The Butler County press. [volume], February 20, 1931, Image 2

About The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946

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THE PRESS
IfTICIAL ORGAN OF OIOANIia LABOB
OF HAMILTON AND VM3IN3X*
3&VNW,
S^Air.?.^
PRESS
10 LABOR
Members
Ohio Labor Press Association
THE NONPAREIL PRINTING CO
PUBLISHERS AND PROPRIETORS
Subscription Price $1.00 per Y«
Payable in Advance
We So not hold ournelve# rc*pon«fM«
View* or opinions expressed in th« article
ar communication* of correspondent*.
Communication* •oiicit«J from ••cretarl**
•f all societies and or«anii.atton«, and •honJa
fee addr«*aed to Th« Butler County
Issued
Weekly at SM Market Street
telephone l»l Mamilten, Okie
Endorsed by the Trades and Labor
Council of Hamilton. Ohio
Endorsed by the Middletown Trade*
and Labor Council of Middletown. O
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13,1931
"A LINE FROM WILL"
Will Rogers, who writes pieces for
the papers every day, gently kidding
officialdom, shooting shafts of wis
dom through his satire, is out giving
shows to help the unemployed. He
writes that he can take no more dates
His time is booked, full. A lot of
politicians in Washington could learn
from Will Rogers. But most of them
could never BE Will Rogers. They
seem convinced that one cannot be a
politician and be sincere.
:o:
SENSE FROM CONGRESS
It is evident that we are not in
Nicaragua with the marines to uphold
the Monroe doctrine nor are we there
to protect American life, but only
to protect American interests or in
vestments, and in view of the further
fact that we can use the marines?
here in the United States to an ad
tage chasing bandits and supervising
elections, I am in favor of getting
them out of Nicaragua and bringing
them back here.—Representative Wil
liam A. Ayres, of Kansas.
:o:
IF UTILITIES BEHAVE?
Agitation against public utilities
need cause investors in utility securi
ties no alarm, says the Magazine of
Wall Street, which reassures inves
tors in an editorial, which says in
part:
"There has been a tremendous
pother of talk about rates, monopo
lie£, expansion and control of natural
resources now for several years. But
so far nothing tangible has transpir
ed despite all the oratory an! debate
except possibly to center enough pub
lie interest in the question to bring it
more sharply to the fore in several
states with the probabilities of more
talk and possibly some action. Most
of the threats and investigations, fed
eral and local, of recent years, have
come to naught and it is only a rea
sonable assumption that much of the
menace in the current situation will
come to the same end."
The editorial ends with the follow
ing gem:
"If the utilities behave themselves
and limit their grasp they will con
tinue to grow unhampered in most
localities."
What the Magazine of Wall Street
means is that if the utilities are not
too greedy and grasping they won
get into trouble. In other words, they
are advised not to take too many
feathers out of the goose at once.
:o:
A PERVERSION OF JUSTICE
The idea that the man may not be
guilty of a particular crime of which
he stands accused, but that he's
"bad egg" and ought to be punished
BAMBY BREAD
HAMILTON
BAKERY
**. *vngr1
Prma,
Advertising rate* mau« known
Cation.
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liarket 8tre?t, Hamilton, Ohio.
Th« publisher* r«»erve the right to reject
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be authenticated by the name and addreaa of
the writer, not necewarily for publication, but
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Subscriber* changing their addr*»« wUl
flea** notify this office, givins old and new
address to insure regular delivery of
p*p«r.
Entered at the Postofftce at Hamilton
Ohio, as Second Class Mail Matter
What a perversion of justice is this
attitude, which amounts to saying
that a man should be punished be
cause of his supposed record of opin
ions. It opens the way to all sorts
of abuses and outrages, and if it finds
general acceptance will mean the end
of justice.
:o:
NEW LAW MUST BE TESTED
It is begininng to be clear, that like
all other legislation supposed to be
for the benefit of labor, the prevail
ingrate of wages bill now in congress
will have to be tested—if it becomes
a law—before its advantages, if any,
can be known. Sponsored as an ad
ministration measure, in harmony
with the famous white house wage
maintenance agreement of over a year
ago, defects appeared in it as soon
as it came before the senate cham
ber. But Secretary of Labor Doak
served peremptory notice, that if any
amendments were proposed, the ad
ministration would withdraw its
sponsorship.
