Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 January 1949 — Page 12

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‘Telephone RI ley 5551 Give TAohs and the People WEL Ping Thew on Wey

Governor’ s Program

few exceptions, the state government program : PE hea Henry F. Schricker in his message fo the General Assembly embraced sound reforms which, if adopted by the legislators and carried out by his administration, will bolster representative government and elinsinate some of the evils of political shiv, domination

of the Governor's reform propose which we

Believer Legisleurs should adopt ‘into law include :— 3ne didates for state offices

of the Legislature’ 8 membership re to adult population every 10 n the motor license laws so heavy tPucking lines vi fo Fo share of y maintenance—elimination - Hghnwa the liquor industry and extension of the present. Swo-yeat county offices to Boursyonr terms.

tion for repeal of the

for settling utility labor disputes. the two years the compulsory arbitra law has been in effect, it seems to have been working satis- ~ factorily. Labor has not been been handicapped in its bargainents and. the public has been protected from the

- danger of disastrous stoppages of water, power, trans ‘and communications services while disputes were

3 0. oo belive the Governor shod hve recommended the state's and correctional broader reforms in the rou Ee Hr

Stare wre Ty to ib

card-playing. EE wil be because of the persistency with which we hold on to that word “deal” which Webster defined as

of politics. ‘Theodore Roosevelt was perhaps the first President te put his political philosophy in terms of a deal. Only, he called it a “square deal.” He called for a square deal for : veterans as early as 1903, and 10 years later he was demanding “that big business ive the people 3 square dea.”

FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT pledged “ug "new deal” for the American people and it wasn't long until Huey Long reached back to the other Roosevelt and revived the square deal for his own version of a political party in Louisiana. With the election of Mr. Truman, political writers unable to-let go of what seemed like a good thing for headlines, fished around with “the Truman New Deal” dnd “Re-Deal.” But the President chose his own version: He's going to call it “The Fair Deal,” and, we Suspect, that one will stick.

Fast Action Needed THE late Republican Congress made a serious mistake when it refused to extend the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act for more than a single year and restricted the President's authority under this law. ; President Truman now asks the new Democratic Congress for quick action to correct that error. He wants the act extended for two full years beyond next June, with the hampering restrictions removed. We hope his request will be granted. Speed is essential because in April negotiations are to begin with 13 more nations on tariff and trade agreements such asthe United States signed with 22 countries in 1047. Prompt response by Congress to Mr. Truman's request will tell the world that America intends to continue to lead the movement, so vital to hopes for peace and prosperity, for progressive lowering of trade barriers by mutual agreements among nations. And it will carry out the Democratic platform pledge to restore the reciprocal trade program to full effectiveness. The Democratic platform doesn’t pledge a pay increase for the President, and Mr. Truman hasn't requested it. But he needs and deserves one, and this is something else that calls for fast action by Congress—action before his new term begins on Jan. 20. After that date the Constitution won't permit any change in his compensation for the next

four years.

Remedy at Hand

WEST Virginia's Democratic Senator Kilgbre wants to investigate lobbying and fix the law so that “bad lobbyists” will be curbed and “good lobbyists” will be allowed leeway. The most insidious lobbyist, he says, is the one who Siktius {8 be merely & Sonstituent and tries to win favors with “cases of f whisky, free Cadillacs and costly enter- : We venture the opinion that Congress can put lobbyists ~ of that type out of businéss, without writing any new law, whenever all Senators and Representatives develop the rity to refuse to be bribed by “cases of whisky, free and costly auger tiiing 1 and the courage to de-

ONE of the Governor’ 8 proposals on s which we do not |

blan will and with glad

difficulty to trace the ap- | glorious bright, spots +n my day, between American politics: of the: 20th vpyiz o Toy Skis LaPeer blue.

Baron Rees F Fogomy

i ae OLCOYES ” "Gloves hold a vital place in milady's ward-

but shabby old lady who wears someone else's

| east-off gloves, clean, but not new, The perfect

s that which “fits like a glove"! ~MARY BACON, Indianapolis.

You're coming, you're coming! Gray skies have turned blue, You're coming, you're coming! Oh, can it be true?

