Evening star., 1932-01-22
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

The flood gates Of speculation over
the appointment of a successor to Gen.
Dawes as Ambassador to the court Of
st. James were thrown wide open when
the Dawes assignment as head of the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
made necessary his retirement as AM
bassador at once rather than go days
hence, as originally contemplated. Eff
forts to forecast the Presidents course
IN this matter on the basis of past per-
formanceS have given rise to reports
that Ambassador Walter z. Edge, at
Paris, may be promoted to London and
Ambassador John W. Garrett moved
from Rome to Paris and some one from
the field OF aSpirants for diplomatic
honors picked for the Italian ambas-
sadorship. Much can be said for this
hypothesis. At utter variance with it
Is the report that Mr. Hoover intends
to name Secretary of Navy Charles
Francis Adams Ambassador to the
court OF st. James. Secretary Adams
has the prestige and the pocketbook, as
well as the social emlnence, to qualify
for this assignment at the top Of the
diplomatic ladder. He denies that the
post has been offered him, but signifi-
cantly declines to say that he would
reject the proffer if it comes. Another
plausible speculation suggests the name
OF ex-senator Lawrence c. Phipps Of
Colorado for the London post. The
Phipps fortune has been supposed to be
one of the largest west of the Mis-
siSsippi Phipps was once a Carnegie
partner and quadrupled his steel profits
In mining ventures. In the present
state OF the eXchequer of the Republi-
can National Committee such Republi-
can mllionaires as Phipps are names
to conjure with.
4 x
The United States Liner President
Harding, now on the high seas bearing
President Mary E. Woolley of Mount
Holyoke. Queen Mary" if you please,
In the happy phrase Of the attending
letinue of press correspondents. and
her colleagues in the American delega-
ton to the Geneva Disarmament Con-
ference, is carrying in the ships strong
box, Sl2,000,000 in gold bullion from
the Federal Reserve Bank in New York
consigned to the Bank of France. It
is one lot in the transfer now in prog
reSs from New York to Paris of more
than hundred million dollars of
French gold, which has heretofore re-
posed on this side of the Atlantic. Thus
the American delegation even on ship
DO<A 4AAANo 1CoCl1 az ClOSb QudTLeTS WITH
questions of international finance which
underlie the disarmament gathering.
X X
The nominations of Robert Lincoln
O'Brien as chairman of the Tariff Com
mission and Of Ira M. Ornburn of Con-
necticut as an associate member have
now lain in pigeonhole in the files of
the Senate Finance Committee without
action for nearly two months. No fight
on the confirmation of the new chair
man Is In prospect. What may develop
with respect to Mr.. Ornburn Is prob
lematical. Both men are to be invited
to appear before the committee, as soon
as time permits, to be quizzed as to
their qualifications and their tariff
views. It is reported that the appoint
ments are undergoing the searching
scrutiny of Senator Costigan, Democrat,
OF Colorado, who served as member
of the Tariff Commission for more than
10 years. He was an appointee of Prest-
dent Wilson. He holds decided views on
tariff questions and on Tariff Commits
sion policies and is the only member of
the Senate who has had practical ex-
perience In the intricate business of
scientific tariff rate determination.
X
Senator David 7. Walsh Of Massachu-
Setts, is still waiting for reply from
Secretary Mellon to the Walsh letter re-
questing a statement of the views of the
Treasury Department respecting pro-
poSals for an increase in the national
, bank note circulation in conjunction
with further issue of Government Cir
culation" bonds. Unconirmed reports
that such step was in contemplation
by the Treasury have been current in
I New York banking circles for several
| weeks. The national banks are per-
/ mitted by law to issue their individual
bank notes as currency medium up to
the limit. in the case of each bank, of
the amount of its paidin capital, but
such notes must be backed up by Gov
ernment bonds of equal amount de-
posted by the bank with the Treasury.
The total Of Government bonds carrying