Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 13 October 1949 — Page 22

The Indianapolis Times . A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER er

ROY W. HOWARD WALTER LECKRONE HENRY W. MANZ President Editor Business Manager

PAGE 22 Thursday, Oct. 13, 1949 and by Ind polis Times od press. ¢ Hows ch aden Fg HET Bh $150 a vear. daly 55.00 , x 4 $1.10 a none Sanday oes ovr. . Telephone RI ley 5551

Give Lioht and the Peovle Will Pind Their Own Way

Fact Finding Needed WHAT bappene to the John L. Lewis welfare and

A major job of government fact finding is needed to answer that question. It bears vitally on both the coal strike and the steel strike. The fund was accumulated in a little over three years. A little over one year of lavish spending so nearly exhausted it that benefit payments had to be stopped. Neither the coal miners, the government nor the public knows why. : The miners struck because their welfare and pension benefits were suspended. The steel workers struck for a gimilar fund, financed, like the Lewis fund, entirely by employers. Nobody can be sure what fappened to the Lewis fund, or whether similar systems in steel and other industries could escape a similar fate. . Yet around a million workers already are idle because of efforts to revive the fund and to obtain such a fund for steel workers. It's time to find out all about that mysterious but important fund—how it operated and why it was depleted so fast. And this fact-finding job is emphatically one for the government. a » ¥ » ” THE government gave Mr. Lewis the contract that started the United Mine Workers’ fund. That was in 1946, when the coal mines were under government seizure. The contract empowered the union to collect a tax of five cents on each ton of coal mined. A year later the mines were returned to their owners, who agreed to increase this private tax to 10 cents a ton. After another year it was doubled again, to 20 cents a ton. The first year a relatively small amount in welfare benefits was disbursed. Then disagreements among the fund's trustees stopped outgoing payments, while tonnagetax collections continued to accumulate. - Two of the three trustees—Mr. Lewis and Sen. Bridges finally voted to resume benefit payments and start an elaborate system of pension payments on July 1, 1048. A balance of nearly $43 million was reported in the fund on that date.

. IN the next 12 months, payments out of the fund were reported as almost $105 million, compared with receipts of less than $01 million from the tonnage tax. And by Sept. 17, 1049, the balance had been so nearly exhausted that benefit and pension payments had to be suspended. The fund was depleted, not by refusal of the operators to continue paying in, but by heavy spending—plus frequent strikes and:Mr. Lewis’ three-day mining week, which eut down tonnage and revenue. Today the whole American economy is jeopardized by tndustrial conflicts growing out of this scheme. The American people are entitled to know the full truth about it and to have those conflicts settled in the light of established tacts.

Time Doth Change All

THE period of 1846 to 1857 was one of booming prosperity in the United States. We had fought a successful war with Mexico, discovered gold in California, added thousands of miles to our railway systems and greatly increased our exports. In short, we were eating high on the hog and there was talk of “the American empire.” With our immense resources only partially developed, this country looked like a swell place for British investment.

which we needn't go into here for they were highly controversial. Soon our government was living hand-to-mouth, or as one Congressman pithily put it, “obliged to go to bed without its supper.” » . . = " ” ALMOST immediately our British friends became vitally concerned, not only because they had investments in this

to tide us over and were being asked for more.

in that doleful year of 1837 there appeared a cartoon in the London magazine, Punch. It has just come to light again. Titled “The American Crisis,” it showed an earnest, businesslike John Bull shaking an admonitory finger at a raffish Uncle Sam, The caption was “Mr. Bull (to his extravagant child): The fact is, Jonathan, both you and your wife have been living too fast.” It is not of record that anyone got sore about it. See what we mean?

