Evening star., 1931-12-21

Jackson day, Friday, January 8, will
mark the formal opening of the Demo-
cratic national campaign OF 1882. On
that evening a thousand of the party
faithful will banquet in Washington
and make the welkin ring as they voice
visions of victory and damnations Of
the Hoover administration. In reverse
order of their candidates. for the
presidency, the speakers Of the eve
ming will be Alfred E. Smith, John w.
Davis and James M. Cox, Democratic
standard bearers. respectively. in 1928,
1924 and 1920. Claude G. Bowers. who
won oratorical glory at Jackson day
feast In Washington in 1928, will be
POSTMASTER Jim Coxs friends re-
joice that he is to have opportunity to
wind up the nights program. They
say the Ohioan has great speech on
for next years presidential nomination
will be on hand Is not yet determined.
They've all been invited If Gov
Roosevelt comes, AL Smith may set off
some fireworks. Proceedings are to be
broadcast over a Nation wide network,
beginning at 10 pm.
X y
Robert Peet Skinner of Ohio, whom
ican Minister to Esthonia. Latvia and
Ltthuania, is being transferred to Riga,
capital of Latvia, from Greece. Latvia
Is Uncle Sans most important point of
observation near Russia. Just before
leaving Athens, Mr.. and Mrs Skinner
sent their Washington friends Christ
mas cards entitled, The Origin of
Golf" The cards reproduce an archaic
bas-relief, dater about 500 B. c., de-
picting Greek gods in very summery
attire playing a game of ball with sticks
tndubitably the forerunners of mashies
and niblicks.
So far Hiram Johnson's Investigation
of the international bankers" hasn't
started any prairie fires. If the Senate
Finance Committee doesn't extort any
more sensations than it cajoled out of
Lamont. of the Morgan firm, and
Mitchell, chairman of the National
City Bank, the country's knowledge Of
the mysteries of high finance will not
be very much richer than before. The
two New York money magnates were
adroit witnesses, as might have been
expected. Mr. Lamont was far more
suave and sure of himself than Mr.
Mitchell. The Morganatic spokesman
tee grill.' The National City chieftain
was tense, on edge and seemingly sp2il-
ing for fight which didn't materialize.
Both bankers exuded candor and ap-
parent anxiety to throw light on dark
situations. Bob La Toilette was a keen
inquisltor. Once when Senator Couzens
asked Lamont what rates of interest
big roalroads pay in Wall Street nova
days the Morgan partner replied:
'Derned If I know" Senator johnson
prefaced a question thus: IT 1t is
proper for me to ask, Mr.. Lamont"
Whereupon the Morgan minister for
foreign affairs, beami1g his broadest
smile upon the committee, retorted, eX-
pansively: mo question such a COM
mittee might ask could possibly be i'm
proper"
The first fortnight of the Seventy
second Congress as far as the Senate is
concerned, has been a Hiram johnson
session. With his opposition to the
moratorium, the Investigation of
Americas foreign investments and the
inquiry into the State Departments
diplomacy in Manchuria, Hoover's
hardest hater comes close to hogging
the limeltght. Johnson's zeal In drag
g1ng the administrations miscreant
deeds into pitiless publicity fortifies the
suspicion that Hiram has not completely
taken down his 1892 presidential light
ming rod. He is certainly uncorking a
degree of vigor unexcelled even in 1920
or 1924. when the Johnsonian ambitions
were active and avowed. On the oc-
casion Of his present crusade against
the powers of evil the Senator ex-
hibits his fair for political showmanship
by picking live issues of undeniably
front-pagc Importance. An English
journalist, surveying the Senate scene