Evening star., 1933-07-03

President Roosevelt Is returning to a
Midsummer WASHINGTON which Is
bound to remind him forcibly Of his
wartime Summers here In 1917 and
1918. Indeed, on numerous private
and public occasions he has likened the
intensive drive against depression to q
war, and looks upon himself as the COM
mander in chief Of the forces arrayed
against that enemy. For many weeks
and activities Of war days. Now, as
then, business leaders from the four
quarters Of the Union are streaming into
town in droves, in connection with the
endless activities comprehended by the
Governments recovery program. Mr..
Roosevelt, OF course, expects to find lit
tie on his return to the White House
except that the program is swinging
into practical execution all along the
line. He has kept in close touch with
Gen. johnson, industrial administrator,
and Mr.. Peek, in charge of agricultural
adjustment, and is persuaded that both
"czars" are doing their stuff expedi-
tiously and effectively. The most graft
those which have piled up in his ab-
sence indicating well-nigh universal
confidence in and support of the far
reaching and revolutionary experiments
now being undertaken to put the ship
of state on an even keel. A continu-
ance of that kind Of national teamwork
is what the President considers all
essential to success. Granted it, his
hope Of eventual results is unalloyed.
X
Now that Al Smith in the New Out
look has taken his fling at the industrial
recovery program and all and sundry
associated with recent events at WASH
ington, it Is piquant fact that no
fewer than all four OF the Democrats
who at one time ranked as potential
rivals of Mr.. Roosevelt for the Demo-
cratic nomination in 1882 have now,
opposition to the New Deal, in whole
or in part They include Newton D.
Baker, Owen D. Young, Alfred E. Smith
and Gov. Richie. Baker deprecates too
much abdication by Congress. Young
deplores the danger Of ignoring the
lessons of experience. Smith doubts the
workability of the whole industrial con-
troll system. Ritchie, more restrained
in his misgivings, accepts conditions as
purely temporary and foresees the day
when "the theories of government
under which our country has grown to
greatness will again guide our destinies."
There's a bit of irony in the circum-
stance that the gigantic Department OF
Commerce Building, "the house that
Herbert built" and which notoriously
is an eyesore to the Roosevelt admins
tration because Of its allegedly unnec-
essarily mammoth size, is now the bee
hive from which recovery maneuvers
for the most part are being engineered.
Over the Department of Commerce.
too, there presides, as Secretary, Daniel
c. Roper, chief axman OF the admin
istration and director general OF the
retrenchment program, in so far as 1t
concerns the looping of of superauous
Federal agencies. The way things are
now going even the monumental pile
of buildings, which cover about four
city blocks, may not prove big enough
to house the multifarious activities OF
which Gen. Hugh johnson Is the gen.
eralissimo These become more octo-
pus-like from day to day.
It's probably due to the hot weather,
but the two following pun atrocities
are in circulation. It Is said. first, that
it was the revolt Of the Republican
Senator from New Mexico on the vet
erans' issue that President Roosevelt
UllC ulO6t u1AhlAlNEov SAttAAS "a
ALL" And, secondly, there comes from
the Treasury the suggestion that in
threatening to leave the London Con-
ference unless the United States Gov
ernment agrees to stabilize the dollar,
M. Georges Bonnet, French minister OF
finance, Is talking through his hat.
X \
One Of the few men in Washington
wearing an end-of the -fiscal-year smile
on June 30 was DR.. Cloyd Heck Marvin,
president of George Washington Uni
versity. On that day the biennium OF
the university wound up without a
deficit, despite the fact that during the
past two years not q single salary was
reduced or employe dismissed. It's
believed that few If apy colleges in the
country can equal that showing. Presi-
dent Marvin comes honestly by his
talents as q university administrator.
He holds Phi. D: in commerce from
Harvard and had several years Of
training in the telephone and railroad
fields In the West before coming to