Evening star., 1933-05-08
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

In light Of the Presidents radio
| address to the Nation last night. this
| observer suggests that Faith, Hope and
Clarity" be henceforward emblazoned
en- the escuthson of Franklin Dalano
Roosevelt The broadcast bristled with
all three Of these virtues. 1t breathed
buoyant confidence. 1t registered
conservative hope. 1t was model OF
clear statement. To many X-rayers of
the Roosevelt psychology. the address
| will stamp F. D. r. as master poll
| tician-"a better one than I ever was,
Col. Edward M. House recently described
him. The President exhibits shrewd
| politics in his now revealed imitation
| policy. His 'if, when and as program
steers cleverly between the Scyl.a OF
| Charybdis OF the Glass sound money
school Not to be forgotten is that the
Virginia Senator came out smiling from
| the White House not many hours before
| Mr.. Roosevelt took the air. Radical
| imitation advocates and doctrinaire gold
bugs alike doubtless can, and will, pick
| flaws in the "if, when and as" currency
plans, but the platform of prudence on
which the President takes his stand will
appeal to the country at large. As
much cannot be said for the ominous
Roosevelt silence on war debts, as far
! as Europe is concerned. The President
says he doesn't expect to make hit
| every time he comes to bat. With his
refusal to talk debts (much to the
qualification of Congress-. F. D. R.. In
Europe's estimation, didn't get to first
base last night.
| X y X
Current events give point and time,
illness to a yarn now making the rounds
| in washington While the vivacious
Viscountess Astor (nee Nancy Lang
horne of Virginia) was in America last
Winter, shortly after the presidential
election, she paid her respects to the
| President-elect and Mrs. Roosevelt at
| their New York town house. F. D: RS
mother, Mrs. James Roosevelt, nap.
| pened to bet present. "Governer,
chirned LADY Astor, I'D love to have
YOUR mother spend few weeks with
us in England next Summer" The
| President registered no enthusi-
asm for the suggestion. The Dixie
| bred member of Parliament insisted on
knowing why. Thereupon, beaming his
| inimitable smile upon her, Mr.. Roose.
| yelt flashed: I'm afraid she might
cancel the debt
Former Attorney General George w
| Wickersham took an after-dinner dig
at the new deal while presiding over
| Saturday nights banquet of the Amer
ican Law Institute. Three years ago
he said, he was depressed by the
| thought of the bleak future awaiting
Young men and women coming into the
profession of the law. Today, with
| "the new dispensation" at Washington
| and the vista of illimitable possibilities
| it is opening up, Mr.. Wickersham is
constrained to believe that bright and
shining future awaits all and sundry
| of the law concerned with the safe
guarding of what Americans once were
prone to look upon as their rights
| LAWYERS, the Taft attorney general
seemed to want his hearers to Under
stand, face feast, not famine, as CON
| sequence of the constitutional innova-
tions of which a patient and trusting
country is now the recurring witness.
| x X + u
First honors for storytelling at the
! law institute meeting last week went
| to a Pennsylvania professor of law, who
| told of being asked by student to give
an example of Substantial perform.
ance of a contract" He replied: If a
railroad chould contract to deliver a
carload of skunks, and delivered only
- (naming q politician of national
notoriety). that would be substantial
performance Of its contract" One
gtess Is permitted each reader Of this
merry quip as to the identity Of the
| statesman in question.
y =
Prince Georges County, Md, just
| across the District of Columbia borSe-
claims the distinction Of being prob
ably the only county in the country
| frcm which a PRECEDENT has selected
| two Ambassadors. They are Breckin-
ridge Long and Sumner Welles, just
appointed, respectively, to italy and
Cuba. Nr. Long has an establishment