USA > Indiana > Lake County > The First Hundred Years (1938) > Part 33
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The political machine wins. Right and wrong don't cut much figure. The machine controls the voter and the voters like to be fooled. To those that have a good opinion of the people of this country, these views will seems abhorrent. To those, how- ever, who understand that the voters in the United States are in the mass ignorant, uninformed and swayed by emotion and not reason, that they are split up into multitudinous racial and religious groups, that they are further divided and subdivided into countless orders, organizations, associations, bodies, profes- sions, classes, cliques, clans, etc., each with its special prejudices
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and predilections-all impervious to logic and indifferent to fact, each incapable of seeing a political or public question save from his own narrow angle. They are not influenced by reason-so "fool 'em." If the mass of the people understood the difference between right and wrong, or if there was a chance to win on the right because it is right, why then it would be different and an intelligent, concientious person would be justified in running for some of our political offices.
We believe Mr. Kent has shed considerable light on the situa- tion, and it proves this: The mass of voters are such a lot of dumb fools that the office seeker has got to feed them a lot of "flapdoodle" to get their votes and, as they are in the majority, the honest, intelligent voter doesn't count. The politician does not seem to be so much at fault as the voter and, until we have an intelligent and moral qualification for a voter, there doesn't seem to be much prospect for an improvement in our public affairs. Say, people, what are you going to do about it?
HIGH COST OF LIVING
One of the main causes of our troubles in this late panie was the high cost of everything. We could not pay for it and with the extravagant management at Washington and all the way down the line to our county council, the chances for any perman- ent relief look pretty slim.
Now, we see by the papers that our county farm agent has the germ working for more expense in the management of his affairs. He is prepared to ask an increase of $13,250 in his 1936 budget, with a view to the greater development of agricultural products in Lake county. Of course that is not much when we are used to talking about billions, but it would take a good many gallons of milk, bushels of corn or bunches of carrots to pay that sum. Besides, in whose interests is Mr. Cutler working? Is it the farmers or the consumers? The paper says he wants this amount to increase production, when in fact we are producing so much now that the farmers and market gardeners are working for less money per hour than any other class of people. More production thrown on the market would lessen the price and the increased cost of running the county agent's office would make more taxes. So where will the benefit come in for the producer?
It may be in this New Deal that we have not kept up with the modern trend and that our county agent's efforts are for the benefit of the consumer. In that case it would be different. But in either case all this big public expense must be cut down so the dear public can get enough money to pay running ex- penses.
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WPA WORKERS STRIKE
Organized labor and labor in general seem to have lost all sense of common judgment and decency. Several of the states have quit handing out public dole for the reason that farmers could not hire help on the farms because charity was paying more to do nothing than the farmers, could afford to pay for hard work. In many cases where men are given relief work they go on a strike for more wages.
The latest is down in New York, where 770 have gone out on a strike. The building trades union wants to make it a general strike and calculates that 10,000 to 15,000 men would be called off works progress administration jobs refusing longer to accept the WPA wage of $93.50 a month. Considering the condition and circumstances, they must have lost all the sense they ever had and are not willing to help get things started up again to where the conditions might warrant better wages.
"Lord" Green of the American Federation of Labor ex- pressed the belief (according to the papers) that there might be nation-wide strike among WPA workers protesting against the security wage of $93.50 per month. If they do that, we would propose that the farmers go on a strike and quit feeding them.
Later: President Roosevelt says these men do not have to work, but will get no relief from the federal government, and now if the local governments will stop feeding them they will go to work.
ANOTHER MARRIAGE MILL
It seems that Crown Point is not the only place that runs a marriage mill. Waukegan, Illinois, seems to be a close competitor in joining people in the holy bonds of wedlock. But they were more successful in getting extra fees for a marriage license than our own Lake county officers were with our good friends, Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Anderson. When they applied for a license at Crown Point on a Saturday afternoon they were told there would be an extra charge because the clerk's office was open for busi- ness at that time only at increased rates.
