Evening star., 1927-11-02
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

It's delegation of all the talents
that President Coolidge has selected
as the United States spokesmen at
the sixth Conference Of Pan-American
States in Havana in January. Charles
E. Hughes appointment as chairman
assures the American delegation in
comparable distinction. The Presi-
dent and Secretary Kellogg pondered
many weeks before choosing the men
who will represent us at Havana. Mr..
Coolidge was intent upon picking
qualifications for Pan-Ameriean diplo-
macy. But the delegation does include
at least three persons who can legiti-
mately he described as experts in
Latin American affairs. DIR. Leo. s.
Rowe, director general Of the Pan
American Union, is probably the best
posted man in the Western Henri
sphere in the field of Pan-American
relations. He speaks Spanish like "a
grandee. DR.. James Brown Scott.
generaIissimo ot the Carnegie Endow-
ment for International Peace, also
knows his Latin American onions and
can converse about them with the
fiuency Of Spaniard. Scott for the
past few years has been immersed in
an effort to bring about codification
of Pan-American law. Henry p.
Fletcher, American Ambassador to
Italy, is another Havana delegate who
knows Spanish well and has had long
and practical experience as an Ameri-
can diplomat in South America and
Mexico. Rowe and Fletcher were dele
gates to the fifth conference in Chile
in 1922.
Politicians are discussing the i'm
plications of Mr.. Hughes designa-
ton for the American Confer
ence because it will mean his alb
sence from the United States during
six or seven of the critical weeks
of the pre-convention campaign.
Two Numerically different construc-
tions can be put upon the incident.
| In the first place, Hughes acceptance
Of the appointment may be his way
of signaling that he still considers
himself too old" to run for Presi-
dent. On the other hand, the former
| Secretary of State may consider
Havana an opportunity for so emf
| nent national and international serv-
ice that it would be a first-class
stepping stone to higher honors next
| Summer. An the world knows that
| Uncle Sans Latin American fences
are badly in need of repair. Ii
| Hughes-a fervent believer in the
necessity of pam American unity and
amity-should contrive at Havana
to place our relations beyond the
| Rio Grande and the Equator on a
footing of firmer friendship, it's cas-
ily within the range of possibilities
that he could capitalize 1t into
| formidable political issue.
| X y 4 II
Senator Peter Norbeck's declara-
| ton in favor of LOwden for President
| ia about as unmistakable an indica-
ton of Coolidge's dO-not choose de-
| termination as has come out Of the
political woods for some time. Nor
| beck was the Presidents official host
! in South Dakota last Summer. The
senior Senator from the Black Hills
commonwealth was more or less con-
stantly in the executive picture while
the presidential family was in the
State. He must have been as close to
the Coolidge throne as any one ever
4 gets when the immortal pronounce
ment forthcame on August =. IL
hardly likely Norbeck would not be
singing in the Draft Coolidge chorus
at this time IL he really thought the
President Is still in the running.
u n n
Columbus, Ohio, which, in common
with cities everywhere in the country,
long has envied the beauteous glory
of Washington's Japanese cherry trees.
has just become the victim of the Fed.
eral law which debars importation
and replanting of foreign saplings.
Th. City of Toxic recently presented
Columbus with a gift of 5000 cherry
saplings. such as the Empress of
Japan 20 years ago gave to Mrs. viii.
liam Howard Taft, when the latter
was First Lady OF the Land. and
which are now annually In bloom in
Potomac Park at Washington. The