USA > Indiana > Lake County > The First Hundred Years (1938) > Part 28
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As we have said, fifty years ago Lake county's big business was agriculture, with the exception of the state-line packing house in Hammond. We have said nothing but to indicate our admiration and satisfaction in the great growth of business and wealth in the county. But there is another side to the story. To tell the truth, the second fifty years of our history and our great industrial development have not brought unmixed blessings. To be sure, there has a vast number of good, clean, intelligent peo- ple come into Lake county with the vast increase of population ;
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but the slaughter house, the steel mills, the oil refineries and all the various factories have brought in a great number of ignorant laborers-from southern and southeastern Europe, from Mexico and negroes from the south. And all these have a vote when elec- tion day comes around. Oftentimes they have been used by cor- rupt politicians to further their ends, until the condition here at times is rotten enough to make good American citizens blush for shame.
We talk about the great progress of Lake county, and in one way we have taken great strides forward. But we have gone back in ten ways. Fifty years ago people would stand up and fight for a principle. Today the people have no fight in them, and appear to have no convictions for which they are willing to stand. They are content to let "the bums" run the country.
Who is in control today-the better class of people, or selfish interests? Less than a month ago the Gary Post-Tribune had edi- torials headed "Department of Justice Should End Gary Mur- ders," "Beer, Liquor War Takes Eleven Lives in Gary Since First of Year," etc., etc. Gary has no government control. The writer of these editorials throws up his hands in despair, and winds up with this cry: "We appeal to the federal government to come in here and clean up a rotten situation."
Yes, we have made progress in the past fifty years, but it has not all been progress. In not a few ways we have gone back- ward-we have lost much of the virile, courageous spirit that characterized the early pioneers of Lake county.
-Sam B. Woods.
JOHN DILLINGER AGAIN
Although John Dillinger is dead and buried his name is still prominent in the newspapers. It has been a farce and a frolic all the way through, from the time he was paroled in 1933, ac- cording to Al Dunlap in Liberty. He goes to show there was no co-operation in the work and management of the law enforcement officers and police when they got on the track of Dillinger and his gang. They fooled around and gave him time to get away. The trouble was, they were afraid of him and wanted to keep out of danger. When he got out west, they got him all right, and when the federal officers got after him they got him all right. When Estill brought him to Crown Point they were having a grand parade through the pictures and the judge wanted to be so sure that he would try him he advised Sheriff Lillian Holley to keep him in the Crown Point jail, and also to allow visitors to see Dillinger, which probably was the cause of the jail break.
When the grand jury, which was appointed by the judge to
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go to the bottom of an investigation in the escape of Dillinger, criticized the actions of the judge, he brought contempt charges against the grand jury, and they were brought before the court and had to have a lawyer to defend them. It was reported in the papers that the grand jury did retract or take back what they reported in their findings in regard to the judge. But on further investigation, by good authoriy, we find he grand jury did not retract. In the jury's answer to the contempt charges, no state- ment was retracted from the original report filed, nor was any apology made for statements made in their original report. These are the facts as reported to me by men who know.
With all the fool business in this Dillinger case, we feel the sheriff's office is the least to blame, with the big shots around there trying to lay the blame on Mrs. Holley. Now they are kick- ing the Dillinger case around as a political football; about ever so often they are going to show up who got the money when Dil- linger got out. If they know what they claim, why do they not go ahead and show it up? Or are they waiting to pull it off just before election, so no one will have time to answer? Looks to us like a political trick, and if they work it along that line it will make no difference what they show; it will be dirty poli- tics, and that is about what the whole business of criminal proce- dure amounts to.
-S. B. W.
