Evening star., 1930-12-10
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Despite external manifestations of
strife and ruction in Democratic SEN
atorial ranks, no tangible evidence is
forthcoming that Joe" Robinson'S
leadership is in peril. That his political
associates are not a unit in supporting
his "co-operation" plan is a certainty.
But from no quarter, as far as Senator
Robinson himself is aware, is there any
demand, or anything savoring of a de-
mand that he abdicate the minority
command. Leadership of either party
in the Senate has been a highly pre-
carious proposition for the past 10
years. The Republicans troubles on
that score have chronically been far
more bothersome than anything the
Democrats now face Things will have
to be lot worse for Joe" Robinson
before they'll approach in vexatiousness
the trials and tribulations that used to
dog Charley" Curtis footsteps as
G. o. P. leader or those that now keep
Jim" Watson awake at night Apart
from his own qualities and qualiflca-
tions, what Democrat could make a
better job of it than Robinson? That's
the question facing minority members
who may be thinking of unhorsing the
Arkansan. AS far as uncertainable, no
body actually harbors any such notion.
X x x
Say what you please, that man Hoover
is certainly going through Big Stick mo-
tions nowadays with a vengeance and
apparently as a matter of habit The
Presidents lambasting of members of
Congress who "are playing politics with
human misery" Is his fourth or fifth
exhibition of "T. R." stuff during the
past few weeks. Evidently the election
determined the Californian to aban-
don the role of Stationary engineer"
as one of his critics used to call him
and swing into action whenever he gets
an opening. When it became known at
the end of last week that the Senate
was going to raise the Hoover ante on
drought relief, and vote $50, ,00O, 900 for
the stricken farmers instead of the
$25, 900 900 the President proposed, at
least one congressional leader frequently
called to the White House was at his
elbow. The idea of giving political
pnilanthropists a public spanking was
thereupon proposed. considered and
approved.
AS usual, the House is setting the
pace for legislative speed on Capitol
Hill. In the first week of the session,
Representative discussed and passed
two of the budgets biggest appropria-
ton items-the Treasury and Post Office
supply bills, aggregating ST. ,083 100000.
Then 1t lost little time in voting $110,-
100000 for accelerating the Federal
building program-$40 600, 900 less than
President Hoover urged House rules
and the pliabie G. o. P. majority which
Messrs. Longworth, Tilson, Smell 81 Co
have to manipulate make, of course, for
promptness which cannot be matched
under Senate rules and party condi-
tlonS. In the incoming Congress, with
will-o'-the- -wisp Republican majority,
II any, the well creased parliamentary
machine that now functions so smooth
ly Will nave considerably rougher going
X X
Representative Henry Allen Cooper,
republican Progressive of Wisconsin,
father of the House, Is on active sery-
ice-though with the aid Of cane
after serious accident in his home
district this year. 1t wasn't one of
the casualties that befell SO many Re-
publicanS on November 4, having been
merely stumble over a chair. At 80,
Mr.. Cooper is on the threshold of his
nineteenth term in Congress, though
not quite conSecutively, because he was
missing from the Sixty-sixth Congress.
He has served in the House through
the administrations Of Cleveland, Nc
Kinley, Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Hard
ing, Coolidge and Hoover Foreign af-
fairs, which House committee Cooper
has adorned for decades, are his IA
vorite political diet, and music his
private hobby. Wisconsin has the daddy
of the House and the baby of the SEN
ate-"young Bob" La Toilette is 35.
X X X
John w. Carey, breezy Sioux CITY
Journal columnist, deposes cut in the
corn country and says it's time to set
Hoover right on "the noble experiment"
phrase He never used It," Carey con-
TENDS. and the Hawkeye sage is right.
The Presidents sole outgiving on the
paramount issue to date is the passage
In his speech OF acceptance at Paio