Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-19

In the midst Of the League of Nations
fisticuffs in the United States Senate
, in 1890. Col. Edward M. House, still
in Woodrow Wilson's good graces, gave
the President a word of counsel He
suggested that America should become
an associate member" of the League.
This country's participation in the
Leagues affairs would have been, as
Houses friends understood his plan of
almost the precise nature of our pres
ent status at Geneva. The United
States was to sit in, deliberate, take
part in decisions, pay its way in League
expenses. and generally have all the
rights and privileges of membership,
but be under no obligations to Join in
League sanctions" In other words.
associate membership" as Col House
projected, would impose no obligations
upon the United States to shoulder
arms in case the League should ever
wage war against peace-breaker.
Prentiss Bailey Gilbert. who has as
sured himself a niche in the hall of
fame by becoming the first full-fedged
American emiSSary to the League OF
Nations, was brought up on the Island
of Cebu. in the Philippines, whittier he
went as a youngster with his parents
from Rochester, N. Y. His first school
was Ell Collegio de San Carlos in Cebu.
Gilbert has been in the foreign service
only since 1919. He went in about the
same time as Undersecretary of State
Bill" Castle Following graduation
from Yale in 1907. Gilbert was sue
cessively a mine superintendent, writer,
instructor in English at the University
of Rochester and an officer in the in
telligence section of the United States
Army during the World War. He had
had previous war experience in the
Philippines. having seen service during
the instruction.
Washington correspondents have been
warned that they'll find Premier Laval
rather hard nut to crack. He seldom
submits to interviews. His favorite trick
is to have terse little statement ready
for distribution. First he reads it, then
he has it passed around and winds up
by saying, That's all" Travelling with
Laval aboard the lie de France this
week is Bob Pell. Ambassador Edges
private secretary, who is to serve as the
premiers liaiSon officer with the Amer
lean press. That's the chief ray Of COM
fort on the Capital journalistic horizon.
because, before he degenerated into q
diplomat, Pell was member of the
Washington newspaper corps.
X X
Republican aspirants for Dwight Nor
rows toga in New Jersey are likely to
develop into a throng. now that it's
pretty definitely understood that Mrs
Morrow has no ambitions to wear It,
From the classic shades of Princeton
word is waited that DR.. John Grier
Hibben, who is about to retire as presi-
dent of Old Nassau, Is casting a rowing
eye in the direction Of the vacant Nor
row chair.
DR.. Ricardo Alfaro, who left the min
isterShip to the United States to be-
come President of Panama, was o pref
ty husky specimen Of manhood when
he quit Washington. News arrives from
Panama City that the rigorS Of exec
from his weight. His friends attribute
the shrinkage in the presidential waist
line to a combination Of worry and
work. Although Alfaro was virtually
the countryS unanimous choice for the
presidency, he ran straight into a sea
of political rivalries and animosities,
and steering clear Of them seems to
have cost him avoirdupois. DR.. Alta
ro's passion for laboring far into the
night is assigned as another cause for
his Involuntary reducing cure. The
Presidents health and vigor are re-
ported to be unimpaired.
X
The monumental new Department of
Commerce Building is about finished
except for one important detail That
is the inscription. in Qualification of the
arts of trade, which 1t is desired to en-
blazon upon its facade. Secretary La
mont. Assistant Secretary Julius Klein
and other departmental nabobs are for
simple inscription. consisting perhaps
Of nothing more than the words de-
partment of Commerce." thanked on
either side by its official emblem. The
architects, it appears, insist upon o
trail Of words running virtually around
aneh a. inkcE3nti0n ID estimated.