The New York herald., 1922-08-27
WAsHINGToN, d. c., Aug. a6.
TAM yesterday and jam to>mor-


81 TAM yesterday and jam to>mor-
row, but never jam to-day"
~ as the White Queen told Alice
in. Wonderland, about expresses Wash
, ington, in its social aspect. Just now.
There's plenty of society here-off and
on-people of national and even of in
ternational reputation and interest,
bu. for the moment society is not
-functioning," socially, in Washington.
IT did--and it will Zone hears all sorts
Of interesting plans brewing for next
seasnn)--but it isn't.
II is playing politics. watching legis-
lations pulling wires, keeping wary
eye on the other fellow--and an anxious
ear to the ground for rumblings OF
public opinion and popular desire, with
elections less than ninety days away.
and in some States barely thirty! 1t
has no time for functions.
But none the less it is keeny In
teresting-and keenly Interested. IL
only because everybody who is here
or who comes--has more or less
finger in the political pie and takes
a more or less intelligent interest in
what's going on. There were nothing
like SO many people in the gallery the
dressed Congress as there had been on
other occasions OF "a message from
the President PROFESSIONALLY delivered.
For that matter there We're nothing
like so many people on the floor OF
the House.
The Senate did pretty WE'LL 1t was
rather generally in town, for 1t was on
the last lap of its long struggle with the
tariff-and on the verge of--oh yes,
! apoplexy, doubtless, but that isn't what
wanted to say.-on the verge of
vote The House had not yet really
got itself together after its recess. IL
knew for certainty that it would not
get the tariff for a few days; and II
didn't know for a certainty when or
even whether the President would ad-
dress Congress. And it was very busy
at home!
The Supreme Court usually an Inn
pressive little group of big men, was
entirely absent--it is scattered to the
four winds The diplomatic corps. usual
~ conspicuously and decorously--not 10
say acknowledgements. was rathef
conspicuousy absent. II had no place
on the floor of the House, and but rev
OF its members were In the diplomatic
alongside Of the executive, gallery.
Many were out OF town. Besides' TINS
was mot their funeral"
The Cabinet, the Presidents little Of
ficial family, was pretty generally In at
tendance-the one or two absentees pelnB
readily accounted for as absent on per-
fectly understood public business. There
empty seats in the gallery. could not
hut agree with the murmured comment
OF a neighbor, "Humph! Stripped Tor
action. aren't they?' There were.
1t was stifilngly hot. and perhaps one
felt 1t the more that the summer had
been SO cool. The week before II had
been actually cold. Washington mad
been sleeping under blankets. and the
condition had given point to the coal
question, which the President was to dis
cuss that day.
Watching the assembling was. as al
ways, interesting. Looking down from
the gallery on the bald heads of House
and Senate-to say nothing of the
Cabinet--it was amusing to note the
varying shades of red and. brown OF
those Legislative domes. There was
Nicholas Longworth. whose well tanned
bald spot was suggestive OF vacation
spent at other games than bridge. He
seemed to have reversed himself. He Is
in winter addicted to brown clothes
and his hands and face and his good
bald head gleam white against his brown
clothes, but here he was In Immaculate
white linen, with his skin. toning from
oak to mahogany and his bald spot
lovely golden brown.
Near by him sat Uncle Joe" Cannon,
sprightly enough In action. but looking