Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-17

" looking much younger than his
"A years, a man with a fine head
4 and a face whose predominant
ing features are beautiful brown
eyes under an intellectual brow, is
pleading before the Supreme Court.
1t is William De Witt Mitchell until
lately Solicitor General of the United
States, the man whose appointment as
Attorney General came as shock OF
general surprise to every politician III
Washington.
He is a Democrat, but an independent
Democrat He voted the Democratic
ticket by inheritance, and tempered his
inheritance by occasional choice OF
Republican candidate.
He has never made any attempt at
political power When, as young man.
he took hand in the making of new
character for the City of st. Paul, work.
ing till past midnight every night for
weeks upon 1t, 1t was not because he
thereby sought political reputation, but
because he thought that out OF 1t he
would gain a good experience, useful In
his legal right.
In these and other ways his selection
caused the politicians surprise. Yet no
appointment made or to be MADE by
President Hoover could be more clearly
indicative of the tone and policy OK the
new administration than this. A careful
study of his career and personality,
combined with an estimate of the re-
ouirements of his new Office. seems to
reveal that President Hoover in this ap-
pointment again demonstrated his ca
pacity for gauging accurately the Mt
ness of a man for work peculiar In It's
duties.
Mr.. Mitchell Qualities.
There were two aspects to be consid-
cred in that choice, and Mr.. Mitchell
amply measured up to both.
He must be a first rate lawyer, man
who had the confidence Of his profess
sion in the highest degree. Combined
with that characteristic, he must be
good Judge of men, a good admins
traitor, honest and courageous.
And he must have the confidence and
the backing of the leading dry" ele-
ments of the country.
Mr.. Mitchell qualified in both
analyses.
His attitude in the subject of pro-
what may be seen by any one who looks
at the subject dispasSionately-that it IS
a condition and not theory which
confronts us. He sees that prohibition
is a part of the Constitution OF the
United States, and that nothing short
of a change in the Constitution itself
can make "wetness" legally workable IN
our country. He sees that such change
at this time is politically well nigh I'M
thinkable. He knows it is the duty OF
The executive officers of the United States
Government, under the Constitution, to
enforce all its laws to the best OF their
ability. There was nothing in his past
career, his previous utterances or his
present hypothesis to make him unac-
ceptable to the dry forces. If and when
prohibition enforcement becomes more
compactly a part of the Department
of Justice, therefore, he can safely meet
the desires of those who wish to see the
noble experiment. scientifically tried
out in our national political laboratory.
It is a situation which should be as
pleasing to the conscientious wet as to
the conscientious dry. For those who
desire a change in the present law
should be equally interested with those
who do not believe in full enforcement
as the first step in determining whether
such law is, in fact, workable or not.
Only in SO cool and dispaSSionate way
may the whole subject be takep out OF
the realm of fantastic discussion INTO
the world Of practical fact.
There was boy born some 81 years
ago in the little city named for an In
dian princess, Winona. MINI. Then. as
now, it was a beautiful town, on the
high bluffs of the Mississippi, tree
shaded, with fine homes-and one OF