Evening star., 1934-03-14
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

If this weeks congressional his
tory includes both the pro-bonus vote
in the House and Senate rejection Of
the St. Lawrence waterway treaty, it
will record Franklin D. Roosevelt's
first political setbacks in the presi-
dency While the bonus will never
become lava because a veto is certain.
the episode does denote that Roosevelt
leadership in the House is not ON
nipotent. and an adverse vote on the
St. Lawrence pact will carry the
same implication as to the Senate.
As politics goes, an undeniable shrink
age in presidential prestige is the re-
suit. But the administration takes
heart Of grace from the sentiment ex-
pressed by Senator Wagner, Democi at.
Lawrence forces, that rejection of the
treaty happily would be tempered by
the feeling that 1t is in no way con-
nected with the sweep of the great
recovery program" That consola-
ton does not quite apply to the bonus
incident, because the Patman bill in
wolves the economy wing of the
Roosevelt recovery edifice. The House
Democratic revolt is not taken tragic
ally in administration quarters. As
to the ST. Lawrence waterway.
arJther treaty is sure to ne negotiated
some day and receive Senate approval.
y X
Nearly everybody who visits New
York nowadays finds the metropolis
seething with anti-Roosevelt talk.
The Stock Exchange and securities
bills seem to be the twin causes of
| the anvil chorus. New Workers gen
orally attune their emotions about
Washington to the key in which Wall
Street sentiment is pitched. At the
moment F. D. RS stock is the VIC
tim of a bear movement, but boom
market on the big board would prob
, ably mend matters and restore the
President to Manhattan's tickle favor.
Dislike of certain NJ r. A. develop
ments also has something to do with
the slump in the Presidents popu-
larity in Gotham.
Gen. Johnson's recent statement
that he might once again earn q
100000 salary in private business
revives gossip that before 1884 Is
much older he will have a successor
as chief keeper of the Blue Eagle.
Several men are already mentioned
as his her. Among them are General
Counsel Richberg and Divisional Ad-
ministrators Arthur D. Whitesice and
w. Averell Hartman. If Mr.. Roose-
velt has to fill Johnson's place, it will
be one of the toughest nuts the
President has ever had to crack. The
ideal man will be some one agreeable
to industry, satisfactory to labor. q
Simon-pure liberal and otherwise un-
handicapped. Diogenes will have had
nothing on the Chief Executive when
the search sets in.
r X X \
Our embassy at Moscow isn't the
only one equipped with an airplane.
The embassies in London, Berlin,
Paris and Rome also have planes.
Usually the pilots are the military or
naval attaches. The machines are
not only available for emergency
travel, but for inspection trips or
other official journeys of the Ambas-
sadors or members Of their staffs, II
they happen to be air-minded.
X 4 X
Ten foreign countries are protest.
ing shipping measures now proposed
by the United States. Norway and
Sweden don't like certain features Of
the N. r. A. code. The bill for de-
porting alien seamen has produced
objections from Great Britain, France,
Germany, Italy, Holland. Belgium,
Canada, Denmark, Norway and Swe-
den. The bill has already passed the
House. The State Department hopes
for its rejection by the Senate. In
1923 q similar measure was enacted
by Congress over State Department
protests, but was reconsidered and
died IN eommitt4k European govern