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. . . EDITORIALS . . .
___ __
The Omaha Guide
Published every Saturday at 2418-20 Grant St.,
Omaha, Neb.
Phone WEbster 1750
Entered as Second Class Matter March 15, 1927
at the Post Office at Omaha, Neb., under the Act
of Congress of March 3, 1879.
Terms of Subscription $2.00 per year.
Race prejudice must go. The Fatherhood of
God and the Brotherhood of Man must pre
vail. These are the only principles which will
stand the acid test of good citizenship in time
of peace, war and death.
—.. , „ , .— . ■■■ . . . Ja.
Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, FEBRUARY 2, 1935
Getting Down To Earth
In his article, “The Future,” in the Satur
day Evening Post, General Johnson states
some frightfully plain truths. The one out
standing point he made is that the confidence
necessary to encourage the spending of sav
ings, the development of industry and the
employment of labor, is lacking.
“No amount of belaboring business and
talking about timidity, by men who never
conducted a business in their lives, is going
to change these essential responsibilities,” said
General Johnson. Many thoughtful and sin
cere students of present day problems have
pointed out this fact continuously.
The government cannot discourage private
Enterprise by going into business in compe
tition with it with tax-exempt plants financed
by public funds, and expect private industry
to go ahead. It simply cannot be done.
It. cannot increase expenses of industry' by
heavier taxes, NRA requirements and extreme
regulation which drastically limits or destrovs
earnings or opportunities, land expect the in
ves'or to pour his savings into labor produc
ing projects.
Industry wants to go ahead, it wants to em‘
ploy labor, but it cannot draw' on the taxpayer
to meet defiei-s as oan government operated in
industries. It has to see a change to make a
profit before it can rick its savings.
ment business, and hreatsh-b shrdlueaitoemfw
Private business cannot compete with gov
ernment business, and threats cannot change
that situation.
Regardless of whether one agrees w'ith Gen
eral Johnson, many of his statements have for
the first time presented in plain language some
ot 1 he underlying causes that are retarding
or preventing recovery.
Lights Vs. Lives
Night accidents constitute one of the most
serious factors in the growing automobile ac
cident problem. A recent survey on “Public
Safety as Affected by Street Lighting,” made
by an engineer of the National Bureau of Cas'
ulty and Surety Underwriters, presents a
graphic picture of the gravity of the situation
—and points to the cure.
The survey definitely proves that the old
supposition that the light provided by auto'
mobile headlights is enough, is false—the
poorer the grade of street lighting, the high
er the accident rate. For example, the night
fatality rate on streets with grade A light
ing is seven times higher than the day rate.
On streets with Grade B lighting it is 10 times
higher—and on streets with Grade D lighting
it is fifteen times higher.
Thi fact carries especial force now, inas
much as many communities, in the search for
means of cutting costs, have lowered their
street lighting standards. The result of this
policy is found in a comparison between two
groups of cities, one which increased street
lighting budgets while the other decreased
them. In the first case, night fatalities drop
ped 25 per cent, and caused an economic sav
ing of $2.07 per capita. In the second case,
fatalities rose 7.6 per cent, at an economic
cost of 69 cents per capita. This was poor
economy indeed—(measured either in dollars or
the coin of human lives.
Good street lighting is not a luxury—it is a
community necessity. It saves lives and
money. It is the first essestial step in solving
the night accident problem.
Government Can’t Do It All
During the past few years, the Federal gov
ernment has been working to develop and per
fect farm cooperative organizations. This work
has produced excellent results—probably no
other federal farm relief activity has been so
successful.
Unfortunately, this has led to a danger that
seems to be inescapable part of all government
ventures of the kind. A certain percentage
of farmers have come to look upon govern
ment as their economic savoir—to believe that
it, and it alone, wall iron out their troubles,
solve tbeir problems and bring them prosper
ity. Farmers who hold to this belief are ob
viously going to do little in their own behalf.
