The Washington times., 1936-05-26
NOW
It's Dark Horse
Time Again
ONE CROPS UP
BY HELEN EssARY

A man, q nice man, whom
you've known comfortably for
years, may suddenly and involun'
tarily begin to neigh politically
There's the case of Mr.. Arthur
Sears Henning. For half life
time he has been joyous ana
unrestrained critic Of winners
and also-rans. The other night
he was surprised to find himself
a candidate for the Lincoln STUDY
on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Toward the end of the first
Scotch and soda at the Franklin
Waltman's dinner party at the
Congressional Country Club, one
of the guests remembered that
his dentist had a cousin IN CleVe.
land who was so enamoured OF
Mr.. Hennings Sunday night ra-
dio personality that he the
dentists friend) had of his own
free and unorganized will formed
q Henning for President Club.
The Club now had seven mem
bers. If the political whips were
long and cracking and the cash
box fat, the seven might be IN
creased to 1000! Or even 100000!
Or even 100000.
Mr.. Henning, though startled at
such imagination, was not dis
pleased. He blushed. He coyly
hung his head. Laughed very
loud. Then there came a sudden
sparkle and a far away look in
his eye. He said:
$50 this club is in Cleveland,
you say. Aha! Cleveland! I'm
flattered indeed. It had never
occurred to me to run for the
Presidency. I've run for and
from other things, but never the
Presidency. But if it should
happen that in the interest Of
national welfare 1 should be
called by my party"
Said the guest with the horn
trimmed glasses:
(which party, by the way,
Mr.. Henning?"
Mr.. Henning replied shortly:
"Need / say which party?
What the country needs is an
honest clear-thinking man with
out party affiliations"
In the last three minutes his
voice had acquired a pontifical
note.
The banking gentleman across
the table interrupted:
I'D like to see one Of you
newspaEermen who is always
telling the rest Of the world
what to do, try to run things.
I'd like to see the way a news
paperman would react to the
sort of fault finding he uses on
other people"
The latest Dark Horse asked for
q little sparkling water. just lit
tie. Took a sip or two from his
glass and said:
II can think of one or two
ways of improving public affairs
with the assistance of the press.
I'd do away with ghost writer's.
Let the great men write their
own speeches. They'd think bet
ter If they had to go before the
country with their own ideas.
Then I'd make it a rule that
all office holders be quoted YER
batim. 1 don't know how I
could manage this but I'd get
every interview in the paper as
it was spoken"
The Rose Chiffon Lady said:
"YOu couldn't be SO brutal, so
destructive of IDEAS"
Mr.. Henning replied:
Couldn't 1? I've been want
ing for years to do just that.
Another thing. I'd do away with
protocol. Protocol is local but
I'd get rid of it and bring back
both democracy and pleasure in
dining out. I'd move the enter
tanning people up from the end
of the table where they run the
extra leaves in and put them be.
side me-"
Said the gentleman in the horn
trimmed glasses:
"Trivialities. No platform m
stuff there. Even a very Dark
Horse ought to have a view or
two. What about abOIiShing
taxes, electrifying farmers, blow.
ing away dust storms, stopping
floods at their source, planting
another belt of trees all the way
from Canada to Texas, birth
con-"
"Why bring those up again?
OF this be certain. I love the
Peepul, human values, pretty
ankles and fishing"
Mrs. Henning, who had sat II
silent astonishment while her hus
band was being transformed intt
q National Figure, spoke up:
II like the people, too, but
like the people 1 like"
"Then you don't want your
husband to be PRESIDENT"
So said the Rose Chiffon Lady.
Said Mrs. Henning, and there
was sincerity, almost passion, ir
her voice:
"I'd rather live in a shack
on the Potomac than in the
White House. 1 know a woman
is made smart by her choice Of
accessories but as for that gold
piano in the East Room"
But the orchestra had started
to play. Mr.. Henning, the DARK