Evening star., 1936-09-02
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

foreign policy is the member without
portfolio, Vice President Garner, a hearty
nationalist, with cool head unbefogged
by noble aspirations" Lindley describes
a recent international confab between
the President and group of his ad-
visers. The first question was whether
the United States would fight If Canada
were attacked by Japan. Everybody
answered with an unqualified yes" The
next question was whether the United
States would fight if Australia were at
tackled. The answers were no" qualified
in some instances Whats the differ
ence between the two situations?" asked
Mr.. Roosevelt. I'll tell you the differ
ence,' said Mr.. Garner, who up to then
had been silent. Its 5000 miles"
At no juncture of his administration
since 1t first took office has President
Roosevelt had so many luscious plums
to distribute to deserving New Dealers
or others as the half-dozen key appoint
mentS that now require to be filled.
They include the secretaryship Of war,
the undersecretaryship of state, the un-
dersecretaryship of the Treasury, the
assistant secretaryship of the Navy, the
ambassadorship to the Soviet Union and
the ministership to Denmark. The cab
met portfolio and the foreign diplomatic
appointments may, in accordance with
time-honored custom, be bestowed upon
Democratic partisans as unabashed po-
litical rewards, but the three important
subdepartmental posts are likely to be
filled with view exclusively to capacity.
Tradition may land the Navy Depart
ment job for another Roosevelt.
No tnidcampaign development fills
Rooseveltians with higher elation than
the denomination of Senators Pat Harri-
son and Jim Byrnes, respectively. in
Mississippi and South Carolina. Their
victories are welcomed not only because
both men are administration stalwarts,
but as vivid evidence that G. o. p. hopes
of splitting the solid South this year,
as Hoover did in 1928, are idle dreams.
The Mississippi and South Carolina re-
suits pretty effectually blow up the
theory that New Deal stock In Dixie, on
the States rights issue, or on Jeffer-
sonian conservative grounds. has under
gone serious slump. Jim Farley is now
irrevocably persuaded that everything
below Mason and Dixon's line Is in the
Democratic bag.
China has just honored the memory
of a distinguished American diplomat
who once represented the United States
as Minister to that country. An impor-
tant thoroughfare in Shanghai, in the
vicinity of Columbia Circle the center Of
a populous American quarter, was named
Rockhill avenue after the late William
Woodville Rockhill, our envoy at Peking
from 1905 to 1909. Previously he had
spent a quarter of century in Uncle
Sans Far Eastern service. In 1900
Secretary of State Hay dispatched Rock
hill to China to conduct the epochal
negotiations connected with the Boxer in
demnity and the open door policy. At
the conclusion of his ministerial service
in 1909 Rockhill was appointed Ambas-
sador to Russia. In 1914 he became
special adviser to the President Of China,
Yuan Shi-Kai.
Until the Garner boom crystallized At
Chicago In 1882, the impression was
widespread that the late George H. Dern
Of Utah was Gov. Roosevelts preference
for his vice presidential running mate.
Their, friendship sprang from meetings
at conferences of Governors.
tocpssisht. 1850