Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-26
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

The State Department takes issue with
the critics of the administrators hands,
OF policy toward Cuba and with the
prophets of revolution and bloodshed on
the island. It sees no cause for alarm
and no occasion for anything even re-
nnotely approaching intervention. The
recent outburst from Senator Walsh,
Democrat, of Massachusetts,, issued here
on his return from visit to Cuba, as
hand In hand with uSurpation and tyr
amy, received wide publicity in this
country and abroad. Walsh said a rev.
olution to overthrow the Machado rule
was in the making and he called on
the United States to take hand to in
sure free elections, else bear the re-
sponsibility and blame If chaos
came. Undersecretary of State Cotton
promptly countered with the reminder
that American Ambassador Guggenheim
had just been here for conference with
the department, had brought the adj
ministration'S f1rst-hand information as
TO Cuba right up to date, and that this
information indicated there was nothing
to worry about, Those who shared the
Walsh view Of the situation observed
that the Ambassador had been absent
from his post mentioning in this coun-
try, and was not conversant with latest
cratic Senator King of Utah, frequent
critic OF American policies abroad, after
conference with Walsh, said he would
go TO Cuba himself soon to get his own
verif1cation of the situation. A fine air.
Ing OF this subject Is In prospect when
the Senate reconvenes. Cuban elections
are scheduled for November, so by the
lime Congress gets around to talking
about Cuba very likely the present crisis
VIII have passed Or the worst eventuated.
Whatever may be the outcome or
effect In other quarters of the admin
STATIONS attack on alleged short SELL
ing by the Russian Soviet in the Chi
cago wheat pit, 1t is bound TO bring
aid and comfort to the Senate Demo-
Gratis and insurgents, who have long
been agitating for legislation designed
to curtail or prohibit short selling of
commodities and securities. Pending is
the Caraway bill to largely restrict
dealing in wheat and cotton futures"
and the Brookhart bill to prohibit short
selling Of stocks. Business and finan-
cial interests have strongly opposed
such legislative nostrums. Republican
regulars have In the past given them
no support. But it will be difficult to
meet the contention that If short sales
of few million bushels of grain by
the Russians drove down the price and
hurt the American farmer (this being
the gravamen of Secretary Hydes
charges), then short selling from any
quarter is injurious to the farmers in
terest. Similarly stock market bear
drives hurt the investor. So Messrs.
Caraway, Brookhart ct al. are jubilant
over the Russian episode, and girding
their loins for new drive to put their
bills through under claim Of implied
administration Endorsement.
y
The resignation of Leland Harrison
as Minister to Uruguay just announced
marks the retirement from the Amer
lean Foreign Service Of another OF the
promising group Of career diplomats OF
long experience, whose exodus from the
service under the present admlnistra-
ton has been so marked. Mr.. Harri-
sons diplomatic experience dates from
the time he graduated from Harvard, in
1907. He is we'll remembered at the
Capital as Assistant Secretary Of State
a few years back. His South American
assignment proved unwelcome. For one
thing, the expenses incident to the
Uruguay post were too-neayy drain
on his private resources. No other
residence being available, he found
himself paying rent for q hotel suite
at the rate of $4,000 a year. He
sought transfer, and when this was
not forthcoming he resigned.
4 y y
Eliot Wadsworth of Boston, one-time
Stone a. Webster partner, Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury under Hard
ing and Coolidge, with prolific diplo-
matte and banking experience at home
and abroad, was named by Mr.. Hoover
this week as his special representative to
Santo Domingo to examine and report
on the financial situation of the
stricken Caribbean island republic at
the same time that the Republican
voters of Boston Back Bay silk stock
| ing district were nominating Mr.. Wads-
worth for Representative in the Lower
House Of the Massachusetts, Legislature.
The Wadsworth Santo Domingo mis-
sion VIII not preclude bis legislative