Oil for the Reds of China

AMERICAN tankers under charter from Romania are carrying high test gasoline and oil to Soviet-controlled ports in Manchuria. The head of the shipping firm in New York said the State Department informed him it had no objection to the _ tankers being chartered to the Soviet satellite. With this evidence that our economic strength is being . edged in behind the Chinese Communists, it isn’t any wonder * that they are winning the war, -

Didn't Retire at 65

Ral hots:

THEE Central Railroad of New Jersey had a special guest 7 the other day. It put on a private car for Alexander C. served his breakfast on his ride from Plain.

back home that evening in the private car. ~~ Mr. Wilmerding, who has been commuting daily over the road for 66 years and is the company’s oldest commuter, 18 90. He works daily in his photographic supply office. If he had been in some lines of employment he would been forced to retire 25 years ago. : Tae HONE > Not

Then in 1857 came a sudden, sharp panic—reasons for

Colorado on Gaming Spree

Two Major Scandals” . . Mar Racing Picture

. Who legalized pari-mutuel betting last November set the stage for the biggest gambling spree since the state's fabulous gold rush days. The gambling bonanza also has provided two major racing scandals. Speculators were quick to provide capital for dog racing plants at Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo after voters approved parimutuel betting. An ultra-modern plant was erected on the outskirts of Denver by the Mile High Kennel Club for $750,000, and dog racing returned to the state for the first time since 1914. , Legalized betting on horse racing took place at Hayden, Brush and Kremmling during the past season. A $1,600,000 plant is being built 10 miles south of Denver, and is expected to be in action next year. ai

Five Per Cent for State

IN 172 days of racing—both horse and dog —a total of $9,280,547 passed through the parimutuel windows. The state collected 5 per cent, and breakage, to add $583,150 to its treasury. Trouble arose after a horse racing fran-

which is building the plant near Denver. It developed that J. H. Monaghan, chairman of the Colorado Racing Commission, which granted the franchise, was a partner of M. M. Mitchell, president of the Centennial Turf Club, in the ownership of a stable of race horses. Monaghan resigned from the racing commission and Mitchell quit as head of the turf club after an investigation of their partnership was ordered by Gov. Lee Knous.

Juggling Pools ANOTHER scandal developed when five employees of the dog racing track at Colorado Springs were arrested for allegedly juggling

000. Their trial is pending. Not all around the pari-mutuel windows. Slot machines are numerous in the state, although the “one-armed bandits” operate illegally. Most enforcement officials say they will issue warrants whenever complaints are filed. But few are filed. An exception occurred in the historic mining town of Central City, where Justice of the Peace Lowell Griffith sprinkled the town with 31 warrants in a crusade against slot machines. His action aroused the ire of most townspeople who felt that “gambling is necessary to maintain thp historic atmosphere of the town.”

Charges Dismissed -

CHARGES against the 31 were dismissed after their cases were removed from Griffith's jurisdiction, District attorneys who had trouble finding slot machines later were enlightened by the U. 8. Bureau of Internal Reveriue which reported that Federal taxes had been paid on 2389 slot machines in the state. The “one-armed bandits” take for the year was estimated at nearly $15 million.

MY TRAVELS

I have always wanted to take a trip Into some far-off land, To sail the salty ocean Embark on a foreign sand.

I have often dreamed of the pyramids Those monuments of old, And I've longed to go to Egypt And search for yellow gold.

And they say in far-off China The dragons all are tame, And when the children go to play These dragons join the game. .

I want to see the sunset in The land that's known as France, For they say that when the sun goes down The fairies start to dance.

Now I've heard it said quite often And it's very true, I'm sure, That old Robin Hood of England Through the dark, green woods does tour.

And T want to smell gun powder As the Arabs ride to war, And the fishy taint of seamen As they crowd up to the bar.

And the sea-gulls wheeling overhead The velvet moss below, The rain of darkest Africa - And Iceland with its snow.

I want to travel far and wide Past mountains and past brooks, But the only travels that I take Are travels found in books. —MISS BRIDGET RAGAN, Indianapolis. LE

FOSTER'S FOLLIES

(“Dallas—Full college education predicted for police.")

country but because they had lent-leased considerable sums |

Well, we don't mean to labor the analogy but, anyway, |

field to New York, gave him a birthday cake when he rode

Strange things may soon eventuate In rugged Dallas town: Each cop a college graduate, Bedecked in cap a gown,

Strange doings in the city jail; Some suspects going free; Till master cops from State and Yale Produce a third degree!