CROWN POINT'S MARRIAGE MILL
Lake county, Indiana, stands out prominently as excelling in a great many things : has the biggest oil refinery, the biggest steel mills, the biggest sand dunes, and last but not least, the biggest marriage mill at Crown Point. Other marriage mills have their ups and downs, but Crown Point's goes on forever. It began its great work years ago by a man who had grown grey and retired on the abundant fruits of his labor, and who made a reputation by going down to Indianapolis when the legislature was about to pass a law requiring candidates for marriage to give notice of their intention ten days in advance of procuring the license. He was opposed to any such handicap, for he knew that most of the couples he married had not thought of marrying one another ten days before. He knew that most of the subjects that he married were prompted to do so on the impulse of the moment. He want- ed no such law and he told the legislature so and they granted his request. Very accommodating !
Others have made a reputation for marrying in Crown Point, and others wanted to make a reputation, or at least get some of the revenue, and there have been bloody wars over the mill with
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out spilling any blood. It has even had its influence with the Northwestern Indiana Methodist Episcopal Conference, as many preachers wanted the Crown Point charge to help do the marry- ing. Most of the town seems to be interested in this mill; we sup- pose, on the theory that everybody loves a loyer. Can there be any other reason? In most states there has been some regulating of this fast and furious marriage business. But Crown Point seems to enjoy it-the more the merrier; no restrictions. Chances are good for increased business, as one of its main competitors, Waukegan, Illinois, is not allowing so much solicitation and giving the solicitors a maximum fine of $300. That is an idea for Crown Point, and let the funds go toward paying off the bonded debt of the town.
THIS IS A FUNNY WORLD-WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT, ANYWAY?
We have been going too fast. We have produced to much pigs and cotton, too much steel rails and automobiles, too much brick and beef; the cows give too much milk, and the hens lay too many eggs. We used to see how much work we could do for $1 per day, and now we see how little work we can get by with at $1.50 an hour. We used to work six days a week and twelve hours a day, and now they are planning a five-day week and a six-hour day. We used to drive with a horse and buggy six or eight miles an hour; now an auto will go from forty to seventy miles, a train from sixty to one hundred and twenty miles per hour, and a flying machine making over seven miles a minute. Speed, speed, and more speed! We are getting there fast. But the question naturally arises : Where are we getting?
HAS A GOOD SUGGESTION
We wrote this article to the Hammond Times and think it is a good idea, and should be given more publicity :
"We were over to your 'Courtesy Contact' party and were delighted to see the various exhibits of the different manufac- turers of Hammond and the interest people took in the show. The thought struck us: Why could not Lake county make one grand annual show at our beautiful fair grounds at Crown Point? These grounds and buildings belong to the county. We have the money invested and why not use them for the benefit of all? Instead of calling it the Lake County Agricultural Society, which the old fair failed under, call it the Lake County Indus- trial Society. As there is now in Lake county more than one-half of wealth and interest in manufacturing and processing business, a great show could be put on with the agriculture and live stock
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interests. Make it entirely of Lake county products with all the different schools in the county taking part with their educa- tional exhibits and the 4-H boys and girls of the farm.
"We could do a lot of good besides having a good time. If we have a horse trot, let it be of Lake county horses. If an au- tomobile race, let it be of the Lake county dealers, etc., etc. The Chambers of Commerce of the different towns could take this up, and the Farm Bureau, I am sure, would look after the agricultur- al end, and if there is an interest shown they could have a central meeting and organize the Lake County Industrial Association."
November, 1934
SOME THOUGHTS PROVOKED BY THE ELECTION
Everybody got elected that "stood by the President," from congressman to county council. It seemed to make no difference whether or not the candidate was qualified to fill the office or whether a better man could have been selected to fill that office. The whole question which determined the choice was: Does he stand by the President? It seems that the President is the whole thing and must furnish the brains.
We elect an army of officers, from constable to congressman, and they do not have to know anything or carry any responsi- bility-just stand by the President. That puts them across and satisfies the majority. We supposed that this was a representa- tive government in which each one had his own responsibility to carry. But no-stand by the President! If the President is go- ing to do the whole thing, why not save the expense of a lot of these underlings and abolish the offices, make the President the dictator and let him run the whole thing?
