Evening star., 1932-08-29
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

With President Hoover's speech of ac-
ceptance and now his maj crisis is
over address to the National Business
Conference before the country, and with
Gov. Roosevelt's Columbus and Seagirt
utterances, Plus minor remarks, off his
chest, the battle of 1882 is at length
under way. Fighting will be faster, If
not more furious, from now on. The
campaign such as it is, has been so
colorless to date that the country has
scarcely troubled to realize that the
contest has only 10 more weeks to go.
Both parties are anxious to Whoop
things up between now and election
day. Money is what's chiefly holding
them back. If it were more plentiful,
the air literally would be full of poll
tics, for Republicans and Democrats
alike are bursting to broadcast them
selves into the sitting rooms of the land
just as soon as they can afford that
luxury. Should funds remain low, the
probability is that the Hoover and
Roosevelt managements will reserve
their big radio fire for grand slam ef-
From a politician close to the Roose-
welt high command this observer
solicited and has just received the fol-
lowing candid estimate of the situation
Much water has gone over the dam
during the past three weeks. Hoover's
acceptance speech won for him large
number of votes. On the other hand,
Roosevelt's Columbus speech has
strengthened him in certain sections of
the country and prevented more votes
from slipping Hoover's way. My per-
soral impression at the moment is that
the great mass of voters is on the fence
and wants to be shown The continu-
GUS rise of the stock market has created
different psychology than that which
existed at the time of the Democratic
convention The feeling of despair is
gradually giving way to one of hope.
However, unless a large portion of the
10000, 900 unemployed is actually back
at work and can get its hands on sub
stantial pay envelope, 1 believe that
Roosevelt still has an excellent chance
of election. In this campaign don't for
get the small storekeeper, the profess
sional man and millions of other fell
lows who lost their shirts in the mar
ket and still feel that the Republican
administration should have prevented
the loss"
No matter what Gov. Roosevelt does
to Mayor Walker, or when he does it,
the Governors conduct CT the Albany
hearing has unquestionably enhanced
his national prestige. The 212 weeks
he has spent on 1t Is worth several
times that amount of stump speaking
around the country in its effect on pub
lie opinion. Friend and foe alike
acknowledge that Roosevelt's fortnight
handling CT the case stamps him as a
man of force, decision, courage and
judicial temperament. If the Governor
cans" the mayor between now and
November 8, all present indications
are that such action would electrify the
country at large, regardless of how
much 1t would peeve Tammany Hall.
TammanyS reaction to q Walker dis
missal IS giving the Roosevelt camp far
less concern than the ominous silence
of Al Smith. He is the big question
| mark.
Former Foreign Minister DR.. Julius
Curtius Of Germany will be a visitor
| to Washington in midNoyember. The
| longtime associate Of EX-Chancellor
Brueuing il the conduct OF the Reich's
international affairs is visiting the
United States under the auspices of the
| Carl SchurZ Foundation. Among the
organizations which he will address in
the Capital is the American Association
OF University Women. Dr. Curtius fell
from grace in Berlin long before Chan
cellor Bruening was depcsed by the
present militarist- regime.
He was sill in the Wilhelmstrasse
when Secretary Stimson went to Ger
many year ago and made favorable
ir'ure:sion upon our own foreign min
iSter