SIDE GLANCES

@

chise was granted to the Centennial Turf Club, |

pools and bilking bettors of an estimated $50, |

gambling activity has centered |

DENVER, Colo, Oct. 13—Colorado voters |

By Galbraith

SOPR0 TWA SCE, eT the, 8. Par. eee : "Just take this right back to that butcher and ask him if he Winks you're dumb enough to accept such a bony steak!"

‘teacher in the Indianapolis

\

ANDTHE ~ YEP! YOU GUESSED TT. Now ifs A PERMANENT JOB/

Le 0

LEGAL BETTING ... . By Robert Lee | Triumph of Something or Other |

QC \ SURPLUSES

A

ar SURPLY S33

OUR TOWN . . . By Anton Scherrer

History of Simplified Spelling

YOU ARE living in a fool's paradise if you believe that Theodore Roosevelt brought about simplified spelling all by. himself. Two citizens of Indianapolis—David Starr Jordan and John H. Holliday also had a hand in it. Mr. Jordan, a native of : Gainesville, N. Y., was a High School (now Shortridge) from 1874 to 1873. A year later the Indiana Medical College pronounced him a full-fledged M.D. Three years later while teaching at Northwestern Christian (now Butler) University, that institution made him a Ph.D. He spent the next 12 years at Indiana Uni-versity-—the first six as professor of zoology, the remainder as president. In 1891, he was called to California to serve as president of Leland Stanford University. These facts are paraded today to show that Prof. Jordan's career paralleled the history of simplified spelling. As early as 1870, a group of scholars calling themselves the American Philological Association got interested in the subject, The movement was formally launched in 1878. On that occasion the reformers came from all parts of the country to participate in a ‘Convention for Amendment of English Orthografy.” Subsequently, they called them-

selves the “Spelling Reform League” and finally

with complete abandon, “the Simplified Spelling Leag.”

Sponsored Leag

SOME very imposing scholars sponsored the Leag, among them our own David Starr Jordan. As for Theodore Roosevelt, he wasn't heard of then. The fact is that he was only 18 years old and probably nothing more than an obscure Harvard undergraduate at the time. Theodore Roosevelt got around to simplified spelling when he was elected President. By that time some unsung genius connected with the U. 8B. Pension Office had cataloged 1690 different ways of spelling the word “diarrhoea,” all of which had turned up in the applications of Civil War veterans asking for financial aid. The discovery completely upset Andrew Carnegie with the result that he handed over $250,000 (the equivalent of eight Carnegie libraries) to set up a commission designed to bring order out of chaos.

Dictionary Full of Holes

IMMEDIATELY, President Roosevelt (and his: commission) went gunning. When the shooting was over, the dictionary was peppered full of holes with the bloody result that a lot of letters toppled over dead. Indeed, when picked up, the word “diarrhoea” looked like “diarrhea.” Not much of an improvement, to be sure, but sufficiently impressive to show that a reform had set in. . A coroner's inquest also revealed that in the struggle, the words “humour” and “rumour” had their penultimates shot from under them. As for the words “axe,” “woe” and “good-bye,” they lost their tails. The diphthongs took a terrific beating too. When Mr. Roosevelt laid down his gun, the word “phoenix” looked like “phenix” and “sulphur” like “sulfur.” Which

FRANKFURT, Oct.

normally receive.

substantially as possible, stability of the world.

Worried Over Trend

branch of our government.

jump in and take over.

» -

13—Germany is playing both against the middle—and winning. Russia fears the western powers, and needs Germany. The western powers fear Russia, and need Germany, Thus Germany, still officially the enemy, is currently the beneficiary of reconstruction help far beyond what she would

The United States is the principal source of that assistance. Our ‘country quite evidently believes Germany must be put back on its feet—industrially and economically—as fast and for the good of Europe, and the

Germany was a tremendously important world trade factor before World War II. It is argued that international economy requires that what Germany has in the way of natural resources and industrial skills be put back into circulation.