There must be some reason for this attitude of the people. The only reason we can see is that they have not the power of thought or the ambition for action, or they would not want to throw all the responsibility on one man, be he ever so good. The fact of the business is that we have thrown open our door to the world and invited all the off-scourings of the earth to enter and have given them the vote which they valued no more than a piece of money or a glass of beer. They had not the first idea of the meaning of American freedom or the responsibility of Amer- ican citizenship, and they hold the balance of power. With that condition of things it looks discouraging for America-will it ever be possible to elect capable officers?
The government of the United States of America is one of the biggest jobs on earth and it should have capable, honest, edu- cated men and women to do this important business if it is to be done right.
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In our engineering laboratories and in the education of our young people for scholarly careers or for private business, I sup- pose we are as efficient as any people on earth. But when it comes to the science of government-preparing the young people for it-we have a hit and miss policy that for an intelligent people is the worst on earth.
In England boys at an early age begin studying to become public officials and by the time their education is finished they are fitted for any high office in the gift of the government. We claim that in any diplomatic relations with England we always get the worst of it, and there is a reason for it.
We look upon Russia as a long ways behind our standard of things in general, but Russia is training its youth in the knowl- edge of government in a way that is thorough and determined and is making an intelligent citizen out of every boy and girl. We may be looking up to Russia in the next fifty years be- cause of her knowledge of the science of government.
The President of the United States and the governors of the several states are finding it hard to get capable men to fill govern- ment positions, more complicated in their structure and demand- ing more specialized knowledge than most private industries. but we put back-slappers and vote-getters in these positions who know nothing about the business at hand, and still we expect results. The past election shows clearly the kind of results we generally get.
In the Calumet Weekly News of last week there was an edi- torial on "Youth Has a Chance." Sure they have, but are they being educated and instructed so that they will be able to "fill the bill" when their chance comes? I may not know, but from what I have seen of the young educated people, it seems they do not have the inclination or the capacity for solving these great questions that have got to be solved if our business of government runs properly. Most of the young people that I have met, if they give it any thought at all, seem to think that the government should take care of them instead of them taking care of the gov- ernment. With all of our billions of dollars spent in public schools during the last 50 or 75 years we have a right to expect more in- telligent citizenship. But it seems our public schools and col- leges have taught about everything else but intelligent citizen- ship.
There is nothing that the public needs more than an honest, intelligent management of our public affairs. This, and this alone, will drive out graft and corruption and give an honest and intelligent man a chance for a public office.
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THE OLD SAGE OF RIDGE ROAD
Bill Lohman, read in the paper that the state and federal governments spent $1,258,000 on twenty-five miles of road in Lake county the past year, thought that was a lot of money. Philosophizing, some thirty years ago we built twenty-one miles of hard road with a slag bottom and a Joliet gravel top, twelve feet wide, for $42,000, or just $2,000 per mile. Men and teams, who lived in the vicinity, were hired to haul the material at $3.00 per day, and men were hired at $1.50 per day. Bill was boss of the job. If these men and teams did not work to ac- complish something, they were discharged. Last summer Bill sat on his front porch of his house, that is located just west of the Nickel Plate railroad on the Ridge road, and saw them build some of this $1,258,000 worth of road, and he thought he never saw men that could put in so much time and do so little work in his whole life, and Bill has lived on the Ridge road for some time past.
Bill is pretty good at figures and he found that this new 25 miles cost per mile $50,320. That included the E. J. and E. via- duct. The federal government paid the most of this $1,258,000. Most of the workers came from the county, who were on the re- lief rolls. Yes, of course, it is a better road, but it cost so much more money, and I suppose that is the reason our taxes are so high.
November, 1934
WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT?
Monday's Chicago Tribune tells how Du Pont urges limit on all profits in war. The leopard does change his spots. Accord- ing to the paper, during the World war, the Du Pont Company received orders totaling one billion two hundred forty-five mil- lion dollars and paid dividends totaling 458 per cent of the par value of the original stock. DuPont must either think that he has enough or is like the old politician who believed if he could not lick 'em to join 'em. DuPont probably sees which way the wind is blowing and he wants to come in and make the best bargain possible. Just now things look pretty good. The ad- ministration is softening up towards business. Big business, see- ing the strong support Roosevelt got, thinks it will have to come in and do business according to the new rules, and it is shaping things to do it. And the way things look, we may be going strong soon. We hope we will get around that corner.