The fallacy of this attitude was well expres
sed recently by F. W. Peck, cooperative bank
commissioner of the Farm Credit Administra
tion, who said: “It is fundamental that those
responsible for the operation of business
cooperatives consider that their success de
pends upon them and their supporting member
ship and not upon the government.” In other
words, government is the ally of cooperatives
—bu* it is not and should not be their admin
istrator. It will do what it can t0 advance
their interests—but it will not attempt to
take over a cooperative organization and make
it succeed. That is the province of manage
ment and the farmer membership.
banners who look to government as a fin
ancial father deserve to fail. Farmers who de
termine to work out their own destines de
serve to succeed—and they will.
STATESMEN OR POLITICIANS?
It is not exaggregation to say that the ver
age business man looks to a session of Con- I
gress with dread and uncertainty. That has
been especially true during the past few years,
inasmuch as economic Stress has led to an over
supply of proposed “remedies” for all our fin
ancial and social ills—remedies which, for the
most part, would have been worse than the dis
ease.
Nothing could do more to encourage busi
ness, and the average ei. izen, than a conserva
tive, responsible attitude on the part of the'
present Congress. Conservatism does not ne
cesarily mean “stand-patism” but it does
mean a decent regard for our Constitution as
contrasted with the “isms” that are attacking
it. ft means that in the effort to bring about
needed reforms, honest businesses will not be
sacrificed to the Gods of Socialism, Commun
ism or Dictai orship. It means that charges
ot bad faith nd crookedness should not be
hurled at American business in general by pub
lic officials seeking temporary popularity at
publjc expense.
It is the common belief that responsible
Congressman of both parties are frankly wor
ried about radicalism within their own ranks.
It is hoped that the sound and sober thinking
servants of the people will be able to curb the
irresponsibles—and help restore that priceless
element—confidence—to the people.
DON'T SOAK MINING NOW
Most authorities are now predicting a sub
stantial rise in mining activities. If the rise
comes, the legislatures o the mining states
will have a good deal to say as to whether it
it to be permanent or transitory.
Before the depression, mining was contin
ually plagued by unfair tax and regulatory
laws. The result was that normal develop
ment was slowed down even when demand for
metals was high, Jobs were lost, capital was
discouraged. Long before economic storms
swept the country in general, mining faced
many problems.
Treat mining fairly when it starts to come
back and it will contribute much to increasing
employment and purchasing power. It will
cause the investment of money and develop
business and industry. The benefits will be
felt far beyond the borders of the mining
states—throughout the entire nation.
THIRTY-HOUR WEEK MENACES LABOR
t
i "
In concluding a recent study of the thirty
hour work wjeek for the Brookings Institute,
Harold (r. Moulton and Maurice Leven Says:
“Analysis of the economic effects of the 30
hour week clearly leads to the conclusion that
the measure would not promote nation wel
fare. It would prove detrimental to the in
terests of labor ... It vtould not promote
recovery and bids to intensify the depression.”
It is a historical truth that all social reforms
must come naturally and gradually through
evolution.—and that when we attempt to speed
natural) forces with the spur of legislation, the
result is damaging to the welfare of those we
seek to aid.
All Taxes Are Sales Taxes
No form of taxation is so bitterly assailed
as the sales tax. The political “friends of the
common people” have been especially viru'
let in denouncing it, on the grounds that the
burden of the tax falls more heavily on per
sons of small and moderate means than on the
wealthy.
._...l hat is all very well. But a very vital point
that the people do not realize is this: There is
no other kind of tax, so far as the effect, is
concerned, than the sales tax.
Every tax must be paid, and paid in full,
by the ultimate consumers of goods and pro
ducts. Every tax levied increases the cost of
necessities and luxuries we need and buy and
use. When we buy a pair of shoes we must
pay a score of taxes—the tax that was paid
by the raiser of the cattle, by the railroad that
transported them, by the factory that tanned
and cured the leather, by the manufacturer, by
the distributor, and finally, that paid by the
dealer is included in the cost of the pair of
shoes we get. That is true of food, clothing,
entertainment and everything else.
ECONOMIC
HIGHLIGHTS
Happenings That Affect the Dinner
Pails, Dividend Checks and Tax
Bills of Every Individual. Na
tional and International
Problems Insepara
ble from Local
Welfare.
According to the old saying, “The
mills of the gods grin dslowly—but
they grond exceedingly fine.”