But in Lake county, Illinois, according to the Chicago Tri- bune, the county clerk just for an accommodation to the mid- night lovesick swains takes a license home with him and he will get up in the night and accommodate them for $5.00. The red-headed bride said she was drunk when she married the prize fighter and that she did not know what she was doing, and wanted the marriage annulled. The court hearing was pretty hot, for the reason that the marriage mill fellows do not want
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their nicely arranged plans interfered with. But Judge David seemed to think there was something rotten in Lake county, Illinois.
THIS AND THAT
Arthur Brisbane is again shedding hot tears over the little pigs that were killed and the cotton plowed under through the workings of the AAA. He attributes the high price of pork to the killing of the pigs. He does not know that pigs do not make pork. It is corn that makes pork, and it is a good thing that those pigs were killed. The drought made the corn erop so short there is not enough corn to make pigs we now have into pork. There would not be any more fat hogs in the stock yards now if the pigs were all allowed to live. The reason that beef is high is on account of the drought.
The typical man of affairs is one that has mortgaged his house to buy an auto. He plays golf when he should be at work and has about five different loans from the government.
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According to the papers, R. O. Johnson of Gary has an itching to be our next congressman from the first district (that is Lake county). According to Frank R. Kent, of "Political Behavior," he has the right qualifications :
He has made a reputation ;
He is well known; He can give the voters "hooey."
What more do you want from a candidate for Congress?
BORN FORTY OR FIFTY YEARS TOO SOON
Twenty-two years after the first pioneer white people settled in Lake county, Indiana, I was born in a log house, with a big fireplace containing a crane on which was hung pots and kettles where the food was cooked for a family of from six to ten people ; slept in a trundle bed which was a small, low down arrangement which was shoved in under the big bed in the day time to get it out of the way in the small log house. The door of this house was a wonder in construction. The hinges, of wood, reached the full width of the door, and the boards of the door were secured to the hinges by wooden pegs. Nails were scarce and too expensive.
When I got old enough to recognize and comprehend what was going on it was comparatively a new country and in a
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pretty raw state. The Michigan Central and Joliet cut-off was built. Ross station and Lake station, now East Gary, were busy places at that time as the only railway stations in the county. The engines were little fellows with big smokestacks, the same as you saw at the World's fair at the Transportation building. The fuel for feeding the engines was cord wood, where they had an abundance of it in the railroad yards.
The wagon roads were of the native soil. In the dry sum- mer time they were hard and dusty and in the spring and fall when it rained were a mass of mud, and when they froze up in the winter time there was one big bump after another. People generally had a big lumber wagon; some had a light wagon with a spring seat and a board across the box behind for the young ones. In such a wagon the family would visit their rela- tives 20 miles away every fall, waiting until the colts could be weaned from their mothers for the annual trip, which was one of the big events of the season.
The grain was put in stacks and much of the threshing was done in the winter time, clearing the snow from the thresh- ing floor and off from the stacks. A horse power furnished the power to run the threshing machine, and that had to be held down by stakes driven into the ground, but when the ground was frozen hard these post holes were made with great labor, the stakes put in watersoaked and left over night to freeze them solid. We could not thresh the same day the posts were set. Cattle were kept in a big yard in the winter time with an open shed for their only protection. We would milk a couple of cows that would give mighty little milk, and on the coldest days the milk would freeze on the pail while we were milking. The women of the house would put the milk in pans or crocks, let it set until the cream rose to the top, and then skim it off to make butter.
The neighbors were real neighbors in health or sickness. There was considerable sociability visiting one another evenings and Sundays. Pop corn, apples, and cider were the principal refreshments. But a good part of the time was staying at home and working, going to bed early because there was no other place to go, and up early in the morning, for there was plenty of work to do. The women spun the yarn and made the stock- ings and mittens; wore big, flowing dresses, hoop skirts and bustles. They called their legs "limbs" at that time, and the general public was ignorant of anything above the shoe top. In a very early day the women's head-gear was a sun-bonnet made from a yard of calico, but later the top piece was a most ex- traordinary affair, large and cumbersome, with a big ostrich feather on it, costing from $8 to $15, according to the size of
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the feather. Now you can buy a much more comfortable hat for 89 cents, to be worn over one ear, that is much cuter than the big hat was.