GREAT BRITAIN and France, for differing reasons, are viewing with some concern, approaching in some respects genuine alarm, the rapidity of the German recovery The British, because they fear German trade competition. The French, because they are apprehensive about a potential military resurgence by its border enemy. They point, in Justification for their concern; to the history of the last 30 years. The United States is gradually withdrawing its military forces from Germany, and supplanting them with the civil

Some examiners of this situation do not think this is so good. They express the opinion that we will one day live to | regret our haste in pulling out our armed forces. No matter what the internal conditions in Germany, they argue. Those who share (his belief base it largely upon the large number of middle-aged former Nazi leaders in politics and journalism who, they assert, are watchfully walitl until American interest in Germany's

Another reason they give is that those from whom leader

reminded a lot of people around here that David Starr Jordan spelled the word “sulphur” the President's way all the time he lived in Indianapolis, which was every bit of 30 years before Roosevelt got around to it. At that time, the Butler boys used to gather in small groups and whisper that Prof. Jordan didn’t know how to spell. Well, when the smoke cleared, it was discovered that President Theodore Roosevelt and his commission had 300 mutilated words in the bag, including, “tho” for “though” and “thru” for “through.” It was at this stage of the game that some wise guy rose to remark that “this was one of the occasions when that pioneer phonetic speller, Artemus Ward, would surely have said: “This is 2 much.”

25 Years Earlier

INCLUDED in Mr. Roosevelt's approved list was also the word “hight,” a discovery that led a lot of Indianapolis folks to remember that John H. Holliday omitted the “e” in the word “height” at least 25 years before the President did. The story has its source in the earliest days

of the News when Mr. Holliday was its first | editor, One day, so runs the legeffd, Mr. Holli- |

day got mad enough to track down the printer who had spoiled his best editorial. “Look here,” he yelled waving a paper hot off the press, “you spelled height without an e.” “I followed your copy,” said the brazen printer (what's more, he had). “Well” said Mr. Holliday making the most of an embarrassing situation, “if I spelled height without an e, that's the way to spell it.” And up until a couple of years ago (extending through a period of at least six decades), the News stuck to spelling the word height the way Mr. Holliday did notwithstanding the barrelful of letters received annually from schoolteachers, purists and the like calling attention to the typographical “error.”

E. W. Kemble's famous cartoon on ''Shooting Holes in the Dictionary."

Hoosier Forum"

“1 do not agree with « word that you sey, but | wil defend to the death your right fo say I.

‘Selfish Rule in Congress’ By Theo. B. Marshall, 1114 Tecumseh St.

Reorganization of 1946 increased their salary from $10,000 to $12.000 and a tax-free expense account of $2500 plus $500 for telegrams and telephone calls. the time this act was passed one of the paramount reasons given for the increase was that salaries would get more able nen into our Congress. That theory has certainly been exploded by the action of our 81st Congress and our bad enough 80th Congress.

terest of some of our people are concerned and they would benefit by an appropriation. They have placed selfishness above love of country: and the good of the people. Pure, untarnished selfishness seems to dominate most of their actions. When any mention of pensions or raise of pensions for deserving soldiers who are ng longer able to provide adequately for thelr needs comes up, they raise their voices in

shrieks of economy and the condition of the

treasury. They seem to consider all taxpayers fools and are pleased to place themselves in king's palaces while they deny the rest of people crumbs. In addition to this, members of Congress each year take many unnecessary jaunts all over the world at the expense of the taxpayers. They and other high government officials are privileged ‘o use government planes for weekend visits to their homes and return, and for other purposes which by no stretch of the mind could be considered official. They try to conceal all their selfish acts by an avalanche of lip service to the country,

stressing to «the nth degree our way of life,

Anytime they run short of material to deceive the people, they start waving the red flag of communism and talk about us losing our liberty, while they lay the foundation of destruce tion by creating in the minds of the people distrust and unrest and doubt, the causes of the downfall of governments, If communism or any other ism supplants our form of government it will not be accomplished through the actions of these isms, but Congress will force the people to revolt against their selfish rule. They should remember that you can’t fool all the people all the time, Much more good could be accomplished if they would turn the light inward and take stock of their own souls and profit thereby.

® ¢ 9

‘Rights of Patients’ By Mary J. Leach, 309 E. 34th St. A crusade has been started to “save the: people of Indiana from unethical doctors”— more specifically to drive all chiropractors out of the state.

