Evening star., 1926-03-03
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE

On the evening of Friday, March 5,
President Coolidge will foregather
with the newspaper men of Washing
ton at the annual dinner of the White
House Correspondents Association. 1t
is the occasion on which he Is accuS-
toned to unbend and get things really
off his chest. Presidential remarks at
these functions, in accord with time
honored custom, are kept strictly con-
fidential. Mr.. Coolidge, in social con
tact with the White House news men
is considerably more communicative
than he is at Gridiron Club dinners
which are of a more ceremonial char
acter. More than once the Whit.
House correspondents have hankered
to report the Presidents condolences
at their annual party. They unfail-
ingly reveal him, contrary to popular
belief. as a wit Of the first water, with
a. gift for subtle irony. He usually
utilizes the opportunity of getting
back at the scribes who, lO4 times a
wear or thereabouts, have their f1lnS
at the white House spokesman .
Secretary Hoover, Postmaster General
New and Speaker Longworth will be
among the newspaper mems other
guests of quality at Fridays frollc.
II X X X
birth Of a Borah-f for President boom
in Illinois creates no undue excite
ment in the Idahoan's bosom. In the
first place, it lacks novelty. The
mailbag of the chairman OF the senate
committee on foreign relations is
hardly ever devoid of suggestions
from some corner of the tall grass
that Borah pitch his sombrero into
the presidential ring. Last Summer
when it was suggested that Borah
was the logical commander OF the
forces left leaderless by the passing
of La Toilette, this observer sounded
the Idahoan on the subject. Borah
did not encourage the idea. The
work in the Senate, to which ne de-
votes his entire time-discuss1on OF
public questions and the absolute
freedom which he enjoys in adVocat-
ing or opposing policies or programs
this, Borah said, is his work. tie
apparently will never take the time
70 look after the machinery Of a
nolitical party. He is engrossed In
public questions and finds his enjoy
ment and remuneration in helping to
mold and direct national opinion on
innortant issues. Borah Is too pas
,ionately addicted to fiocking by him
self ever to accept the ShackleS OF
such an organization as he would need
to be a presidential candidate.
X X x x
The suggestion is here offered that
the Army polo field in Potomac Park,
Washington, be christened "Queke-
never Field" In honor of Gen. John
]. Pershing's gallant young aide, VINO
has Just succumbed to pneumonia.
Mai. John Quekemeyer was the finest
tvpe of American soldier of the era
Fighter, sportsman. gentleman. He
was as much at home in the saddle
as a broncho busting cowboy. Horses
were his Unsuitable hobby, polo the
game he played hardest and best.
Whenever it was known that "Quek
would be in a contest the field ada
cent to the Potomac would be
thronged with devotees of the Army S
favorite sport, and the major, a dash
ing cavalryman, never failed to give
a hrilling exhibition with his mount
and mallet. There aren't many mill
tarv monuments in or around WASH
inpton named after Southern soldiers.
OIIekemever was Mississippian.
| Every Dixie heart would beat the
faster at the thought of "Quekemeyer
Field" across the river from old Vir-
ginia.
Nothing said or done at the recent
meeting of the National Education AS
| sociation in Washington pleased Its
| thousands of attendants more than Her
bert Hoover's tribute to them. Wher
the Secretary of Commerce eulogizet
the teaching fraternity as utterly in
conspicuous in Sensation-lovine
country" and as a class which "sel
dom figures in the headlines of the
newspapers" he struck a responsive