Evening star., 1932-09-05
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

The appointment was duly announced
at the White House and arrangements
for Thomas arrival at the Farm Board
offices were completed to the point of
painting his name on door. But he
never showed up. The low-down on
this almost unprecedented act Of self
denial is that Senator Watson, as an
afterthought, aspired to get one of the
new Federal home loan banks for In
dianapolis. 1t developed that he couldn't
have the Farm Board plum and the In
pointment was pulled" The home
loan bank was thereupon duly allocated
to the Hoosier capital. Meantime
Thomas has been named vice chairman
of the Indiana Republican State Com
mittee, and his main job for the next
two months is to see that Jim Watson
is reelected.
Affairs" privately circulated WASH
ington political news magazine. is out
with az story that Henry L. Stimson
will retiSe as Secretary of State on
March 4, 1888, no matter whether Pres
ident Hoover Is reelected or not. This
decision" the magazine asserts, which
Mr.. Stimson's friends say is irrevoc-
able, was arrived at after a long series
OF differences with President Hoover,
none of them leading to any personal
ill-feeling, but all on basic questions
of American foreign policy"
Within the past few days a Demo-
cratic national committeeman from the
Southwest turned up with an account
of a straw vote he'd Just taken on a
train arriving at New York There
were SO passengers aboard. The vote
in the Pullmans was in the ratio Of 2
to in favor of Hoover. In the day
coaches (where apparently the forgot
ten man travels) the tally was to 5
for Roosevelt. The actual result was
40 votes for Hoover and 40 for Roose-
velt. Just after the poll was COM
pleted. an old lady passenger got aboard,
SO her choice was sought for the pur-
pose Of breaking the tie. She asked
for pencil and piece Of paper. say
ing she'd write her vote. Then she
looked up. and asked: Are there two
'o's' in ROOSEVELT"
Maj. Gen. George S. Simonds, U. S. A.,
the new commandant of the Army War -
College at Washington, has just taken
up his duties after serving six months
as chief American military adviser. at
the Geneva Conference. The War Col
of the Potomac within the area of
Washington Barracks has Just cele-
brated the first 25 years of its USE
fulneSs. A great marble tablet in the
entrance hall commentaries the fact
that the college owes its existence to
the initiative of Secretary of War
Elihu Root, creator Of the general staff
of the United States Army, who per-
Suaded Congress to create the institu-
ton in 1904. 1t opened its doors and
classes in 1907. Graduation from the
ribbon honors. Frederick the Greats
statue, gift Of the ex-Kaiser, which
was placed in storage during the war.
Is again in place in front of the COL
lege.
Meet Mr. George Washington of Vir-
ginia, who is going to be initiated into
the Masonic order by Fredericksburg
Lodge, No. 4, A. F. & A. NJ, ON No
yember 4, 1882. He is direct descend
ant Of Gen.. George Washington's
grandfather and VIII be inducted into
Masonry on the 180th anniversary of
the Father of His Country Joined the
Fredericksburg Lodge. The same Bible,
printed in 1868. on which the first
President took his Masonic OBLIGATIONS
viii be used in the ceremonies two
months hence. The initiation viii be
held In a large circus tent on top of
the. high Hill at Ferry farm, Washing
tons boyhood home Just across the
at Fredericksburg-the
historic acres where the cherry tree
episode was supposed to have taken
place. until sol Bloom said he could no