That adage can be accurately ap
plied to the present Longress, as it
considers the President’s new recov
ery and relief program. £t is moving
slowly, it is talking a good deal and
it is gradually grinding out legisla
tion toward the two principal pro
jects of the Whte House—social secur
ity, and an unprecedentedly vast pub
1 c works program, designed to elimi
nate the dole.
The public works program is of the
most immediate interest. It will cost
$4,000,000,000—the largest draft ever
drawn against the United States
Treasury for any single purpose. It'
wHl pnt about 3,500,000 men to work
directly. And, if the President’s hopes
materialize it will put another 3,500,
000 to work indirectly, in jobs created
by the spending power of the first
3,500,000.
Equally important are the promised
prnciples upon which the program is ;
predicted. All work is to be useful,
in that it will either permanently im
prove living conditions or create new
wealth. Pay for workers will be
above the present “dole” level—but
will be low enough so that the men
employed will still keep an eye out for
jobs in private business. Projects will
be selected so as to use the largest
possible amount of labor for the mon
ey spent. The money will be alloted
on the basis of the greatest need—
that is, a state which has 20 per cent
of its people on relief will get more
than a state whch has but ten per
cent on relief. It is said the public
works program will avoid competition
with private enterprise, which is jus
tifiably jittery about government ac
tivities in the industrial field.
The list of possible public works has
not been completed, but a number are
known. Public buildings will be one
Bridge building will be another. Soil
conservation and sanitation will come
in for their share, as will tunnels,
flood dams and forest conservation.
Road building will naturally be near
the head of the list.
There was considerable dissatisfac
tion in Congress over the fact that the
President wants the public works
money under his control—Congress
men wanted to distribute it them
selves. However this idea seeems to
be definitely out—allocation of funds
will be in the jurisdiction of the
White House, through a board ap
pointed by the President.
So far as the social security pro
gram is concerned, it is finding rather
hard going. It seems that every Con-1
gressman has his own idea as to how
the ill, the aged and the unemployed
should be aided—there is much argu
ment, manly words and little agree
ment. By the time this is read, the
so-called Townsend Plan, whereby ev
ery person over 60 would be given
$200 a month by the government, will
probably have been introduced in the
ower house—proponents of the plan
claim enough supporters to get it
through. The President’s influence,
However, wil be thrown aggressively
against it and in favor of a much
more moderate policy.
Business reports are encouraging..
The country s experiencing gradual
improvement in about every line of
endeavor.
Trade, according to Dun & Brad
street, is rising above the levels of
1930 and 1931. Where, at the begin
ning of 1932, that company’s business
activity index stood at 50.1, it now
touches 74—a gain of 45 per cent.
This increase s largely due to retail
distribution gains, which are 5 per
cent above last year in New England,
8 to 12 per cent up on the Pacific
Coast, and 20 to 30 per cent improved
in the Middle West, with the balance
of the country showing rises of from
12 to lo per cent. Reports from grain
and livestock markets are also en
couraging.
Steel production is at 44 per cent of
capacity—a gain over recent levels.
It is still advancing. Electric power
production shows some gains. The
construction industry long dormant,
is showing signs of recovery, due
principally to the activities of the
Housing Administration which, after
a slow start, sfeems to be gathering
momentum in its drive to make peo
ple build and renovilze their homes.
A recent Annalist statement, sent
out over the financial wires, said, in
effect, that all matters of interest to
business are overshadowed by the
possibilities inherent in the Supreme
Court’s forthcoming decision on the
gold seizure act. It seems sure, how
ever, that quick remedial action will
be taken if the Court holds against the
government—Congress is prepared
for an adverse decision and bills are
already drafted in case it again be
comes necessary to revamp our mon
dy system.
Metals Rule The World
It is a historical fact that no nation
can achieve or maintain a postion as a
j first-class world power without ade
quate mineral resources, and a pro
gressive mining industry.
Everything we use in peace or war
—from plumbing to battleships, from
rifles to pens—involves one or more
metals. A country which is metallic-j
ally self conta.ned and does not need
to import metals, has a tremendous
advantage over a country which must
look beyond its boundaries for mine
products.
