Evening star., 1935-11-01
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

President Roosevelt began operations
at his press conference this week by
waving high above his head fat blue
pencil, and then proceeded to talk about
the budget At first some of his visitors
thought the altitudinal gesture was
meant to indicate that the sky is going
to be the limit Of the budget, but F. D.
r. hastened to explain that the pencil
was merely the symbol of what. he's
going to do to it. He had already started
in, he added, to WELD that weapon. The
President appealed to news writers to
lay off wild budget stories and wait
for official figures, which will be avail
able on the eve Of the assembling of
Congress. Until then everything will
be sheer gueSswork and therefore wholly
misleading. In accordance with his Gus
tom, Mr. Roosevelt, when the time comes,
will gather Washington correspondents
around him for a cozy budget talk in
the oval room of the White House and
for their enlightenment will elucidate
in simple terms exactly what Uncle Sans
1867 expense account means. How
the ordinary cost of Government Is
going up was indicated by the Presi-
dents casual remark that there are 5000
more Federal prisoners to be cared for
now than year ago, and 25,000 more
men in the Army to be fed, clothed and
housed. The White House earnestly
hopes unfounded speculation about the
budget will be conspicuous by its
absence this time.
As far as trade with Italy is con-
cerned, American business has now been
put on the honor system. It is plain
from the latest statements Of President
Roosevelt and Secretary Hull that at
the moment nothing compulsory is con-
templated to keep exporters from sup
plying Mussolini with non-prohibited
SinewS OF war. In other words, our mer-
chants, manufacturers, cotton growers,
wheat raiSers, producers of oil and cop
per ct al. are expected to place patriotism
above profit and not to capitalize the
human misery inseparable from war.
BY exerting its moral influence in re-
Straint of trade, the administration has
done about everything within its present
authorized power to support League
sanctions. There is an ominous sting
in the tail of Mr.. RooSeveltS declara-
ton, viz, that the Government Is keep
ing Informed" as to all shipments de-
signed to reach the belligerentS, either
directly or by ltrans-Shipment through
other countries. This smacks of warn
ing that more drastic steps to prevent war
trade may eventually take the place Of
moral persuasion.
When M. COnStantin Fotitch, newly
accredited Minister from Yugoslavia, ar
rived in washington the other day he
found on duty at his legation Scots
man, Capt. Gordon Gordon Smith, who
has been there for the past II years,
with the rank Of acting military attache.
Though Scotch as his name and accent,
Capt. Gordon-Smith is now . Yugoslav
subject. On the eve of the armistice in
1918 he was engaged in promoting the
organization of a Yugoslav legion in the
United States, which was to be formed
with aid of q $500 100000 congressional
appropriation voted for that purpose.
BY profession the Caledonian-Yugoslav
diplomat is journalist. For many years
he represented the old New York Herald
in Europe.
Joseph B. Eastman, Federal co-ordi-
nator Of transportation, who now de-
votes most Of his attention to enforce.
ment Of the new law regulating motor
bus and truck trafhc, has just had his
maiden experience with bus travel. 1t
happeusd eus day during his sscsnt