested

There would seem to be little real differerice be-

in tion of the Saar, the creation of an auton-

And Says She Hates Acting

TALLULAH'S reputation for profane bluntness and the knife-edged crack, plus the fact that she never goes around hollering about being misquoted, is responsible for a great deal of the Bankhead legend. :The Bankhead fan club probably numbers more than “the combined membership of all the crooners’ giddy. kiddies, and has flourished for some 20 years

-PEHETS “HRTR OTIKEYS TE WHE AW SaMNg ar omg Bisel ufioth- here and in -Eaglandy: «wk sermon ib a ‘wig, ‘and on opening night the monkey; who- disliked This.

"following seems... somewhat. odd in.

Koa ro

light of Tallutah’s protest that she loathes acting, and =

does it only for money. . ha “Goddlemighty,” she said, mentioning that Orson Welles wanted her for “Lady Macbeth.” “Goddlemighty, but I hate acting. I don't know whether I hate it worse on the stage or in Hollywood.”

FOREIGN AFFAIRS . . . By Wiliam Philip Simms

Needs Saar Coal

with that of France would help her tremendously. A big producer of iron, France is poor in. coal. As

Germany developed industrially, she came to draw.

more and more on French ore. But as France's exports of iron to Germany rose from 32,720,000 tons in 1930 to 5,864,000 tons in 1938, German exports of coke to France steadily declined. As a result, Ger~ fnan steel production mounted to nearly 20 million tons in 1937 while Frarice produced 6,270,000 tons. This was bad business, both economically and politically. It helped make Germany the strongest military power in Europe while weakening France. At the same time it presented the seonomic absurdity of hauling heavy iron ore to thy coal mines instead of the lighter coal to the iron mines.

Area Is Rich

THE SAAR lies %ust across the French frontier «from Lorraine where, at Brie, are some of Bwxape's

richest iron deposits. It is the thfrd richest coalproducing area in Europe. Only th# Ruhr and the Upper Silesia surpass it. Ruhr coal is better for coking.. Nevertheless, millions of tons of pig iron

and steel are produced there annually and its metal-

lurgical industries are vast. A merger of the Saar

and Lorraine would be an economic success whatever

might happen politically. : - ‘After world war I, Marshal Foch and others wanted the Rhineland. “Tiger” Clemenceau merely demanded the Saar. President Wilson opposed its

annexation. But he did agree to make it a League

of Nations trusteeship for 15 years after which a

plebiscite would decide.. Meanwhile France sh “German, voted to go with Germany. ’ era

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