Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-24
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

For seven years successive Attorneys
General resolutely turned down every
request for O disclosure of the De.
partment of Justice records relating
to Sacco and Vanzetti, and refused
the slightest information concerning
| the so-called secret file." All that
the department would say on the sub
| ject was that the Federal authorities
were not concerned with State
murder trial--a trite statement which
| Infatuated the Sacco.Vanzetti SYM
| pathizers. Then in those last hectic
| hours preceding the execution along
came George r. Farnham incidental
| ly he halls from Boston,, the depart.
ments newest and youngest Assistant
| Attorney General. Thrust into the
spotlight, in the temporary role OF
| Acting Attorney General In Mr.. sar-
gents absence, Mr.. Farnham asserted
that the whole business about secret
| Sacco- Vanzetti file was a myth, that
the department had never investl-
gated the Bridgewater murderers and
that mention Of their names in the
department's records was trivial ana
incidental. This statement ended one
mystery only to raise another, name
w. if 1t was all SO much ado ABOUT
nothing, as Mr.. Farnham now makes
| II appear. why did not Attorney Gen.
eral Sargent or his predecessors say
SO long ago and refute the persistent
claims of the Sacco-Vanzeti defense
committee that the Federal autnorl-
ties were hiding something? Even
| Mr.. Farnham was severely pusheo
before he would talk. Ten days ago
be had stated that because of his en-
erossment in his routine work ne
| knew nothing about the Sacco'Van.
zetti case. had read nothing about II
EXCEPT headlines, knew nothing per-
| sonally about a secret file, and was
| unaware that there was any demand
from responsible sources" for access
| to it.
The Army and Navy Magazine says
| that it has learned from 1.-The Guard
| House LAWYER of Washington, Official
| Rumor Hound of the Army" that Sec
retary of War Davis and Assistant
Secretary Hanford MacNider are both
| to resign to become candidates for the
| Senate from their respective States OF
| Missouri and Iowa. The article
| further predicts the appointment OF
| ex-senator Wadsworth OF New YORK
| as Davis successor as Secretary OIL
| War. Mr.. MacNider promptly quash-
|
has no intention of running for the
Senate and no ambition in that direc-
ton, and Is entirely happy in his
present post. Mr.. Davis is in Europe
| on a holiday. Washington observers
believe there is better foundation TO
the report that he aspires to the SEN
ate, especially since the Coolidge cabi-
net now faces only IS months more
| tenure of office. If Davis resigns Mr.
| Coolidge most probably would elevate
Assistant Secretary MacNider to cabi-
net rank. He followed that practice
before in the War Department when
| Davis succeeded John w. Weeks. If
MacNider should not be named. then
| Wadsworth is the Presidents best bet.
At present there Is not single New
| Yorker in the cabinet, the first time
in a very long time that the Empire
State has not been represented there
X X * X
The new home of the National
| Press Club, the History, $10,O0O,oO0
Office building on the site of the old
Ebbitt House, is now virtually finished
and within another 80 days will be in
| full operation. The date of the official
housewarming will soon he announced.
1.-THE club quarters on the two top
| floors truly deserve the adjective
"sumptuous," and the facilities in
stalled to tighten the burden of the
large representation Of working news
paper men who have become tenants
Of the building bespeak keen appre-
citation of the necessities of the craft.
Messenger boys and stenographers are
Mt their elbow and telegraph offices,
lunchrooms, Libraries, shower baths
and private lockers are close at hand
under the same roof. Best of all,
24-hour telephone. secretarial service
is provided.
|
The mathematical tide.predicting
machine Of the Coast and Geodetic
Survey has just been called upon to
decide a long standing historical dis
pute. The British forces which landed
near Boston on the night of Paul
Revere's famous ride in ITS DELAYED
their advance for several hours. This