I do not know if the people are any better or worse at this time than they were in the early times. But I am certain of one thing-they have a lot more gall, especially the young ones. Go to the bathing beaches to see the beauties. The young ones are not so hard on the eyes, but that 200 pounds of pork, either man or woman, in a bathing suit is something awful. It looks to us that they should bathe at night with the lights turned off.
And this open back creation. Of course, there are excep- tions; but in the great majority of cases that open exposure of hide and bones is far from attractive, if we are any judge. And bathing suits we supposed were to be worn when bathing, not to promenade the streets in or worn at a social function. It may be very attractive for some, but for the young to furnish a free attraction to the public is inviting a bid for damaged goods which will be moved to the basement at a cheaper price.
To be sure, our opinion may not amount to much, as we may be influenced by our early bringing up and therefore biased in our judgment, but we feel sure that this dress or lack of dress question is of great importance, and we feel it should be fully discussed through the Calument Weekly News by some with modern ideas. We understand at Michigan City bathing suits are used for bathing and for nothing else. If they want to sit in the park or walk the streets they must put on some clothes.
SEPT. PICNIC A SUCCESS 1935
The Old Settlers and Historical society had a good picnic at the Crown Point fair grounds last Saturday. Everything went off according to program. The oldest man there was Mr. Taylor, 92, from Lowell. The oldest married couple born in Lake coun- ty was Mr. and Mrs. Mat Lennertz of Merrillville, who have been married 55 years. They have nine children, 31 grand- children and one great grandchild, and have never had a death in the house. They are all healthy, happy and prosperous, and not a black sheep among the lot-truly a wonderful record.
THE "TWIN" SHOW
Some productive mind down at Warsaw, Indiana, con- ceived the idea of putting on a "twin" show four years ago, and last Sunday was the fourth annual exhibit of twins at War- saw, called the Twin convention. A year ago I happened to be there and got interested in the novel sight of the twins and
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triplets marching in a procession flanked on both sides by the spectators and judges. I decided there was nothing there equal to our twins, so this year we took them down to join in the competition, and, lo and behold, the twins increased in the number over last year about tenfold.
This Warsaw twin convention had become nationalized and the best looking twins from all over the country gathered there. Some met there from different states who had not seen one another for years. The youngest twins were three weeks old and the oldest twins were 86 years old. There were red-headed twins, black-headed twins, yellow-headed twins, white-headed twins, some big and some little, some lean and some fat. Some were smiling and gay and some looked as savage as a meat ax. The estimate was 500 sets of twins and 5,000 spectators, who all seemed very much interested in the proceedings, which con- sisted of music by the band and speeches besides the parade of the twins. The chances were pretty slim for a prize and we came away without any; but we are going to put them through a conditioning process and go down next year and hope to take- the prize.
Seventy members of the Zephyr Twin club of Chicago were- there, making two big busloads. One family showed four sets of twins and there were several sets of triplets in the procession .. For a new institution it is going strong.
HUEY LONG
The death of Senator Huey Pierce Long has set us to think- ing hard on men, people and nations. He was a peculiar figure in the nation. A boy born on a farm and given a common school education, he grew into a traveling salesman for cottonseed. products, and married the girl who baked a cake that took the prize, made from the product that he was agent for; studied law, got into politics, and by energy, ambition, determination, force of character, and some brains, controlled the state of Louisiana, a big lot of the people of the United States, and held up Congress in its last hours so it could not do anything, and he also called the President a liar and faker and got away with it. How could he do it?
