Evening star., 1928-12-28

To washington and to the ears of
this observer has just been brought the
tale of a presidential election bet, de-
clared by its narratorS to be authentic
In every detail. It's hero is the New
Yorker now in the prohibition news
limelight, w. G. Durant, the automo-
bile finance magnate. Not long before
November 6 Durant--so the story goes
found himself at luncheon in down.
town New York club with group which
included John ]. Raskob, the Demo-
cratic national chairman. Raskoh was
discoursing confidently upon Gov.
Smiths impending prospects. They
were painted in colors of undiluted OPP
timism. Thereupon Durant spoke up
Johnny" he said, addressing Raskob,
"IIl bet you 81 100000 to 100000 that
Smith won't be elected" The late
chairman of General Motors finance
committee is not speculative person,
as a rule. But, having burned his
bridges behind him, he had no line
of retreat. The challenge was accepted,
and, according to the narrative, Durant
duly got his 100000. If he did, the
$4,000 In prohibition prizes he's just
awarded was small change contributed
by his Democratic friend Raskob nearly
seven times over.
\ \ X X
DR.. Richard Schuler Of Vienna,
known as the hereditary underSecretary
Of Austrian foreign affairs, Is in Wash
ington at the outset Of trip of in
veStigation through the land of Amer
lean industry. He Is q famous character
in European postwar history, having
been the first representative of the
central powers to turn up at Paris after
the armistice to initiate the peace era.
DIR. Schuler's main object in the early
Winter of 1918 was to confer with Her
bert Hoover. Austria was starving. Her
intelligentSia in particular was i'm
poverished and in misery. Schuler had
Is minutes with Hoover at Paris, fol-
lowing the American food admins
traitors arrival with President Wilson,
and within "a hours food trains were
rolling into Vienna. Austrians have en-
shrined the President among their
immortals ever since. In 1921 they paid
him the unique honor of naming an
asteroid, newly discovered by Austrian
astronomers, "Hooveria."
Il \ y \
American womankind's most invet-
| crate globe -trotter Is the wife of q
United States Senator--Mrs. Henry w.
Keyes Of New Hampshire. A year or
two ago Mrs. Keyes-better known In
the literary world as Frances Parkin-
son Keyes-went around the world to
| write of China, Japan and India. Now
| she is about to embark upon tour Of
Central and South America. Amply to
| supply herself with Latin color, Mrs.
Keyes will start for the Southern Hem
isphere by way of Spain and a visit to
the Spanish h-American exposition at
Seville. Prior to beginning her series Of
"All-American" studies, "The Senator's
| Wife"-Mrs. Keyes' magazine nom de
plume-.will go to Ottawa for the forth
| coming opening of the Canadian Par
lament, always a gala event. AS on
ent, Mrs. Keyes will be accompanied to
South America by one Of her college
boy sons.
Missouri is to the fore with q candi-
| date for Hoover'S Secretaryship Of agri-
| culture. He Is F. B. Mumford, dean Of
the College of Agriculture at the Uni
versity Of Missouri. Mumford Is well
known as an agricultural expert
throughout the corn belt. He halls
| from Michigan, but has been at the
University Of Missouri's farm college
| since 1895. Mumford came under the
President-elect's eye during the World
War while serving as State food adj
ministrator In Missouri. He is a spe-
cialist in live stock. Once he wrote a
book called Animal Breeding" Candi-
dates for the agricultural portfolio after
March 4, 1929, have seriously to reckon
with the present incumbent. Few men
| In public life are closer to Herbert
Hoover than "Bill" Jardine. They have
| marched shoulder to shoulder against
the grand army of McNary-Haugen-
ties for, 10, these many years.
X X X X
"The Book of Achievement" Just Is
sued by Oberlin University in honor OF
100 famous alumni and alumEae" in
cludes one Of Washington's well known
colored women, Mary Church Terrell,
' ABB, Oberlin, 1884, and AM, 1888
Mrs. Terrell, the widow Of a former