Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-10

| Although the acknowledged and
amusing facts in the Curtis-G Gam tragt-
comedy are enough to keep the Capt.
tails gossip-mongers busy, Mrs. Grundy
and her sisters Ito say nothing of her
brothers) have not shrunk from am
plifying the incident with fictitious
| trimmings. To this observer, for eX-
ample. there came the other day cir
cumstantial account of how the Vice
President insists that even his closest
comrades should quit calling MIN
Charley" Now comes the authorita-
tive assurance that Mr.. Curtis has
never done anything of the sort. or
thought of doing so. The Kansan's
friends. whose name is still legion, are
apparently at liberty to call him any
thing they please, and he remains
Charley" to most OF them, especially
his cronies in the Senate. washington
would not be washington without its
tea table title tattle. AS the prece-
dence mess is the richest morsel that's
rolled over the Capitals tongue IN
moons. 1t was inevitable that the longer
II lasted the more exaggerated forms IL
would assume. The towns favorite IN
door sport nowadays is giving the Cur
tis-Gann muddle new twists - mostly
| imaginary.
| Now that princess Alice" Longworth
has waded into the precedence Tray, IL S
| interesting to recall that 1t was her
own father, President Theodore RooSe-
welt, who had to deal with an almost
| Identical episode. ct. r." had given
| white House dinner to visiting COVER
nors. Speaker Joe" Cannon, who was
present, thought he should have ranked
| the Chief Justice of the United States,
and registered unmistakable displeaSure
when Justice Fuller was placed at the
| Presidents right. Teddy" stood his
ground, asserting that the seating ar
Tagement was not decided upon until
after Elihu Root, Secretary of State,
had pronounced 1t o. k. Later on. to
pIacate "Uncle joe" of whom Roose-
Welt was fond, the list of official White
House dinners was extended 10 lncluoe
a special dinner in honor OF the SPEAK
err of the House. The custom persists
to this day.
| President Hoover's honeymoon" Is
over, beyond a doubt. The farm relief
| and tariff imbroglioS on Capitol Hill
| Jointly signalize its end. History re-
peats itself. Sooner or later our PreSl-
! dents always clash with Congress. In
| Hoover's case the ruction has come
| earlier than usual, because he sum-
moned Congress in special session With
| in a few weeks of entering the White
House. The Californian now has his
| chance to reveal the political f1nesse
with which his admirers credit MIN
and which his detractors as vehemently
| claim he does not possess. Time Will
| tell Both controversial issues are
loaded with political dynamite to the
brim-the tariff, in particular. In the
past it has split parties, changed the
COMPLEXION of Congress and spelled the
| doom of administrations. the PreSl-
dent is not blind to the perils OF the
crisis that confronts him. A new chap
ter of the Hooverian era Will be written
as he fights his way out OF II.
4 X x x
Representative A. Piatt Andrew, Re-
publican, of Massachusetts, Is not SO
downcast over the HaWley pilIS 1aluIe
to make boots and shoes dutlable as 10
lose interest in another project dear 10
his heart. 1t concerns publication OF
the World War military records. soon
after the special session was convened,
Col. Andrew introduced resolution IN
the House providing that all Official
records and maps relating to the act1V--
tiles of American military ana navai
forces should be assembled, 1nventor1ed,
classified. prepared for publication and
published" The Massachusetts Con-
gresham asks: How is it possible to
write a trustworthy history OF the
World War when the records are only In
part available? They ought to be avail
able in every library everywhere"
| X X X X
Now that the gladstone annual COM
mencement time approaches, more than
ordinary interest attaches to the move!
project recently initiated by DR.. Will
lem Mather Lewis, president of Lafay-
cite College, at Easton, Pa. Lafayette
plans a significant educational enter
prise to be called the Alumni College