There was a house painter in Germany by the name of Adolf Hitler; no more nor less than any other house painter or com- mon, everyday man. But he became uneasy and dissatisfied with things as they were in Germany, and began to talk and work; he got converts to his ideas and finally loomed in sight as a figure in national politics, and his word is now law in Germany. He plans to annihilate the Jews in that country; ordered killed!
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the best friend he ever had to prevent any opposition to his plans and purposes. He proposes to dictate the people's religion and proposes to mate the young people off so as to produce the best results in their progeny to raise a superior class of men for war as well as for other purposes.
Premier Mussolini of Italy, as far as I know, came up from the ranks, and with his brains, ambition and determination has run Italy, and now defies the world to stop him from going to Ethiopia and take the country and probably make slaves of them.
These three men were not selected by the people as rulers ; just by their force of character and determination they com- pelled the people to recognize them as rulers, and it seems the masses are willing to let someone think for them and tell them what to do. Is it not passing strange that, with all our en- lightenment and education, it is as it is? At this stage of the game it is a wonder to us that these three men can be the con- trolling power that they are, and the people in general seem to be perfectly helpless and can only go with the mob to be dictated to by a leader.
Our young people are saying, "There is no frontier." There is nothing for them to do when the world is suffering for intelli- gent citizenship and needs more intelligent, courageous young men and women in the field! Knowing what these three men have done in their different countries, why need the young sor- row and repine for the want of something to do? The older generation seems to have made a failure of it all around. The harvest is ripe, young people! Take courage from Huey Long and go to it! Not that you follow in his footsteps, but be en- couraged by the results of his determination and courage.
CAN THEY FIND THE MAN ?
The G. O. P. is making a desperate effort to get a good man as candidate for President of the United States in the 1936 elec- tion. The condition as it now stands is a pretty ticklish job. The country went to pieces under their management and the other party got into power by a big majority, and there is a mighty sight of dissatisfaction with what they are doing. The Republi- cans now begin to gather courage and hope for the 1936 elec- tion.
But what man in this 120 million population can they select to beat Roosevelt? So far the man we would like to see nom- inated and elected seems to be to the front of all the possible candidates. His name is William E. Borah of Idaho. He is a man of good and independent judgment, a man that follows no
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gang or clique, a man that stands on his own feet and acts on his own judgment, and a man that is old enough to have some good confirmed convictions; a man that all the small fry politi- cians and newspaper writers tried to make fun of. But when the Republican party wanted a real man at the Kansas City convention (that nominated Hoover) to make a speech for the majority report they got Borah to do it, showing down in their hearts they respected Borah and had a good opinion of his capacity.
I am sure nobody has any reason to change his mind in - regard to Borah, but rather should increase his admiration for him. The favorite son of Indiana, James E. Watson, is still am- bitious to get into the game, and in our opinion he would do most anything to get into it. He is a politician pure and simple and will jump sideways or backwards to keep on the side of the majority, if he knows where it is. He was in the senate and held a prominent position in Hoover's administration, and he did worse than nothing as a statesman in control of the senate to remedy the wrongs that were transpiring at that time.
At the Republican meeting at Crown Point two or three months ago Jim came in late (one of his tricks of the trade to attract attention). Everything was halted, everybody stood up and hollered, "Hurrah for Jim Watson!" He shook hands with everybody within reach and then, escorted to the platform as the hero of the occasion, he made a speech, "Stand by the plat- form," and a lot more hooey or flapdoodle, which Kent says the people must be fed on to get their votes. I want to say right here, if the Republicans nominate Jim Watson as a can- didate for President in 1936, they will get beat.
October 1935 ROSES TO THE LIVING
Flowers to the living mean so much more than flowers to the dead that I propose to render verbal flowers of tribute from time to time to men and women who by noble works and lives are giving purpose and power to goodness and virtue. The scoundrels of this life never want for publicity, but there are thousands of men and women working in obscure corners of America whose superlative work is never mentioned until they lie cold in death. Eulogies mean little then. To be sure, such men and women have no desire for publicity. They are laying up treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and they are content to work quietly. But there are millions of young men and women who need the sustaining inspiration which such lives afford. Do you know such a person? If you do,
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will you send his or her name to the writer of this column with a brief explanatory note?
