Evening star., 1934-10-17
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Mrs. Roosevelt's plan to take the
stump In New York State for her
friend, Mrs. Caroline O'Day, Demo-
cratic candidate for Representative
at Large, Is the biggest thrill OF
congressional campaign singulariy
lacking in color. The First Ladys
precedent smashing decision Is . par
ticular satisfaction to women who
have always believed that the sex
should line up in politics with one
of the regular parties rather than
confine itself to purely feminine and
non-partisan organizations, like the
National Woman's Party or the
League of Women Voters-although
Mrs. Roosevelt happens to be vice
president Of the New York State
League. Mrs. Roosevelt has been
actively identified with Democratic
affairs ever since her husband en-
tered public life. That means that
she has known and played the game
of politics for IS years She had
q desk at Democratic national head
quarters in New York in 1882 and
was o regular adviser on campaign
strategy. Mrs. Roosevelt will OPP
crate on the hustings this month
under the direction of Mrs. Norman
de r. Whitehouse, noted sufragist
leader and former chairman Of the
Woman's Suffrage party'of New York,
who Is chairman of Mrs. O'Days
Campaign Committee.
~ 4
~.~v~,. - kn and IN fIHaaa
New Deal literary cusses. Secretary
Wallace's book. New Frontiers" Is
to be followed this month by new edi-
tions of novels by Donald r. Richberg
and q volume entitled "The New Dis
covery," by Harold L. Ickes, tn which
the Secretary Of the Interior outlines
the Roosevelt program Of broad-scale
planning. Another New Deal author
just on the press Is Attorney General
Homer Cummings, who has published
In book form the lectures he delivered
before the University Of Virginia Law
School earlier this year. under the title
of Liberty Under Law and Admin
istration." The New Deal literary
brigade probably would resent the In
clusion in its current output Of "The
Epic Plan for California" book by
UPTON Sinclair and consisting (ac-
cording to his publishers Of the au-
thor's abolition-of-poverty dream, "as
amended after consultation with other
Democratic candidates following his
nomination for Governor" That's .
subtle reference to the strong dilution
to which the California State Demo-
cratic Convention subjected Sinclair
ism before consenting to swallow It.
49,
One Of the reasons why Chairman
Fletcher and the Republican National
Committee see red as they sorrow-
fully note the deadly campaign use
which the Democrats are making Of
Federal Santa Claus" funds Is that
the G. o. p. was never 20 hard up
for the sinews Of war as it Il at
present. The barrels from which the
two big parties used to derive 20
much pork are ike Mother HubhArd's
cupboard this year. Not only y Il
difncult, because Of the depression, 70
fry fat out Of once cheerful giyers,
but, according to some Republican,.
individuak and corporations who
would ordinarily supply fodder for the
elephant shy at this time ct publicly
recording themselves - auti-NeW
Deal and saying II with dollars.
4 4 4 =
This month marks the NTH birth
day of Old Man Depression. Opinion
differs as to the exact date on which
the great blight came upon the coun-
try, but October, 1929, Is roughly the
period at which It first began to dawn
upon the business world that cyclone
had struck It. One Of the wisecracks
Of that fateful hour was that "the
first i've years Of the depression would
be the worst" Jokesmiths who In