Have come back to stay. 8 wane watching and waiting,

And anchor him.safe in ° The harbor of HOME.” -BINA T. SARVER, Crawtordsville. ® oo o

WINTER LANDSCAPE

.Boftly over hill and valley come the snowin the night, with a blanket white and sparkling over earth, a wondrous sight! And wn rose tints of beauty play and dahce across the snow as “Old Sol” puts out the can-

_dles of the stars that faintly glow. . . Winter

. But ere long the days will lengthen and the warm breeze, softly driving out the breath of winter and his ket, white, of snow, . . . Then the hills again flourish as the landscape turns to green, tiny buds and blossoms deck the land . Bright and thrilling, ever comes the springtime, new,

With a new day full of promise and fresh hops

for meé and you! ~MARY LARKIN COOK, Anderson. ® & ©

JEWELS

The jewels I gather along my way

‘The bright spots, an abundant store, May they fill each day and more . . Then when I look back upon the years My jewels will outshine the tears, : The tragedies and fears! ~ROSE ELLET BOUSE, Indianapolis. ;y ® 0% @ s

THE LOVE OF HOME

In the dull gray of the morning, Or the soft rose close of the day, In the rain that pounds in the evening, Or the ermine of winter's array. :

In the tender sun of a springtime, Or the heat of a summer's mad clime, I walk through the streets of my birthplace, Proud of this homeland of mine.

For how can a change in the weather, The sunshiiie, the rain or the snows, Slow the beat of the heart that is. weided By love, to the home that it knows.

~OPAL MeGUIEE, Bipont.

ELECTION PAYOFF .

. By E T. Leech

New Spoils System Under Way

. WASHINGTON, Jan, 12—It's a good thing for the country that every group can't claim it elected Mr. Truman, as union and farm leaders are doing. We'd never be, able to pay the bill if other large groups were making the same demands for an early and handsome payoff. Obviously, you couldn't pay everybody. For somebody has to do the paying instead of being paid. As the new administration gets under way, farm and union leaders have the inside track in the 1949 version of the old spoils system. They have even pushed the professional Democrats to the second table. - The votes had scarcely been counted before union conferences and conventions began adding up their demands. These include instant repeal of the Taft-Hartley Law, higher minimum wages, increased Social Security, federal ald to education, government medicine and other

Now the farmers are into actibn, through various organizations. What they want is high crop SP Prices n government guarantee, no matter how big the crops. They call it “parity payments.”

‘Parity’ Is important Word

THIS word “parity” stumps a lot of people —particularly city dwellers. They'd better start understanding it, for it's a big item in the prices they pay for food. : In effect, “parity” has come to mean a subsidy designed to assure profits to farmers, Technically, “parity” means the relationship between the prices of crops and of other articles. You would have full parity if what the farmer raises—for example, a bushel of wheafi-would buy the same amount of other goods it did 40 years ago. The government has been aiming to keep farm prices at 90 per cent of that level, and the farmers want it kept there. The present law would permit farm prices to fall to between 60 and 90 pér cent of parity after 1949, depending on the size of the crops. But the farmers want crop prices regardless of how much they raise. Uncle Sam, under that plan, would have to buy or make loans on the surpluses—and then get rid of them in some way that wouldn't cut prices. Such as giving them away abroad. Or destroying them. Parity started as an emergency scheme to

- benefits.

eprevent unusual losses to farmers. But it de-

veloped into a system for assuring them profits. They are the only businessmen in the country guaranteed profits through government subsfiles. And they want to keep that advantage. Complications are involved in the demands for prompt payment being made by both unions and farmers. If the unions get what they want, prices of goods produced by their members will go higher. That would force parity up, which would raise food prices. If that happens, it would force wages up, which would raise prices, which would again raise parity. Etc., etc, etc.

Working Old Spoils System

WHAT we are now seeing is nothing new except in a few details. Business groups used to collect in the same manner from the Republicans through tariffs, subsidies and other favors. It is merely a group or bloc development of the old spoils system, That system is one of the oldest in the history of governments. A Roman writer, Sextus Propertius, gave it a slogan in these words: “Be the spoils theirs whose toil has won it.” During ‘the presidency of Andrew Jackson— whose party gave the system a great workout —a New York politician, Sen. Marcy, phrased it in Americanese: “They (the politicians) see nothing wrong in the rule that to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy. ” Individual politicians can’t clean up as easily as they once could. Civil Service restrictions, competitive bidding, laws against letting contracts in which there is self-interest and other restrictions have been set up to curb the spoils system. But it has moved on a big scale into the field of pressure groups, which claim -rewards on the basis of votes delivered. That's what the unions and farmers are about to do.

