Evening star., 1932-10-10
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Believe it or not, the Republicans
swing into the last month Of the cam
paign serenely confident of victory.
Straw votes. Roosevelt trends, stock
market slumps. AL Smiths ascent OF the
Democratic bandwagon-all these things
| to the contrary Notwithstanding, the
elephant snortS Justify and awaits cleo
ton day without anxiety. 1t IS less than
! week ago since President Hoover
spoke at Des Moines, but G. o. P. man.
ayers now gleefully claim that the Iowa
| invasion has turned the tide. In their
exuberance they go the length Of
shouting that there has never been
| anything like the Hoover Des Moines
speech in political history" This con-
tention is based on the "unansWerable'
corn belt. Republicans explain that the
spirit of fight, which filled them before.
has been tremendously strengthened"
by the Des Moines address. In the
gridiron language of the season. the
| Hoover team thinks it has now recov-
cred the ball, got the other fellows on
the run, and can no longer be stopped
from racing to the goal line.
To date Gov. Roosevelt has prac-
tically done all the Democratic cam
paigning by himself. From now on
other big guns will bark, in addition
Former Gov. Jim Cox of Ohio opened
up last Saturday. This week Jim Reed
will turn the batteries Of his incom-
parable invective on Hoover. Any day
Al Smith is expected to be on the
stump for the national ticket. An am
bilious speaking program has been
mapped out for Gov. Ritchie. Seasoned
Democratic campaigrers like Pat Har-
rison, Dave Walsh, Bert Wheeler,
Clarence Dill and other members OF
Congress are assigned spellbinding en-
gagements all over the country. Alarm
rather than enthusiasm is aroused by
the prospect that HEY Long is about
to erupt, too. Leaders trust that the
Kingfish, after consultation this week
with Gov. Roosevelt. may be curbed, if
not halted Jack Garners effacement
as campaigner is said in national
committee quarters TO be self-imposed.
They story heard there is that, far from
having to muzzle Roosevelt's running
mate, he has to be coaxed to make
speeches.
Norman H. Davis is rumor's newest
candidate for the Secretaryship of State
in a Roosevelt cabinet. The Tennes-
Seean-New Workers. present prominent
role in our foreign affairs is evidently
what's given rise to the report. Mr..
Davis is Wilsonian Democrat, despite
the important assignments he is carry
ing out for the Hoover administration
in Europe. Hardly any man in the
Democratic party would bring to the
leadership of the State Department such
background of experience with the
international problems now to the fore
front. Davis had charge of war debts
while Assistant Secretary of the Treas
ury in the Wilson administration. Later
he was Uhdersecretary of State. After
that he functioned as a neutral on sew
eral important League Of Nations mis-
sions. This year he was one OF Aneri-
cas- delegates to the Geneva DiSarma-
ment Conference, to which he Is still
accredited, and at the moment he Is in
London discussing with the British gov
ernment disarmament matters and the
program for sthe World Economic Con-
ference.
In the death of Representative j.
Charles Linthicum, Democrat, OF Mary
land, the House Committee on Foreign
Affairs has lost its chairman for the
second time within a collple Of years.