Evening star., 1933-01-11

Senator Huey Long is well read In
European political history. There's a
sneaking suspicion he's taken leaf
out of the notebooks Of English states
men. Since Victorian days they've in
dulged in the practice, as newcomers
in Parliament, of forging to the front
by picking out shining lights for attack
Disraeh was master of the art. As q
young member of the House of Com
mons, Dizzy" contrived to rivet the
country's attention by lambasting Prime
Minister Sir Robert Peel and keeping
1t up In more modern times the late
Lord Birkenhead adopted the same tao
tics, vaulting into national fame by his
concentrated assaults on Lloyd George,
of whom he later became the closest OF
friends. The Kingfish of Louisiana
has now taken on in turn three OF the
biggest men in the Senate: Rob-
inson of Arkansas, Borah Of Idaho
and Glass of Virginia. With his single
track political philosophy Of the re
| distribution of wealth" as the cure-all
for the Nations ills, "Hooey" has an
uncanny knack of dragging 1t into
whatever it under discussion. The
galleries are beginning to like him. He
Is already copy" favorite of the press
benches. He has wit, rough eloquence
and powers Of repartee the envy OF
many an older senatorial hand. And as
controller of the Long bloc" Of three
votes, he's something TO be reckoned
with.
Reports that President-elect Roose-
welt and his family are going to occupy
the Townsend mansion on Massachu-
sets avenue during their brief sojourn
IN Washington before March 4 strength
en- the belief that Sumner Welles will
| land in a high position at the State
| Department under the new administra-
tion. MIR. Welles Is married to the
former Matilda Townsend, present mis-
! tresS of the establishment, one Of the
| show places of the National Capital.
| In addition, Mr.. Welles ever since Gov
Roosegelt's nomination has been in
| frequent consultation with him on
foreign affairs. He was one of the
President Elects visitors in New York
yesterday. The Undersecretaryship of
State is the post which gossip as
sociates with Mr.. Welles' future ac-
tivities. He's a Latin American spe-
cialist and once headed that division
| in the State Department. With his
wife, he occupies an elaborate country
place at Oxon Hill, Nd, near Wash
| ington.
| 4 X X X
! There's a diverting yarn making the
rounds on Capitol Hill, of which Sena-
4 tor Buckley, Democrat, of Ohio, Is the
hero. A reporter suggested to the
Buckeye statesman that he ought to
assemble a group Of fellow Democratic
Senators and map out legislative pro-
gram. you misconstrue the functions
of Senator'S" rejoined Buckley. Its
| fhotr h11cinncS n riak ayAprlfiUn n
| pointees to the Federal service, and
it's the job of the President to formu-
| late legislative programs" Whether
this sort impeachment is aimed at
| Hyde Park, N. Y, or at No. 1900 Penn
| sylvania avenue isn't entirely clear.
Senator Bulkley's Christian name is
Robert, but he answers to the nickname
of Roy.
| Closing up of the Blackstone Hotel h
Chicago tears at the heartstrings o.
many a Washington politician and
| statesmen. Ever since Bull Moose days
the Blackstone had almost as many
traditions as the Capitol at Washing
| ton itself. Within its wind-swept quar-
ters athwart Lake Michigan party his
tory was made for 20 years. The nom-
nation of Harding for President in 1920
gave the hotel its widest political repu-
tation-the immortal story of how the
G. o. p. Senate bosses, under the di-
rection of Col. George Harvey, got to-
gether In "a smoke-filled room" and at
am. decreed that the Marion man
should be put over on the next ballot.
IN his book ON Harding, published two
years ago. Harry Daugherty devoted the
opening chapter to blowing up the
'smoke-f1lled room" tale. He said no
such thing hapDened. At Chicago. In
June and July, 1882. the Blackstone, as
of yore, buzzed with convention activi-
ties, Republican and Democratic alike.
There Alice Longworth had her head
quarters for both shows. Though she