Evening star., 1932-01-08

There is no occasion for malicious JOY
in the Republican camp over the pro-
hibition feud within the Democratic
party. For every Raskob who would
commit the Democrats to repeal or ref
erendum there is a Republican coun-
terpart. The issue conjures up no whit
more of embarrassment for the Demo-
Gratis In their 1882 National Convention
than 1t does for the G. o. P. when 1t
gets down to platform writing at Chi
cago. All OF his supporters understand,
of course, that Mr.. Hoover-unleSs he
undergoes q drastic change Of heart be-
tween now and next June-will accept
denomination only as an uncompro-
missing dry. But the Nicholas Murray
Buffers, the Hiram Binghams, the A. Piatt
Andrewses, the George H. Tinkhams,
the James w. WadsworthS, the James
M Becks and the Pauline M. Sabinses
will not see the forthcoming Republican
platform adopted without q bitter fight
to equip 1t with a wet plank. II the
Democrats see justification for moisten-
ing their platform in the recent quar-
tet of Democratic wet victories in Spe-
cial congressional elections, Republican
anti -prohibitionists find in them no less
support for their position.
Hardly at any time within the living
political generation have Democratic
politicians 'conyerged upon Washington
In such a spirit of impending victory
as marks this weeks gathering Of their
clans for Jackson day and the National
Committee meeting. Every mothers
son and daughter of them is convinced
that triumph-which is, they say, more
than can be said Of prosperity-is Just
around the corner. BY every law Of
political precedent, Democratic hopes
are no idle deluSions. The almost
automatic law that the party which
loses the otf-year congressional election
is headed for defeat in the ensuing
presidential election has just operated
in the Democrats favor. Times con-
tinue to be bad. President Hoover's
stock is still the victim of as deadly
bear market as ever depressed the
fortunes of a White House occupant
seeking reelection. Two hunger
marches" have reached Washington
within a month, clamoring for Fed
eral relief of the unemployment crisis
Congress is about to ring with demands
for Treasury help despite the adminis-
tration's claim that the voluntary sys-
tenn is coping with the situation. 1t IS
amid these conditions that Democrats
grid for the 1882 fray. They do not
see how they can be denied next
November.
Democratic chieftains here from East
and West North and South, reflect
the undoubted lead Gov. Roosevelt at
present has for their party'S presiden-
tial nomination. On all lips is the
thought that If tonight's Jackson day
| dinner were the National Convention
| the Governor would probably be put
| over on the first ballot With that ex-
preston there is the unuttered senti-
ment that there's plenty of time dur
| ing the next six months for a STOP
| Roosevelt movement to get into deadly
motion. But who's to be the stopper?
! There's the rub The aphorism that
you can't stop somebody with nobody
is old as the hills and applies exactly
| to the Roosevelt situation. Will Al
Smith show his hand before the week
is over? Anybody who has the answer
| to that riddle OF the Democratic uni
verse probably knows whether the
Roosevelt boom is doomed to become
| a bubble.
Countess LasZlo Szechenyi, wife of
| the Hungarian Minister to the United
| States, Is an American-the former
| Gladys Vanderbilt Of New York-but
| she's had lots Of trouble during her
nine years at Washington in getting
salespeople in the stores to understand
and spell her name. Long ago she
gave up trying and reSorted to a prac-
tical method OF sparing the nerves of
| all concerned. When the countess
makes a. purchase in a shop and wants
| 1t delivered she usually produces q
little rubber stamp and pad from her
bag and imprints her name on the pur~
chase slip Of paper. It's pronounced as
if spelled Say-chainy, with the accent
ON the first syllable.
|
Believe it or not, this observer has
just survived the following experience
He was remarking to the wife of Gov
eminent official that within a month he
will be broadcasting to the United
stAtes from the Geneva Naval Confer.
encs. "WH pour voice be heard al