The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-19
PENSION RALLY
SPEAKER TAKES
SLAP At BORAH
Stokes Attends Townsend
Meeting to Hear
New Gospel.

BY THOMAS L. STOKES
Times Special Writer

the heart of San Francisco, along
that street where the trolley car
climbs on its cable toward the sky,
/ listened to the new gospel accord
i..g to "St. Francis" Townsend
which has gripped the Pacific Coast
in a crusade of the old folk.
About so or 10 elderly persons
were gathered in the weekly meet
ing of a Townsend club-one of
thousands along the Pacific Coast
in a hall adjoining headquarters of
the Northern California area of
"OARP"--Old-Age Revolving Pen
sions, Inc
Most we're fairly we'll dressed. A
few of the women wore fur coats,
some of which had seen several sea-
sons. On the back row several old
men talked animatedly before the
meeting began, just such a group
as you'd see in rocking chairs at
Fort Myers, Fla, around the stove in
a small town in Michigan, or at the
country store in Egypt, Ga.
Remembers Early Heroism
One of them, a gnarled and pug
notwithstanding Irishman, was tell
ing Of some exploit of his younger
days. Crouching intently as he
talked, he held the two men on
either side of him enthralled.
There were 80 policemen there"
I overheard, 'but not a one dared
to touch me-"
His eyes cleaned with remem-
bered heroism.
In front of them sat an old wom-
an, scraWny and raW-boned, who
opened paper bag on her lap and
began to eat. When the chairman
called the meeting to order and
asked for MY Country IT'S CT
Thee" she munched and sang at the
same time.
Recite Pledge to Flag
AFTER the sing they recited in uni
son the pledge to the flag, with their
hands on their hearts. The rotund
chairman explained that, since the
club had been organized only re-
Gently there were no minutes, but
that minutes would be kept this
meeting and hereafter.
The speaker of the evening was
introduced, a lean gentleman of
Chautauqua bearing, with hair plast-
tered closely and heavy gold chain
across his front, who explained that
he once had been newspaperman.
Before long his listeners learned
that he spoke regularly to Townsend
Clubs, that he was a Democrat of
Tennessee extraction and his wife a
Republican from the North, but that
both are now Townsendites first and
Democrats or Republicans second.
The old woman extracted another
morsel from her bag and prepared
to enjoy herself
The speaker described the Town
send plan-and as simply and effec-
lively as I've ever heard it described
with homely examples and then,
in mock surprise, added:
And some people don't know get
that it will end the depression!"
Here's the Idea
1.-THE idea" he continued, -" is to
stop the depression. Our Admin
istration in Washington is trying to
stop it and they've done a pretty
good job-but it's not functioning
as well as it ought"
You got the idea as he went along
that his Tennessee democracy is
hard to shake out of his system.
He told his hearers that they
were to be the distributing agents"
of prosperity under the Townsend
Plan. He liked the phrase and re-
peated it.
Il bet when you start you'll be
able to spend that 5000 all right
and be sitting around waiting for
the next check
The old lady cackled and took
another bite.
Senator Borah told the people
up in Idaho he was for our plan"
Ahe speaker said. But then he went
10 New York and forgot about it."
Quotes James Farley
IT thought President Roosevelt
might be for it. You know Jim Far
ley went up to Oregon and told
those folk up there that either the
Townsend Plan or something like
it would fit into the Presidents re-
covery program. But then they said
the President didn't say that.
But 1 still believe President
Roosevelt's a man of enough sense
to come along with us"
When he finished the chairman
read quotations from 1.-The enemy
excerpts from The Crusader, a pa
per published by the Crusaders, an
organization which is fighting the
Townsend Plan.
He got so worked up as he read
that he ran on and on. He was
particularly aroused that people
like the Townsendites, who are try
ing to change things in this coun-
try, should be accused of being I'M
patriotic by such people as the Cru
saders.
He was not so wrapped up in his
anger. however, that he did not
see two or three people leave the
hall Interrupting himself, he in
structed an aid to take up the COL
lection. So quickly was this done
that nobody else got away before
the box was passed.
But the old lady clutched at her
paper sacks and looked the other
way when they came toward her.