Evening star., 1933-03-22
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Whether beer is legalized on April S
or g. its return will mark, almost to the
hour, the sixteenth anniversary of the
United States entry into the World
War in 1917. There's a particular sig
nificance IN that coincidence. Vets
have always claimed that prohibition
was put over" the country while mil
lions of American citizens were either
fighting in France or preparing to do
so. The eighteenth amendment was
proposed to the Legislatures Of the
several States by Congress on December
l8, 1917. At the very time the "Yanks"
were busy lover there" the battle for
ratification Of the prohibition amend
ment-throughout the year 19l8-was
raging. Representative Thomas H. Gull
len. Tammany Democrat, of New York,
who will go down in history as the author
of the beer bill, estimates that the re-
turn of the frothy and foamy stuff
will provide immediate employment for
100000 persons. Matthew Woll, vice
president of the American Federation
OF Labor. is authority for the state
employment directly and indirectly for
100000. C. D. Williams, nation
al secretary of the United States
Brewers Association, foreshadows that
the industry will produce 100000
barrels Of beer yearly, provide new jobs
for at least 100000 and spend about
S400 COO, 900 year, including $20,000,-
900 for advertising. The Senate killed
a proposal to prohibit radio advertising
of liquor
News comes from Chicago that one
of the great breweries out there, which
Is ready to start the vats boiling with
In five minutes after beer is no longer
contraband. is preparing to launch a
brand to be called "Delro" The name
is taken from the first syllable of
the first two letters Of his surname.
When Attorney General Cummings
heard about this, he saM he hoped it
wouldn't occur to any Connecticut
brewery to name beer after him by
the same method. IF it does" observed
the A. G., 'Hocum' might be the re-
suit"
Speaking Of Mr.. Cummings, no men,
ber of the cabinet, with the single ex-
ception Of Secretary Woodin, has been
kept on the jump, since things began
to happen at Washington on March 4
more than the lanky lawyer from Con-
ton has not made a major move In
these unprecedented times without as
suring itself that it was within the law.
To Attorney General Cummings have
come, in consequence, literally day and
night, and at all hours Of the day and
night, peremptory interrogatories on
almost every question under the con-
stitutional sun The Attorney General
arrived in Washington few hours be-
fore Inauguration day, expecting to see
the fun and go home. Then Senator
Walsh died, and Cummings, virtually
without notice, was asked to plunge
into the Department of Justice at the
most critical moment in modern Fede.
raj history. He speaks gratefully OF
Republican hold-overs like Solicitor
General Thacher and Assistant Attor-
ney Generals Richardson and st. Lewis.
The Connecticut Yankee Is still slated
for the Governor Generalship of the
Philippines, but his retention In his
present post, because Of the e1ectlve
account he has given Of himself, Is by
no means impossible.
Il X i
Ever since the new deal Cor the n cw
deck as it's also being calledD got going
in washington. the Presidents favorite
expression for unprintable communlca. !.
tions-"off the record''-has gained
currency all over the Capital. officials
and politicians have scrapped the stero-
typed "between ourselves" "entre nous"
strictly confidential" and like familiar
phrases. Everything now is "oh the
record" The idiom is not entirely new
in these parts, where the repetition OF
State secrets, mot for publication,
especially to newspaper men, has long
been the vogue. But President Roose-
velt's constant use Of 1t Is giving "on
the record" q run It never had before.
Col. House, who speciaHseS IN tmpart-
inr deep stun for private consumption,
has q pet admonition On these occas-
ions. He's fond Of saying: Just be-
tween us and the angels"