Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1937-01-31
News Behind the News
Jack Garner Promises Silence AS
A Good Vice-President Should :.
State Secrets ;.

WASHINGTON.-Vice President JACK. 0ai
ner has given his public promise to Keep silent
IN nrhlic questions for the next four years. so
anyone who wasn't breathing easy about tfa'
NAV. do so now. -, -,
Garner comes very close to being the only
in,portant public figure in the capltal VINO
besides refraining from statements of all kinds,
guards state secrets 100 per cent IN ns CONVEX
sations with newspaper correspondents.
And yet in meetings OF the cabinet ana pri-
yate sessions with groups OF members OF Con-
sress Garner is often the most voluble person
present Although the picturesqueness OF ms
flow of language is somewhat hampered py the
presence OF Secretary OF Labor Frances rerkiiis,
the vice president often roars long ana louo
at the cabinet table when he is convinced OF a
proposals impracticality
The vice president usually addresses tne
president Cap" Boss" "Chiei, or Ola
when I address him as Mr.. President.
Garner once told IAN old friend he sits up
and takes notice. Because then he knows I'm
mad
Serious consideration is being given 10 pro-
posals that hereafter inauguratons OF presidents
be held in the spring, when there is hkehhooa
of good weather No wants to go through
another such day as the recent Inauguration
day with its unspeakably vile weather.
The idea would be TO have the president
of office on Jan. 20 at simple indoor ceremony
and postpone the inaugural parade and other
biz dongs until April or May. when the cherry
blossoms are out and everybody can nave 1un
and romp around in presumably balmy weather
instead of getting soaked frozen.
That is the way the British do it when they
get a new king. The monarch takes the throne
over at once, but coronation ceremonies are de-
layed for months, pending good weather
Washington business men incline TO ike the
idea because most of them would profit more
from large crowds and pleasant weather to say
nothing of the fact that they wouldn't be so
likely to have to dig down and pay off such
deficit as was piled up this year. Many folks
STAYED away on account of the weather and those
who came showed no great enthusiasm for the
expensive open air seats IN the specially built
inaugural stands.
changed the recent experience has made it
mach more likely that the S3000,000 appropri-
ated by Congress for Thomas Jefferson MEM
oral will be used by Congress for huge fed
eral auditorium where such performance as
the inaugural ceremony might be staged
Roosevelt is believed to favor this idea, first
advanced by Secretary Ickes.
Although Roosevelt gaily declared he could
take it" and did, exposing himself to the ele
r,ents more than he needed TO. his health
didn't suffer But that doesn't mean that the
country might not lose a president some day
because of such exposure inauguration day.
Back in 1S4l, aged President Henry Harrison,
worn down by onslaughts of Wing office-seekers
out to get jobs from Democrats went TO mar
ket without his overcoat, despite the fact that
it was raining.
Harrison caught cold Soon afterward he
died. deliriously screaming excuses to women
whose husbands had been fired from federal
Jobs to make way for Wings, refusing patron
age and bowling at imaginary applicants