Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-06

Democrats will not be convinced that
President HooVer's october speechmak-
ing tour is devoid of politics They are
persuaded it was deliberately planned,
plotted and programmed for this
psychological moment-four weeks be-
fore the congressional elections. Also,
say the Raskobians, it's passing strange
that Mr.. Hoover after months of abb
sence from the speaking platform,
should have selected two States-Ohio
and Massachusetts-in which bitter
contests are raging as the forums for.
his 'non-politicar' addresses. The
presidential utterances in Cleveland and
Boston contain nothing partisan or
controversial, but the mere presence of
the Chief Executive in the midst of
campaign undoubtedly works a certain
advantage to his own party. That's
the circumstance which irks the
Democrats at this witching hour. From
the some quarter emanates ever and
anon the taunt that Hoover isn't a
good politician. Perhaps that judg-
ment ought to be revised, in view Of the
Democratic growl over the Presidents
most recent activities.
~
Official and diplomatic Washington
Is wondering whether a certain South
American woman, long resident in
Washington, is going to organize fight
on Senate confirmation OF j. Reuben
Clark, jr., Of Utah, just appointed to
succeed Dwight w. Morrow as Ameri-
can Ambassador to Mexico. The dy-
manic sonora, who at one time was
supposed to be a confidential agent of
the lately deposed President Leguia of
Peru, raised merry Ned on Capitol Hill
when Mr.. Clark was appointed Under
secretary Of State two or three years
ago. She tried to make the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee believe
that Clark, while solicitor of the State
Department in the Taft administration,
had euchred Peru out of its rights in
a celebrated Peruvian American claims
case. The lady of Lima probably is in
eclipse at Washington, now that Leguia
Is shorn of power, but Clark's friends
are waiting to see If her ancient grudge
Is still alive.
J. Walter Drake of Detroit, who was
one of Herbert Hoover's Assistant Sec
retaries of Commerce several years ago,
made an interesting statement before
the Pan-American section OF the Inter-
national Road Congress now In session
at Washington. In discussing the rati-
fcation of a common highway code
among the republics of the Americas,
Mr.. Drake commented on the amusing
fact that 81 different countries of the
Western Hemisphere had found 1t pos
sible to agree on points over which the
48 States Of the United States are still
mulling. He was referring to uniform
traffic laws.
One of the behind the-scene powers
at the road congress is a young Chilean
diplomat journalist, Benjamin Cohen,
formerly attached to the Chilean en-
bassy in Washington. He's the official
interpreter. English, Spanish, French.
German and Italian are all at Senior
Cohen's fluent command. He's render
ing correspondingly practical service at
the parley in the direction of what
Roy D. Chaplin, president of the Ameri-
can Organizing Commission, calls our
sole objective-the creation of high
ways of friendship within and between
all nations" Mr.. Chaplin may have had
Cohens linguistic talents in mind
when the Detroit motor magnate said
over the radio on the eve Of the inter-
national congress: Our problems are
mutual In this conference we may
speak variety of tongues, but we have
a great universal language-the IAN
guage of the road"
Herbert Hoover, jr., and his wife
are living in the highest altitude al
forded by the Presidents camp ON the
cabins known as 1.-The Five Tents"
which occupy the tallest eninence
within the camp reservation. The
little houses get that name from the
circumstance that when the President
and Mrs Hoover first went to the
Rapidan they lived in Army tents on
the same site. Picturesque names have