Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 4

PAGE FOUR DECATUR HERALD Monday, March 2, 1935. Venturing Forth Without His Rubbers! Editorials Origin of Monopoly Ancestor of Current Popular Game, Invented 32 Years Ago. accurately the thought of all conservative economizers," and ready for use without alteration. Here it is: That the people justly view with alarm the reckless extravagance which pervades every department of the federal government; that a return to rigid economy and accountability is indispensable to arrest the systematic plunder of the public treasury by favored partizans; while- the recent startling developments of frauds and corruptions at the federal metropolis show that an entire change of administration is imperatively demanded. As further recommendation for this plank, it can be said that it has a perfectly legitimate Republican ancestry.

It happens to be found in the Republican platform of 1860. "Reckless extravagance" and "imperative need far change of administration happen to be stock accusations that already are hurled at any administration in office by the party that is out. Historians have found a good many faults in the Buchanan administration of 1856-. 1 860, but they have failed to note that it was guilty of unnecessary expenditures or corruption. That omission, perhaps, may have been due to the fact that the Republicans, going into office on a platform denouncing extravagance, promptly stepped up government expenses to far higher levels and, under Grant, introduced the country to its.

first experience of big-scale corruption in high federal office. The transmission of photographs by wire is a marvelous invention. Without it, 'we would have had to wait another day for a picture of that Dallas rooster in a glass bottle. Can Japan War on War Between Two Powers Practically Impossible Because of Width of Pacific Ocean Villard Asks Why the Appropriations for War, Ostensibly With Japan, When Government Officials Deny That Possibility? That battered, bruised and bandaged fellow is just one of those who suffered "minor injuries" in the most recent automobile accident. President Roosevelt says the new assistant secretary of the navy will not be a Roosevelt not even one of the family and that leaves the field of eligibles rather restricted.

Who Is the Smart Politician? President Roosevelt has drafted a billion dollar tax program for immediate enactment by Congress but Chairman Doughton of the House Ways and Means committee, the group that must write the bill and provide the specific terms for raising the revenue, doubts that Congress will deliver the total requested by the chief executive. 1 he committee, says Chairman Doughton, must take into consideration a prevailing congressional senliment for holding any tax legislation to an absolute min mum until after next fall's elections. Chairman Doughton speaks frankly and boldly in stating the real reason for congressional reluctance to support the President's tax program. No congressman cares to campaign for re-election after voting a new tax burden upon his constituents. But statesmen less frank than Congressman Doughton offer other arguments for opposing a tax program, even though they know the real reason is political expediency.

President Roosevelt is anxious to be reelected, because he wants to bring to completion the social and economic programs launched as the New Deal. His stake in the November elections is vastly greater than that of any Senator or congressman. But he finds that the government must have a billion dollars in new taxes and he submits the bill, unterrified by reaction at the polls. Congressmen who go on record with the statement that they oppose new taxes because such levies might cause them to be defeated for re-election perhaps have misjudged the popular temper. I he man in the White House is no amateur in the game of politics and when he stands up in public demanding new taxes, there is a fair inference that he thinks American voters would rather accept the taxes than continued borrowing against the future.

He'd Continue Spending Most critics of the present scale of government spending neglect to mention a single, specific expense they would cut out, if they were running the government. In this respect. Governor Landon of Kansas is more frank with the public. In his speech in Lincoln. Governor Landon came out flatly on the subject of two expenses he would not be willing to give up.

First of all It positively is not true, he said, that the election of a Republican administration would "jeopardize the relief intended for the deserving." Second, as to the farmers, Governor Landon proposes to do quite as much as the present administration. He thinks he could do it better. "Once we have restored purchasing power of the farmer, we shall have gone a long way toward providing work for the unemployed." Unfortunately, it just happens that the cost of relief, and the cost of farm aid, are the two items of expense that make up the whole amount of the government deficit. Governor Landon does not make it clear by what sort of miracle the two whopping items of can be kept up, and at the same time government out-go can be brought down to normal. If there is a way to spend money, and at the same time save it, the whole world eager to know about it.

