Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-10-09
A Weekly Panorama of Events in the
National Capital
BY PETER KEEGAN
Special Correspondent of
The Belington Progressive

WASHINGTON is baseball mad
and will continue in that excited state
until the world series is over. The
welcome which was accorded the
Griffmen when they returned to the
Capital with the American League
pennant was one Of the most enthu-
siastic that the capital has ever wit
messed. President Coolidge, slow to
+ become aroused over anything, was
in the crowd that greeted the league
champions and is watching their pro-
gress through the series.
SENATOR LAFOLLETTE has EN-
4 barked on the speaking tour that is
expected to take him all the way to
the Pacific Coast-if his health holds
out, leaving Mr. Coolidge the lone
Candidate in Washington. John Davis
/ dropped in for a series of conferences
with Democratic leaders the other
day enroute to New York to open his
campaign to capture the Empire
! State
MOST UNPREJUDICED observ-
ers are still unwilling to make any
fiat forecasts on the presidential cleo
ton, still insisting that there is still
time for anything to happen. AL
though both the Republican and
Democratic chiefs remain supremacy
confident of success, there is a dis
tinct undercurrent of feeling that an
election right now would result in
mo choice" and that Congress would
have to unscramble the situation de-
veloping from the LaFollette candi-
dacy.
THE GUBERNATORIAL cam
paign in New York between AL Smith
and Theodore Roosevelt ii has appar-
emily developed into wet and dry
fight, with the former Assistant Sec
rotary of the Navy urging more
drastic prohibition laws than those
now in force. National political lead
ers are watching the New York cam
paign closely as the outcome there
|
undoubtedly will have considerable in
| fluence on the Davis Coolidge fight
there. The Naval Oil scandal is al
SO being dragged into the limelight in
New York as I. R. was Denby's
| right-hand during the Sinclair
Teapot Dome negotiations.
| SENATOR BROOKHEART,S de-
mand that Chairman Butler remove
General Dawes from the Republican
ticket is interpreted here merely as
the first step in Brookhart's bolt from
the Republican party to the LaFol-
lette Independents. The Iowa Sena-
tor was allied with the insurgent
forces in the last, Congress and was
generally expected to support LaFol-
lette in the presidential campaign, al
though the announcement of his in
tentions have been somewhat delay
ed. 1t is to change a presidential tic
ket and would not if he could
Brookhart's assault on Dawes is
looked upon as one of the strategic
moves of the Progressives and as
having no significance outside of that
CHARGES THAT SOME sort of
an understanding exists between Sen
ator LaFollette and Governor Bryan
has aroused no end of speculation
here. Failure of Bryan to venture
far from his own state thus far in
the campaign is pointed to by Repub-
llcans and Democrats as indicting
that he would be displeased to see the
election thrown into the House of Re
personalities, where he would have a
clear chance to land in the White
House. If such a situation exists, it
indicates that the presidential cam
paign has developed into regular
free-for-aH fight where everyone is
out to scrap everyone else and to do
the best he can for himself
WAR TO THE DEATH is going on
in the Navy Department while the
board Of officers named by Secretary
Wilbur seeks to determine the relat-
i've efficiency of battleships and air
ships in the national defense. VIII
bur IS inclined to agree with the old
time naval officers that the day of
the battleships has not passed, main
ainiar that It IS impossible to oper-
ate aisu'anes dependent of surface
craft. Tie aefonautical officers, how
ever, want t. see more money appro-
priated for aircraft, development and
are willing to see all the battleships
scrapped. The inquiry was ordered
by President Coolidge, who believes
that airplanes will play more inn