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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 1935)
..w.V.V.V.V.W.V.V.V.V.Vi,.V.V.V.,.W.Vi"^AV.VAW.VA,^^.VAVW^^A'AV,V.V.VA . . . EDITORIALS . . . a a ■ ■ ■ iif iii i« i The Omaha Guide Pnblished 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. Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, FEBRL AR1 16, 1935 ^-_-----—---- I A CONSTRUCTIVE TRAFFIC PROGRAM FOR STATES Motor accidents las: year struck deeper at the heart of the American home than ever be fore. Conditions have now become so critical i that one child in three needlessly faces the probability of death or injury in an automobile accident before he completes his normal life span, according to die Na’ionlal Bureau of Cas ualty and Surety • iderwriters, which has an al vs**. i street and mghwiay fatalities and injur ies for 1934. To .he typiel American family or rather, mo ther and three children this statement should have great signify - nee. And to national, sta e and municipal authorities who are responsible for the safety of all citizens, i. is a challenge to drastic action. La-t year, 36,000 persons were killed ana more ban a ’million injured in traffic accidents. While traffic itself was slightly heavier, as shown bv registrations and increased gasoline eonusmptio!s: eed , criminally reckless driv ing. and the apparent indifference of the pub lie mus bear a lion’s share of the blame. \ cons; motive program for states must in clude: . , ] i .atova traffic lavs such as drivers licens lav**' financial responsibility statu.es her uniform traffic rules and regulations as re. «,i mended by such representative bodies as the Na i.mal Conference on Street and High v.vv s -.1 v, tiie United St :tes Bureau of Pub lic Hoads, the A meric.in Association of Motor Vehicle Ad minis rators, the National Safety Council and others. 2. Modern c . r most procedures such as thus ■ auvanei i i ’ :n- In ernatir.ual Associa tion of Chiefs ot Police and others. 3. Good driving instruc ion for upper class high school students as recommended by lead ing educators, state and municipal Boards of Education, the Education Division of the Nat ional Safety Council and the National Bureau of Casualty and Surety Underwriters. 4. AduL education through intensive com nnuiity programs involving municipal authori ties, police departments, schools, churches, clubs and o her public organizations as recommended by all safety authorises, notably the National Safety Council, the American Assosciatiou of Motor Vehicle Administrators and others. Certainly, enough effective material has been developed by competent observers during onr many years’ experience with the traffic prob lem. Much of it is waiting only for an aroused public sentiment to compel its use. THE TV A HONEYMOON Ln an article in the W(&11 Street Journal en titled “TYA’S Honeymoon,” Thomas F. Wood loek observes that “estimates are one thing and experience another.” Mr.-Woodloek refers to the various forecasts of the success the Tennessee \ alley Authority will have in providing its region wit h abun dant electrical power at an extraordinarily cheap price. As he says, the T\ A is today operating highly, widely and handsomely in the field of estimates,” and* it is interesting to com pare it to a similar venture—the famed Ontario hydro-electric enterprise. * In 190(1. the Ontario hydro-commission esti mated that the cost of current delivered to Hamilton, On.ario, 53 miles from the generat ing station at Niagara Falls, would be $10.50 per horsepower per annum. In 1933 the actual cost was $29.34. For the town of London, 123 miles from the Falls, the estimate was $16.00. The actual cosl was $30.15. A similar disparity between esti mates and actual cost occurred for many other communities served by the system. ln 1906, it was estimated that the switch board cost of power, at Niagara Falls, would be $4.95 per horsepower a year. Yet, in 1933, the town of Niagara Falls, right at the source of power, paid $25.28. In 1922, when a new 500,000 horsepower plant under eons ruction, the chairman of the power commission said the result of this addi tional power would be to give municipalities a constantly declining rate. Yet in 1930, a re presentative town paid $19.50 per horsepower a year for its current—and paid $25.00 in 1933. Mr. Woodloek cites many other similar ex amples. All of them fit the TYA situation per fectly. Like the Ontario system, the TYA is government-owned and supported, and is un dertaking developments for which there are no accurate precedents. To quote Mr. Woodlocks’s conclusion, "The 'estimate stage of all such thinas is analogous to the honeymoon period when all is sunshine and roses. . . But honey moons are unreliably yardsticks for measuring