One of these days we will surrender to the arm chair upon reading that Buzzie Dall has been initiated into the Fly club. Now that nights are moderately balmy again, the young lady in the next office discovers that her latest boy friend is an enthusiastic amateur astronomer. Claiming No Halos Nearly every member of the United States Supreme court is a politician through long years before he gets appointed to that lofly bench. It is a strange happening in a democracy, therefore, lo find large numbers of people solemnly assuming that justices of the court have a saintly immunity, so far above all other branches of political government that they may not be criticized. Happily, the members of the court themselves usually are more modest and clear-seeing.

It was no wild-eyed radical but Supreme Justice Brewer who suggested that the court owes its greatness to the fact that the' people are free'to criticize it. By that process it has been able to shift ground, to meet the changing thought of a developing nation. It was as long ago as in 1 898 that Justice Brewer wrote "It is a mistake to suppose that the Supreme court is either honored or helped by being spoken of as beyond criticism. On the contrary, the life and character of its justices should be objects of constant watchfulness by all, and its judgments subject to the freest criticism. The time is past in the history of the world when any living man or body of men can be set on a pedestal and decorated with a halo.

True, many criticisms may be, like their authors, devoid of good taste, but better all sorts of criticism than no criticism at all." The first robin and the first crocus cause reasonable excitement but the big thrill comes with the first bumble bee in the family automobile. Proposing a Plank Republicans meeting in Cleveland next June of course will want a vigorous "economy in government" plank for their platform. To save hot-weather exertion in the crowded days of the convention, they might adopt one already written, probably representing pretty Milwaukee Journal. TV -TONOPOLY, that intriguing parlor game now all the rage, the game in which the players can feel like millionaires until all but one are flat broke (theoretically) is probably the biggest seller in recent years. Why? The manufacturers who turned the game down at first, would like to know, too! For they did turn it down flat, said it took too long to play, had too many parts, was unorthodox and could never be successful.

One of those firms later bought the production rights and today its plants are working on three full time shifts to make enough sets to go around. A woman really invented ia first. She is Mrs. Elizabeth Magie Phillips, now in her sixties head of the School of Social Sciences in Washington, D. C.

She wasn't thinking of a parlor game. Her father was a disciple of the late Henry George, and she worked out the game to illustrate the George single tax doctrine to her students. And this may surprise you: She patented her game in 1904, 32 years ago. She called it "Landlord." Nothing much happened with "Landlord," but Mrs. Phillips liked it enough to invent four other games in the next 20 years all with the single tax system as the basic principle.

The last one, patented in 1924, was named "The Landlord's Game." It may be well called the direct, lineal ancestor of "Monopoly" both bear the same patent number, 1,509,312. "Landlord's Game" was never heard of until Charles B. Darrow, a Philadelphia heating engineer, developed a similar game, only with many improvements, and started what has now become "Monopoly." PARKER BROTHERS, INCf, of Salem, who how own the patents of both Mrs. Phillips and Mr. Darrow, are inclined to give more credit for the origin of the game to Mrs.

Phillips. They say Mr. Darrow improved Mrs. Phillips' game. Mr.

Darrow, who lives in Germantown, says he never heard of Mrs. Phillips' game until after he was selling his game under the name "Monopoly." Darrow, in 1929, was an instructor in coal combustion for the Anthracite Coal Service. There was a depression. Mr. Darrow tried to make a living selling on commission.

"All I could do as a salesman," he said, "was to spend $25 to earn $15 in commissions. So I decided I could stay home my wife and two boys and starve slower and with more satisfaction. "I couldn't stand idleness, so I built a work shop in my cellar, dug a fish pool for a neighbor, painted the house and kept busy enough to be happy. Sometime along in 1930 I got into a discussion with somebody over a series of hypothetical investments which had been mentioned in a Princeton class. to amuse myself and family, I started with an idea of making a game in which the possibility of losing and winning money and property was the basis.

We had bought a home and naturally were interested in real estate. "Well, I started with a circular piece of oilcloth about 40 inches in diameter. I pinned it on the dining room table. I lined off blocks, colored them and named them after streets in Atlantic City because the resort possessed the idea of play I wanted to get across. "With a few bits of wood, dice and playing men and 'Community Chest' and 'Chance' cards written by my wife the game came into being.

