The Washington times., 1937-06-21
NOW
Gentlemen of }
The Press
GO TO PARTY
By HELEN EsSARY

OtI bA0S VCLAdSS Va @SN"AA'SAAS ~@AN
of Attorney General Homer s.
Cummings.
other Gentlemen Of the Press
and other Public Citizens were
standing in light-hearted groups
with a highball in one hand and a
plate of cold buffet in the other.
It was the annual Newspaper
Party Of the A. G. and not meant
to be intense.
But this aforementioned crowd
was determined to probe into
"the present situation" whatever
that Is. Mr.. Jay G. Hayden and
Mr.. Raymond p. Brandt we've
brooding out loud over Concrete
Public Opinion "a bout two
hundred newspaper people, wan
dering about on the loose under
one roof.
Balancing the pros and cons,
they said the various opinions
would nullify each other. The
result when checked up would be
the same as If nobody had an idea
or tried to write it down for the
papers.
This thought was discouraging
to several of us. Hundreds OF
typewriters thump every day IN
this ws-conscious capital. II
mental toll and vicuouS pounding
of the keys failed to change any
body's mind, then what was the
use of Journalism?
GgY - 10 avNnntfiA W. GnTnnNnHV
suggested. What really would be
the consensus of opinion here TO-
day about the New Deal?"
"Opinion would approve New
Deal results but hate its methods"
said Mr.. Charles Groves.
Nobody ever approves methods
In politics." said Mr.. Ray Clapper.
This conclusion was regarded as
very sage i. Politics is purely a
game in Washington. There Is
very little raneor, and good deal
Of craftsmanship in defeat. People
make a business of getting on with
each other. If you took things
seriously here you would go mad
=. Thus they soften many disap-
pointments. These were some OF
the individual observations.
Just then Solicitor General
Stanley F. Reed dragged a chair
over. And promptly was asked
what he thought about the alb
sence Of personal vendictiveness
In Washington as compared with
other communities he knew about.
Mr.. Reed didn't think Washing
ton was different in this particular
from any place else. In Mays
Vile. KY, his home town, for in
stance, people had to get on with
each other whether they were in
politics or business.
This opinion from q lawyer who
may some day soon sit on the
supreme bench Of the United
States was openly Spurned by the
gentlemen of the press. They said
The Solicitor General was an
idealist about his small town. All
small towns were hot beds Of spite.
Mr.. Reed was mighty agreeable
in the face of this loud disagree
Tnent. He. smiled politely. But
rye no doubt he was about to
begin q handsome rejoinder that
would have flattened the gentle
men Of the press completely. But
senator, Majority Leader Joe
Robinson came along, laughing
and shaking hands and generally
beaming like the world was his.
Senator" Franklyn Waltman
said to him, that was a fine
speech you made Friday" Don't
suppose it meant you were going
off the reservation. These re-
marks of this bosom friend OF the
white House and a Supreme Court
possibility, were believed by some
to forecast a break with the
President.
The Arkansan grinned some
more. said no. he wouldn't sit
down, thank you. He believed
he'd Just move around a little.
Senator Arthur Vandenburg now
Joined the conversational group.
He was promptly reminded that
ia the public opinion poll Of Sun
day he still "led all the reSt"-of
the Republicans.
THIS started general debate
on the resemblance of Senator
Vandenberg to the Abou Ben
Adhem Of Longfellow's poem.
Mr.. Vendenberg tried to quote
all the verses. Got hung UP a bit
here and there. But ended
triumphantly with the recollection
that the fine quality in which
ssAbou led all the rest" was the
love of his fellow man.
This idea pleased the rest Of
the group. It looked as though
the gentleman from Michigan mad
the 1910 nomination cinched with
this crowd. Then the Senator
tilted back his chair a lutte too
close to the edge of the terrace.
'sFor Heavens sake, Senator,
be careful" said Walker Buel,
d'the whole Republican party is
about to 90 over the side Of =
precipice."
Many other cheerful groups
we're talking about life and other
things as reluctantly started
homeward. saw Senator Robert
M, La Toilette, Wisconsin, the
radical; Senator James H. Hughes
Continued ON Page IL, Col. 81
Capital Auditorium
Tn Re Studied Tndav