This is one more good reason why |
everything possible should be done to
bring recovery to the mines.
When The Railroads Fold Up
On the first of the year, several
branch lines of large railroads were
abandoned in a middle western state.
The abandonment was forced—as has
been the case with thousands of miles
of such line during the past few years
—by publicly subsidized and inequita
ble competition and regulation that
caused destruction of railroad reve
nues, which made it financially im- j
possible to keep on operating.
To the outside world, the abandon- 1
ment meant little—it was a rather a
dull item in a newspaper and nothing
more. To the communities affected,
it was tragedy. Men will lose their
jobs. Others will be transferred to
different places, and be forced to sell
their homes and possessions at bank
rupt prices—property in a town with
out a railroad is usually the next
thing to worthless.
Businesses in these communities
have announced 1 qudaton of their as
sets. Grain elevators and lumber
yards are closing down—and buildings
and equipment worth many thousands
are now' a drug on a dead market.
The towns and their counties are
losing a substantial part of their tax
revenue, which came both from the ;
railroads and the businesses which I
are liquidating. Th.s must result in
heavier taxes on all other property,
every bit of which is worth less now
than it was w'hen the railroad served
the community. The inevitable con
sequence of that will be retrogression
—ghost towns will stand in the places
that promised to be forw'ard-looking
little cities.
Such a suicidal railroad policy,
which penalizes the raiis on one hand
with taxes and iron-handed regula
tion and legislation, and pampers their
competitors on the other is responsi
ble for these abandonments. No pol- !
icy does more to promote depression. I
_ I
Preventing Fire Aids Business
Recovery
Will 1935 bring an epidemic of de-!
structive factory fires ? It may. if the
managers of industrial plants neglect
to make careful checks for fire haz- j
ards that urgently need correcting,
and if they fail to put equipment that
has not been operated for some time,
into proper working condition before
stepping up production. It is an in
vitation to fire to rush a factory into
production w'hen inactivity has ruled
during depression!
As factory operations increase, as
they eventually must, there is apt to
be a great rush for materials and an
unprecedented effort to produce fin
ished merchandise in large volume. A
fire as such a time would be disastrous
to most concerns. Multiplied a thous
and fold, such fires would slow up
business recovery. The very eager
ness for a speedy swing into the pre
depression stride might defeat its own
•purpose.
There is one simple yet effective
plan for exposing fire hazards so that
they may be corrected; that is, make
a detailed inspection of the plant. In
many instances inspecting mjuy be
done by the management itself, a
group of competent empoyes or a
committee of both, provided a correct
correct guide is followed in the work.
Such a guide is available in the form
of a self-inspection blank, which will
be furnished on request by the Nation
al Board of Fire Underwriters 85
John St., New York City. Inspections
should be thorough and periodic and
all essential data should be put in
written form. It is evident that in
spections will be worthless, however,
unless the fire hazards discosed are
corrected at once.
Fire is one of the chief enemies of
industry. Business men can spare
themselves much loss and worry by i
devoting sufficient time to a thought
ful study of how to prevent fire on
ther own premises, and by inaugurat
ing an adequate system of inspections.
COUNTING THE COST
By R. A. Adams
(For The Literary Service Bureau)
No truly wise man ever will
Begin with haste undue, to buld
A superstructure, until he
Hath reckoned what the cost will be.
The wisdom of this course appears.
And has been proved, by many tears,
Of those whose fondest projects fell,
Because they did not reckon well.
So this advice I'd give to you:
Whatever you essay to do,
Lest al 3»our efforts should be lost,
First reckon what will be the cost.
Ths final thought: E’re works of sin,
Ever in weakness you begin
Cost fully calculate, but know
The reaping wll be as you sow.
“LOOKING BACK”
By Videtta Ish
i (For The Literary Service Bureau)
INEQUALITY IN CONDUCT OF
THE HOME
It used to be that husband and wife
worked in harmony, in conducting the
home. Usually the husband looked
after things outside and the wife
those on the inside.
