Evening star., 1925-05-15
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

President Coolidge does not intend
entirely to ban politics while on va
cation in New England. Various Re
publican leaders will be entertained
at White Court and invited to tarrv a
day Of two in Swampscott. Among
those whom the President has already
asked to visit him is Senator Curtis,
administration chieftain in the Senate.
Senator Curtis will pass most of July
and August on the New England
coast as the guest of a married
daughter. who lives in Providence
r. l., and has a Summer place by the
sea. The astute chairman of the Sen.
ate committee on rules comes up for
reelection in 1926. He is not letting
any of the Kansas alfalfa grow un-
der his feet. There are 100 counties
in the Sunf1ower State. Since the ad-
journment of Congress Senator Cur
tis has visited % of them and will
gradually shake hands in all of them.
His speech-makinE activities have
been temporarily curtailed by his doc
tors orders, but he will deliver a key
note on Memorial day at the end of
this month.
VIII Rogers has inspired the new
est political slogan in Washington.
The cowboy humorist was recently
asked where he gets all his good
jokes about national affairs and no.
tables. Il watch the Government and
report the facts said Rogers. The
Civil Service League, just formed at
Washington as an affiliated branch of
the National Civil Service Reform
League, has officially adopted that
sage observation as it's motto. Its
new stationery is duly emblazoned
with it, with due credit to the lasso-
swinging, gum-chewing wit from the
plains.
In recent appointments to high
diplomatic posts there is quiet but
eloquent evidence that the admins
tration has not been able entirely to
liberate itself from the pressure of
spoilsmen. Since time immemorial
professional politicians have consid-
cred the foreign service of the United
States the thappiest of hunting
grounds. The Rogers law has gone
far toward curbing raids on diplo-
matte and consular appointments as
party plums. Mr.. Coolidge, too, has
pursued the practice, to the poIiti-
clans dismay, of promoting career
men, to ambassadorshipS and minis
terships. But, within the past few
weeks, men have been appointed, re-
spectiVely as Ministers to Para quay,
Finland and Albania, who, while meri-
torious, are green to diplomacy and
owe their selection mainly to the right
kind of backing. The President and
Secretary kellogg don't fancy this
sort of thing. The aspiring younger
men in the foreign service like it still
less, but there are plainly times when
the politicians are irresistible.
x i: X
Edgar l.. G.. Prochnik who has just
become the first Minister of the Re-
public of Austria to the United States.
has had nearly 90 years experience in
this country as an official of his gov
ernment. Besides like so many Euro
pean diplomats, he has an American
wife, who was formerly Miss Gretchen
Sterling James of Boston. M. Prochnik
married Miss James when he was in
charge of Austro Hun garian consular
affairs in the Northwest, with head
quarters at st. Paul. He first came to
our country in 1905 as an attache Of
the consulate at Pittsburgh. and served
subsequently at Cleveland and Chi
cago. During the war M. Prochnik
was in the foreign Office at Vienna,