The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-07-08
SEEN and HEARD>
around tie laSN
NATIONAL CAPITALA< (
By Carter Field ~
FAMOUS WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT -
famous WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

Washington. -Elaberat maneu-
vering is going on to put Elliot
Roosevelt, son of the President, in
the house of representatives from
the twelfth Texas district, now rep
resented by Fritz Garland Lanham.
Under the Texas law, a special
election to fill vacancy is more
or less a free-for-all. There is no
primary, there is no runoff Every
body who wants to enters, and the
high man takes the prize. Once in,
the incumbent has a big advantage
at the next regular primary, and
of course a Democrat has no trou-
BILE in the election If he weathers the
primary.
Lanham has been In the house
since Woodrow Wilson'S last con-
gress and has been elected at regu-
lar elections beginning with 1920,
which makes him rather veteran.
He has developed quite streak OF
insurgency, being out of sympathy
with good many New Deal meas
ures. In short, he is more OF a
Garner man than Roosevelt man.
Nobody is claiming the honor OF
having first thought of the plan to
put young Roosevelt in his place,
but it has been taken up with
some enthusiasm by the Texas dele
CATION, and has not exactly been
frowned on by the White House.
Texans on the inside of the maneu-
yer want Lanham promoted. !"
They say he has had splendid
record, but has become slightly fed
up with service in the house.
Just a few days ago the Texas
delegation voted to endorse Lanham
for president of the University of
Texas, which post is vacant because
of the death of the former presi-
dent.
That would be much simpler than
the original idea, which was to have
the administration give Lanham a
more important job. Among the
jobs considered for him are that of
assistant secretary of state, made
vacant by the promotion of Sum-
ner Welles to under-secretary of
state. and post with the Communi-
cations commission.
Some Embarrassment
But there is slight embarrass-
ment on the part of the White
House to make an appointment so
obviously to clear the way to put
ting the Presidents son in the
house. Kicking q man upstairs to
get rid of his vote is something else
again. II is one of the most often
used political devices. Sometimes
it does not work, as when President
Coolidge promoted" Senator Will
liam S. Kenyon to be a Judge at
time when Kenyon as a progressive
senator was a thorn in the admins
tration's side. But Kenyon was
shortly thereafter-at the next regu-
lar election-replaced by Smith
Wildman Brookhart, which was
more or less like jumping out of
the frying pan into the fire,
So the White House would be very
pleased at having the way cleared
for Elliott by some other method
than by giving Lanham political
promotion" Especially as there
is always more or less feeling that
this would not be good for party
MISUNDERSTANDING plums to insur-
gents.
If the scheme works out Elliott
should land the job handily, Texans
say. They predict that large num-
Der of candidates would enter the
"free-for-all' with the result that
the opposition would be divided, and
enough people would vote for the
magic name Of Roosevelt to pull
Elliott through. Elliott has been liv-
ing in Fort Worth for several years,
and is reported to be popular.
Seek II. s. Help
The German drive to have the
United States join in development
of dirigible transatlantic travels
continues, but it seems unlikely to
be authorized this year. DR.. Hugo
Eckener, most successful navigator
of dirigibles SO far, is most persua-
sive. He has met most of the ar
guments against the idea. But two
of the arguments he has met most
effectively promise to stay the hand
of congress for this session.
One of the objections, Of course.
is the shock still remaining from
the Hindenburg tragedy. Every one,
including our naval experts, agrees
that this would not have been a dis
aster at all had the big bag been
filled with helium instead of explo-
sive hydrogen. But the fact remains
that so many people throughout the
country were and still are shocked
at the Hindenburg disaster. and still
remember that this ended ME last
delusion about lighter than air
transport-the delusion that the Ger
mans at least had solved the prob
lem-that there is no popular de-
mand for action.
So when a senator or representa-
tive opposes doing anything about it,
or, as is more usual, when he simply