Though as a general thing the wife
had her way about things in the
home, she would consult her husband
and ask suggestions. In things finan
cial, friend husband would not make
departure from the routine of things
without consulting the wife. In
these cases husband and wife were
frank and honest with each other.
Each one sought the approval of the
other.
But now, it is not unusual to hear
the husband swear and tell the wife,
‘It’s none of your d- business
what I do.’ Often wife loses her
temper and raves foolishly. Some
times wives are heard to insist angri
ly, ‘This is n^/ house, and I have the
right to run t as l please.’ Husband
often storms, ‘I make the money; I’ll
spend it any way I want to.’ Looking
back, I consider the old way, of equal
ity and cooperation best.
Weekly Short Sermon
By Dr. A. G. Bearer
(Fcr The Literary Service Bureau)
(AN AKIM)
Text: And we saw the giants, the
sons of Anak, there.—Numbers 13:33.
Anakim is the pural of the term
Anak. Anak means giant, so Anakim
would mean giants. Moses had sent
out men to make a survey of the land
which the Lord had promised to the
children of Israel. Two of these spies,
Caleb and Joshua, carried back good
reports. The others presented dis
couraging reports. They said excit
ingly “We saw giants, the sons of
Anak there; in comparison, we are
but grasshoppers and we cannot over
come them.” And they were ready
to turn back from the very borders of
the Land of Promise. The good spies,
Caleb and Joshua said, “Yes we did
see the Anakim, there, but we are
able to overcome them; so, let ug go
up and possess the land.”
So, on the borders of some promised
land of golden opportunity many be
come discouraged because of the gi
gantic difficulties encountered. They,
say, “These difficulties are giants'
they are like mountains, we cannot
overcome them.” And they turn back
and lose their quest because of weak
ness and cowardice. But, those who
are brave, courageous and strong
hearted will press on—and they will
win in spite of the Anakim who may
oppose. Let us be good spies—like
Caleb and Joshua and defy the Ana
kim.
WHAT AILS YOUNG WOMEN?
By R. A. Adams
(For The Literary Service Bureau)
The thing in mind is the recklessness
of young women in exposing them
selves to all kinds of dangers, in
spite of the tragedies which are of
daily occurrence.
Many young women go joy-riding
with the whole company under the in
fluence of rum. They go riding with
entire strangers. They pet in motor
cars, on highways. They have sex as
sociation with men who are strangers
and risk ruin from venereal disease.
Like Barrow’s Bonnie Parker, they
join men in crime. They wreck their
bodies by reckless, wild living, tin all
of these and in other ways they dare
fate and gamble with destiny.
Is it the superiority complex which
makes a girl think she can do with
impunity what has proved destructive
to others? Is it the foolish and dan
gerous desire for excitement and no
toriety ? Is it a deadening of moral
sensibilities, bringing a condition of
callousness and indifference?
xms conduct cannot be attributable
to lack of education for many of
these foolish young women have edu
catonal advantages. In the light of
this manifestation of supreme folly
one asks “What ails young women?”
And it is impossible to escape the con
clusion that something is seriously
wrong.
“PROVERBS and
PARABLES”
By A. B. Mann
(For The Literary Service Bureau)
(“THE ETERNAL NOW”)
This may seem a paradox. “Now”
means ‘present’. ‘Eternal’ is under
stood “to be without limit”. But the
thought is that eternal interests de
pend on present activities. This is in
iine -with Longfellow’s:
“Trust no future howe’er pleasant
Let the dead past bury its dead;
Act, act in the living present
Heart within and God o’erhead.”
‘Delays are dangerous’. Procrasti
nation is the thief of time, Do it now,
Be wise, today, Tomorrow may be too
late. There is a tide in the affairs of
men, Seize opportunity by the fore
loca, all of these emphasize the
thought of ‘The Eternal now.’
MAXIE
MILLER
W RIT E S
(For The Literary Service Bureau)
Buyiag “Pig in Bag” Bad business—
Too Great a Bisk Marrying Stran
ger—Let the Gentleman Call—Go to
a Man to Marry Him? Never!
(For advice, write to Maxie Miller,
care of Literary Service Bureau, 516
Minnesota Ave. Kansas City, Kans.
