Evening star., 1928-12-17
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Herbert Hoover is maintaining so
mastery a silence about the makeup
of his cabinet that the wells of Specula-
ton have almost run dry. Nevertheless,
reverie by an uncommonly aStute Re-
publican politician, who may himself
come within Hoover's ken, Is not with
out interest. In his opinion. the chief
engineers working staff will be nicely
balanced as between East and West
Dividing the country into the two Sec
tions, respectively. west and east of the
Mississippi, the diagnostician in ques-
ton opines that the State, Navy, In
terror, Agriculture and Commerce port
folios will go West, and that the War.
Treasury, Justice, Post Office and
Labor departments will be headed by
Fasteners The State and Navy port
folios will go West (by South, the
G. o. p. leader thinks, because Hoover's
international "orientation" will cause
him to order our foreign policy largely
with an eye to Latin America and the
Far East. AS trade heads in the same
directions, the Commerce Department
(argues said dopester) will probably be
intrusted to Westerner or South
westerner. Interior and Agriculture
portfolios go West by tradition. The
other half of the cabinet is allocated to
the East (by South) because of its
economic power, except the Secretary
ship of War, which balances the West
ern naval portfolio.
A Virginia ham, of distinguished
origin, had the honor the other day of
being flown to Washington from Rich
mond by Col. Lindbergh 'Lindy" and
Harry F. Guggenheim had been hunting
and week-ending with Gov. Byrd of the
Old Dominion. In order that they might
have emergency rations en- route to
Washington the governor bestowed
upon the flyers a ham cured to the
gubernatorial taste. Lindbergh and
Guggenheim waited to carve 1t till they
were safely settled in their Washington
hotel apartment There for several
mornings, it served as piece de resistance
at private breakfast. parties.
X u X
There will shortly begin before
the foreign affairs committee of
the House of Representatives the
first hearings on Chairman Porters
bill dealing with simplification of
the calendar. This Is the revolu-
tionary project sponsored by George
Eastman Of Rochester, N. Y. The bill
requests the President to propose the
calling Of an international conference,
for consideration Of revision of the
present remuneration system into
a year, comprising Is months of %
days each. The total works out 364
days The 365th day would be IAN extra
Sabbath" inserted between December %
and January /. The Pan american Con-
ference at Havana last February adopt
ed resolution favoring the "Interna-
tional Fixed Calendar" for which
considerable public sentiment has been
developed In the United States. Mr..
Eastman Is expected to take the stand
before the foreign affairs committee and
plead the efficacy Of his chronological
reform.
X y X X
The terrifying effect of referring to
short sessions of Congress as lame
duck" sessions is revealed by the fol-
lowing communication just received by
Representative Florence P, Kahn, Re-
| publican, of California, from New York
City:
| I'VE women are interested in an
| honest and uncompromising bill to
control poultry traffic. We want
| better and cleaner poultry. We are
willing to pay more for 1T, but we
want clean poultry and do not in
| tend to eat what Is now on the mar
ket All of our friends are going to
| do the same What are you going
to do about this lame duck bill and
about getting us better poultry? We
certainly are not going to let our
children eat these diseased birds
Hoping you will do something about
this lame duck bill, am, ETC."
X X + X
| This broadcasting observer has just
survived an experience which indicates
the deSirability of diagramming political
wiSecracks. Recently, in radio review
of the situation in Washington, he
| mentioned the nickname certain
witty Republican has given to the
amateurs who are thick as fleas in
! Hoover's camp, and always have been.
The q. Q. r. leader calls them the