I wanted. to call it real estate, but my wife said, Monopoly, and Monopoly it was. "We had some friends in to try it out and it went over big. James Hibbs, an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania and a neighbor said he had to have one, so I contracted to make him one for It took me about eight hours. "Then some friends of his wanted a set Their friends, and their friends.

Soon it caught on. I made about 150 sets by hand, all patternefl after the first, when business became good enough that I turned the job over to a printer. "I offered the game to Parker Brothers, but they turned it down. But people began asking stores for it and Wanamaker's put it in stock. By Dec.

1, 1934, I had sold 15,000 sets myself and Parker Brothers were convinced of their mistake. I signed a contract that day on a royalty basis." And Darrow still wants a job! IGHTNING and such good luck as this don't usually play a return engagement, so if I get a chance for a good job in my line I'll take it." A man from North Carolina wrote that he often runs out of houses and hotels and, "Could I substitute peas and beans instead?" A woman wrote for information on a technical point and asked, "Answer by Saturday because the girls are coming over for a game." Mrs. Phillips sold her patents on "Landlord's Game" to Parker Brothers for $500, and she gets none of the profits out of the sale of Monopoly. There is a copy of the present game, Monopoly, in her home, but she has been "too busy to play it," she says. There is another game coming right behind Monopoly in popularity.

It is politics. Parker Brothers, who owns it, too, deny that it stemmed from monopoly, but there is a certain similarity. Each player gets $1,000,000 in scrip money to get himself elected president Instead of acquiring streets, you acquire counties in the 48 states. It was invented by a New Yorker, Oswald Lord, of the textile firm of Galey Lord. He thought of it, he says, while taking a hot shower last spring.

DANGER COMES HIGH Jake (nervously) I suppose the operation will be dangerous, doctor? Doctor: Nonsense! You couldn't buy a dangerous operation for only $5. B'nai Brith Magazine. SLANDER "My husband tells me the other men in the club consider Mr. Browne quite a reconteur." "Rubbish! He doesn't drink any more than the rest of them." Boston Transcript. News You Read in The Herald Twenty-Five Years Ago Today Miss Minnie.

Brockway, milliner at Gush-ard's has charge of the millinery Y. W. C. A. Trees are being cleared from the tract of land east of Van Dyke street 'and south of King street on the right of way of the Illinois Central railroad.

The land will be cultivated. The yield of wood from the tract will be probably 30 or 40 cords. The land never has been cultivated and its value as a garden should be first class. The Wabash management, determined to inaugurate a movement to displace the telegraph with telephones in dispatching trains, gave orders for the material and cancelled those orders before the fact that such change was contemplated became generally known. The management of the St.

Nicholas hotel was turned over yesterday morning by Charles Laux, to his two sons, Carl and James Laux. They will have full control of the hos.elry and the running of all the affairs of the hotel. A wrecking concern of St. Louis will commence to clean away the debris of the C. Eh-man Co.

mantel factory in a few days. There is considerable salvage but it is impossible to estimate its value. The Canadian Pacific railway will start 50 towns this spring on branch lines completed last fall. White House Monopoly. New York Times.

In the 12th century there was one shrewd and far-sighted noble family living in Normandy. To it belonged Elizabeth or Isabel de Vermandois, among whose descendants one must mention George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt. At any rate, these three are mentioned by a Salt Lake City genealogist who has made a study of the subject. Fifty years from now it is not inconceivable that further search will disclose Eugene V.

Debs or one of the La Follettes of Wisconsin among Lady Isabel's descendants. During the Wars of the Roses and other civil contentions in England many noble families managed to have a brother in both camps, so that whatever happened the estates remained in the family. Elizabeth or Isabel de Vermandois in the 12th century saw further and deeper. She arranged it so that none but her kin can ever occupy the White House. Here is planning as is planning.

