Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-18
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

Postmaster General Brown OF Ohio,
| long the administrations political gen.
eral and repeatedly spoken Of as the
| soon to-be chairman of the Republican
| National Committee, has now BIOS
somed forth as the undiSputed foreman
Of the loyal band engaged in the pre-
convention Hoover delegate roundup
| Senator FeSS, the titular national chair
! man at present, is unreservedly for the
Presidents denomination. Executive
Chairman Lucas has been unremit-
tingly at work in Mr.. Hoover'S behalf
Peppery Geoge Moses, the canny poll
tiCian, has sounded the bugle and
yields first place to no man in his pub
| lie ardor for unanimous denomination
Of the President. Secretary of War
Hurley is doing his bit in a big way
for his chief. The ineffably affable,
boutonniered James Francis Burke Of
Pittsburgh bobs up once more in the
| front line. But it becomes perfectly
apparent that all of these devoted and
| willing -to-be Hoover captains must take
| their orders from the Postmaster Cen
eral. Whether he will succeed Senator
| FesS as national chairman after the
| Chicago convention and carry the off,
| cial title during the campaign is still
| debatable The President is said to
dislike being required to find a new
Postmaster General, and it has been as
sumed that if Brown takes the chair
manship he must give UP the cabinet
| post. Meantime, the President is re-
| ported as obliviouS of the activities of
his devoted friends In his behalf, too
| engroSsed in affairs of state to give
thought Of counsel to his own political
! fortunes. In this respect he Is EMU
| lating Gov. Roosevelt of New York, who
| Is too busy with official duties at Al
| bany to take cognizance Of his own pre-
convention presidential campaign.
u X
The friends Of ex-senator William
M. Butler of Massachusetts are taking
many liberties with his name. Since
last Summer they have whispered suf-
fciently loudly to make the front pages
OF Bay State newspapers that Mr.. But
Ter was being solicited by the Presi-
dent to take again the post of Repub-
llcan national chairman, which he held
during the Coolidge campaign of 1924.
Such reports have finally died natural
death. Now, no sooner had Gen. Dawes
announced his forthcoming resignation
| as Ambassador at the court of st.
| James than the story was spread that
Mr.. Butler had been given the refusal
OF the London post and has 1t under
consideration. BY chance Butler had
peen at the White House. guest at an
omclal dinner, on the very day of the
Dawes announcement. That served to
!end some color Of plausibility to the
Mr.. Butler has the same habit Of
Sphink-like silence so characteristic of
his former chief, Calvin Coolidge. 50
no denial and no affirmation is ever
forthcoming from him. The report.
however, has found little acceptance in
Washington.
The London AmbaSsadorship though
the most luscious, is by no means the
only choice diplomatic plum which MIR
Hoover soon will be, called upon to he
stow. w. Cameron Forbes of Massa l.
chuSettS is resigning as Ambassador at
Ioklo Tor reasons that are still obscure
Inc Importance and the delicacy of
TINS post at the present juncture of af-
fairs cannot be oyerestimated Abra-
nam G. RatsheSky of Boston. wealthy
banker, whose lifelong ambition for
diplomatic honors was gratified by an
polntment as Envoy Extraordinary and
MINISTER Plenipotentiary to Czechoslo-
Vakla, hastened home last month when
storm clouds gathered on the banking
HoTlzon. 1t Is understood that he viii
| AOiAoW Tile example or Gen. Dawes and
shortly retire to resume the banking
business. Last, but not least the nro9
motion Of Teddy Roosevelt, the younger
70 the governor generalship of The
philippines leaves a vacancy at Porto
Rico. Mr.. Hoover is not looking for
aoiiar .a-year men, but for 0,OO0 and
$4,000 a year men.
X X
Inc Wlckersham Commissions report
on prohibition has been "digested and
lndexed and compiled and collatedo
ana now makes its appearance in five
thick volumes comprising $1,000 pages
turned out by the Government Printing
Once and the handiwork of AnseI
VOID, clerk Of the Joint Committee on
Printing, and the young lady assistants
IN this committees Office The bill for
$4,000 for the stupendous clerical labor
involved In this undertaking is unpaid
however, and there is considerable un-
certainty as to whether it will be paid
Chairman Moses of the Printing Com
niitt has approved the bill and Is asking
its payment out Of the Senate contin-