Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-14

1t goes without saying that the scram-
bic for the Democratic presidential
nomination eXcites Just as much interest
At the White House and in the q o. p
camp generally as among the Demo
Gratis themselves. Al Smith, beyond all
shadow of doubt is the Republican cam
diate for the Democratic nomination
! Hooverites believe he would be far and
away the easiest man for them to beat
! next year. That is why certain rec
| ogniZed administration mouthpleces
can be detected nowadays in subtle
| efforts to build up the smashed Demo-
| cratic idol of 1928 into a 1882 white
| hope Few Democratic leaders consider
| Smith available timber for another race
| against Hoover. although his power to
sway the nominating convention in
! some other mans favor Is widely con-
| coded. Ais silence about Roosevelt is
| becoming oppressive to the Governor S
| supporters. The longer it persists. the
! more plausible becomes the theory that
Smith will bide his time. and. at the
| psychological moment-after So-and-so
| many ballots revealing Roosevelt's in
ability to make the two-thirds grade
will signal for the showdown. Smith
! denies that anybody has authority 10
speak for him. but the best bet is that
Newton D. Baker. wet. Western and
w 10 kOOu CIIOQSll AOl EAAs
Yet another book about Warren G.
Harding is in the hopper, and destined
to make its appearance before many
moons. Unlike "Revelry,' The Presi-
dents Daughter" and The Strange
Death of President Harding" the forth
coming volume will be in the nature of
a panegyric. we'll known Washing
ton woman, once of1cially associated
with Harding in his pre-presidential
for the manuscript material which is
going into the volume. To what ex-
TINT the book will seek to exonerate the
late President from completely in the
misdeedS associated with his brief ad-
ministration is not known. But the
hands at work on it ere such as to JUS
tify the expectation that 1t will De a
friendly, If not f1attering, produc-
ton.
Senator Jim Watson has been back
in Washington only a week or so, but
he's found time already to deal with
nearly all the woes which ah1ict the
Republican party, the Hoover admins
tration and the world at large. The
Hoosier statesman. who doesn't know
whether he'll be Senate majority or mi
norjty leader three months hence. has
! sentenced the World Court to death on
account OF its German-Austrian tariff
decision: denounced projects to raise
taxes: advised the President on tariff
commission vacancies and doomed
Postmaster General Brown for the G..
o. p. national craftsmanship. These are
the things that are publicly burdening
Sunny Jim's soul. His private tribula
items concern 1892. It's said to be the
prospect of having to run against Paul
". McNutt, Democrat. for the Senate ir.
Indiana next year that gives Watson
sleepless nights and anxious days. Nc
Mutt is a past national commander of
the American Legion. He may be one
of the reasons why Jim wouldn't mind
running fer Vice President on the
Hoover ticket.
X \
J. Edgar Hoover, director Of the Bu-
reau of Investigation of the Department
of Justice, has just issued a booklet
designed to acquaint reinforcement
oiiicials and agencies with the bureaus
work It tersely describes "some of the
major violations of Federal laws" over
which the bureau has ''investigative
Jurisdiction" These include: The ma
tional motor vehicle theft act, the
white slave (Mann) traffic act, the
national bankruptcy act impersona-
ton of Government ofilcials' larceny
Of goods in interstate commerce, theft,
embezziement or illegal possession of
Government property, antitrust laws,
national bank and Federal reserve acts
and crimes on Government reserva-
lions. Another major activity is the
apprehension Of fugitives from justice
r..
on its growing collection Of criminal