Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-28

| This is the week Of heartaches and
heartbreaks in Congress-the biennial
occasion when contacts of years are
broken and many members of both
houses retire from public life, usually
for keeps. The political mortality,
which this expiration of Congress
marks, Is particularly heavy and dis
tinguished in the Senate. Most of it
Is due to the merciless vicissitudes of
politics. But there's one eminent case
in which the departing statesman quits
the scene Of his own volition--that of
Senator Oscar w. Underwood, Demo
| crat, of Alabama. Mr.. Underwood
leaves the Senate at the end of his
! second term. Previously he had served
| ten successive terms in the House, be-
ginning with the Fifty.fourth Congress.
| He achieved national fame as the
author of the Underwood tariff law
| while in the lower branch. More than
| once the Democratic party looked in
the Alabaman's direction as a possible
presidential standard bearer, recog-
| nizing in him a man of incompatible
| equipment. Probably only his geo.
graphical origin kept Underwood out
of Democratic national leadership. His
| wisdom and Suavity will be missed on
Capitol Hill. Washington Is not en-
| tirely to lose Underwood. He will
live at Woodlawn Mansion, across the
Potomac in the Virginia hills, the
| famous estate known as the Nellie
Custis home, which was presented to
her as a wedding gift by George Wash
| ington.
Names almost as notable as Under.
woods will fade from the Senate roll
| because their possessors are lame
ducks through defeats for renomina-
ton or reelection in 1925. Friend and
foe alike concede that American pub.
| lie life will be the poorer for the dis
appearance from Congress of men like
| Jim" Wadsworth, George Wharton
Pepper and Irvine l.. Lenroot. 1t Is
widely expected that Federal employ.
ment worthy of the eminent talent of
all three of these men will not be
long in forthcoming. Some premier
| ambassadorships are likely to be avail
able before great while, and cabinet
shifts are eternally within the range
of possibilities. The Kellogg resigna-
ton rumor, which has a habit of bob
| bling up periodically, ran around the
Capital last week again. only to be
branded, as all its precursors were, as
wholly devoid of foundation. Both
Pepper and Lenroot, their friends as.
sert, would make ideal Secretaries of
State. Each has served an apprentice
ship, as did Kellogg, on the foreign
| relations committee of the Senate, and
their personal stock at the White
House stands high.
It is probable that the Coolidge
mailbag will achieve a record as re-
suit of the Presidents message vetoing
the McNary-Haugen bill. All Chief
Executives since time immemorial
have been in the habit Of hearing copi-
| ousiy from Mr.. and Mrs. Vox Populi
| when they have said or done some
| thing that especially stirs the Ma
| tons emotions. The communications
are preponderantly commendatory in
character. but there are always brick
bats among the bouquets. The torpe-
doing Of the farm bill Is not likely to
| prove an exception to this general
| rule. Unless the volume of letters and
| kilograms that pile into the White
House on these occasions is too big to
| make individual acknowledgements
feasible. the President is accustomed
to make known over his autographed
signature the receipt of congratula-
tory messages and his appreciation
| thereof.
| y X X
One of the jokes making the rounds
about the farm veto message Is that
while "Silent Cal' may disapprove of
| surplus legislation, he apparently has
| no objection to a surplus of words in
condemning it. The depth charge
| which the President planted under the
McNary- Haugen bill Is about the
| longest, IL not the very longest, mes
| sage Mr.. Coolidge has ever sent to
Congress. 1t fills roundiy ID