First of all, chiropractors would not hive

patients of they were not getting results. It is. time for the chiropractic patients to start a counter crusade to retain their freedom of choice of doctors to consult when they are ill, Jt these ‘“‘do-gooders” succeed in driving chiropractors from the state because of our cume bersome and unjust application of law in denying them a license to practice, we will find ourselves in the position of having to go to Illinois, or some other neighboring state to get treatments, ' Hundreds of GI's are attending chiropractic colleges under the GI Bill of Rights. Why should Indiana deny them the right to use their knowledge obtained at the expense of the U. 8. government, and paid for by the taxpayers, by refusing to grant them a license? Isn't. there a law that none of the 48 states shall enact legislation that violates the Constitution of the United States? If the government recognizes chiropractic schools under the GI program, it is high time something is done to bring Indiana laws in line. Something must be done promptly by the patients who have benefitted by chiropractie adjustments to protect their rights, before the district attorney and the other self-appointed dictators drive all the chiropractors out of the

state by fines, contempt charges, and other ’

forms of persecution too numerous to mention, ® o

‘Legislation Is Anti-Labor’ By Henry Fremch, Cambridge City, Ind. If it ever happens that the common people of this country adopt any “ism” other than Americanism, it will be brought about by the anti-labor legislation that has been forced on us by our national and state legislatures. A lot of us voters still remember conditions prior to 1932 that brought the New Deal into

| being. And we must remember that if there

had been some subversive candidate opposing

!{ Mr. Hoover at that time, he would have been | elected. Now I am convinced that organized | labor is out to get rid of its enemies such as | our two able (?) Senators here in Indiana and | also the kingfish over in Ohio.

But why should we gripe when it has been

| said the NAM spent $100 million to get the | Taft-Hartley Law on the books to protect us

poor working people. Nice of them wasn't it?

What Others Say

I FIND it extremely difficult to put a price 1g on world peace.~Sen. Tom Connally (D), ex. > © 9 IT'S the most dangerous gun there is.—~Confederate veteran Thomas A. Riddle, 108, on the atom bomb.

WESTERN POWERS AND RUSSIA . . . By Louis B. Seltzer

Germany Plays Both Ends Against Middle

ends mostl

debating.

ship in Germany is likely to be drawn in the next 20 years are those who were thoroughly indoctrinated in their ime pressidnable youth with the Nazi ideologies. Whether enough dependable leaders can emerge from this background to keep Germany industrially and economically strong and yet sufficiently removed from political or military waywardness is something a lot of our people, the British and the French are

Of one thing I am sure. That is, Germany is really coming back faster than the most optimistic observer would have thought possible five years ago. The indomitable will of the German people is expressing itself in a remarkably intensified

effort—joined in by all groups regardless of origins of economie

status—to get Germany back on its feet in a hurry, One thing which amuses both Americans and. Germans alike over heré’s our official “junkets,” mainly those composed of members of Congress. They come over under government

auspices, are dined and shown what their hosts wish them to

see, hear what bas been arranged for them to hear, and them ° the Congressman are given opportunity to sound off for thei constituents back home, and the “junket” is over.

Credit to Clay :

THE man everybody over here agrees did more than almost any other to help put Germany back on its feet and to throw the biggest scare into Russia since the end of the war is a little Southern gentleman in the uniform of the United States Army with some stars on his shoulders. His name—Gen. Lucius

Clay. -

everywhere. America

thus

internal affairs su es to

2 lie

When he stood up to Stalin at the time Russia blocked off the roads into Berlin and said, “All right, if that's the way you want to. play,

we'll get this stuff In by air” Russia lost face

gained prestige all over the continent. Everybody remembers “the little American general, Clay,” and nods ens when ths Berlin ’ All of Europe understood the Berlin air-lift. Some we should stick around a little while longer to be on hand ‘like that is necessary again. : eg

iy 3 Lm Sa »

-alr-lift is mentioned.

entist, in Boston terday in her h St. She was 76 An Indianapo than 34 years, sl! of the Second ( Scientist, here. ng are Gracia Hodges, .

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