Paid by Majority

THE big thing to remember is that special favors paid to any group have. to be financed by the rest of the public. Those who do the paying for them have to outnumber those who get paid—or the scheme wouldn't work. Any minority which gets a special advantage does so at the expense—of the majority. Also, even the minority shares in the expense—as the farmers will do if they force food prices so high that they cause wage increases and thus Inflate prices in general.

; Keep letters 200 words or less on any sub- * ject with which you are familiar. Some letters “used will be edited but content will be pre werved, for bere dhe Puuply Spear i Prondam,

‘U.S. Aid for Education’

By Alfred Baker Lewis.

Congress social welfare and civil Tights. legalation that he advocates Becawst the people, showed clearly by their

wan Typical of such legislation is the proposal provide federal financial aid to education,

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states and counties are very hard pressed pay for -decent education. - Mississippi, for example, pays ol for education than any other sta sissippi actually: pays out ht —~—e. ,0f its taxable capacity education other states. The rest aim nation suffers from poor education in Mississippi or elsewhere, partly because Mississippi citizens can and do move to other states, and partly because the Senators and Representatives elected by poorly educated voters in Mississippi pass on tion that effects the rest of the mation

i | £ FL ss

Urges Day of Mourning By Isaac Schwartz

Sept. 30 should be an international day of mourning. On that date in 1938 the Pact of Munich sold millions of helpless people into slavery and death. Nations must observe such a day of infamy 85 an eternal memorial to a crime in which “great powers” deliberately wrote away the lives of countless millions of people. as well as the peace of the world for centuries to come.

940.000, wounded 34,400, rt by the Vatican, Nov.

nely 2000 billions of - dollars—enough to. pay for the high school education of 300 million children. .- Yet new wars bringing more death and more waste are here today; new hatréds spawned by. Munich, I, therefore urge that Sept. 30 as the day of infamy be observed by the victors and losers as the eternal memorial to greed that could not see beyond tomorrow; that all nations acknowl-" edge the futility of expediency and the shame of compromise when moral issues are at stake. * & ¢ .

‘Whole T Whole Thing Is Silly’

Sometimes I actually feel sorry for the womenfolk. First it was the new look in

dresses that got them all -in a dither, poor —

things, and now it’s going to be the new fourcolor bridge cards. It is claimed these new cards were made to end mistakes and if so, we're pretty sure they were intended for the ladies. Each suit has its own distinctive color;

hearts are red, clubs are green, spades are :

black and diamonds are orange. There is a suit symbel and digit in every corner of every card to double-check the suit and card identi. fication, instead of in just two corners. We feel that the whole thing is silly because women play bridge, talk about a thousand things at

the same time and mever even look at the -

cards.

bridge game is no worse than the man who buys the new super-duper, air-cooled center golf ball which is supposed to add 15 yards to every drive. Because even if the ball would go 15 yards farther it only puts him that much farther in the woods or the adjoining cow pasture. * ©

‘Get Rid of Rats’

By M. L. C, Anderson, Ind. I see articles in the paper on rats. They are terrible and destroy much valuable property. Here is my remedy to get rid of them. There are now on sale the old-style rat traps, made ‘of one-half inch mesh hardware metal cloth. Get one and set baited where rats frequent. At first, get them to coming for food before catching. Then when they start coming in droves, set the trap to catch them and get as many as possible. Then, when they start coming In droves, set the trap to catch them and when they are In the trap together, put trap with rats in it in deep water and drown all at once. Now if this is done as above, your other rats will all disappear and never return. Let's do this

| at the same time and all work together,

FOREIGN POLICY . . . By Marquis Childs New Truman Pattern

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12--The staff planning leading up to the appointment of Dean Acheson to be Secretary of State and James E, Webb to be Undersecretary gives some justifitation to --talk-of -a “new Truman administration.”

new faces have been added.

The whole approach to the State Department and the issues of forelgn . policy; brought to the fore by Secretary of State Marshall's enforced resignation, was carefully thought out and the choices deliberately made. The goal, particularly as reflected in the selection of Mr. Webb, is to reshape the Department as an instrument of foreign policy. Mr. Webb will step into the department without any prior prejudices or convictions and the President intends to back him to the limit in the changes he considers essential. As it was phrased when the White House was planning the appointment, Mr. Webb has no “entangling alliances” within the i

which might hamper him.

