Evening star., 1932-08-08

New political honors await Senator
Claude A. Swanson of Virginia, who
has just returned to Washington from
the Geneva Disarmament Conference.
The senior solon from the Old Domin-
ion is about to inherit the chairman
ship of the Democrat Senatorial Cam
paign Committee, to which will fall
the task of making the next Senate
Democratic. The post is now held by
Senator Tydings of Maryland, but as
that young statesman is himself a
candidate for reelection, 1t becomes
necessary to choose a successor. BY
general consent, no wiser selection Is
possible than Senator Swanson, shrewd
and seasoned veteran Of many hard
fought and victorious political cam
paign. When he went to Switzerland
last Winter Senator Swanson was in
indifferent health. He has come back
feeling and looking better than he has
in years, a beneficial increase in weight
being among the contributory factors.
The Democrats have to capture only
handful of seats now in Republican
possession to control the Senate after
March 4, 1888. Under Senator Swan
sons leadership, which is of the gum
shoe type, they're confident OF DONG
the trick. Some of his colleagues say
that the soft-spoken son of the South
is the smoothest worker in the Senate.
The new campaign chairman's right
hand man will be Col. Edwin A. Hal
sew, secretary of the committee and
Democratic sergeant at arms OF the
Senate.
Senator Robert F. Wagner, Democrat,
of New York, co-aUthor of the Wagner
Garner law, has been in Washington
during the past few days conferrlng
with Federal authorities about the
81, 500 100000 relief program authorized
by Congress. After consultation with
Secretary Of the Treasury Mills and
President Miller Of the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation Mr.. Wagner ex-
pressed the belief that within the next
four months an army of 100000 men
will be at work carrying out the relief
measures far-flung projects. THE et-
feet" he said to this observer, will
manifest itself in countless directions
in pay envelopes, purchase of materials,
car loadings and all the other activities
which will spring into life as a conse-
quence of so huge an expenditure OF
national funds. It's of no Importance
whether this or that political party de-
ment of the times. The main thing is
to make them better and to put an end
to the gloom now hanging over the
country"
Disappearance of Robert Patterson
Lamont from the secretaryship of Com
merce removes from the Washington
scene one of the most modest men
who ever held high Office here. He has
also been one of the most industrious.
Never since the Department of Com
merce was created during RoOSevelt'S
administration when it was cOmbi-
nation of Commerce and Labor has
an incumbent Secretary had to face
such conditions as dogged Secretary
Iamont'S footsteps soon after he took
office in 1929. He has one claim to
distinction of which. his friends say,
he's pardonably proud. He never had
a row with Congress. During the first
year and a half of depression it be-
came Mr. Lamont's duty to issue oc-
casional forecasts of the business sit
uation, which were aSsailed as unduly
optimistic. But the administration of
his department, which assumed un-
precedented Importance on account of
the economic crisis, at no time came
under fire Capitol Hill.
X
In these observations week ago 1t
was foreshadowed that certain woman
members of 1.-The" Roosevelt family
might seize upon the Hoover notifica-
ton ceremonies In Washington this
week as a sort of demonstration of dis.