Evening star., 1933-12-11

The National Popular Government
League at Washington, restless worker
in the progressive cause under the
dynamic direction of Judson King. has
Just celebrated its twentieth birthday.
In an anniversary greeting. Mr.. King
says: This league was organized on
December 6. 1918. nine months after
the progressive wing OF the Democratic
party had put President in the White
House. On this, our twentieth BIRTH
day, nine months after another pro-
gre-sive Democrat has succeeded to
th' presidency, many vital comparisons
bet-een the two periods stand out in
retrospect and prospect. Franklin D.
Roosevelt was elected as the result of
the same kind of revolt which elected
woodrow Wilson in 1912. Had the ad-
vanced reforms then achieved and in
prospect been permitted to function.
under conditions Of clean government
which the people desired. in all likeli-
hood the present crisis would have been
averted. But it came, and consequently
more radical methods are now neces-
sary."
AS an example of what uncontrolled
imitation means, the Wall Street Journal
Is distributing German Reichsbank
$4,000, ,000-mark notes issued in 1923,
explaining in an accompanying memo
randum that before the war 100000
German marks were worth in United
States money, $23, $40, but that even
tually 1t took trillion marks to get a
mark worth "a cents In gold. That"
says the Journal, is what uncontrolled
imitation did to German money"
With the Peak Wallace -Tugwell rue
tion, the Department Of Agriculture be-
comes the third executive branch of the
Roosevelt administration to develop an
internal feud First came the Hull
Moley squabble in the State Depart
ment. Then. the Acheson-Sprague up
set in the Treasury. Considering the
vast and varied character of the New
Deal and the diversified elements and
forces personal and otherwise. which
had to be nobilized, the wonder is that
there have been so few dissensions. 1t
was to keep family rows down to the
minimum that the Executive Council
(the co-ordinating super cabinet') was
created last Spring. Some day, IL its
history is ever compiled, tale doubtless
will be unfolded Of many q fracas
which was ironed out. The Presidents
political finesse serves him well under
such circumstances.
X X X y
Accompanying Ambassador Bullitt to
Russia this month Is Keith Merrill,
chief of the foreign service buildings
division of the State Department. Mr..
Merrill's job is to look after the erec-
ton, lease or purchase of embassy, le-
cation and consulate buildings abroad
and to their furnishing. He will CO.
operate with Mr.. Bullitt in locating
American premises in Moscow and then
come home with recommendations for
their equipment. for which a congress
sional appropriation will be required.
Mr.. Merrill has supervised Uncle Sans
habitations In all parts of the world.
One Of his jobs was to set up house
keeping for our new embassy in Toxic
Recently he fulfilled a similar function
in connection with the palatial Ameri-
can Office building on the Place de la
Concorde in Paris.
X X X
Joe" Tlmulty is one of Washington's
inveterate wisecrackers. Leaving the
White House offices the other day,
Woodrow Wilson's right hand man said: !:
"Off the record, I've Just accepted the
secretaryship Of the Treasury"
Copyright, 1889