Evening star., 1931-12-23
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC VHLIAM VILE.

You may agree or disagree with
Hiram johnson in general or on the
moratorium in particular but 1t was
difficult to withhold admiration of his
oratorical effort in the Senate yester-
day. BY universal consent, and even
though 1t was made before only q
handful Of his colleagues. the Cali
fornian's two-hour speech was in the
chambers best manner and recalled its
finest forensic traditions. Tor 1iuenCy,
diction and color, Johnson's oratory
has few peers in Congress possibly
only one, that being the eloQuence Bill
Borah is capable of generating. The
veteran irreconcilable knew he was
fighting for lost cause-that ratif1ca-
ton Of the moratorium was only mat
ter Of hours Yet he stormed in his
old League of Nations style of II years
ago, apparently with all his physical
and mental powers still at the zenith.
Senator Johnson's skill in repartee re-
mains unwthered. When Senator Gore,
Democrat Of Oklahoma. interrupted
the torrent Of the Californian's in
vective to ask ironically If President
Hoovers basic purpose in projecting
the moratorium was not to keep the
world safe 1or d. mocracy." johnson
flashed back OH the instant. "If l am
not mistaken. its only effect will be to
make the country safe for Democracy"
Ambassador Dawes selection for the
Craftsmanship of the Geneva Disarma-
ment Conference delegation meets with
lively approval in Congress, especially
in the Senate. 1t satisfies the prepared
ness group. for Dawes is a veteran OF
the A. E. F., and has no illusions about
the wisdom Of turning spears prema-
turely into pruning hooks--eSpecially
as far as the United States is concerned
AS Uncle Sans job at Geneva is going
to be primarily that of conciliator and
an eXtender Of good Offices. with view
to bringing antagonistic interests into
harmony. Dawes selection is considered
a wise one, in that connection, too
He has wide acquaintance among
European statesmen of all nationalities.
dating from Dawes plan days. AS a
pipe smoker, Hell-and- Maria is capable
of sitting patiently for long intervals
without succumbing to unrest. Dele
gates to Geneva will have need to draw
heavily on such qualities. Secretary
Stimson tells Congress he wants enough
money to keep the Americans there
eight months, If necessary.
-
Henry Suydam. Washington CORE
spondent of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle,
who sings and plays the piano as well
as hes writes traces his ancestry back
to New York TncfeYbocker stock,
The other day 34yoan was introduced
to Nj II. Van Royen. the Neither
lands Minister in Washington, and
commented on his own descent from
Dutch stock. "Suydam, Suydam," the
diplomat repeated pronouncing the
name as If it were spelled See dam,
and then said That means dam in
the South The Brooklyn scribe was
narrsting the episode to some press
gallery colleagues. why. Henry"
volunteered one of them. your name
in plain United States means Muscle
Shoals"
Two Simon-pure Democrats. Newton
D. Baker Of Ohio and Huston Thomp-
son of Washington, D. c., will oppose
each other in the New River case, In
which the Government and the Federal
Power Commission are defendants. Con-
gresS has just confirmed ThompsonS
appointment as special assistant to the
Attorney General In doing so. it ex-
S"Fp$a GAN "&SAhtkWShlaA lECLIl Tile
statutes forbidding a lawyer EMPLOYED
by the Government from carving on
cases against the Government. The
special act of Congress necessary for the
purpose was similar to the one passed
when Associate Justice Roberts of the
Supreme Court was employed to prose-
cute the Doheny oil case. The New
River case, which was brought by the
Appalachian Electric Power Co., is vital
to the Power Commission and the power
interests because the constitutionality of
the power act is questioned and the
control of the commission over streams
that affect navigability is challenged.
Both Messrs. Baker and Thompson were
in the Wilson administration, one as
Secretary of War and the other as an
Assistant Attorney General They are
friends and mutual admirers. While at
the Department of Justice Thompson
tried number OF cases involving recla-
nation dams and projects. He halls