WHAT CAUSED THE DEPRESSION?
We have been telling you what caused the depression; it was that everything got out of joint after the war, when the price of
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the farmer's product got down low and organized labor and the protected interests kept the prices of the products of the other interests on a high level until the farmers could not buy the other fellow's product. They could not trade, therefore the manufacturer could not sell his goods and had to shut up shop and throw the men out of employment.
After some years and due consideration, B. C. Forbes, finan- cial writer for the Chicago Herald and Examiner, has inter- viewed Carl C. Conway, chairman of the Continental Can Com- pany, which has thirty-eight plants in thirty-one cities and em- ploys 15,000 workers. He says :
"European economists-and also Mr. Conway-believe that President Roosevelt has already made substantial headway in bringing about a larger measure of balance between agricultural and industrial prices, and that still further progress will be achieved in this all-important direction.
"Mr. Conway has just shown me most elaborate charts to prove that whenever farm and industrial prices become excessive- ly far out of line, business is badly hurt; when disparity is whol- ly or largely removed, the exchange of goods, meaning business, revives.
" 'The underlying forces here and in most parts of the world,' declares Mr. Conway, 'are such that expansion seems imminent. The best European authorities regard the United States as possessing wonderful potentialities, because of its natur- al resources, its unique wealth, its inventive genius, its intelligent workers, and its form of government.
" 'It is recognized that, in doing so many things to combat the depression, Washington naturally has made some economic errors. But it is felt that fundamental forces of recovery are so potent that success will be achieved.'
"The attitude of the administration authorities, Mr. Conway has authoritatively learned since his return, is altogether encour- aging. The powers-that-be at Washington are now evincing eagerness to cooperate with business and industry in expediting revival.
"So he feels distinctly encouraged."
December, 1934
CRIME CAN BE CLEANED UP
In the "Voice of the People," David D. Cupp writes a very touching letter to the Chicago Tribune, deploring the brutality and savagery on the part of the United States department of justice in shooting down Dillinger, "Pretty Boy" Floyd and "Baby Face" Nelson and others in cold blood. He seemed to
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think they deserved more consideration and should have been given a chance to have killed more innocent people. Mr. Cupp must have a viewpoint of a criminal lawyer that sees his busi- ness being destroyed by putting an end to these desperadoes who have furnished the business for this above named class. When they got Dillinger to Crown Point, the lawyers and news- papers were having a glorious time looking for honor and profits. If the federal agents would bring them in alive, the lawyers could monkey around in court for six weeks to three months and turn most of them loose on the dear public, so that they could repeat the performance and give them another job. In that way the lawyer could keep the business going strong. If our federal agents keep on with their good work, these criminal lawyers will be out of a job and the dear people will have a chance to go home at night without getting shot.
The only reason the federal officers were sent out to get these fellows was that the state and local officers did not get them for some reason or other. It appears to us they were afraid of them. There is only one reason why this crime business is not cleaned up and that is because the officers and the courts do not want to clean it up. Captain John Norton was assigned to the Maxwell street station in Chicago-a notorious criminal section. He was not told to clean it up; it was expected that he would find a big job to keep crime in check. He took his job seriously and went at it. In the last ten months he and his men arrested 7,796. Of these 2,068 have been convicted. His district now is free from criminals. They are all in jail. If Captain Norton can do this, others can do it if they want to. But the courts have got to do their business after the criminals are brought in.
December, 1934
COMMENTS ON CRIME DRIVE
There is an organization now working in the state for the purpose of lessening crime and also to increase the usefulness of our courts at less expense to the public, which, we think, is a mighty big thing in the interest of good government at less cost to the public. And to show the need of this, we think we can do it best by giving a case of our own acquaintance and experi- ence as we see it in our Lake county courts in the last fifty years or more.