Noisy Opposition Expected

WITH respect to Mr. Acheson, there will certainly be an opposition and a noisy one, if only from such personal antagonists as Sen, Kenneth Wherry of Nebraska, who frequently in the past made Mr. Acheson a whipping boy. The opposition is not, however, likely to cause the administration any serious

embarrassment.

This phase of the appointment, too, was thofoughly conThe White House staff discussed with Mr.

brother of the former Department assistant charged with perjury in connection with confidential from department files.

Donald Hiss is a partner in the large law firm of which Mr. Acheson is a partner and which he will leave to become secretary. The White House was satisfied that not a single scintilla of evidence developed by the House Un-American Activities Committee

touched Dondld Hiss,

Moreover, whatever the outcome of the case against Alger it will not come to trial until late in February-—the White House was convinced that his role in the State Department had been

| Malicious SO

THERE have been efforts to make it seem as thotigh Alger Hiss, who was present as a technical adviser at the’ Yalta con.

ference with the Russians, actually played a advising

velt and uence his. decisions,

is malicious fantasy. From one of those present at political ax to grind, I Yalta, Alger Hiss saw Mr. Roosevelt perhaps sr RnR | §

Ii Bbhimibo nO, learned that at

of the U. 8. delegation.

lt adil, :

It is not merely that

Roosevelt to make major a wi Its intimated that he sat at the ¢lbow of the ailing Mr. Roose-

Side Glances

State

COPR. 1949 BY NEA SEWWINE. WC. 7, W. AEG. U. §. PAT, OFF. fw

"She's not toe good looking and her folks haven't got a lot of money—| guess she just has to get the best grades!”

By Galbraith

of America.

standard

technical assistants in

year ago, -then the role in

Stalin. | nomination,

have

Mr. Acheson worked with Alger Hiss as he worked with other in-the department. He admired his efficlency and his intellectual capacity. If Gen. Marshall had suffered his illness and operation a President would have had to placate the Republican majority in the Senate with a “non-controversial”

That is not true today. The action of the Democratic

may, it seems to me, properly voice.

ARMY RED TAPE . . . By William H. Newton

Radio Chance Missed

FRANKFORT,-Jan. 12— Army red tape is preventing one of the most powerful radio voices in Europe from telling the story

While the State Department is spending millions on shortwave broadcasts to Europe, the U. 8. Army with a much more powerful radio voice is feeding hillbilly music to the Europeans. The American network of the armed forces radio services operates cight stations in the U, 8. zone of Germany. Two of these—at Munch and Stuttgart—are 100,000-watt stations each among the most powerful in the world. permitted any radio station in the U. B. on standard wave length is 50,000 watts.) But instead of using this powerful voice to project the story of America deep behind the iron curtain, military authorities have decreed that the programs be confined to entertainment and education of American soldiers and civilians in Germany,

For Handful of Americans

THIS means that stations with a potential listening audience of 100 million people are being operated for a maximum of 150,000 Americans in Europe. Since the great majority of these are on duty during daytime tours, the eight stations are broadcasting to millions of Europeans programs designed solely for a handful of Americans. The Voice of America comes in at a whisper on the shortwave bands. Radio Munich's powerful station blares the all-Army programs through loudspeakers all over Europe. The all-Army program Short-wave sets which will pick up the Voice of America are hard to get—and dangero The Army operates stations in Stuttgart, Munich, Heidelberg, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Berlin, Bayreuth and Frankfort 18 hours a day. Between them, and especially with the powerful stations of Munich and Stuttgart, they

(The maximum power

is on a regular broadcast frequency. angerous to use—in some European countries,

enough = on

provide strong broadcast frequencies to reach every country in Europe. Letters from listeners indicate Army programs are heard regularly in 20 European countries Inaluling several behind the fron curtain, But since the programs are what the Army believes to be the GI taste, they do not have much appeal to Europeans.

No Material for Argument

CURRENT instructions prohibit the Army stations from presentifig' any controversial material and they cannot broadcast

designed entirely for

says the “mission” of the eight Army stations is to provide information, education and entertainment for U. 8. troops and for civilian employees and dependents, Unfortunately, the Army Europeans as the voice of America because so many more millions can tune in on them and never hear the short-wave

rmy programs are widely ‘regarded by

No interpretative news or commen 18 posmatiod. A rn i death iF SommmAry ha :

hour in the afternoon

i ith

Buying these: new cards to improve their

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