Evening star., 1934-08-29

His inclusion in the directorate of
the American Liberty League is ex-
pected to unseal the lips of Al Smith,
who for months has been strangely
silent on national affairs In the first
year of the Roosevelt regime the 1928
standard bearer was noted critic of
the new deal. Vocally and editorially
the Happy Warrior found almost con-
slant fault with the new order of
things as directed by Washington. He
manifestly was unhappy over the
trend of government. But throughout
1884 the former party chieftain has
refrained from criticism or praise
either by voice or pen. Only on mu-
nicipal charter rights in New York
has he unlooSed his opinions, with
result that "as silent as Al Smith"
has become a Simile. AS founder of
the new organization to preserve the
Constitution by swinging the new deal
to the right, Smiths friends predict
he will have plenty to say from now
on and will say it.
x
Another famous Democrat who ap-
pears to be marking time and keeping
his party guessing is former Senator
James A. Reed of Missouri. Since
early Spring the Demosthenes of the
Kaw has not engaged in public politi-
cal discussion. In June he retired to
the deep woods of Minnesota to relax.
He is still there, notwithstanding his
State is af1ame with politics and new
deal battles. Reed is presumed to
hold the key to the Missouri political
situation. If he continues to hold
off, Judge Harry S. Truman, whom
Boss Thomas J. PendergaSt put across
in rhe Democratic primaries, will be
elected to the United States Senate.
But Reeds inactivity has created
suspicion he may enter the contest
between Truman and Senator Roscoe
C. Patterson, Republican, as an inde-
pendent candidate. This would GER
tainly mess up the campaign for the
"Mussolini of Missouri" as Pender-
CASTS friends like to refer to him.
Reed was bitterly anti-new deal when
last vocal. Whether his long stay in
the woods has softened or further
hardened him toward the Roosevelt
administration even his closest per-
Sonal and political friends profess not
to know.
Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi,
youngish and popular veteran of Con-
gress, is So years old today. He began
his legislative career before he was
30, getting himself elected to the
House in 1910 After eight years in
the lower branch, he moved over to
the Senate, where he now is chair
man of the powerful Finance Com
mittee. The Senator's real name is
Byron Patton Harrison, but he long
ago cut it TO Pat and signs it that
way. He is now down in Mississippi,
where the Democrats yesterday staged
bitter primary. He reached the
State from Mexico City after visit
ing his old friend, Ambassador Jo-
sephus Daniels.
y 4 y
Washington just now is getting its
first experience with praying nantes,
fierce-looking but harmless creatures,
which have appeared in gardens this
Summer as far north as Connecticut.
Instead of being the pest its appear
ance indicates, the praying mantis
really is an ally of gardeners, being
voracious feeder on noxious insects.
Its presence in the North is traceable
to the heavy storms year ago when
thousands of nantes we're swept up
from the South just before breeding
time Their egg cases we're deposited
in States never before visited by them.