Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-13

Out Of the Progressive conference In
Washington it plainly developed that
there win be no concerted effort of any
kind to divert the groups strength 70
| either the Republican or the Demo-
cratic party in 1882. 1t viii be a case
Of go-as-you-pleaSe. 1t was so In 1928
when Norris was for Smith and Borah
was for Hoover. II Hoover and Roose-
velt happen to be opposing candidates
for President next year, respectively, or
dry and wet platforms, Senator Norris
Is certain to be found on the Demo-
cratic side II 1t is more anti-power than
| the @. o. p. platform and nominee
Norris yesterday very formally and def
| niteiy blacklisted Hoover. Gov. Roose-
velt's dampnesS wouldn't interest the
Nebraskan any more than Al Smiths
did. Norris pillorteS the wet-dry con-
| troversy IS smoke screen designed to
| obliterate real" issues like power On
the other hand, Progressive like "Bill''
Borah, unless he alters the habit of q
| lifetime, will be battling, as Of yore, on
the regular Republican fighting line
particularly If it's the prohibition line,
no matter how pro-power 1t may be.
| The La Follettes and the Cuttings are
| extremely likely to be alongside him
| just as the Wheelers and the Costigans
can be looked for in the regular Demo
| cratic ranks. Party alignments, as
Young Bob" puts it, are meaningless
| Solidarity for the PTogressives in the
immediate future Is Of moment only
when they need to WELD their balance
OF power in Congress.
X \
Progressive Conference pick-ups:
Lincoln SteffenS linking up acquaint-
ances of the days, rs years ago, when,
ne says, he was aSSailing the evils
which now perturb MeSSrs Norris & Co.
and inventing Philadelphia's coat of
arms, Corrupt and Contented" .
When Borah remarked he might be
| thinking of Albert Gallatin", in brack-
citing Alexander Hamilton with another
| great Secretary of the Treasury, Daniel
G. Roper, on hand to keep progressive
ism safe for democracy, bethought him
Mellon-the greatest Secretary Of the
| Treasury since McAdoo "a ton
of lamentation and an ounce of cure
! cynical summary of the Progressive
| program by a disinterested bystand-
er. . Norris taking a leaf out Of
Mr.. Justice Holmes early contempla-
ton Of the Great Beyond and evoking
thunderous disapproval of the thought
that his days are numbered. .
Alice Longworth, Washington's unfail-
ing political flrSt-nighter, imbibing
| Progressive doctrine with heretical in
! terest. Bronson Cutting - Long
Island aristocrat, Groton, Harvard and
Phi Beta Kappa-brlshing shoulders
with the proletariat. Borah, ap-
| preaching Sc, with hair as coal-black
as the locks of La Toilette, aged SO.
X n ~
During the closing hours of the
J Progressives' family party the one 1887
+ presidential possibility who graced the
| conference put in an appearance-the
soft-spoken Senator Robert j. Buckley
wet, Of Ohio. Buckley is not generally
identified with the Democratic left
tors like Wheeler, Din, Costigan and
others who 60 liberal" by fits and
starts. Apparently Buckley Che answers
to the nickname of ROY" not "Bob'')
| Is throwing q Progressive anchor to
windward by hobnobbing with the Nor
| riS Utopians who want another
Roosevelt" in the White House. One
| of Chairman Raskob's sleuths, Dick
Linthicum, of the Democratic National
| Committees publicity division, held q
watching brief at the Progressive coun-
| Gil Of war.
President Hoover lodges all the
speeches he can. He's just asked per-
mission to make one. The Californian
told Secretary Lamont he'd like IL
make q few remarks on the occasion OF
the forthcoming dedication of the vast
new Department of Commerce. The re.
quest will be granted. They're still
looking for an appropriate inscription
to spread across the long, sprawline
facade of the worlds biggest govern.
ment office building. Here's a text fol-
the Presidents address at the unveil-
ing of "the house that Herbert built
it was written three centuries ago ir
Old English: Speech was made to oper
man TO man, and not to hide him; II
promote commerce, and not betray 1t.
1 X
Now that it can be told, and DR.
Pearson, the new Governor of the Vir.
gin Islands, Is on the high seas bounC