steady married life.” WILL OIL BE NEXT? The politicians seem to have about worked themselves out in their attacks on railroads and public utilities. They have taxed and regulated those industries to death, and caused the in vestments of millions of stockholders to become valueless in many instances, and of little or no earning power in a majority of cases. Now oil is to go on the rack. The demand has already been made in official circles that it be declared a public utility. If regulation of price could be kept on a business bas.s. it might be a good thing. But to illustrate how gaosline price-fixing is based on political expediency, several ditierent sates are simply demanding reductions of from one to live eents a ga lon on the retail price of gasoline. These demands are not made as the result of any method of fact-finding, but are based on opinions of in terested gas user, or vote-gatliers. In o.'her words, the stage is being set to inflame .he public against the oil industry, just as it has been se, in the past to inflame it against other indusrties in order to gain public favor, irrespec tive of what the facts in .he case may be. It will be interesting to watch the crusade. The stock argument against so-ea.led “big business’’ will be used. The only change in the formula will be to substitute the word “oil” for ihe name of the last industry attacked. Countless candidates for the people’s favor will float into office over oceans of oil. The fact that thousands of investors in the oil industry may suffer, or workmen lose jobs, will be lost sight of while the torch of destruction is being applied jo the gasoline industry. TAXES COST MORE TH.AM FOOD What is the largest item in jour family's bud get? If you answer food, clothing, rent or similar expenses, on which you spend /ne bulk of your income directly, j'ou’ll be wrong, 'taxes are the largest item of expense carried by the American people—and they lead their nearest competitor by a wide margin. Food, the most vital of ai necessities, costs the nation $7,600,000,000 a year. Clothing takes $3,600,000,000. Rent also takes $3,600,000,000, and automobiles deni the national packet book to the extent of $2,900, 000,000. Electrice service costs United S.ates’ families only $650,000,000. The national tax bill, by comparison, is $9.000,000,000—a billion and a half greater than the national food bill. That being the case where is .'he most important place to siart in to reduce the cost of living? These figures will come as a surprise to the -average eimon, who thinks only of the sums of money he spends direc.iy in the course of day by day living. What he should realize is that taxation now represents an exorbitant par. of the cos. of everything. A cut in the cost of government would be directly and immediately reflected in a lower cos.' of living—and in stimulated employment investment and industrial expans.oti. No other cost weighs so heavily on individuals and busi nesses mike—no other family living expense is rising so rapidly. It is a historical fac. that extravagant government promotes depression and discord. AH AUGUEY OF BETTER TIMES Reports from mining regions chronicle the development of a large number of new proper ties, as well as the reopening of old mines. The gold “boom” is largely responsible for this activity, but other metals share in the im provement. Silver, copper and lead seem bound for be.ter times, after long, lean years in which there was little demand, and prices remained at bottom levels. Now the sound of drills and the whir of heavy machinery again resounds in places that, until a short time ago, were desolate and deserted. Stimulated mining activity will be felt throughout the whole country—all mining creates new wealth, as well as jobs and oppor tunities and investments. The evidence of an improved mining future is one of the best recov ery indicators. PAY ROLLS DESTROYED BY TAX ROLLS The moment a tax becomes excessive it limits the activities and opportunities of every busi ness and individual. It strikes a blow at pur chasing power and private employment. It is a barrier to investment and industrial develop ment. The perfect government would be a govern ment which cost nothing—which did noi need to let j taxes at all. That Ltopian ideal is un obtainable. But we should confine govern ment expense to the cost of governing. We should make governmental operations efficient and non-wasteful. We should keep govern ment out of business projects and confine it to governmental^ functions as outlined in the con stitution. When government goes into busi ness it not only spends tremendous sums of tax money—but inflicis great damage on the in dividuals and industries with which it com petes, while taxing them to maim&in that com petition