Evening star., 1933-12-11
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

There's a disposition in administra-
tion quarters to discern a definite re-
cession in the tide of criticism of the
New Deal. A sign typical Of such a
turn is seen in the review of business
conditions just issued by the Chamber
Of Commerce of the United States
Three weeks ago that national business
body was Illuminating about the wide
spread disquiet" engendered by the
Roosevelt program, particularly none
tary policy. Now the chamber is pro-
claiming "a return of confidence" in
spired by favorable signs of business
recovery" Roosevelt supporters are
naturally e!ated by the aboutface thus
indicated. They believe it's sympto-
matte of changing sentiment throughout
the country. Super -optimists among
them are predicting that by the time
F. D. r. celebrates the first anniversary
OF his presidency, his stranglehold on
public confidence will be as firm as it
was Immediately after he took Office in
March, 1888. These rosy views. Of
course, are predicated on the theory that
recovery will progress unintsruptedly.
x x x
In another passage of the Chamber
of Commerce business summary there's
an anticipation that "for the most part,
presidential counsels will prevail during
the coming session of Congress" Roose-
velt leaders concur in this outlook. For
every practical purpose they expect the
President to be monarch Of all he sur
veys. The honeymoon atmosphere of
the emergency session will not prevail,
but Democratic control Of both houses
is so overwhelming that there's slight
danger of defeat for anything upon
which the White House sets its hand
and seal. Recent utterances by Repub-
lcan spokesmen indicate that the
G. 0. P. is out for war to the knife on
monetary policy, the NJ R. A. and other
recovery institutions, but the political
opposition can accomplish little but fill
the Congressional Record with its
lamentations. On the Democratic side
the only present indications of possible
insurgency are associated with those two
extremes, Carter Glass and Huey Long.
The Virginian dislikes the monetary
policy and NJ r. A., while Long is of
the reservation on many counts. South
ern and Western Democrats may line
up for inf1ationary legislation beyond
measures the President favors. That
anything could be passed over his veto
Is altogether improbable.
X X
Mrs. Charles H. Sabin, president of
the recently disbanded Women's Organ
1zation for National Prohibition Re-
form, recommends the following con-
vivial code to the American people:
The moral tone of drinking must be
raised from the Illicit, behind-closed-
doors excesses of the prohibition era
to. that Of temperate, decent and re-
spectacle social custom" Mrs. Sabin
urges women repeal leaders to work in
their respective States for laws which
will lay on the shelf the drink con-
sciousness engendered by prohibition"
Senor Colon Eloy Alfaro, Ecuadorean
Minister to the United States, has taken
famous leaf from the note book of
Calvin Coolidge. He has Just told the
Leaders Of the liberal party in Ecuador
that he does not choose to run for
President of the republic in the ma
tional election about to be held, but
will instead resume his diplomatic
duties in Washington.
X x
Army officers who encountered
Mayor-elect La Guardia in Washington
last week recalled a wartime story
about Fighting Fforello." As COM
batant with bombing squadrons on the
Italian front, La Guardia acquitted
himself so brilliantly that he was even
tually promoted to air staff service in
France. The new assignment didn't
suit the pugnacious New Yorker one
little bit. Having failed by every nor
NAL means to be re-transferred to ac-
tive duty, he decided to take his case
personally to Gen. Pershing at q. H. @.
81 came over here to fight" said La
Guardia to the commander in chief Of
the A. e. F., "and not to hold down a
swivel-chair job. II had wanted that
kind Of a war, I'd have stayed in Con-
eress." According to the story. Per-
shing perked up at the mention Of
Congress, and. realizing he had . full
| fiedged member Of the House of Repre-
sentatives to deal with, calculated:
| "All right, major. You go out and
throw all the bombs you please" And