Evening star., 1935-04-15
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Frances first lady of the land, Nine.
Albert Lebrun. wife Of the President
of the republic, will arrive in the
United States during the first week of
June. She will be a passenger on the
maiden trip of the giant new French
liner Normandie, the worlds biggest
ship. which will sail for New York
from Havre on May 30. Although no
official arrangements have as yet been
perfected for Nine. Lebrun's brief visit
on these shores. 1t is taken for granted
that she will come to Washington and
be entertained by President and Mrs.
Roosevelt at the White House at least
for a portion of her sojourn. Pre-
sumably Nine. Lebrun viii return to
France on the Normandie's home
bound trip. She was the Official
sponsor of the mammoth vessel when
1t was launched two years ago. In
addition to the Presidents wife. 1t is
expected that some French cabinet
ministers and other distinguished
Parisians win make the Normandie's
ffrst transatlantic crossing.
President Roosevelt clearly still
trusts brains" as he once put it early
in the New Deal, when mildly rebuk-
ing those who taunted him with hav-
ing brain trust" The administra-
tion's new congressional contact man.
former Representative Charles West of
Ohio, Is, like 20 many New Dealers now
In the seats Of the mighty at Washing
ton, . Harvard man, as well as o one
time professor of political science at
r. D. RS alma mater. He Is a post
graduate Of the University Of Naples
and has taught at the College of
Wooster. Tufts College and Denison
University-part of the time as a lee
turer on international relations. Pre-
viouS to entering Congress Mr.. West
had . brief experience IN the Amer
lean consular service in Italy In Sc
lecting former member of Congress
as a 8o-between on Capitol Hill, Presi-
dent Roosevelt emulates Presidents
Coolidge and Hoover, both Of whom
at various periods had former Repre-
Sentatives-Bascom Slemp, Everett
Sanders and Walter H. Newton-as
their respective political adjutants. It
is already suggested that sooner or
later Mr.. West will wind up at the
White House as q regular member of
the presidential secretariat, with Con-
gress as his field of operations. The
Ohioan Is youngish, just turned 40. and
man with marked political fair, de-
spite his scholarly bent. He was the ad-
ministration's candidate for the Senate
In Ohio last year. but succumbed to
that champion Buckeye vote-getter.
who is now Senator Vic Donahey.
Former Democratic Representative
w. D.. Jameson of Iowa, who prac-
tices law in Washington and edits a
nationally circulated weekly news let
ter called the window Seat, tells his
constituents that "a group of thought
full Republicans" Is reported, with all
the earmarks Of authenticity, to be
fomenting a quiet movement to bring
about the nomination of Chief JUS
tice Charles Evans Hughes for the
presidency in 1896. Mr.. Jamieson's
informant claims that Mr.. Hughes is
in the Barkis-is-willin' class. The
editor of the window Seat comments:
"As Chief Justice, Mr.. Hughes has
gone extremely liberal, and believe
he Is at this writing, despite his 73
years, the strongest man who could
be nominated against President
Roosevelt. What q campaign that
would make!"
Il X n n
Bankers throughout the country are
much interested in the bill introduced
by that other Jim Farley, Representa-
tive James I. Farley, Democrat, Of
Indiana, proposing to reduce the rate
of interest paid on new postal saw
inps denosits from 2 to ] per cent,