as well as to keep government going. The foregoing principles applv to all units of government, federal, state and’local. Politi cal power stems directly from the people. If the people demand economy and retrenchment they will get it—if they permit government ex travagance, and sanction government competi tion in the business field, they will have no one to blame but themselves for high axes and lost opportunities for individual enterprise. i he great need of the hour is for employ ment, investment, industrial expansion. Exor bitant taxation is their bitter enemy. A dras tic out in the cost of all government would be the greatest contribution to recovery, for th* simple reason that billions now taken by the tax gatherers would be spent by individuals and in dus.ries for a thousand purposes whieh would create jobs, purchasing power and new tax able wealth. COLLECTIVE ACTION MEANS PROGRESS I armer, when they organize farm eoopera ti\es, are not trying unproven experiments. The;,' are simply following an old and sound precedent. A great measure of America’s industrial pro gress can be laid to cooperation. The corpora tion form of business, for example, is pure coop eration it makes it possible to pool the resour ces ana abilities of many persons in an effort to develop and sell a product or a service to the benefit of all. MAXIE MILLER WRITES (For the Literar;* Service Bureau) Girl 24 in Love—Became Mother at 15 —Fears to Marry—Must She Re veal Her Secret? Yes. Tell the Truth—Few Men, If Any, Enter Wedlock without Sex Experience,' So, A Woman with a Past Is Good Enough for a Man with a Past. _ (For advice, write to Maxie Miller, care of Literary Service Bureau, 516 Minnesota Ave., Kans. City, Kans. For personal reply send self-addressed stamped envelope.) Maxie Miller:—I am 24. I am in love. The man loves me. He wants us to get married. He has no bad habits and makes a good living. I have a little girl and I’ve never been married, you know what that means. This happened when I was 15. I loved the boy and I let him get me into a place where I weakened and went wrong. I’ve been good ever since The child is with my parents and she doesn’t know I’m her mother. She calls me sister and they told her her mother went away before she was old enough to know her. Must I tell this man the truth and risk losing him or marr.J him and live the lie? I love my child and would like to have her with me. What do you advise me to do?—’Dorothy May. Dorothy May:—You would take a j long chance if you’d marry this man without telling him the truth. If he , loves you he will stand the test. If this will change him, he does not love you very much and you would be bet ter off without him. Then, Dorothy May, there are but few men who do not have a “past”; and the woman who has is as good as the man who has. Tell him the truth and I predict that he will respect you more and ; have mere faith in you than ever.— Maxie Miller. Weekly Short Sermon By Dr. A. G. Bearer (For the Literary Service Bureau) ABIGAIL (Her Father’s Joy) Text: Now the name of the man was Nabal. and the name of his wife Abigail; and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was chur ish and evil in his doings.—I Samuel 25:3. 1. Definition and Derivation. Abi gail was the wife of Nabal. She was beautiful, intelligent, cheerful, good natured and agreeable. Her husband was temperamental, sour crabbed and churlish. The name Abigail means “joy of the father” and the descrip tion given of the life and character of this woman supplies a key to the un derstanding of the designation—the joy of her father. 2. Her Life Was Exemplary and Contributory. Abigail was an exam ple for all daughters in their dealing with their fathers. Fathers have had but meagre recognition by historians and the writers of our literature. Many, many daughters have brought unmeasured sorrow to their fathers. They have added to their burdens and multiplied their sorrows. But this girl was a joy to her father. In this she gives an example for the daugh ters of all ages. 3. How Daughters Can Emulate Abigail. Every real daughter covets the qualities of Abigail. Every true daughter who loves her father would be to him a source of joy rather than a source of sorrow. And, if she will, every daughter can emulate the life of this good daughter and dutiful wife. ; She was obedient; she revered, honor ed and respected her father; doubtless j she respected his ideals; she made her I own life worth while and thus reflect | ed credit on her father; and, in his ■ declining years it is safe to presume j that she eared for him faithfully and tenderly. Every daughter would do veil to cultivate the virtues of Abigail and be to her father a source of joy. LOOKING BACK By Videtta Ish (For the Literary Service