, 1934-12-07
WASHINGTON
by George Durng

WASHINGTON
by George Durn0
Deficit-Betting Is strong here
that for the immediate furture at
least Chairman Henry p. Fletcher,
aided by such Old Guard Stalwarts
as Rep. Bert Smell OF N. Y. and
Charles d. Hilles, will be able TO
withstand the onslaught OF Borah,
Nye, Steiwer, et MI.
What do they have aS a. sub
stitute?" asks Smell And no ~
answers.
That Is, unless you count Borsh's
suggestion for calling the Young
Republicans into convention or
Vandenoerg's proposal for a coali-
ton government.
Borah Is well known in Washing
ton for his habit OF voicing resonant
~generalitieS. ne senses a trend Or
movement and rides II without try
ing 10 give II actual direction
V~andenberg'S coalition" pTOpO-
sitlon could hardly get far. Last
month the Republicans took a bad
licking Tor the second time run
ming. Victors seldom coaleSce with
their victims.
And Chairman Fletcher, exdip-
lomat that he is, delivered the un-
kindeSt cut OF all when he slyly
suggested IL was okay with him TO
be reorganiIed out OF office. His
successors could have the Republi-
can deficit with his best wishes.
Everybody knows that next 70
smallpox . politician dreds a de-
fieit. provided its on his doorstep.
Waiting - All the Republican
pickering Is giving such as Senator
Charles McNary of Oregon a quiet
roundly criticized by some OF his
colleagues when his doctor told
him he needed rest and quite and
thus couldn't take part In the
campaign just past. There was
talk az the time OF not ~re-electing
MeNarv Republican floor leader.
McNary comes from that school
OF thought which accepts the in
evitable. He decided long ago the
Republican Party was having its
lean years and there wasn't much
70 do but Starve-and hope for q
little mama from heaven.
The cagey Oregonian believes In
sitting tight and waiting for a
break. His history tells him that
sooner or later the opposition STUN
bles or pulls a major boner. When
the Senate Republicans caucus
he'll be retained as Minority Lead
er, so they say.
Change-Men who study internal
tional affairs closest are predicting
that about next spring Germany vii
be- sending another Ambassador
here IN place OF Herr Hans Luther.
They think the former head Of the
ReichSbank will last the winter out
IN Washington and that's about
all.
Ambassador Luther Is not par
ticularly strong at home. DR..
Schacht, ruthlesSly aggressive Eco
nomy Minister. forced him out OF
the Reichsbank. Here. while he
gets all the difference and coODera-
ton due his position. he Is not
especially esteemed BY the German
Embassy staff.
SO far as the State Department
~ concerned Luther has been put
III a tough spot. Every time some
one denounceS Hitler and his
methods In print or a Jewish or
ganization holds an anti-Nazi mass
meeting, Berlin instructS the Am
baSSador 10 make representations
70 the State Department. Obvious
III Secretary Hull can't control the
opinions or the American c%itizenry.
but Luther comes from that old
school which believes table-pOund-
ing and arm-Waving II tWo-thirds
2: an argument.
Blast-ThiS isn't the story or an
other rift in President RooSevelt'S
official family but YOU can tell
your friends Secretary OF the
Treasury MOrgentnau thinks he
was done wrong by Attorney Cen
eral Cummings.
II is an outgrcwth OF the case OF
those 900 employees OF the Alcohol
Tax Unit, now dubbed the Lost
Battalion" because they are work
ing a mOnLlS without pay ana mop
ing Congress will nullify the legi-
station which otherwise losses them
from their jobs.
When senator Mcclellan. Cd Of
Tenn. pushed through the rider
requiring all these people 70 take
another Civil Service examination
ne thought he was Kidding The
woods Of some Hoover prohibition
agents. AS he wrote the bill II
turned out 70 be- "a death threat 10
hundreds Of lOng-service employees
with Civil Service status.
Morgenthau naturally didn {
want this office disrupted by the
wholesale discharge OF trained
clerks, chemists, etc. He asked the
Attorney General for an opinion
on the McKelier rider.
Heretofore Cummings has been
very good about opinions. When
the White House or an adminiStra-
ton colleague asked him, Isn't