For personal reply send self-addressed
stamped enveope.)
Maxie Miller:—I am, puzzled stiff.
I’m in love, or I think I am. I’ve nev
er seen the boy, but have been writ
ing to him and now he wants me to
marry him. He doesn’t like my home
state, says he won’t come here*, but
will send me money and I can come to
him and he’ll marry me as soon as J
get there, or send me back if I don’t
want to anarry him. What must I
do? I know you know.—Jennie
Wrenn.
Jennie Wrenn:—You should need no
advice. Your own good sense would
tell you not to think of such folly.
It's iike buying a “pig in a bag”. A
man who does not love you enough to
go to your home does not love you
enough for you to marry him. Thus,
you’d be a dozen kinds of a fool to go
to this stranger. He might compro
mise you and not marry you after all.
Or perhaps when you see him you
would not want him, i/et, under the
circumstances, you might marry him
and ruin your life. Better stay where
you are.—Maxie Miller.
The Hawaiian*
The Hawailans are Polynesians, not
Malays who are a branch of the Mon
golian race. The Polynesians, al
though of similar features, language,
customs, religion and traditions, are
not a pnre race. They are supposed
to be mainly of Aryan origin, with In
fusions of other bloods, and to have
come from Asia by way of the Malay
peninsula and Java, and thence from
Island to Island by various route* In
their migrations eastward, northward
and southward, and to have reached
Hawaii, probably from Samoa, about
the year 500 A. D.
I '
Black Flowers
There are dark shades of pansies,
tulips, roses, etc., which are not ab
solutely black but are considered near
ly black. The darkest rose known is
said to be an old hybrid perpetual,
Empereur du Maroc, now out of culti
vation In America. A registration of
the American Rose society Is Queen
of Spades, a hybrid tea rose, which
under glass comes probably as near to
black as any other rose.
A Platoon School
A platoon school is an elemen
tary school organized in two ma
jor divisions, with a program ’of
studies so arranged that the di
visions alternate in using the two
kinds of school rooms, as class and
study rooms on the one hand, and
shops, laboratories, auditoriums and
gymnasium on the other, and thus ful
ly utilize the physical resources of tne
school plant
_ I
Discovered Quinine
The Indians of Peru used and In
Introduced it to the Jesuit pr.ie«ts. Be
tween 1629 and 163ft. the Countess of
Chinchon, .vice queen of Peru, lay ill
of a fever. She was cured by a brew
made from the bark of the plant, and
sent a quantity to Spain for experi
mentation. Hence, it has spread
throughout the world.
Produces Vitamin A
Young herbage, besides being a rich
storehouse of proteins, sugars, starches,
and essential minerals contains caro
tene which In trie body of an animal
produces vitamin A. This vitamin pro
motes growth in farm stock as well
as in human beings, and enables them
to resist disease.
Rooms in U. S. Capitol
In the United States Capitol there
are 430 rooms occupied as offices, com
mittee rooms, and for storage purposes,
with 679 windows! ahd 550 doors. Sky
lights occupy 14.5S1 square feet.
First Presidential Veto
The first Presidential veto in Amer
ican history was Washington s »eto <*f
the first congressional apportionment
Mil, April 6. 1792.
Honor Town’s Heroine
Inhabitants of the French village of
Beauvais have a special holiday each
year to honor the memory of the
lown’s heroine, Jeanne Hachette, the
local Joan of Arc. It was Jeanne who
saved the small city centuries ago
when it was besieged.
-- jT
Heligoland
Heligoland, German isle in the North
tea, is treeless, but not birdless. Mil- .
ions of migratory birds rest on the
•ocks. A change in the wind and
Jiey’re all gone. Because of its strat
egic naval defenses, Heligoland was
ince called the Gibraltar of the North.
Plant Detects Gas
The carnation plant is a more sen
sitive gas detector than the apparatus
used by the average chemist, its leaves
closing when one part of gas Is present
In a residence room in a million parts
of air.
Naming Plymouth, Mata.
Plymouth, Mass... was named for
Plymouth, In England, the last Eng
lish port touched by the Pilgrims, and
that port was so named because It la
situated at the mouth of the Plyna
