Evening star., 1937-10-22
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

where he's billed to speak to show the
country which one of them has the
greater claim to that distinction.
Up from Alabama wells the word that
Tom Heflin seems to be carrying every
thing before him In the race for the
Black senatorial seat. So far. only one
rival is formally in the field for the
January primary. Representative Lister
Hill. Before filing time expires on No.
vember /, State Senator Miller Bonner
may announce. Senator Dixie Graves
is not a candidate to succeed herself.
while her husband, Gov. Bibb, is not
eligible under the law. Heflin is said
already to have run away with the sup
port of rs per cent of the voters con-
nected with the Graves administration
and may have 90 per cent by primary
time. The New Deal Is not directly ut
issue In Alabama. The Graves regime is
100 per cent pro-Roosevelt, but Helm
is rated an opponent OF both Supreme
Court reorganization and the wages
and hours bill.
BY accident or design. Postmaster
General Farley at last nights lovefeast
Of California Democrats in Los Angeles
omitted all reference to Senator Hiram
Johnson while acclaiming the support
New Deal measures have received from
the States delegation in Congress. Sen
ator McAdoo was singled out for honor
able mention, As Sunny Jim recalled
"the most thrilling moment OF my life
when McAdoo. with the consent and
approval Of John N. Garner" swung
California's "A delegates to Roosevelt
at critical moment in Chicago In July,
1882. To what extent Senator john
sons hostility to the Supreme Court
bill and Justice Blacks confirmation
soured the high administration favor
he formerly enjoyed can only be sur
missed. The veteran progressive is now
also OF the Roosevelt reservation on the
Far Eastern situation and on Washing
tons readiness, rs he sees it, to play
ball with the League of Nations. Incl
dentally, Farley'S uncommonly fulsome
eulogy of F. d. r. at Los Angeles smacks
suspiciously Of third-term propaganda.
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New Deal trombonists are now toot-
ing sycophantic damnations on the au-
thors and producers Of the musical COM
edy satire, I'D Rather Be Right" and
blaring that George M. Cohan and his
co-irreverents ought to be burned at
the stake, or otherwise chastised and
curbed. The argument is that the Pres
ident Of the United States, especially his
womenfolk. ought to be immune from
ribald burlesque. Such suggestions
which, it's perfectly safe to say, aren't
inspired by Franklin D. Roosevelt
probably interest the Gridiron Club and
the Womens National Press Club. For
four years both of them have turned
their famous dinner festivities into bril-
liantly ruthless grillings Of the fads and
foibles Of our ruling family. Though
regular eye and ear witnesses OF these
respective frolics, it is not Of record that
either Mr.. or Mrs. Roosevelt has ever
batted q critical or censorious eye at
them.
When the Boy Scouts, $4,000 strong.
took Washington by storm last Summer,
they left behind at their favorite show
place, G-men headquarters In the De-
partment of Justice, unique and en-
yiable record. F. B. I. Director Hoover
proudly narrates that although the
establishment was thronged with SER
ried ranks Of Scouts who explored every
nook and Granny of Uncle Sans anti
ganRster war department, not so much
as Z lead pencil note pad, match box,
ash tray q penholder waS nlcneo -