Note on a Broadcast. Baltimore Evening Sun. The Columbia Broadcasting System, being non-partizan, making a practise of granting 15 minutes on the radio to' any regularly organized political party that asks for it So when the Communists asked for their turn, the C. B. S.

could hardly do anything other than grant it, seeing that it had already granted the same request when made by the Democrats and by the Republicans. All the same, one must feel a little sorry for the patrioteers as they read the announcement. Here they have been sweating prodigiously, spending incalculable time, energy and lung power for years, persuading 22 States to enact teachers' oath laws under the delusion that such laws will keep communism out of the schools. And what do they get? The end of their labors is only to find communism in the home. Yet the cloud has a silver lining.

The very next night the Hon. Ham Fish will answer the Communists at the same hour and frcm the same stations. Thus the incident gives Ham a chance to make a speech again. Maybe his friends stage-managed the whole business for that purpose. Country Cloistered and isolate, a kept seclusion Broods on these unploughed acres; here no sound Disturbs the native peace and brings intrusion Within these walls, for this is holy ground.

Birds here are mute, with secret words to keep, Winds fall like cast-off garments of a dancer, But each echoing heart stirs from a dreamy sleep To hear lost music and to give back answer. CARL JOHN BOSTELMANN. In, Christian Century. Radio Responsibility. Detroit News.

Owen D. Young cites cases of Intemperate speech over the radio by political leaders; quotations from Herbert Hoover, Alfred E. Smith and Senator Joseph T. Robinson. While not repeating his citations, we agree that they were well chosen.

By inference, the New York financier, industrialist and radio official, with occasion, many will think, also calls upon the President to heed a truth which the coming of the radio makes a foremost fact of these times. "Even to the President of the United States," he says, "may we not appeal for the choice word and the measured phrase, spoken with malice toward none and charity toward all?" Mr. Young spoke on "Radio Responsibility" at Rollins College, at a Founders' Day convocation. His gist is simple fact apparent to all having radios these dsys that is, nearly everybody: "Freedom of speech for the man whose voice can be heard a few hundred feet li one thing. Freedom of speech for the man whose voice may be hear around the world ia another." In the circumstances, it may be hoped that the well-aimed criticism will have effect Mr.

Young is chairman of the advisory council of the National Broadcasting Co. Considered a conservative Democrat, he was discussed as such for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1932, and he does not now seem to be among the conservatives who have broken their relations with the President He lately appeared as a probably willing participant in conference with Mr. Roosevelt at the White House. Predictions agree of a coming "bitter' Presidential struggle; to "step on it" and command hearings, the chief contenders need not 'make unwarranted assertions showing them, as Mr. Young puts it "blind to the dangers of carelessness or intemperance." Their chiefs being guilty seconds on the firing lines (such as James A.

Farley, for instance) do worse. Listeners-in on the political speeches are given the excellent idea of keeping their ears open for reckless broadcasting, purposing to charge up a discredit in every instance, "Little New Republic. One of the most attractive little books that has come to our desk in recent months with an original cover design, large print on fine white paper, beautiful illustrations both photographs and drawing is called "Little Waters." From the title and appearance one might easily infer that it was poetry or belif-lettres, but as a matter of fact, it is a Government report issued co-operatively by the foil Conservation Service, Resettlement Admin tration and Rural Electrification Administration. It deals with the problem of conferving the fertility of the land through the prop" use of the little waters: "rainfall, water in the soil, rivulets that flow off the land, other headwater etreams, ponds sr' small lakes." Everyone who loves forest and field. liftl and birds, moisture and humus will enjoy reading it and looking at the topographs maps, the pictures and well-drawn diagrams But the book is far more than a means o.

enjoyment; it is a demonstration of the for the widest possible soil conservation. Water and wind erosion together remove 8.000 000.000 tons of soil annually; 300,000,000 ton blew away from the wheat plains on May 1934. Nothing but our own effort will preven' large sections of this country roni beccm ing another Gobi desert the United States? sity at Peiping, and is an expert on Asiatic affairs, has written thus: "I have yet to talk with a naval or military officer who believes that the high commands on either side would risk sending any substantial part of their navies as far from their bases even as Midway Island." He added: "One is disposed to accept this opinion when one recalls that the two greatest navies of the world were almost within hearing distance of each other during the World war, and yet the admirals dared risk only one encounter. They are still arguing over who won the battle of Jutland, since both sides turned tail and ran at the first good opportunity." He then asked how many units in either navy can carry fuel and other essential supplies for a Pacific round trip together with the necessary ammunition. Personally I do not know of any ship that can navigate miles without refueling.