I was brought up to respect law and order and to have a great reverence for our courts of justice. So I started out with no prejudice or disrespect for the courts. When quite a young man I was called to serve on the jury and what I saw and heard there was an eye-opener to me. It seemed that time consumed
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and expense to the public was of no consequence. In selecting a jury the process .was about as impractical as anything that could be devised. If a man knew anything or had read the pa- pers he would be excused from service. Finally they would get twelve good and true men who didn't know anything about the case and had no opinion on it. Then they would begin to try the case. The prosecution would state their case-what they pro- posed to prove. The defense would show in their setting out just about the opposite. Witnesses would be questioned and their answers would not amount to much or would not seem to be get- ting anywhere until some positive witness had something to say, and was saying it. Then the opposition would object and the lawyers would argue before the judge, and he would generally sustain the objection. Then they would go plodding along for a day or two until some other fellow had some real evidence-and then more objection. It seemed to me they were not trying to get at the facts of the case. They were only killing time and piling up expense. I have served on the jury several times. Some courts were worse than others, but all were bad enough in mon- keying around and killing time, and eating up the public money.
Thirty years ago, more or less, I dropped into the court house at a county commissioners' court and overheard them talking about reimbursing the county clerk to the tune of $300 that he had advanced on naturalizing 300 foreigners. It seemed the county clerk had taken his office on his back and had gone over to Hammond and naturalized the foreigners just before an election, so that the party in power could vote them like so many cattle. The county chairman of the party was to pay the bill, but he got drunk and spent all the money; and the clerk, to balance his books, had to have $300. The county attorney told the com- missioners that it was a just debt and should be paid, and it was ordered paid. I got a chance to talk with the county attorney and told him they could not pay for naturalizing foreigners out of public funds. The law said if they wished to be naturalized they must go to the clerk and pay $1.00. The commissioners had no more right to pay that bill than they had to pay my hired man. He gave me to understand it was none of my business and that I could "go home and milk the cows."
Before I did this I went across the street to Otto J. Bruce, lawyer, and got him to commence suit against the commission- ers. The case was set and as usual, where they want to beat time and not come to trial, they took a change of venue to Valparaiso, where it finally came to trial before Judge Johnson, a very cap- able man and as good a judge as the system would allow. We commenced in the morning and there all day the lawyers argued.
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They had a big table covered with law books and they read pre- cedents. The poor judge sat there looking as "wise as an owl." It was such a momentous question he could not decide in that day, and did not decide it for a couple of weeks. I suppose he had to see the boys in his party before deciding what to do about it. The decision was all right when it did come, but it look- ed as if they were trying to squirm out of it. Judge Johnson knew, and so did the lawyers, that they had no right to use pub- lic money to pay for naturalizing foreigners, and it should not have taken more than fifteen minutes to decide the case. That case got me disgusted more than ever with court procedure, as it is and was, and to see the great need of a change for swifter justice with less expense.
The courts monkeyed along for years and then we came to the Fancher case, where Thad Fancher and Mr. Cochran were at the Halfway House between Cedar Lake and Crown Point one Sunday, and a tough gang from Chicago came in there and held up the place and killed Fancher. The whole "caboodle" were caught red-handed and should have been tried together. But for a reason only known to lawyers and courts the case was dragged along and finally one of them was sent up through the testimony principally of Mr. Cochran. Frank McErlane, one of the murderers, could not get justice in Lake county, so took change of venue to Valparaiso, and one fine morning Mr. Coch- ran was found dead on a Crown Point street. The reason? He was the principal witness against McErlane. There was no other reason that I ever heard. MeErlane's trial finally came off, and it was a long fought battle, with hot air and froth, and the jury found him "not guilty." He was turned loose to make more business for the courts. A man who heard the case through said he knew he (MeErlane) was guilty, and the jury knew he was guilty, but they were afraid to render a verdict to that effect for fear they would get what Cochran did.
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