The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-06-24

gathering.
 Among the most prominent of these were former War Secrc. tary Pat Hurley, former Agricul- ture Secretary Arthur Hyde, for. mcr White House secretary Wal ter Newton, and "Tanglefoot Bob" Lucas former executive secretary of the Republican Ma. tional Committee.
 The coolness of the delegates toward Hoover was evidenced both publicly and privately. The resolutions adopted contained no mention of him or his Adminis- tration either directly or indi- rectly. Scouts report that in the lobbies and anterooms the sen- timent was universal that the party could not make another run with Hoover at its helm. Other Hopefuls
 Of the other hopefuls the pri- vate reports say there was much "talk" but no manifestation of strength.
 The name of Frank Knox was the most frequently heard. Sem ators "Hell-Roaring Dick" Dick inson and Arthur Vandenberg came in for some mention but the scouts attribute this chiefly to the fact that they are mid westerners and we'll known to the delegates.
 The real surprise i'm the gossip about candidates was the fre- qucnt and favorable mention of Representative Ham" Fish, burly New York socialite.
 It has been known for some time that Fish was quietly push- ing his candidacy but the lead- CTS were inclined to view this as e joke. They are not taking him seriously even now, but they were impressed by the extent of his proselyting.
 Delegates from as widely scat, tered points as Oklahoma, In- diana and Wisconsin, spoke of having been contacted by Fish. Advertising
 Outside the door of the most popular Springfield hotel during Nthe Grass Root convention, q newsboy stood from early morn ing until late night, shouting:
 "Read the Chicago Daily News, the greatest republican newspaper of the Middle West, published by Frank Knox" Mitchell Clam0r
 Most important behind -the- scenes factors In, the Ewing Mitchell clamor about Commerce Department graft are:
 i. That Mitchell himself
 scarcely knew what 1t was all
 about. There is plenty of in-
 efficiency in the Commerce
 Department, but he was not
 the man to clean it up.
 2. There was a bitter row
 between Mitchell and the
 Prendergast political machine
 in Kansas City. Prendergast
 and the Missouri Senators were
 out to get Mitchell.
 Based solely upon Mitchell's usefulness to the Commerce De- partmcnt, he could have been fired long ago. But Secretary Dan Roper--a dOdger, not a doer-postponed the unpleasant ness.
 Probable result of the furor will be tightening up of the Steamboat Inspection Service which passed the Moro Castle and also of the Bureau of Air Commerce. In both thero Is a long record of kowtowing to Big Business.
 R00sevelt-Ast0r
 Mitcheli's talk of Shipping Board favors is an old story. There is one part, however, which remains partly untold. This involves the relationship between the President and Vim cent Astor. The friendship be- tween Franklin Roosevelt, his cousin Kermit, and Astor-the latter two chief owners of the International Mercantile Marine --the trips on lthe Astor yacht Nourmahai and the laying up of tho LevIathan by the I. M. M. with Roosevelt's permlssi0n--- undoubtedly will figure in the next campaign.
 All this is realized by the President. His advisers have hammered it home time after time. But he remains adamant.
 His c0mehack is fhat Vincent Aslor is one 0f his heni gFiends,