No penalty is attached by the bill
to any violation of its terms. How
ever, since it proposes to prescribe
port of the conditions of a legal con
tract with the government, it may be
presumed that any contract drawn
without these provisions would be null
and void—which might be penalty
enough, if so declared by a court of
competent jurisdiction.
The fact that the bill provides
that it shall not be effective until
after 30 days from its passage, leaves
an "open season" for contractors, and
for the departmental officials who are
alleged to have been favoring con
tracts and/ contractors going against
the terms of the white house confer
ence agreement.
This will be just another one of
those cases where "eternal vigilance
will have to be the price of what
ever gais labor may make in the
everlasting battle betwee the private
greed of a few and the-larger bene
fit of the many.
o:
WISDOM
Strip the bishop of his apron, the
counsellor of his gown, and the beadle
of his cocked hat, what are they
Men, mere men. Dignity, and even
holiness, too, sometimes, are mofle
questions of coat and waistcoat than
some people imagine.—Charles Dick
ens.
:o:
JUSTICE PERVERTED BY
INDIRECTION
A Miami, Florida, judge has freed
two men arrested for carrying a gun
because they were held under a law
devised for a special purpose and so
framed as to leave the door open
to authorities to arrest and hold hon
est men along with rascals. The ex
tent to which such a law could be
used against union men, particularly
in strike time, is obvious.
Perhaps the framers of the ordi
nance sought to achieve a difficult
justice by thi$ indirection. But the
judge points out that injustice may
*,
THE COST OF NOBLE EXPERIMENTING
About 2,000,000 men could be put to work at once if this glorious and free
nation stopped its noble experimenting:. No less than forty-six distinct trade
unions have less work today as a result of the eighteenth amendment insan
ity. In the open letter of President William Green, of the American Federa
tion of Labor, are some interesting figures that appeal with eloquence to fair
minded people trying to find out the cause of the calamitous industrial con
ditions of today. ..
Before the coming of prohibition the breweries of this country used
,500,000 tons of coal each year. It took thousands of mine workers to dig
that much coal, 50,000 railroad cars to transport it to its destination, and
at least 25,000 teamsters to deliver it from the coal yards to the breweries.
In the fiscal year ended June 30, 1918, the report of the commissioner of
internal revenue shows that 1,909,998,457 pounds of grain and other materials
about 950,000 tons—were used in breweries Sixty thousand railroad cars
were needed to haul this raw material.
Transporting the finished product kept some 20,000 cars moving prac
tically all of the time, which added to those needed for coal and raw materials
made a total of 130,000.
It required a great many railroad workers to keep those cars moving
around the country, to say nothing jf the men needed to build them and
keep them in repair.
The breweries alone employed approximately 100,000 men around theu
plants. Thousands of others had jobs making kegs and bottles, and billions
of labels had to be turned out by the printers.
Adn the farmer who banks the fire under his still and goes to town to
vote "dry" might be interested in knowing that prior to the eighteenth
amendment that the breweries used $110,000,000 worth of farm products,
such as barley, corn, wheat, rice, hops, etc., each year.
on general principles is one all too
common.
This attitude of mind crops up in
discussions of the Mooney-Billings
case. "Well, maybe Tom Mooney did
n't throw the preparedness parade
bomb but he ought to be in jail any
way," is a remark frequently heard,
often from persons who should know
better. The same attitude was shown
in connection with the Sacco-Vanzetti
case, Moyer, Haywood and Pettihone
case and many others.
Facts, reason and common sense point unmistakably to the importance
of promptly ditching the prohibition monstrosity. But for sordid political
considerations it would probably Have been done long ago,
News. *.
be done as easily, reading a good
lesson to legislatures.
In Minnesota the state legislature
enacted a law making it possible to
put newspapers out of business. The
legislators sought to stop so-called
scandal sheets, but they opened the
door to persecution of all newspapers
Justice is not to be had by devious
methods. Justice must be had by
methods that justice can sustain
Otherwise prejudice, bigotry, hatred
save their day and shambles replace
orderly court rooms.
:o:
MISERY, REGARDLESS
OF CROPS
Chairman Legge has said that if
the dry weather continues wheat will
be scarce next year. Acreage isn't
getting its necessary water, nor
the snow piling up to melt in the
spring. But the farm board chairman
says if there's a shortage the farm
ers will suffer as much from surplus
Thus Mr. Legge finds misery which
ever way the wind blows. Evidently
well-being must flow from the happy
medium which neither Mr. Legge nor
the weather has yet found out how
to create.
o:
WHY IS ALIEN GATE
LEFT OPEN?
