Evening star., 1924-10-30
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

Radio has just made one OF its
eagerly-sought conquests Andrew
w. Mellon. The Secretary OF the
Treasury has been stonewalling HIM
self against the siren charms OF the
microphone for many months, but he
has at length succumbed. 1t took
the combined influence Of the Cool
idge Administration and the Republi-
can national committee to capture
Mellon for the air. He only sur
rendered in the name of party duty,
and made his maiden excursion on
the ether from WRC at Washington
with a Keep-Coolidge and Prosperity
talk on the night of October zs.
Secretary Mellon is the shyest politi-
clan in captivity. Speeches are on
his strictly prohibited list. This OBJ
server was a witness of Mr. Melons
first contact with radio. Between
his native modesty and verdant coy
ness before the microphone, he had
a terrible time OF it.
President-elect Plutarco Elias Gales
of Mexico, who is paying a visit in
Washington en- route from Europe. is
a schoolmaster by profession, like
Ramsay Macdonald, the deposed Brit
ish premier. Like Macdonald. too,
Senior Gales is a Labor politician.
After a teaching career in his native
State Of Sonora, Gales Joined the
Madero revolution against Poffrio
Diaz in 1910. and three years later
was a Carranzista opponent of Gen.
Huerta. Senior Gales became secre-
tary of industry, commerce and labor
in the Carranza cabinet, but resigned
to direct the presidential campaign of
Gen. Obregon in Sonora. Until Obre-
gon became president in 1920. Gales
nf
Obregon made him secretary of the
interior and he held that portfolio
until 1922, when he left Office to cam
paign for the presidency. Senior
Gales throughout his versatile poll
tical career has been aligned with the
so-called radical element in Mexico,
but his friends hope that with presi-
Dental responsibility he will develop
into a conservative. Gales is IS
years old, is bronzed by the wars and
brawny, and pronounces his name
ky-ez.
1t is not Coolidge, Coolidge all the
way in the upper crust of Massa-
chusetts business, society and poll
tics. Two of Frank w. Stearns' fell
low merchant princes in Boston, the
brothers Filene, are as far apart as
the poles on this years presidential
election. EDWARD A., or European
peace-prize fame, is a League of
Nations Davis Democrat, but his
brother. A. Lincoln. describes himself
as "a Coolidge Democrat" The latter
has a married. daughter in Washing
ton Mrs. Alvin E. Dodd, who is also
"a Coolidge Democrat" Mrs. Dodd,
who was the first woman to be
granted a graduate degree by Har-
ward University. was one of the
founders Of the new Democratic
Women's Club Of Washington. Not
long ago she served polite, but firm,
notice on her sister Democrats that
she had left the reservation for the
campaign of 1924.
+ +
washinstonians who enjoy politics
and spellbinding have to emigrate
into Maryland or Virginia to indulge
in their favorite pastime. Some of
them who heard Senator Tom" Hef-
lin Of Alabama speak at Hyattsville,
Nd, the other night, say ne is by
long odds the funniest man on the
stump. The yellow-vested negaphone
from the Muscle Shoals country got
q powerful laugh by relating a pas
sage-at-arms he had in the Senate
last. Winter With Senator. Jim. Wat