Bureau) A VALEDICTORY With this release, “Looking Back” makes its bow and passes from the stage. The sincere and sanguine hope is that the series has been helpful. The purpose was to shed light on the problems of love, marriage, and home government. The conservative meth ods, the conventions and safeguards of the past have been placed in con trast with the changed , modem meth ods called “the new freedom” by some, and “dangerous, destructive, de moralizing Bohemianism,” by others. Locking back, I am sincere in the conviction that the old ways were safer and better, and that the modem ways of social behaviorism are fraught with great danger to the nation and to civilization itself. I sub mit the case, and I am sure that many have been helped to see things in a dfferent and a clearer light as the different and a clearer light as the Back” is “signing off”. Sincerely yours, Videtta Ish. TALKING IT OVER By Mildred J. Bronson CLGUDS AND SUNSHINE We can “not always have Sunshine” If so, we would never have the Rain. And should we have both all the time It soon would drve us all insane. So you see, My Friend, to make life worthwhile It well only take just two more lines, To turn our sorrow into Smiles We must have the clouds and sun shine.” Dear Readers: You well notice in my last three or four writings, I have tried to give you a touch of Poetry. This is to try and draw your minds upon the topic and at the same time bring something new to you so you will not grow stale on my writings. At this time, I would like to acknowledge some letters from readers from all parts of the country. Mr. William H. Patterson, who is in the Kentucky Penitentiary, who more than enjoyed and rece.ved a great les son from “Crime Never Pays.” Mr. Louis Douglas, who is at present in the C. C. C. Gamp in Bitely, Michigan, who delighted in read-ng all, but es 1 pecially “Confidence” and “Live and Let Live.” Miss Katherine Williams, of Mitchell, So. Dakota, who delighted in readng “The Price of Love.” Mrs. Stewart, of Omaha, Nebr., who en joyed “Educate the Hand as Well as the Brains.” Mr. Otis Vassar, of Ocilla, Georgia, who enjoyed “Music” and several others that time and space will not permit me to name. I am cominced now from the letters that my -writings are reaching homes and readers from all walks of Life, which means that I am, at least, doing some good. I am sorry to say that I have not heard from a Preacher yet, although I have written upon some very interesting Bible stories. I don’t know if I have been too plain or not, but I have stood out for the truth. Thanks for taking up your time. So we will get back to the topic “Clouds and Sunshine”. It is just a short way I of analiz.ng life. An X-ray could not show life any plainer than the Topic. ; Clouds are the sad and troubles of our j life, while the Sunshine is Smiles and | Bright Spots. Can you recall a morrJlng when you would speak of the beautiful sun shine and how it seems to smile upon you? This is the part of life that makes everything seem worthwhile, and seencis as if nothing pould mar your happ.ness, and out of nowhere a cloud -would appear, and soon the : lightning and thunder would be dash ing and clappng_ across the elements to erase that beautful start of the day. Well Friends, as we say it “Such is Life.” Those who have all the luxuries of life, everything the.r hearts could wish for, it looks to us that they have all the sunshine of life, can move with the weather to suit their taste, while we only stand and take what ever comes and wish this little poem could come true. When its hot we wanl it cold, When its cold we want it hot, We always want what we haven’t got. But whether its cold or whether its hot, We got to take the weather whether or not.” Yet they seem to worry, take their lives over business reverses. Sick ness, love affairs and sometimes wor ry themselves to act, fearing that they may be poor someday and their friends will look down on them. Here ‘s the Clouds and Sunshine. Then you look out of the window and see one of our race going down the street maybe he hasn’t a cent in his pockets, whistling “Happy Days are Here Again” or across the street vou can here those sweet voices of my People singing “There is Sunshine in my Soul today.” I have often won dered if its better to have nothing and be free and happy or be as the rich. It is really a question I would like to be able to answer correctly. Is it true, that my people have had so much trouble that it is like any thing else. If you have it all the time, it doesn’t hurt or we can just take our trouble in a better spirit and live in faith that God will someday repay us? Oh I only wish I knew. But I do know' this, if we can smile under the load that we carry, and push asde that chain of hate, if