Evening star., 1936-09-28
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VIE.

At time like this, with party passions
rising and a presidential election just
around the corner, campaign motive
is discerned in nearly every major move
on the national chessboard. Thus, the
United States sudden decision to join
Great Britain and France in a currency
stabilization pact, besides its other pur-
poses, strikes politically-minded souls as
being another stroke of New Deal
strategy. 1t was only two weeks ago,
at Portland, that Gov. Landop assailed
Mr.. Roosevelt for torpedoing this
Nations one great opportunity to lead
the way toward world peace and eco
nomic Security"-a reference to collapse
of stabilization efforts at the 1888 London
conference. THE President of the United
States" Landon charged, turned his
back upon that international co-opera-
tive effort" Now comes F. D. r. and,
with one of the dramatic blows of which
he is so fond, knocks the pins from under
the most damning personal accusation
yet leveled at him by his opponent.
Belated as American participation in
sterilization is, the Democrats are now
expected to exploint it as q timely
Rooseveltian contribution to world
peace and international recovery. Secre-
tary Morgenthaus prompt action in re-
pelling the Russian $5,000,000 attack on
British sterling is not devoid of political
value either. 1t serves to explode the
insinuation that there is some sort of
link between Soviet communism and the
New Deal.
Temporary appointment of Harry H.
lr;r Af o1cn
smacks of political expediency. While
the young Kansan's promotion to top
place in the War Department is logical,
the Circumstance that he halls from
Gov. Landons State clothes Woodring's
selection with more than ordinary signi-
f1cance. The Sunf1ower electoral vote,
because of State pride, has been more
confidently claimed for Landon than
any other in the Union, particularly
because of his feat in winning the gov
ernorship in the 1882 Roosevelt land
slide and holding it during the Demo-
cratic congressional avalanche of 1884.
BY bestowing a cabinet portfolio on a
Kansan, the Democrats acquire talking
point of their own in appealing to State
pride, even if Woodring's tenure turns
out to be only stop gap. The appoint
n6uG pTcScTfcS WCStCIh
in the Roosevelt official household, as
typified by the Dern war secretaryship.
1t also puts World War veteran and
American Legionnaire in the New Deal
cabinet for the first time.
Secretary of Agriculture Wallace,
scholar-philosopher of the cabinet,
donned unaccustomed war paint the
other night in his broadcast assault on
Gov. Landon's farm program. He sounded
as if he were using both fists while
charging that Landon promises no better
q farm record than those of Harding,
Coolidge or Hoover, and later, when
pillorying "the big bankers and corpora
ton executives who are for Landon,"
and the "munition makers, oil men,
power magnates, big packers and grain
gamblers who are now fighting Roose-
velt." Then he followed with the subtle
thrust that mo man big enough to run
for President can be q complete migrate"
Wallace was also in bellicose mood when
he quoted Gov. Landon as having told
Q fellow-Kansan o year ago that "the
agricultural vote could not be gained
save by tossing to the farmer golden
apple program on platform Of plati-
tudes-a policy which he frankly advo-
Gated"
Current college enrollments testify to
improved economic sondatacns. Nearly