Evening star., 1937-12-03
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE,

Business recession hasn't affected the
production of American toys Their
manufacturers, who long faced almost
hopelessly the cheap competition Of Ger
many and Japan, announce that toys
made in this country for the 1887 Christ
mas trade have reached a seven-year
peak. The volume is 10 per cent greater
than last year and has a total value
Of $3.50, 100000. The anti-war propa-
ganda has had visible influence on toy
makers. They no longer specialize in
tin soldiers and cannon, but feature
skyline building gadgets, the mysteries
OF radio, engineering and electro chemis-
try, streamlined locomotives, railroad
trains, automobiles and airplanes.
Senator Ashurst, Democrat, of Arizo-
ma, who insists inconsistency is one of
the virtues of craftsmanship, has proved
that he is consistent in his inconsis-
tency. The Sunset States ornate and
courtly geySer, who, as Senate Judiciary
Committee chairman, valiantly, if
vainly, led the Roosevelt battle for Su-
preme Court reform, now spouts fer
vently against executive encroachment
Hark to the yeoman yawp of Prescott's
favorite son, as he smote the public roads
bill hip and thigh this week: Congress
as general rule passes fair laws. Being
human, We make mistake now and
then. We proceed with exasperating
tediousness on many subjects, and no
doubt shall continue to do so. There Is
not only now, but has been for more
than 80 years, a constant reaching out,
a grasping, for more power on the part
OF executive departments. The laws we
pass are often harmful because when
department heads get through refining,
flltering and whiting away the inten-
tion of Congress, results are sometimes
unsatisfactory. I esteem the Secretary
OF Agriculture highly as a gentleman of
great intelligence and patriotism, but
Congress knows more about when and
where roads should be built than does
the Honorable Henry A. Wallace"
Politicians are intrigued by q ma
tionally syndicated newspaper article
just produced by Ralph Gum Sucher,
brother-in-law Of Senator Bob La Fol-
lette husband of his sister Nary and
one-time private secretary to the elder
Senator La Toilette. Mr.. Sucher has
been interviewing Mayor La Guardia
in New York. He quotes Fiorello as
predicting that undoubtedly there will
be 1910 presidential candidate in the
field whom labor, the farmer and Pro-
gressives generally can support, on q
definite program dealing with the Ma
tions economic issues" Mr. Sucher
himself foreshadows that should a new
party develop along national lines by
WISCONSIN, prn6rASeiVAS
Farmer-Labor party in Minnesota and
the American Labor party of New York
probably would serve as nucleus, each
having polled more than 500,o0 votes in
recent elections.
+xA
Another seasoned foreign service
career officer is on the Job at Shanghai
for Uncle Sam. Consul General Clar-
ence Edward Gauss, native Washing
tonian, so next month, is completing
his 30th year of State Department duty.
Beginning as deputy consul general at
Shanghai in 1907, Gauss later advanced
through successive grades of the diplo-
matte and consular branches, including
duty at such important Chinese points
as Tientsin. Annoy, Tsinan, Mukden and
Peiping. He has been consul general
at Shanghai since December, 1885.
+ \ 4
Obviously from economic royalist
quarters on the Miami gold coast comes
a presidential fishing story right of
the reel. Mr.. Roosevelt started out the
other day, by accident, without bait.
His mates, having lamented the over
sight, were promptly reassured by the
President, who said: mo matter. Just