The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-05-20
BY ARCH STEINEL
Times staff Writer


THICK Grapes gown the stage.
Il Shades are half-drawn. The
room is always at dawning or
dusk. Overstuffed chairs and ash
trays corner each other in coy
spots, flags flank desk. President
Roosevelt juts in photo from a
fireplace facing the desk.
The curtain rises at
Newsboys yell, "McNutt beats
Springer. Landslide elects Nc
Mutt"
Five months go by. Secretaries
beat a path to the desk in that
room-the Governors office in the
Indiana statehouse.
Sometimes they go difidently.
In and out--out to worn mob in
the outermost Office YEARLY walt
ing to get by a gate with a push
button complex to that JOB prom
ised by Precinct-C Committeeman
Blank.
In and out-for five months.
Outer sanotums are passed.
Secretaries clear the way for a
visitor. The heavy holstered
bodyguard with a state police
badge gives you the once-over
and the go ahead"
AT the desk in the yelled room
is white shock of hair, con-
trasted deeply by copper-hued
skin, wheeling back and forth in
a swivel chair.
Tie contrasts shirt, suit con-
traSts hair Suiting of deep
brown today; blue double
breasted pattern tomorrow.
There's much of Inc actor in
the swivel-chaired nlan-the cir
Gus ballyhooer from the days
when he played King of France"
in drama club at Indiana uni
versity.
HAND gestures coordinate
IL with voice in directing I'M
derlings. Fingers point, thumbs
tilt upward in referring to 80
Sos" county, fists meet palms,
papers are shuff1ed, the swivel
chair is leaned backward and the
hands Of the man cup the head,
with arms akimbo, like a rest in
a dentists chair.
The mans eyes stare at the
ceiling, then shift to the visitor.
They darken, they tighten, smile,
scOWl. Hands move again. They
fidget with the face, cup the chin,
words come from between fingers
halfdraWn over the mouth.
The words are high-pitched at
times, resonant and soft at others,
muff1ed when the fingers play
with chin.
The play is on. New Deal" is
the name. The hero, father, jul
venile, and villain, too, some think,
are enacted By the man in the
swivel chair at the desk-Gover-
nor Paul V. McNutt.
Election is memory. Raymond
S. Springer, Connersville legion
naire and first state commander
of the American Legion, was de-
feated 100000 to 671 900 for the
governorship.
The donkey kicked the elephant
into middle of Sundays. Legion
votes split on party lines, not on
the rival legionnaires. McNutt
ran abreast with Roosevelt for the
tickets lead.
A WET always, and liberal, he
"A brought a heavy personal
following in the legion to the
Democrats. Roosevelt did the rest
and Hoover.
The inaugural was a blare of
legion bands. McNutt was sworn
in with his grandfather'S Bible of
1915 dating. Pomp, splendor. and
getaways were as prominent as
flags
The Sixty-f1rst biennial legisla-
ture met. McNutt cracked the
whip and refused patronage until
the administrative measures were
passed and in the printers hands.
Then he had a job to do.
Ruthlessly, without qualms, he
did it.
Frank Mayr Jr., elected secre-
tary of the state, for d second
term, had promised that if he
were nominated and elected he
would discharge three key men
in his organization who battled
R. Earl Peters for the chairman
ship-So the story goes.
Mayr discharged Robert Gold,
assistant secretary Of state, but
the other men, Grover Carrot,
state police head, and James Car
penter, auto license executive,
were kept.
NENUTT put them on the spot.
1Vl He backed Mayr up against
his wall of patronage-state po-
licemer, auto license clerks, 1000
jobs in all-and blew the wall out
from under him and Carpenter
and CARROT with it.
1t was the ST. Valentines day
massacre of HooSierland this
spring.
A reorganization and ripper"
bill that bariShed bureaus and
created commissions took Mayr's
patronage and delivered it, via
the legislative platter, to McNutt.
Garrett and Carpenter were fired.
The $500 trempled under new
bosses.
Friends of Mayr Squawked.