Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-10
Hoover Colleague
In Youth Reveals
Early Life Events
San Domingo Official
Tells of Presidents Per.
severance for Education.
BY WILLIAM HARD.

William E. Pulliam, our general
rece + of customs in the republic of
Salto Domingo, has been back in
Washington attending the Inauguration.
He tells a delightfully."- true anecdote-
and parable-about himself and the
new President It runs, so far as this
writer can initiate MFR. Pulliams narra-
tive style. as follows:
Mr. Hoover and l were very much
alike up to a certain point We ran
parallel. But there came to be differ
ence. I'll tell it to you. 1t explains
why he is in Washington and why I'm
in Santo Domingo.
I was born in the Mississippi Valley.
Mr. Hoover was born in the Mississippi
Valley.
Il went to oregon. Mr.. Hoover went
to Oregon
Il got to Portland. Mr. Hoover got
to Portland.
I'VE were then about II years old. l
heard of the new university at Palo
Alto in California. Mr.. Hoover heard
of it.
Mr.. Hoover determined to take the
examination for entrance into it. So
did I.
THE examiners came to Portland.
They displayed the examinations. l
looked them over. So did Mr.. Hoover.
saw that I could not pass them
Mr.. Hoover saw that he, too, could not
pass them.
Then came the difference.
Seeing that I could not pass the
examinations. / did not take them. Mr.
Hoover, seeing that he could not pass
the examinations, took them anyway.
He failed in them. He was not
stopped. He went to Palo Alto. He
walked on to the campus. He took the
examinations again. Still he failed in
some of them. He was not stopped. He
took them again. He remained and
he was graduated.
II got a job pushing truck.
That's why I'm in Santo Domingo
and he's in the White House."
It takes charming man to tell that
story about himself as Mr. Pulliam tells
it, and Mr.. Pulliam is not only charm
ing but veracious. The story Is at
every point literally exact.
y X
The Mexican troubles have revived
in Washington many stories Of Latin
American revolutions. Returned travel
ers from Nicaragua relate an illuminate
ing incident which happened at a din
ner party given by President DiaZ.
Some American present expressed sur
prise that Nicaraguans should take
elections so seriously, and said:
why, in our country, II we Republic
cans lose an election, We don't despair.
We know that we'll get back into Office
sometime. We Just rest and amuse our
selves in the interval"
1.-The interval is different in Mica
ragua," said President Diaz. ut hurts
much more"
He leaned down and pulled up trou-
sers leg to show his ankle. He stripped
his sock from it. On his ankle there
was a scar of an amazingly ugly en-
circling bruise. That's where was
tied to a log by a chain for several
months the last time I was unfortu-
nate enough to fail to win Office in
Nicaragua" he said.
Various members of President Diaz's
cabinet, sitting about the dinner table,
then showed the same sort Of physical
"reminiscences of political failure in their
country. They all had enduring bruises
around their ankles.
Moral:
AL Smith has some luck after all.
That Nicaraguan incident made this
writer think of an extremely able retort
once made to him by Ambassador
Ferrara of Cuba.
This writer had expressed to the
Ambassador his amaZement that PreSi-
dent Machado in Cuba should take
such repreSsive measures against polit-
ical opponents. The public meetings OF
those opponents had been broken up by
President MachadoS agents. A Cuban
army officer had even been court-mar-
tailed for not breaking them up vigor-
ously enough. This writer was grieved.