The Washington times., 1931-10-06
True to Type
upon WHAT MEAT"
DO LOCAL CAESARS
FEED?
-Ry GILBERT SEH.DES.


The book have heard most talk of in the past three
months is 1.-THE Washington Merry-G Round" It has
been several times recommended to source of
ideas to write about; and people who for what
read not for what write have nsistenty urged me to
read it for my good for its w.t. for its malice for
the lowdown on national politics. and for the odd thing
which movie producers call Entertainment value Nat
urally under this barrage of advice baked 1t might
be fun to read it and at it, l knew, but was
afraid I'd have nothing to sneer about And was
right l have read it and it is good book
Idols and Idoaters
Although it is said to be the work of several hands
and no one individual could know much about
peope-t maintains single attitude of critical intel
gence 1t is generally agn the Government suoJectlng
policy to hard words without suggesting alternatives
displeased with the preenous pomp of little men, un
sparing of the regulations of the famous 1t deounks
not SO much the of Andrew Mellon as the idol
orshpers of the greatest Secretary OF the treasury
since Hamilton" 1t romps with glee over the prone
body of our Vice President Charles Curtis is the name
and he'll be President or Senator something after next
election if you don't watch out) it exceptionally IN
telHgent about the mixed motives of Henry L. Stmson
it is brutal about President Hoover. 1t is also brutal
about the Washington newspaper correspondents
Not Much Scandal
The value of this book lies not in the few bits OF
scandal it offers Washington scandal is much good
anyhow; the thing doesn't thrive in that stutfy at
mosphere Nor does it lie in the liberal intelligent
critical attitude although that is agreeable enough The
real virtue is this That we get from it idea of
what of men our leaders, we learn wnat we
never hear about during campaigns In campaigns we
are told that Candidate has always favored the working
man (Which, oddly enough is exactly what Candldate
has always done); never hear anything about the
quality of KS mind how he behaves in emergency
whether he likes human beings thinks they of
the mistakes of the Creator, whether he has fits OF
temper like the tanrums of and whether
he still believes in Santa Claus We elect these people
in all Ignorance get no report from psychoanayst
expert in glands; we do not know whether they
are habitualy truthful evasive false cheerful
orose eupeptic dyspeptic, generous selfish. And
these exactly the questions which most important
and to which & after they have all been elected @ ana tSd
answers.
Light on Hoover ct al.
1t is Illuminating about President to know that at
the end of his campaign he could not understand how
"any intelligent person could vote against him. this
might be even considered desirable trait His codness
to friends who voted for Smith may explain why he
vetoed Senator Wagners bills which in detail what
he himself had demanded few years earlier, and then
prevented Wagner from taking his normal place chair
man of Senate committee.
The fact that Curtis has an enormous office, with
throne six feet high, which the words "The Chief"
appear in gilt tells almost everything needs to know
about him The influence Of the iberalminded clergy
man-uncle the mind of Stimson taken in connection
with his wealth and the family pride in position and
national services explains the apparent riddle of Stmsons
tries to avoid it tells about his character than the
record of his votes prohibition. That Dawes reads
Greek and P G. Wodehouse composes music for Kreisler
to play, and thinks it funny to have Leon Errol
drunken waiter drop food into the laps of duchesses at an
ambassadoral dinner, tells us quite lot
Is 1t Beated?
In this book is post-mortem But think
that in the next campaign something of its quality will
get into the newspapers. Ut has always been avail
abe but the correspondents thought of writing
this sort of thing or imagined that their editors would
print t) 1t is better than hostile criticism, because
mere attack is as bad as euogy: Aeither gives
any clear picture of the mind behind the And
that is exactly what want to know most about Is
candidate sef-centered person an extravert?
Is he man who believes in miracles or a man who
believes in hard, fundamental brain work? There are
two dozen essential questions to ask; and I'm willing
to bet that most people couldn't single
of them in regard to the who control the lives of
every of