President Hoover asked congress
to appropriate $50,000 to arrest and
deport aliens who are unlawfully in
this country.
The gate through which most of
these aliens enter, however, will re
main open.
Europeans pay $200 to $400 for the
privilege of signing as seamen on
ship bound for the United States
Chinamen pay up to $1,100. On ar
rival here they step ashore and are
lost in the large cities. Between 40
000 and 50,000 are annually smug
gled in by this method, which is prof
itable to the captain and ship own
ers.
The International Seamen's Union
for years, has attempted to secure
law which would authorize immigra
tion officials to examine these "sea
men" before they are permitted to
leave the ship. These aliens if found
to be not bona fide seamen, would
be returned at the expense of the
vessel.
The vessel would also be denied
clearance papers if she attempted to
sail with fewer seamen than she em
ployed on arrival.
The King bill, now pending in con
gress, has these provisions but it can
not be moved.
o:
SLICK INJUNCTION JUDGE
Judge Walter S. Gates, of the Los
Angeles superior court, dismissed
policeman whom he cited for con
tempt of court for violating an injunc
tion not to interfere with newsboys
who were selling copie sof the Lo
Angeles Citizen. The labor paper car
ried the story of a dispute between
movie picture operators and a non
union theatre.
Other local newspapers defended
the labor paper and the judge was
between two fires—how to appease
the daily newspapers that feared an
attack on free press and how to avoid
antagonizing anti-union influences
by protecting the labor paper's
rights.
The court gave a beautiful exhibi
tion of straddling. But labor "holds
the bag."
He thundered,- in his decision, for
free press. But, said the honorable
court, in this instance the newsboys
were violating a municipal anti-
?igv?
1 1
'_
-The Federation
E U E O U N Y E S S
picketing ordinance when they, in "a|
loud tone," called attention to the la
bor dispute. He ignored contempt of|
his order.
The claimx Is madTThat if ft news-l
boy hereafter calls out "in a loudl
tone" of a scandal in influential circles!
that is recorded in the daily press,l
he, also, can be- arrested under Judge]
Gates' decision.
The difference between this and the|
Citizen case, however, is that the la
bor newsboy is charged with violating!
an anti-picketing ordinance that pro-|
hibits anyone from "inducing" pros
pective patrons to stay away from a|
certain place.
The daily newspapers are alert tol
this distinction that has been drawn|
by a slick injunction judge.
The Cherry
rw* Where with otr
i e a e
wa te
n th* truth
about many things, sometimes pro
foundly, sometimes flippantly,
sometimes recklessly. ..........
Not so long ago there was rejoicing
this column at the outbursts of
certain authorities taking some of the
glamor off the intelligence test.
It was pointed out that, among
other things, the intelligence test nec
essarily fails to take account of the
emotional side of the subject and that
human beings are likely to be but
poorly classified when so vital a fac
tor is neglected.
A considerable study of the tests
as used in the army during the World
War preceded the jubilation created
by the contributions of the author
ities cited.
Perhaps if there is criticism of the
intelligence test it should be leveled
at its abuse and its possible abuse
at the vast claims made for it, rather
than at the thing of itself.
However, now comes a reader, of
fering himself as an example of how
well the test may work. With him
self he offers surrounding army ex
perience. Since the writer of this
contributed comment is an unusually
keen observer, it is a pleasure to pass
along his observations. The writer
is Joseph A. Wise, Chicago corre
spondent of International Labor News
Service, and he says:
"Just got through reading your in
telligence test article. I took the test
in the army. The 285 members and
officers in the company took it at the
Liberty Theatre, Camp Custer, the
same day. Only six out of the 285
graded 'A' ('very superior intelli
gence'). Five were enlisted men and
one a second lieutenant. One was a
corporal and four were privates. One
private (Ginsberg) was a gradate of
a Russian university. I was a pri
vate and graded 'A' and was imme
diately detailed as a clerk at regi
mental headquarters and slated as
'officer material.' The armistice ended
my chances for a commission. My cap
tain rated 'B' (superior intelligence).
Three lieutenants rated 'C-plus' ('high
average intelligence').