there is really a hereafter, we will surely be able to enjoy it better than the ones who had their sunshine all the time here on earth. Some of us fill our lives with clouds by going head long, thoughtless, ig norantly into something that w'e know is wrong ahd will not only hurt you, but will cause the whole race to suf fer. Oh God, how long will this go on? To go and do things, that you know you can’t get away with, and see other’s Sunshine snatched away from them and the clouds of disgrace and dispa'r cover over your family and friends, as well as the race, I can not understand. Some of it is not true, I am sure, but if you read and see these things, why can’t you be careful and not let the trap catch you? This must be the “Clouds and Sunshine” of life. So my Friends: If we are to have our share of Me. lets try to make more Sunshine for each other, by thinking ahead, guarding against the evils of others, and above all sticking together, regardless of what we care for the individual, but as a race, and w'hen we do this, we sure?/ will be able to enjoy' the Sunshine of life, af ter the Clouds of hardships we have suffered the last seventy years. “Have faith in each other.” DO YOU KNOW THAT: — The approaching war will be fough': mostly in the air? The air plane of 1914 carried a little over 300 pounds. The airplane of today cap carry up to metric of bombs —28,800 pounds. A recent report of the prepara tory Disamrment Conference of the League of Nations states that these planes can drop large quan tities of mustard gas or other heavy poison gases over areas be ing attacked and that mustard gas especially, which is sometimes not seen by the naked eye, can be carried into houses, etc., on the shoe soles and clothing. The warmth of the house turns the] gas into vapor which is inhaled into the lungs, killing the victim instantly. There are still 5,000,000 chat tel slaves in bondage today? Every year, 350,000 South African Natives are arrested and put into prison? Of these, less than 15.000 are ever charged with i a serious crime. The others are lodged in jail on all sorts of minor offenses such as breaking the Pass Law (walking the streets going to work, leaving the vil lage, etc., without a permit) Mu' nicipal Regulations. Urban Areas] Acf (under which Natives are] prohibited from living in cities; although they wmrk there) Poll j Tax Ordianc-e, etc. A TERRIBLE SIN AGAINST A CHILD By R- A. Adams (For the Literary Service Bureau) Press dispatches told of the efforts to capture two men who were known to be bandits, kidnappers and murder ers. The two men escaped but left1 behind them their two women friends and associates in crime. It was re ported that one of the women was soon to become a mother. The police surgeon gave information that he had been requested to attend this woman during her confinement. This “soon to be a mother” report tells of an awful sin aganst an unborn child. The father an outlaw and a murderer, the mother of dissolute character, begotten in lust and amid an atmosphere of crime, with its pre natal influence the worst possible, what chance would a child have for any measure of good to develop within him? Such a child comes into the world cursed by a vicious heritage, for, in all God’s creation, there is no varying from the law of nature that “like be gets like and kind follows kind.” Where the hereditary influences are predominantly vicious and then the prenatal life unquestionably evil there is little hope for such an individual to escape moral degradation. Now, the father will be killed either by the law or in the act of resisting the law. The mother will be sent to prison: and this child cursed by hered ity, and its moral fibre weakened by prenatal influence, will be left to drift. It is almost certain to become a crimi nal and follow the footsteps of its parents. What a sin against a child! What an awful sin against a child, and by its own parents! And it is a grievaus sin against society to im pose such a life upon it. TOLERANCE By R. A. Adams (For the Literary Service Bureau) When you are tempted to condemn Another, and his deeds condemn, To judge him vile, and mean, and low, Perhaps, if you the truth should know, The facts would take you by sur prise, And doubtless you'd think otherwise. Before you mock another’s fall, It would be wisdom to recall Hew often you have erring been_ How you have fallen into sin— Then, if inclined to criticise, No doubt you would judge otherwise. Should dire misfortune overtake -Another, and you think to make Light of the stroke which on him fell, If circumstances you could know well. The truth of all that underlies— No doubt you would think otherwise. So one should use the utmost care, And, -without knowledge should not dare Others to judge; for, lacking this We’re almost sure to judge amiss. So, tempted others to despise, Best ’twould be to act otherwise. ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS Happenings Ti nt Affect the Dinner Pails. Dividend Checks and Tax Bills of Everv Individual. National and International Problems Insep arable from Local Welfare. Ask any recognized business observ er when the depression will be over. He won’t be able to give you the ex act date—'but there is a good chance that he will say. “When Big Steel (United Stetes Steel Compan-.) re sumes its preferred dividend.’’ Big Steel has been the bell-wether of industry every since its creation in 1901. When ?ts operations are down, all other major businesses ai% down: when its operations are up. all other major businesses are usuallv doing well. In every business activity in dex, steel operations are given mors weight than any other indicator. Steel’s regular preferred dividend is $7. It paid it PPgu'.arVv year after year with few exceptions, u^til de pression stepped in. First decline was s cut to $2. Then the dividend was dropped entirely, and is now $36,000, 000 in arrears. Big Steel hasn’t resumed its divi dend ,1et, but demand for steel from all sources is growing, with the auto mobile industry in the lead. Produc tion, according to General Dawes, keen steel student, is at pbout 60 per cent of the industry’s real esnaoif*. Black figures are taking the place of red. Big Steel recentlv retu-ned to a six-day week for it« white collar work ers. thus restoring the ten Per cent pav cut they had taken. It is a policy of steel to always restore pay to cor nier levels before resuming dividends. That is the best business news of i the week—but other good news is not lacking. As the 1934 earnings re ports drift in, it is evident that a large number of important concerns are finding the going easier, profits greater. Improvement was registered in the earnings of such potent corpor ator as American Telephone and Telegraph. Chesapeake and Ohio Rail road, J. C. Penny (whose 1934 sal js established an all-time high for the chain), and Montgomery Ward. Coal and textiles, two basic heavy indus tries which were hit especially hard by depression, seem to be on the mend. The National business map looks very different today than it did even two or three months ago. The num ber of states where business is not good as a year ago has dwindled— only Texas, Alabama. Utah, New York, Vermont and New Jersey fall into this classification. California, Oklahoma. Maryland, Connecticut and New Hampshire show little or no change. All the rest of the states are in a better position. So much for the credit side of the ledger. On the debit side is the un challenged fact that unemployment is approximately as great as it was a year ago—according to some, it is greater—while 20-odd million people still depend on relief for subsistence. It is likely, however, that a dent will be made ia these figures as the gain in heavy industries is reflected in the employment statistics. Also on the debit side is uncertainty as to the trend of national legislation —businesses and investors fear laws that would take potential profit out ef private endeavors. Proof of this atti tude is found in the recent heavy rise in the prices of good municipal bonds —people are anxious to put savings into tax-free government securities rather than private securities whose worth may be depreciated by govern mental action. It is a safe bet that many hearts will beat easier next summer when Congress adjourns— that act alone will give a spur to re covery. COSTIGAN-WAGNER BILL SENATE HEARINGS FEB. 14 Washington, D. C., Feb. 1.—Hear ings on the Costigan-Wugner federal anti-lynching bill will be held before ! f, sub-committee of the Senate judi ciary committee Thursday morning February 14 at 10 o’clock, it was an nounced here this week, *"■' The sub-committee is the same one which heard testimony last February | Senator Frederick Van Nays of In \ diana is chairman. Other members are Senators George W. Norris, Nebraska; Pat McCarren. Nevada; William H. D.'eterich, Illinois; and Warren Austin of Vermont. There will be a much smaller list of i witnesses this year than last and testi mony will be concentrated upon the i constitutionality of the bill. Several outstanding constitutional lawyers have been invited to appear. H. L. Mencken, noted writer of Btltimore, I will read a statement. Mrs. Caroline i O’Day, congresswoman-at-large from I New York, will testify. Mrs. O’Day, who was bom in Perry, Ga., was as sisted in her campaign for election last fall by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, ■wife of the President. The sensa tional testimony of last year before the sarnie committee will be included in the record.