Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-13

The White House might as well try
to confine presidential news to that
which flows from stated sources" as
to declare a moratorium on the roar
of Niagara Falls. It's a 10-to-1 shot
that from now on the reSourceful
correspondents on duty at Mr. Hoo
ver's Offices will leave no stone of in
formation unturned beneath which
they believe a good story is hidden.
That, after all. Is their job. The Presi-
dent of the United States Is the big
geSt single piece of news in the coun-
try. Almost anything he does is 'front.'
page stuff. The people have an abid-
ing curiosity in what he does, thinks,
says, eats, wears, or even dreams. The
average man or woman is immensely
more concerned in the Presidents
human side than in his political views
or actions. The White House news
sleuths, being among the pick of the
reportorial profession. may be depended
upon to grind out good Hoover yarns,
stated sources" to the contrary not
withstanding.
Calvin Coolidge once said that a cardi-
nal secret of his success as a politician
was that Il never deny anything" Just
the same. the cautious Cal had his mo-
ments of irritation when the public
prints contained news about him which
he'd rather have secreted The classic
instance is perhaps the story of his
synthetic pony-the mechanical horse
Coolidge installed in the White House
for physical exercise purposes. That
yarn was never given out. 1t leaked
out. The explanation of the leak was
that some repairman from the Navy
Va l frOSr1 Nv
ecutive Mansion with his kit of tools.
A reporter buttonholed him. learned the
mechanic had been conditioning Calls
raging steed, and one of the priceless
tales of the Coolidge administration took
its place in history. Another version
was that Frank w. Stearns-"Lord
Lingerie as the Senate's most invet-
crate wisecracker dubbed him-told the
newspaper boys" about Calvins electric
mount.
President Hoov-r secures on the Re-
publican National Committee a 100 per
cent friend at court in Mark L. Requa,
Just named to succeed William H.
Croker, California banker and G. o. p.
wheelhorse, On the party governing
body. Roqua is a mining engineer. 1t
was while he was developing copper
properties In Nevada and building the
Nevada Northern Railroad 81 or %
years ago that the paths of Requa and
Hoover first crossed. Since then they've
been the most bosom of comrades.
Requa has been described as the most
unsclfishly devoted Hooverita in exist
cabinet an Ambassador, or almost
anything else he wanted after March
4. 1929. That he is willing to 60 on
the National Committee merely means
that Requa thinks he can be Of some
more service to Hoover. In 1927 q
significant volume entitled THE Rela-
ton of Government to Industry" came
from Requa's pen. 1t deals with the
necessity of governmental regulation
of WITH national resources like coal
and oil.
Washington he's just been visited by
man who, If anybody nowadays can,
IS entitled to say, with three loud
cheers. IT told you sol" He is John
M Keynes, British economist. Keynes
"The Economic Consequences of the
Peace" written in 1919 right after the
Versailles pace treaty, has turned out
to be an uncanny prophecy of current
topsv-turvy conditions in the world
KEYNES came to America this Summer
to speak at the University OF Chicago
Institute of International Affairs. He
tarried in washington only day-long
enough to impart the view that one
years moratorium on intergovernmental
Debts isn't enough and that Mr.. Mellon
was right when he said times Couldn't
grow permanently better till gentlemen
prefer bonds" Keynes recommends
making the interest rate on bank de-
noeits SO unattractively low that money
would almost necessarily have to be
nut in bonds for constructive invest
ment purposes.