Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-22

+ It can be stated on unimpeachable
authority that Law Enforcement CHAIR
man Wickersham was completely nab
bergasted by the disclosure OF his now
celebrated prohibition letter to Gov.
Roosevelt. The letter was written to
the New York executive at his request
and was supposedly intended for what
President Hoover, when talking to the
White House newspaper men for nom
quotation purposes, calls background
stuff" Wickersham dashed of his COM
munication to Roosevelt in long hand,
never suspecting for the fragment Of a
moment that within few hours 1t
would be the cause celebre OF the pro-
hibition universe. On equally first-hand
authority this observer can say that Mr..
Hoover had no more Of glimmer that
Wickersham was going to take his
fountain pen in hand than the Presi-
dent has of the number OF fish he'll
catch next week end. Perhaps-f he
hasn't already done so-the law en-
forcement chairman will take occasion
to let Gov. Roosevelt know OF the sur
prise party he sprang upon his corre-
spondent by reading the letter to the
governors conference.
One of the New London gubernatorial
conferees went home during the week
end by way of Washington, in order to
pay his respects to President Hoover.
Just before leaving New London, the
State executive in question-Gov. George
3. Shafer, Republican, of North Da-
kota-went into a telegraph ofice. to
inform the White House by wire that
he would be happy to keep preferred
appointment. Are you the governor
secretary" the nymph behind the
counter asked the extremely youthful
looking man who'd just handed in
message. Well" responded Gov. Shafer.
mot exactly, although I'm looking after
his secretarial work up here. In fact.
I'm attending to the governors job,
too" Then he identified himself. to the
CONSERVATION of a bobbed-haired Con-
necticut Yankee. Shafer. a former
North Dakota attorney general. con-
cedes about 40 years Of age, but
looks 80.
The wife of a certain distinguished
member Of the Hoover administration
is going to watch her social step In
Washington henceforwerd. In conse-
quence of a faux pas just committed.
She inhabits fashionable hotel apart
ment, at which there called the other
day a well known Capital society
spects. The caller was announced by
telephone from the desk down below.
Let me talk to her." said the ofncial
hostess In question. Thereup0n this
flashed over the wire: Il am bothered
to death by women I don't know: !
don't want my picture taken nor do I
want to buy anything. If you have
anything to say to me. write me
letter" Then bang went the receiver
on its hook. The visitor recovered
consciousness before leaving the desk
and is now taking revenge by broad
casting her experience.
n r r \
President Hoover says he expects to
appoint lot more commissions during
the next four years" He won't impart
the nature of them or of the next
commission on his list but he has no
Meditation In admitting that he con-
siders the commission form of finding
facts for formulation Of Federal policies
the best system extant. Hoover has
always been partial to commissions and
committees They grew up like n1ush-
merce days. A wag once said that
the middle initial In the Californian's
name stands for commissions" Dur
ing the 1928 campaign AL Smith fire.
uuently chided Hoover for the latter
avowed purpose to name commissions
for various purposes, IL elected Presi-
dent. Smith himself, 1t is recalled,
proposed to solve the Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence waterway project and CO.
related schemes by handing the prob
lem over TO a commission.
y y y
Now that the Republicans Of the SEN
ate finance committee have gone into
huddle for framing Of their tarin Dill,
tI,o,,,ro 60 yiro ny, Tnnifnl Fiji that Sem
ator Smoot, the committee chairman,
has been worn almost to fragile by
the sugar schedule night. In fact.
they're irreverent enough to speak OF
the Utailan as "a broken Reed" Ger
tainly the country's sugar-tarif guard
ians have never before encountered such
xoush sleddinR a. they're suffering In