Mr. Nash therefore believes that guerilla tactics by raiding cruisers and submarines would seem to be the only practical war operation. The landing of troops upon either country's soil appears impossible for two reasons. 1. Neither country has a large enough merchant marine to transport an army and the necessary impediments of war, enormously increased since we put an army in France, and 2, because neither country would venture to send large numbers of transports to the other side of the globe unless the seas had been cleared by the defeat of the defending fleets.

To this an answer is that it might be possible for American warships to meet Japanese warships in Chinese waters with the United States getting help in the way of bases from China or Great Britain, contingencies which must be evaluated as each reader thinks best. On the other hand, it is argued that the United States would not have to go to war with Japan at all if it simply boycotted Japan since about 60 per cent of her total trade is with the United States. In six weeks, it is stated, masses of Japanese would be starving to death. Now these are obviously questions that ought to be very carefully studied. It is quite impossible to suggest that this is a matter which should be immediately studied by competent committees of civilians and military and naval men before we pour out additional enormous sums of money in preparing for a war with Japan? Does not the administration owe it to the American people who have to pay the bills to state just what its policy toward Japan is going to be, and whether a war with Japan is possible? President Roosevelt has stated that there is not a cloud on the horizon of our international relations.

Then why should we be building against Japan as if war were in the immediate future? (Copyright, 1936, by Oswald Garrison Villard) A GOOD MIXTURE Small Boy: What is college bred, pop? Pop (with son in college) They make college bread, my boy, from the flour of youth and the dough of old age. Royal Arcanum Bulletin. By OSWALD GARRISON VILLARD question becomes of very great im-portance in view of the fact that we are building our navy up to unprecedented size at an expenditure for the fiscal year of probably no less than 570 million dollars and perhaps a couple of million dollars more of PWA money. did not need Senator Key Pitt-man's violent outburst in the Senate to make it plain that we are arming against Japan, for we have been literally pouring money into the defenses at Hawaii and held our naval maneuvers last summer off the Aleutian Islands. The establishment of new air bases authorized by Congress last year was also obviously aimed at Japan, at least as regards two of these bases; indeed, it was so stated openly in the secret hearings before the House Naval committee a year ago, which proceedings were accidentally published.

Plainly, if it is absolutely impossible for Japan to attack us the fact ought to be known and our naval policy adjusted thereto. In private conversation one of the highest officers of the United States Navy declared to a group of men recently that this was the case. He specifically stated that the Japanese fleet could not attack the coast of the United States and that the most the United States Navy could hope to do would be to fire a few shots at the Japanese coast and then return. He was asked if there was any record in history of fleets operating 7,000 miles from their bases, and he replied that there was not. He further gave it as his belief that the Japanese Navy in the event of war would not think of leaving home waters, but would stand by its own coasts with perhaps a quick descent upon the Philippines.

He reminded his hearers of Hector Bywater's novel dealing with this subject and said that though it was a novel it represented a most careful study of the problems. Mr. Bywater gave a victcry to the American fleet, but only by the strategy of creating a fleet of dummy battleships and luring the Japanese to attack this dummy fleet in waters to the south of Japan and then having the American fleet come along just at the right moment to defeat the Japanese Doubtful Solution The officer in question doubted whether any such solution was possible. When asked whether he thought the Japanese fleet would attack Hawaii if it really decided to approach the American coast, he merely laughed and agreed with one questioner that they would naturally take the short course to the United States via the Aleutian Islands which would save them a thousand miles of steaming. In this he agreed with Major General William C.

Rivers, retired, who has repeatedly pointed out in the New York Times and other publications, that this would be the direction to expect an attack from the Japanese if they should really venture upon the perilous task of attacking us somewhere on the West coast Now of course the opinion of one officer is not compelling, however important he may be. But others have put these words into print For example, Vernon Nash, who is professor of journalism at Yenching univer.