"A large proportion of the outfit
rated 'C' (average intelligence) or
better, and we had a lot that got
D. E and F.
"I have always been of the impres
sion that the intelligence and trade
tests were helpful in the army. For
example, a lot of fellows would talk
a good deal about how much they
knew about a trade or profession, but
when given the test they would turn
out with a grade of 'apprentice' or
'novice.' Men with special knowledge
were needed in the army^ and they
were selected according to the ratings
they received on these tests. I got
'expert' on the printers' test, but I
was never asked to print. The trade
test ratings were expert, journeyman,
apprentice and novice. The fellows
who had the least to say passed the
highest ratings, and they got recog
nition.
"When you have to pick men in a
hurry, it seems to me that the tests
are all right. It was beneficial to me,
I am sure, and I am glad that I
got it."
OIL COMBINE UPHELD
St. Louis, Mo.—Merging of the|
Standard Oil Company of New York
and the Vacuum Oil Company was
approved by three judges of the fed
eral court of appeals. The concerns
have a capitalization of more than
half a billion dollars. They were units
of the old Standard-Oil Company that
was dissolved by the federal supreme
court in 1911.
The judges said that "the intent
and purpose of the merger is solely
to meet the normal and natural busi
ness necessities of the two com
panies, brought about by the develop
ment of, and the changed business
conditions in the industry."
Government attorneys announce
they will appeal to the supreme
court. If the decision is upheld it
will pave the way for a merger of
othe* Standard Oil units.
SUGAR WORKERS CUT
New Orleans.—The American Sugar
refinery has cat wages $3 a week.
A large number of workers are
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HISTORY'S
MYSTERIES
Uutlwd Win That Still Puzzls
Authorities litre and Abroad
The Fate of Marshal Ney
ACCORDING
ords of his time and the pages
of every history which contents Itself
with adhering to the strict letter of
proven evidence, Michel Ney, marshal
of France, duke of Echlngen, prince
of Moskva and bosom friend of Na
poleon Bonaparte, met his death at
the hands of a firing squad on Decern
ber 5, 1815—his crime being loyalty
to his old commander when Bonaparte
had escaped from Elba.
But this Is one of the many In
stances when a strict Interpretation
of history Is at variance with the ex
perience of individuals, when a read
ing of the records In the case must
be tempered by the experience of in
dividuals. Marshal Ney Is reported
to have been executed on December
5, 1815, but
On the day following the funerai of
the marshal of France, Philip 1'etrie,
a former soldier In the marshal's
army who had turned sailor at the
close of the Napoleonic wars, was
scouring the decks of a vessel which
was to clear Bordeaux that night for
Charleston, S. C. While at his work
Petrle glanced up as a hooded figure,
wrapped In a long cloak, came aboard
from a small boat. In an Instant the
former soldier was on his feet, his
heels clicked together and his hand
snapped up In the precise salute of
the Napoleonic veterans. Standing
thus he waited for the cloaked figure
to pas$ him. But the passenger halt
ed and. In a muffled voice, Inquired:
"Who do you think I am?"
"You are my old commander, sir.
Marshal Ney," replied the other, "1
would know you In ten thousand.'
"Marshal Ney," stated the voice
which proceeded from the hood, "was
executed for treason In Paris, two
days since."
But, during the remainder of the
voyage, as Petrle afterwards declared
to a number of reputable witnesses,
the cloaked passenger did not appear
on deck—and, what was still more
remarkable, Petrle did not know, at
the time of his recognition of his old
commander, that Marshal Ney had
been executed!
The next chapter In the case of re
port vs. history was written at Char
leston, S. C., some weeks later when
a trio of French immigrants chanced
upon a familiar figure In one of the
side-streets of the American city and
exclaimed: "It Is Marechal Ney him
self," whereupon the figure vanished
Into a nearby house.
About this time a mysterious per
son who gave the name of Peter Ne
appeared In Cheraw, S. C., and ol
talned a position as French teache
In a school at Brownsville, nearb
One morning he was found in bei
his throat raw and bleeding froi
wounds which he himself had In
flicted and, clutched In his left han
was a newspaper giving an accouiit
of the recent death at St. Helena of
Napoleon Bonaparte, former emperor
of the French. On the hearth was a
pile of burned documents, while sev
eral jeweled decorations adorned tin
table—relics which were carefully pin
away until Peter Ney had fully recov
ered from his attempt at suicide.
