Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-02
BY WILLIAM HARD.

The latest Democratic root of hope
is that the Presidents name begins
with an H" Democratic Seers and
seeresses in their evening gatherings
and gossipings here point out that no
previous President whose name began
with an H has ever had a second
term.
They begin their researches and rem
iniscences by triumphantly pointing
out the case of the elder Harrison. He
was the first President with name
beginning with III" He died within
month after his Inauguration.
The next one after the elder Harri-
son was Rutherford B. Hayes. He was
not even renominated for a second
term.
The next ensuing "H'' in the White
House was the younger Harrison. He
was renominated, but was then de-
feated for reelection by Cleveland.
The fourth H" was Harding. He
died in Office in the third Summer Of
his first administration.
Democrats of the horoscope school
here indicated look forward to the
Summer of 1891 with loyal anxiety for
the health Of the present President.
They hope he will survive to the Fall
of 1882. They are sure then, however,
with his III upon him, he will go down
to defeat before Democrat with q
name beginning with a better letter.
The best letter seems to be M"
There have been three Presidents with
names beginning with "M"-Madison.
Monroe and McKinley-and they were
all renominated and reelected.
There Is, of course, therefore, one
third chance that Democrat with
name beginning with m" though
elected in 1882 and reelected in 1886,
would be assassinated in his second
term.
1t is said, however, that Moody Of
Texas would be willing to take this
chance.
BY this mode of arguing it would be
fatal, however, for the Democrats in
1882 to nominate Cordell Hull Of Ten
nessee.
On second thought, though Cordell
Hull has an H only at the beginning
of his surname and might be able to
defeat Herbert Hoover, who seems to
carry a double supply of HIS" in fact,
Mr.. Hoover might be said to have
tripled the supply by marrying Miss
Henry.
No President, it is clear, has ever
carried with him such a load of alpha
betical disaster as Mr.. Hoover. Yet he
looks perfectly happy and serene and
confident. He also looks less fatigued
and harassed than when he was Secre-
tary Of Commerce. This is presumably
because nobody yet has broken to him
the news about the letter III" 1t is
also presumably because he does not
take his differences with the Senate as
seriously as they are taken in the dis
courses of many commentators.
The Senate insulted George Washing
ton to his face and drove him in wrath
and in profanity from the Senate cham
Der; and yet Washington was reelected
by unanimous electoral vote, Nc
Kinleys very first experience with the
Senate was that it Overwhelmingly re-
jected the Olney-Pauncefote arbitration
treaty with Great Britain, which NC
Kinley had specifically urged upon the
favorable consideration of the Senate
in his first presidential utterance. In
fact. with John Hay as Secretary of
State, Mckinley was in continuous al
tercations with the Senate. He was not
thereby deprived, however, of renomina-
ton and reelection.
Roosevelt fought with the Senate
whenever the Senate chose, and often
on his own initiative, and grew in pop
ularity as he did so.
History would seem to indicate that a
so-called defeat" for President in the
Senate is an event without any calcu-
liable aftermath. 1t sometimes hurts the
recipient of 1t, but sometimes helps him.
Sometimes, in fact, the public seems
to favor both sides of the controversy
and re-electS both the President who
had trouble in the Senate and the Sem
ators who troubled him. This happened
recently in the case of President Cool
idge and of numerous senatorial enc
mics of his who were reelected In
States in which Coolidge was simulta-
neouSly reelected.
The reason for such behavior on the
part of the electorate was beautifully
stated to this writer once by a farmer
in Northern New York. The farmer
said:
1T am for Calvin, but think he needs
some Of those Senators to check him up
now and them
That farmer, speaking seriously. had
a profound perception Of the genius OF
the American governmental system. He,
accordingly, did not condemn Senators
for failing to obey the Presidents be-
hests. and, on the other hand, he did
not blame the President for issuing be-
hests or recommendations" to the Con-
gress in accordance with his presiden-
tial duty The farmers view was the
genuinely constitutional view. and 1t
seems, in truth, to be followed in ulti-
mate practice by great multitude Of
voters.
1t was propounded with admirable
effect to the voters of Minnesota by
Senator Shipstead last year. The Sena-