Evening star., 1937-12-12
K[AVERN IS SCENE
OF GR|D|RON SK|T
New Deal Merry-Go-Ro
Breaks Down at An
nuaI Dinner.
Continued From First Page.)


Continued From First Page.)
at the semi-annual dinner of WASH
tngton's famed club of newspaper
men pointed some 400 distinguished
guests to a dramatic trail which led
to . lost tooth IN Tibet, an Alabama
klavern, Republican desert island,
Jupiter and his co-ordinating son on
Olympus, an Oliphant-ish meeting of
the joint congressional committee on
taxation, the Garden of Eden involv-
ing naive Secretary OF State and
the Big Apple, and other scenes both
realistic and spiritual.
The terpsichorean talent OF the
Gridiron Club and Capt. Taylor
Branson with his United States Ma
rine Band orchestra produced in the
grand international finale the swing,
wiggle, duck, stomp and pomp of the
Big Apple and a variation, the Gen.
eva reel. Meanwhile the Misses
France and Britannia and the Jap
anese sandman took charge of every
thing, including Adam Hull, in the
Garden of Eden
Turning from these stage charac-
ters the audience heard the Presi-
dent of the United States in person
address the Gridironers. The only
other speaker was another person IA
miliar to Washington as well as to
New York, Mayor La Guardia What
Mr.. Roosevelt and the Mayor had to
say remains a secret under the invio-
late rule of the club that no report
ers are present at Gridiron dinner.
Earlier yesterday Byron Price, ex-
ecutive news editor of the Associated
Press. was elected president of the
club at the annual meeting.
The other officers chosen were: Vice
president, George r. Holmes, Inter-
national News Service; treasurer, j.
Fred Essary, Baltimore Sun re-
elected; secretary, J. Harry Cunning
ham, Washington (re-elected): his
torian, Ernest G. Walker Washington
re-elected.
Members elected to the Executive
Committee were Mark Thistlethwaite,
indianapolis News; Uric Bell, Louis
vile Courier-Journal, and Walker S.
Buel, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
At the dinner last night G. Gould
Lincoln. retiring president. welcomed
the guests in a brief speech. Some Of
the distinguished guests found them
selves in the spotlight when two
postmen appeared on the floor and
read returns received from the ma
tional unemployment census. The
guests rose and took their bows as
members of the jobless army.
A Chorus Of Clowns.
The guests had hardly taken their
places in the banquet hall of the
Willard Hotel when a merry scene
was revealed on the stage. Around
and around marched a chorus of
clowns in a merry-go-'round which
included two horses, a swan and an
ostrich. Rudely the harmonious gay
ETY. was shattered when "the merry
go-'round broke down, the New Deal
hit the ground" The song went on :
1t made the darndest sound,
1t shook the town
AS stocks went down.
While the merry-go- o-'round went
Um-pah-pah, um-pah-pah,
Um-pah, um-pah, -pah-pah!
Q such fun, a wonderful time,
Every one out hunting a dime!
The merry-go-' round broke down,
The budgets upward bound,
And Franklin said, "Is my face red?"
While the merry-go- -'round went
Um-pah-pah, um-pah-pah,
Um-pah, um-pah, -pah-pah!
The merry-go-'round broke down!
Then entered rube singing 10
way, Ioway" who irritated Mr.. Gree
ley almost as much as the first visitor.
The corn shucker declared that he
too, was the Tribune, the Des Moines
Register and Tribune But Mr.. Gree
ley discovered to his alarm that the
doctrine of this publication, too, was
questionable.
Wallace's Big Checks.
The prairie amt safe no more for
Republicans" said the rube, mot since
Henry Wallace started sending out
those big farm relief checks"
At this point the noisy persons were
revealed as the two new members of
the Gridiron Club representing two
Tribunes, Albert L. Warner of the
New York Herald Tribune and Rich
ard L. Wilson of the Des Moines Reg
lister and Tribune.
The next skit disclosed q meeting
OF the joint congressional committee
on taxation with Senator Harrison and
Representative Robert L. Doughton no
humming about the job ahead-name-
ly listening to Secretary of the Treas
ury Morgenthau.
THAT means we've got to listen to
Oliphant," said Harrison.
Mr.. Oliphant appeared on the scene.
leading in the secretary.
Here, Henry, just stand over there"
he said.
Mr.. Secretary, what is your po-
sition on the capital gains tax" asked
Doughton. Oliphant supplied the
answer: "The Treasury's position is
that the capital gains tax is a curb
on spectators, those vermin Of the
stock market who do not love the
President ="
In slow monotone the Secretary
parroted his brain-trusting general
counsel The questioning went on.
Oliphant declared, Decidedly we are
against profits"
Yes, we are decidedly against OIL
phants," slipped Mr.. Morgenthau.
"You mean profits" interjected OIL
phant hurriedly.
"Oh yes. profits" said Morgenthau.
The President Disagrces.
It turned out that the President did
not hold the same views about the un-
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