It was not until 1840 that tli
schoolmaster died and, on his deat)
bed, wras pressed by his physician
clear up the mystery which surroun«
ed his prior life. With an effort "Pt
ter Ney" sat bolt upright, held hi
head erect and declared, in a vol
which held more than an echo of 1
former clearness: "I am Michel Ne
marshal of France," and fell bad
dead.
After the funeral, Mrs. Mary
Dalton, of Iredell county, North Car
olina, gave out what she said was the
true account of Marshal Ney's escape,
as told to her by "Peter Ney" under
seal of secrecy. When sentence of
death had been passed upon him, ac
cording to this account, the marshal
had been notified that the firing
squad had been made up of his own
men who were to fire over his head.
At the report of their guns he was
to press his hand to, his heart, re
leasing a quantity of ox blood con
tained In a bladder, and to fall for
ward as If dead. At the hospital he
would be replaced by the corpse of a
common soldier, executed that morn
Ing and dressed In the uniform of the
marshal, while his escape to America
would be facilitated by
V*».
(N
to the undoubted rec­
way
of Bor­
deaux.
So it would therefore appear that
all the Individual evidence in the
mystery of Marshal Ney points in one
direction, toward the fact that his
tory is mistaken when It declares that
Michel Ney was executed on Decem
ber 5, 1815, and that he really died
In South Carolina, thirty-one years
later.
But, even granting this, there is
still one more question which remains
unanswered: Why, If Peter Ney and
Michel Ney were one and the same,
did not the former marshal of France
return to his native country when full
and complete amnesty was granted to
all political exiles?
i V u W o 1
AUTO ACCIDENTS GROW|
Washington.—Deaths from auto ac
cidents during the four-week period|
ending January 24, 1931, as reporte
to the census bureau by 81 large cit-|
ies, increased 10 per cent over the
same period in 1930.
A Leader for
cAsli Your
UNION AIDS
Distressed Canadian Coal
Miners' Families
St. John, N. B. (ILNS)—Officers of
the United Mine Workers locals and
district executive of District 26, com
prising the maritime provinces of
Canada, are making valiant efforts
to relieve the poverty existing among
the miners and their families. Con
ditions are particularly unfavorable
on the island of Cape Breton, wher»
the soft coal mining is the chief in
dustry.
Arrangements have been made fci
the payment of emergency relief
money to the families in distress. Th
union locals are doing all they can 1
provide food, clothing and warmth
for the women and children especially
At Number 11, Glace Bay, Presiden
John R. McDonald and Secretary Wil
liam Pilling, of the local, reports
severe distress and the need of im
mediate relief, with some people on
the verge of starvation. The Domin
ion and provincial governments
agreed to contribute to the emer
gency relief fund, together with the
town of Glace Bay, but there has been
considerable delay in getting the
money from the two governments
The allotment by the town was dis
tributed long before any was received
from outside.
With the Dominion Steel and Coal
Company operating the mines at les
than half capacity, the unemploy
ment problem is a glaring one in Cape
Breton. All of the locals have been
trying to remedy the distress, but lack
of money has been the big barrier
Some of the miners have not been
getting more than a day's work in
week for several months. The result
has been hundreds of children suffer
ing from cold and hunger, and unable
to continue at school, because of lad
of clothing and footwear. There ar
some children who have been unabl
to go outdoors since the snow first
came, due to lack of shoes worthy of
the name.
As usual, the politicians who mak
so many fervent promises just prior
to election have been very dilatory in
distributing the monetary relief that
was agreed on. In the meanwhil
the unfortunate mothers and childn
suffer. Severe winter weather ha
complicated the distress.
FRENCH JOBLESS GROW
Paris. Growing unemployment
alarms the French government and
authorities fear that this nation will
become involved in the economic cri
sis so general in Europe/
During the past year it was thto
boast of France that there waa JHI*.,
unemployment in this country.
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ALL MEN'S
WALK-OVER
SHOES
Funeral Service
We render an intelligent, sympathetic service, never slight
ing on quality however, we do render a service that is
within reach of all.
The price is the patron's to determine, nevertheless we be
lieve in true economy, and particularly guard them from
overbuying.
Our beautiful Funeral Home is always at your disposal.
Burial Garments designed for each individual case and made
in our own establishment.
Edgar K.
K
MILl/
CARRY THIS
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214 High Street
Wagner
Funeral Director
few
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& Meats Economically
SHOP HERE
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RAF'S GROCERY
MEAT MARKET
A V i -P u i
Jlcur
Forty-Five Years
Grocer
•sti"
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