Evening star., 1937-08-04
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

When do we adjourn?" That is the
question now uppermost in the minds of
most of the members of Congress, and
also a question which is being asked
frequently by the country at large In
this connection there is one incontro-
vertible fact which has widespread rec
ognition, and that is that Congress after
the strenuous days which lie behind it.
is not in a mood at present to do its
best work, to give calm, deliberative con-
sideration to the problems now receiving
its attention. In the minds Of many
officials and political observers here this
raises the further question as to whether
all of the legislation which Congress is
attempting to pass during these humid.
closing days will stand the acid test of
constitutionality. If it does not. they
point out, it is wasting its time. Further
more the people who are most interested
in seeing such legislation placed on the
statute books will be sadly disappointed
if they discover later that it does not
hold. and if they see some of it over
thrown by Supreme Court decisions.
Under these circumstances, these polit-
ical observers contend, Congress today
may be proceeding on the theory, to
'Tis better to have passed and lost
Than never to have passed at all.
Despite marvellous progress in the art
of flying, continuing tragedies of the air,
as evidenced by the loss of the Pam
American airliner Santa Maria yester-
day when near its destination at Cris-
tobal, Panama, and by the recent sWal
lowing up by the mist-covered depths of
the vast Pacific of the intrepid Amelia
Earhart, cause aviation officials here to
recognize the needs of throwing every
possible precaution about this profess
sion. In this connection they directed
attention to the recent action of the
Department Of Commerce in postponing
the granting of license to James G.
c'Jimmy"D Mattern for his proposed
flight across the North Pole from San
Diego to Moscow. After careful investi-
cation and consideration of all factors
in the situation, they advised postpone
ment of this hazardous undertaking until
they could be assured that everything
possible had been done in the way of ad
vance preparation to make reasonably
sure of success. This applied both to
equipment and to experience of the per-
sonnel with conditions surrounding Arctic
flying. For this reason, with the ready
consent of Mattern and his advisers, it
was decided that the flight which had
been scheduled for this month should
be delayed until next Spring, giving op-
portunity in the meantime for perfect
ing equipment and for further study of
the climatic and meteorological factors
involved in the attempt
James Roosevelt, son of the President
and one of his secretaries, will assume
a new role when he takes the platform
as "keynoter" at the annual convention
OF the Young Democratic Clubs of
America in indianapolis August 20. The
young Roosevelt is skilled and forceful
public speaker and has addressed many
gatherings, political and otherwise, but
the address he will make at Indianapolis
will be the most important probably he
has made SO far in his career. His chief
competitor for oratorical honors at the
convention may be another member of
his own family, also a public speaker
OF note, his mother. Postmaster General
Farley also is scheduled to address the
$4,000 Young Democrats who are ex-
pected to attend the meeting.
Few OF the hosts of people who have
met the affable but serious minded
Josephus Daniels, now Ambassador OF
the United States to Mexico, probably
have ever thought OF him as an ardent
base ball "fan," and yet he reveals him
self as such in an article in the current
issue of the American Foreign Service
journal. In writing at the age OF 10
of some of the practices or rules of con-
duct by which his life has been gov
erned, he says: "As a boy I was pas
sionately fond Of base ball and almost
slept with ball and bat. can prove by