And now for this week's "roses to the living." They go to Sam B. Woods, one of Lake county's oldest settlers, and Grif- fith's first citizen.
In the front yard of the Woods farm near Crown Point there is a large stone with a bronze plaque upon which is inscribed, as nearly as I can remember: "Bartlett Woods, Gentleman, Farmer-Fighter for Righteousness." The stone is a memorial to Mr. Woods' father, who came west in 1837 and cleared off a section of Indiana wilderness to start the farm which in two years will be one hundred years old. One has only to journey a hundred miles in any one direction from the Calumet region to find hundreds of deserted farms. The fact that this farm is still in the Woods family is a glowing tribute in itself, a monument to hard toil and Yankee sagacity. America has come a long way since 1837. The farmer has carried most of the burden, and Sam Woods can tell you what crop failures, insect ravages, droughts, farm price inequalities, and panies really mean. When his friends and neighbors deserted their country homesteads for the big cities, he went on much as before, firm in his faith in Almighty God and the sustaining qualities of the soil.
His father founded the Republican party in Lake county, and Mr. Woods followed his virile example by taking a keen interest in public affairs. No political injustice was too small to arouse his fighting blood. In the face of crooked politicians' jibes and jeers, in the face of ridicule and falsehood, he dared to investigate and uncover unpleasant political facts. Not public office, but public honesty, has been his aim. And his fight has been, not for two years, nor ten, but for more than five decades.
In years Sam Woods is old, but in spirit he is a two-year- old "man o' war." At an age when most men are content to sit in the chimney corner with their pipes, he is still an active vibrant force in his community. His page of editorial comment in this paper is typical of his keen intellect and sparkling wit. Sam Woods is just Sam Woods, a personality distinct and dif- ferent, so real and unaffected in his thought and speech that if you have read his weekly column of comment. you know him as he is. There is nothing pretentious about him.
He believes that public citizenship is as much a public trust as a public office, and he has sought to live this belief through- out the whole of his life. He has lived according to the will of God, a consecrated Christian life, seeking ever by word and act to balance the scales of justice.
And thus the first of my "roses to the living" go to Sam
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B. Woods, farmer, public spirited citizen, and fighter for righteousness.
THANK YOU, MR. ANDERSON
Brother Anderson: That was a dandy on me, but I am afraid most people will be like the woman who was having a funeral for her dead husband. The preacher delivering the ser- mon gave the subject such a high recommend that the wife got up and looked at the corpse, thinking from the talk it could not be her husband he was referring to.
Through my life I have received more cussing than bouquets, so I think, taking it all around, it will be a good average. Some- time ago a man down east, knowing that most of the nice things said about people were said after they were dead, arranged to have his funeral sermon preached while he could hear it. I be- lieve this is a good idea, but in my case I won't have to go to the trouble of arranging for that, as it has already been done- for which I am very grateful, Mr. Anderson.
But what is running through my head after reading your complimentary remarks is how the little I have done in my weak way to make this world of ours a better place to live in should be anything out of the ordinary. What live man who is decent and not a coward, who sees corruption and dishonesty in our public affairs, would not put up a fight to clean it up? But we will have to admit that it is not done by many or we would not have the condition in this country that we have. I can hardly understand it, but most good people seem to be cowards or else very timid, or something. I hardly know what it is when men and women full grown will sit idly by and not make an effort for clean, honest government. They do not seem to have a sense of their responsibility as citizens.
The young people are awaiting a chance to do things, and they like action and want a field in which to show their comba tiveness. Here the harvest is ripe and waiting for several thous- and in Lake county and millions in the United States. So go to it, young people, and make your mark and save the country.
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