Evening star., 1927-09-02
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

With the exception of Frank O.
| Lowden, practically all the men in the
| 1928 presidential limelight - Republi-
cans and Democrats alike--ara already
| in high office. Speculation is accord
| ingly rife as to whether ethical con-
siderations" require then. to resign
befora shying their hats into the
White House ring. Precedent justi-
| fies their hanging on to what they
have while aspiring to that which
some of them want. Gossip in this
connection ranges particularly around
Secretary Hoover and Vice President
Dawes. But those two eminent Fed
eral officials can point to no less dis
| tinguished an example than William
| Howard Taft. The Chief Justice was
Secretary of War in Roosevelts cabi-
net throughout the aggressive cam
paign to nominate him for the presi-
dancy in 1908. Harking back to the
| earliest days Of the Republic, Madison,
Monroe and Adams remained cabinet
officers after both their nomination
and election as Presidents. Warren
G. Harding and Hiram w. Johnson
| held fast to Senate seats while gun
ming for convention delegates in 1920.
Numerous State governors ran for
President while retaining office. Mar
| tin Van Buren, remained Vice Pres-
dent until after he was elected Presi-
dent.
Good stories are cropping up at the
| State Department in connection with
rulings just promulgated regarding
rank and precedence of American of
ficials abroad. It's now clearly de-
fined whether counselor of embassy
| or legation may walk into dinner
ahead OF mere secretary, and just
| what place in the receiving line a
| military or naval attache is entitled
| to. Folks at home may think these
things trifies light as air, but foreign
service officlals-to say nothing of
their wiyes-take them with tremen
dous seriousness. Not long ago a
| junior American consul, somewhere
overseas, received an extra ticket for
a court function. AS he had no wife,
two American women, bitter social
rivals, badgered him for it. With rare
diplomacy, he announced he'd bestow
1t upon the elder of the two. Neither
went. Secretary Hughes once discuss
ed precedence with this observer
1.-THE only place / want to be first,
Hughes said, ''is at fire.
| "
"We," the new American figure of
speech immortalized by Lindbergh,
now has a companion piece. 1t is
"Us," and is the name Of the new Of
ficial organ of the National Constitu-
tional Liberty League of America.
This is the New York organization,
headed by Assemblyman Louis A. Gu
viller, ardent wet, which aims to force
the fight for repeal of the eighteenth
amendment onto the floors or Con-
gress. The subtitle Of "Us" is THE
American People"
Switzerland has just won an impor-
tant diplomatic victory at Washing
ton. IT concerns Swiss cheese. This
succulent speciality henceforward will
be officially known as switzerland
cheese" Formal authority was Sc
cured from the United States Patent
Office. The Swiss Cheese Association,
it appears, tried to copyright SWISS
cheese" But as the Federal authorl-
ties found that the outstanding char-
acteristic of Swiss cheese is series
of holes, and thereupon decreed that
a hole is nothing with something
around 1t, no copyright could be grant
of Swiss" cheese are manufactured In
American dairies. Some of it is regu-
larly exported to Switzerland. At any
rate, according to Swiss authorities
here, most imported Swiss cheese
sold in this country is no more native
to Switzerland than is American chop
suey to China"
X
Former Gov. McCray's farewell
hours in Atlanta this week We're de-
voted to calls of thanks upon his jail
ers for kindly treatment during his
three years there. Mrs. Mabel Walker
Willebrandt's manifold duties as AS
sistant Attorney General include SUI
pervision Of United States prisons.
The other day she addressed national
prison conference at Tacoma and paid
a warm tribute to penitentiary officials.
saThoSa So.callad hard .h0iIed iaiIerS ~