Evening star., 1932-12-12
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

merchants lady had some difficulty In
making the nymph behind the desk be-
lieve she really wasn't after a wage
paying job. Even though she was
wearing $4,000 fur coat, $22.50 hat
and was otherwise smartly turned out,
she's forced to think that something
that day made her look like hunger
marcher.
Week end visitors to Washington in
cluded the Democratic woman most
mentioned for Roosevelt cabinet honors
Miss Frances Perkins, State indus
trial commissioner in the Governors
New York cabinet. Persistent report
names her as the outstanding probabil-
ity for the Labor portfolio, if it's de-
cided to fit the new administration
with petticoats, or whatever they're
wearing now. Miss Perkins came here
to participate in conferences between
the Children's Bureau of the Labor
Department and the American Fed
Grafton of Labor She's q dignifled,
good-looking woman just turned so, of
agreeable and fluent speech and quiet
ly fashionable attire. Professionally
Miss Perkins calls herself o sociologist,
was born in Boston and claims Mount
Holyoke as her alma mater. Fire
hazards" is one of her specialties A
good many Government employees are
wondering what their fire" hazards are
these days.
Undoubtedly the most diverting sug-
gestion yet made for the Roosevelt
cabinet emanates from Virginia news
paper which proposes that Charles
Francis Adams be retained as Secretary
OF the Navy. Two reasons are ad-
vanced for the tdea-first, that Mr..
Adams has been good administrator
Of the Navy during the past four years,
and, secondly, that he comes from fine
| old Massachusetts, Democratic stock.
When New England's most skillful
yachtsman was appointed by Mr.. Hoo
yer in 1929 it caused astonishment all
around the Back Bay, for most of his
fellow Bostonians long looked upon
Charlie" as a Democrat He himself
caused the soft Impeachment to be de-
MED. Nobody has yet come along and
proposed that that "other Democrat" in
the Hoover cabinet be kept on his Job
Attorney General William Dewitt
Mitchell.
On the Hill It's said that Senator
George Higgins Moses Is flirting with a
seductive proposition to become a news
paper SynQ1CdCe writer IN a Dig way,
following his retirement from Congress
in March, and specialize in discussing
the national political scene Moses is
a scribe by profession. Three years ago
he turned down a $75 0O0-a-year offer
to become the editorial adviser-in-chief
of a big newspaper chain. That was
when the New Hampshige political
winds were blowing more kindly in the
Concordian's direction.
y n X
Cold chills have been sent running
down the Nays spine by the proposal
of Representative McClintic. Democrat,
of Oklahoma, that all of Uncle Sans
is battleships be consigned at once to
the scrap heap. The Oklahoman,s dis
like of big-navy stuff has never been
dissembled, but what the sailors are
afraid of now is that he may be chair
man of the Naval Affairs Committee
of the new House. He Is at present
ranking member, and If Representative
Vinson of Georgia, chairman, prefers,
as he may, to become chairman of Ap-
preparations, McClintic may mount into
q position where, the fleet fears, he
might be able to push his battleship
| views to dangerous point. He thinks
the future of sea power Is in the air
and not on the water. Opponents Of
that theory call devotees Of the air
school "balloonatics."
(Copyright, 1e32.)