At approximately the same time as the flood in the southern part of the state, the city of Anderson was having trouble with labor unrest. UAW activity and strikes involving the Delco-Remy operation led to opposition and violence by employees loyal to the company and by local officials and community leaders who were willing to look the other way (if not participate) when unionists were threatened or harmed. Initially, Townsend was unable to send the National Guard since they were all occupied in flood relief. He was able to arrange for appointment of additional city deputies who were not antagonistic toward the union. Later, in February, when a new round of violence broke out, Townsend called out the National Guard to protect the factory. He also requested the creation of the Division of Labor to provide voluntary mediation during union strikes.
No real segue here, but – from 1935 to 1939, Indiana was engaged in an beer trade war with surrounding states. The federal government gave up control of commerce in beer after the repeal of Prohibition. Indiana had adopted a system whereby persons dealing in out of state beer had to pay higher licensing fees. In retaliation, Michigan and Missouri banned Indiana beer completely. Indiana brewers unsuccessfully sued Michigan over its law. In retaliation, Indiana banned importation of Michigan beer, wine, or liquor. Indiana’s newly created Commission on Interstate Cooperation, along with a Michigan counterpart, were able to broker a peace. A temporary truce was arranged until the legislatures could pass formal legislation to sort things out. Speaking of alcohol in the 30s, Indiana also pioneered breathalyzer technology and laws.
In 1938, Dr. Rolla N Harger, a biochemist at Indiana University, introduced a novel device for measuring a person’s alcohol level. The procedure involved breathing into a balloon, the air in which was then released into a chemical solution that changed a particular color depending on the level of alcohol in the person’s system. The Indiana State Police soon adopted the device, which Harger jokingly referred to as the “Drunkometer.” The name stuck.
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In 1938, Dr. Harger also assisted the National Safety Council in drafting a model act providing for the use of evidence from drunkometers and similar apparatus. The legislation also established blood-alcohol limits for motorists: (1) Defendants with a blood-alcohol level of 0.05% or less were not to be considered under the influence; (2) a blood-alcohol level between 0.05% and 0.15% established intoxication but only when taken into consideration with other evidence; and (3) defendants with a blood-alcohol level of 0.15% and above were presumed to be under the influence of alcohol.
In 1939, Indiana became the first state to adopt this model legislation.
In 1938, the Republicans started to get their groove back somewhat. Nationwide, the Democrats kept their Congressional majority but Republicans picked up 81 seats (which close to doubled their previous representation in the House — that’s how far into the wilderness they went.) New members were Robert Taft, a conservative from the Taft dynasty out of Cincinnati; Earl Warren, a Republican from California who would — as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court — come to be revered by civil rights advocates and reviled by conservatives who felt betrayed; and Thomas Dewey, a crusading prosecutor from New York who is mostly known to history as an inaccurate newspaper headline held up by Harry Truman in 1948. In Indiana, the Congressional delegation shifted from 11-1 in favor of the Democrats (Charles Halleck from Jasper County was the lonely Republican) in 1936 to 5-7 in favor of the Republicans.
At the state level, there was internal discord among the Democrats. The McNutt-Townsend faction was at odds with Senator Van Nuys, primarily over federal patronage jobs. FDR stirred the pot somewhat because Van Nuys had opposed FDR’s efforts to pack the Supreme Court. The Republicans took control of the Indiana House of Representatives and attempted to roll back some of the Depression-era social programs. The Democratically controlled Senate blocked these efforts by the House, and the General Assembly was mostly gridlocked. “Only a few pieces of legislation were passed: the driver’s license examination became required by law, pensions for the state’s firemen were approved, free textbooks were authorized for public schools and the state ordered school buses to be painted yellow for safety’s sake—this last starting a nationwide trend.”
Townsend did not involve himself in the selection of his successor and mainly seems to have left state politics after he left office. During World War II, he directed various federal agricultural and food related efforts. In 1943, he returned to Indiana to manage his farms. In 1946, he unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate. Townsend passed away in 1954 from a heart attack at the age of 70.
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