Evening star., 1927-10-03

Republican national leaders are
thoroughly frightened over the scan
dals involving high G.. o. p. State off,
cials in Indiana. With a Republican
governor Just out of Federal prison,
his successor under indictment and
the Republican mayor of indianapolis
convicted of serious misdemeanor,
party prospects, on the eve of 1928,
| loom black and menacing. A national
committee scout was recently in the
State, looking over the damage. Now
| Roy o. West of Chicago, secretary of
the committee, plans to make a per-
| sonal inspection Of the political havoc
the scandals have wrought. Although
| 1t ranks as doubtful State in a presi.
| Dental campaign, Indiana is pretty in.
| corrigibly Republican on those quad
| rennial occasions. The powers that
be want to run no chances next year
They know Indiana-and plenty of
other States-will be a battle-ground,
| and G. o. P. managers acknowledge
the need of assessing the situation
there promptly and of facing the facts.
X ** X
Charles r. Crane of Chicago, diplo.
| mat and traveller, has just paid his
| respects to President Coolidge after
| one of the most romantic Journeys an
American ever undertook. Crane,
United States Minister to China in
1920 and 1921, spent five months dur
Ing the late Spring and Summer in
the Yemen, a former Turkish prov
| ince in Arabia, and now more or less
of an independent realm. The Chi
cagoan, whose love of exploration Is
not Withered by the fact that he will
De 10 next year, organized a caravan
OF natives, was provided with an off,
cial escort by the Yemen's govern
| ment, and penetrated into the inner
most receSSes Of the Semi-ciVilized
country, which foreigners have rarely
visited. Crane confesses to penchant
for hunting up the earth's odd places
which "civilization" has not yet de-
spoiled of their ancient color. The
Yemen was selected for his latest eX-
pedition because it's one of the few re-
naming spots of that kind. In No
vember Crane will accept an invitation
from one Of the British learned socie.
ties to lecture in London on his trip
through Yemen.
X X X X
For years globe.trotting American
officials-Ambassado Ministers, cab
met officers. Federal judges, admirals,
generals, soldiers, sailors and other
servants of Uncle Sam-have had their
mail follow them around the earth
from London. An humble United
States citizen is the man who saw
| that everything went forward in per-
feet order to designated destinations.
His name is c. j. Petherick, who
| worked faithfully beneath the shadow
Of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar
| Square. AS a reward for long and
meritorious service, Petherick, on Sep
| tember /, was appointed United
| States dispatch agent, having func-
toned during the waning Victorian
era and throughout the Edwardian
and Georgian reigns as an untitled
official. Speaking for American sailor
| men who have been sbeneficiaries of
Petherick's unfailing efficiency, Ad-
| miral Sims has written him: "All
your friends in the Navy and several
| million other Americans will rejoice
| that your invaluable services have
| been fltly recognized. Our only re-
gret is that you didn't receive this
appointment about hundred years
| ago. May the good Lord preserve
you for another century as the friend
and cheerful helpmate of wandering
Yankees!''
Many Of his Washington friends
| and former associates in the official
and intellectual world are preparing
| to attend the inauguration, on Octo-
! ber 20 and 81, Of DIR. William Mather
Lewis "a prss3dent ct Lafaystta C2l'