Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-16
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

out where the West begins-espe-
clally the Southwest-therell be no
sackcloth and ashes over the impend-
Ing resignation Of Alexander Legge as
chairman Of the Federal Farm Board
II the Chicagoan's retirement were TO
be followed by that of all his fellow
members and by the abolition of the
board itself the grain-growing and cat
tle-raiSing Southwest is Enthusiastically
prepared to grin and bear 1t. This OBJ
server is just back from Eastern Kansas
and the adjacent Missouri River coun-
try of which Kansas City, Mo-, is the
metropolis. What they're saying out
there about Legge ct al Is a plenty
Most Of 1t would be of the nature US
ually described as unfit to print. The
particular Farm Board crouch in the
K. c. neighborhood seems to concern
the wiping out of the business which
used to be done by commission men in
both the grain and cattle trades. The
compliments saddle most of the blame
on Legge's shoulders. Kansas City is
the home town of the much-abused
Secretary of Agriculture, Arthur M
Hyde, who is an ex-officio member of
the Farm Board. Hyde made a hit in
the corn belt with his recent ruling
that corn sugar is a legitimate crys-
talline compound, along with beet and
cane
After the drought, the bonus deluge.
Capitol Hill is about to witness a SUI
preme test of the political power of the
World War soldier vote. No Republican
or Democrat now in or out of Congress
minimizes its capacity to punish or re-
ward. The bonus can easily become
1892 campaign issue. That Is why
there will be most meticulouS
watching of steps when the roll is
finally called in either House or Senate
for this, that or the other bon is meas
ure. Our World War service men are
now for the most part voters between
IS and 40 years Of age. Most OF them
are Just becoming politically conscious.
Many are already ruling forces in their
local communities or States. They've
begun to realize that for nearly 40
years after the Civil War the Republi-
can party nominated nobody for Presi-
dent except a Union Army veteran
Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison and
Mckinley. Let the country keep in
mind for the reasonably immediate ~
ture names like MacNider, Hurley, Nc
Mutt, Bodenhamer and ONeil-aH
American Legion men Of political
promise and reputed ambitions.
Senator David A. Reed, Republican.
of PENNSYLVANIA, appears to believe that
any numeral with % in it is lucky. He
has Just built himself house at 1922
street northwest. His telephone num-
Der Is 1922. His glittering new limou-
sine, often parked outside the Senate
wing OF the Capitol, is adorned with
Pennsylvania license tag numbered ~.
The suspicion Is that Dave" having
been appointed to the Senate in %,
has adopted the numeral as his mas
cot. A cloak room wag says the bril-
liant Pennsylvania ought TO be lucky
at poker with -four deuces" as a house
number.
DR.. Otto c. Kiep, counselor OF the
German embassy at Washington and a
popular figure in diplomatic society
since 1927, has just been appointed
German consul general at New York.
Kiep is a German who speaks English
| with a Scotch accent, seasoned with
an American twang. He was born in
the Scottish highlands when his father
was imperial German consul at Glas-
gov. The younger Kiep was educated
in the land of the thrifty and later
took his degree in law at London Uni
versity. He comes from distinguished
German political lineage. An uncle,
| DR.. Franz Won Rottenburg, was chief
of the German chancellery at Berlin
| under the great Bismarck. DR.. Kiep.
who is only As, faces a big career,
| which may bring him back to Wash
| ington some day as German Ambassa-
| dor. He had charge of press rela-
| tons at the Berlin foreign Office just
I before coming here, and in that ca
pasity functioned at the Versailles,
Genoa, London, Locarno and Geneva
Conferences,