Evening star., 1932-03-28

Returning from Europe to Washing.
ton is like coming from calm to chaos
No capital in the Old World, with the
possible exception of Berlin, present:
the picture of political topSy-turvydon
typif1ed by Washington at this mo
ment. Scenes such as have recently
been enacted in the House of Repre-
SentativeS are reminiscent OF MARI
TWain'S famous descriptions of the ole
Austrian ReichSrath, when members
hurled inkStandS at one another annie
accompanying imprecationS of pig
dog" and "louSe-head." Europeans vii
discern in current events in Congress
a corroboration of their prevalent the
ory that things in the United States
have generally gone to pot, including
our capacity for government. Tht
current number of the National Re-
view in London features a character
istic article entitled Americas Lost
Prestige" 1t speaks of our tragic
helplessness" in dealing with unem,
ployment, Of the "pricked bubble ol
American super efficiency" and of the
disappearance Of the legend of Amer
ica"
Written and published before the kid.
tional Review article contains thi.
passage:
While in former years American
news in the European press was con.
fined to stories of American wealth
luxury and prosperity, now it is Amer
lean unemployment and crime that dis
tinguish dispatches from the United
States. Stories of American crime
nowadays are featured in the European
press with an avidity bordering on the
pathological America has become
almost exclusively a land of gangSters
racketeers and criminals. There wa.
no greater story in Europe. in recent
years than the landing of Jack Diamond
in Antwerp. The most popular Amer
lean in European newspapers is the
gangster. American life is restricted
| to corruption, graft, mishandling o
| lynchings, murder and cruelty of al
sorts. II the European editors are right
Europe is certainly going the whole hol
| in its reValuation of America, and The
mob is following with usual morbidity
! the fail of its idol, as it formerly &C,
claimed his rise"
Apparently the only happy group In
League of America and the dryS in gen.
| eral Two test votes in the House
within 10 days, they claim, have dem.
onstrated that Uncle Sam is firmly
perched on the water wagon. Rejec.
ton on March IA, by 227 to 1877, of the
Beck-Linthicum resolution Ito discharge
the Judiciary Committee from consider.
alton of the constitutional amendment
to legalize liquor manufacture within
State borderS) and last weeks smash
ing by PIG to 1872, Of the Cullen amend.
ment to legalize PTS per cent beer are
/ hailed as decisive prohibition battles
Making due allowance for future wei
gains In congressional elections, the
| drys jubilate there's no reason to an.
/ ticipate that the booze vote will evel
exceed ITS to l80, or substantially 81
short Of an actual majority OF tn
| House" A two-thirdS majority, tn
prohibitionist brigade def1antly chortles
was needed to submit the eighteenth
amendment and will be needed for it
| repeal.
| Away from the embattled and EN-.
| bittered Potomac for 10 weeks. thi!
| observer In the process OF bringins
himself politically up to date encoun.
tiers several persistently repeated higf
| spots-Q) that President Hoover!
chances for reelection have material,
improved; ca that Gov. Roosevelt!
prospects for the Democratic nomina,
ton are 50 good that 1t looks a. I
both Chicago conventions WILL max