Evening star., 1932-04-13
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM FILE.

Richard Whitney. president of the
New York Stock Exchange, must have
felt at the Capitol this week a good deal
Ike William Jennings Bryan said ne felt
when he invaded the East The Ne
braSkan used to call New York STATE
and points Immediately north and south
'ths enemy's country" Certainly when
the bland and blithe head Of the Amer
ican risk and rue corporation faced the
guns of the Senate Banking and Cur
rency Committee Ee was fairly sur
rounded by the men who iook upon the
Stock Exchange as the devil incarnate.
Brookhart OF Iowa, CouZens of Michi-
gan, Blaine Of Wisconsin and Glass Of
Virginia are about Wall Streets nercest
/ foes in Washington. Undoubtedly the
committee expected to make a Roman
| holiday out Of Whiiney's appearance
and testimony. but he proved himself
more than match for tie meancst and
keenest OF his inquisitioners. So far no
sensational revelations nave been pried
| loose from him. There's endless Curl
csity as to whether the hearings on
short selling and bear raids-Of which
the willy Whitney is as mnocenjly ig-
| norant as babe IN the Woods-wlll
bring out an emincn5 name which
| Wa hington gossip associates with re-
cent events on Change. II would turn
the Scarchlight on one Of the c5untIy's
: most famous and fabulously rich fami-
lies.
Behind the scenes on Capitol Hill
some quiet negotiations have been in
progress looking to adjournment OF
Congress in time for tn. national con-
yentions In June, ins,ead of a recess
, and Summer session to follow after
! presidential candidates are in the field.
j Republican leaders In the Senate have
been active to this end They claim
TO have assurances from power-wield-
ing Democrats that there will be CO.
| operation enough on revenue. tax and
appropriation matters to permit
Wlnd-up Of the session during the
earliest DAYS of June, at the latest.
This is the present outlook. Many
things can happen 10 change 1t. But
the Will to clear the decks and leave
both parties free for the campaign OF
1882 Is manifest in each camp.
Here's an unrPported yarn rom the
big United States fleet. which has been
maneuvering of the West Coast dur
ing the past couple of months. One
night q cruiser division was engaged in
battle practice under cover OF inky
darkness. Suddenly from an unex-
pscted direction a mysterious craft
flashed Its lights The cruiser nearest
the stranger signaled a pcremptory
Who are yol?" For time there was
no answer The cruiser having turned
on its own lights and discovered the
other ship. then demanded in more
vigorous terms to know its identity.
1hereupon, to the CONSERVATION Of the
Americans the boat turned out to be q
Japanese tanker bound for Galveston
and Mexico for a cargo of oil When
the tanker was notified that it had
bursted right into the middle OF Yankee
naval maneuvers In semi-home waters,
the Nipponese captain was profuse in
his apologies. which were accepted after
some pictur esque English had been wig
wagged to him.
Representative La Guardia. Repub-
| lican, of New York may be heard from
explosiyely on the question of the Ge-
neva Disarmament Conference before
the naval and military appropriations
are voted. He holds that the United
states Is never going to make much of
| hole III Federal expenditure unless a
| real crack Is taken at the $700, 600, 600
odd spent on the Army and Navy. Ac-
eording to the actual yardstick Of Gov
eminent costs just prepared by Capt
Eble, commissioner OF customs. that
item accounts for So inches OF the 36-
| inch total budget of s4482l53, 400. La
| Guardia, o World War veteran, wouldn't
want Uncle Sam to cut his defensive
establishment below what 1t ought tn
be- compared to that of other great
powers. But the David who slew the
sales tax Goliath doesn't think the rest