Evening star., 1937-12-22
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

In these jolly days OF peace on earth
and good will toward men, Sweden, home
of the Nobel prize is about to give
American pacifists graphic little object
lesson in what Europe's most peace
minded people think Of war danger and
preparedness The Stockholm govern
ment will send to the Swedish tsrcen-
tenary celebration in Delaware next
June the sole aircraft carrier in the
Swedish Navy. s. s. Gotland. She will
be the first foreign warship OF her kind
ever to drop anchor In American waters.
A mere 1900 -tonner with capacity for
only ten or twelve planes, Gotland is
described by naval experts Is . cruiser
which represents particularly WELL
thought-out and effective type. In COM
mission since 1885, she cost 81 900 900,
has speed of twenty-seven knots, is
armed with six 6-inch and four 3-inch
guns and has complement OF 4SO ON
GERS and men. Gotland will escort the
Swedish crown prince and princess up
the Delaware River when they arrive
aboard the motor liner Kungsholm for
the New Sweden" anniversary. The
Swedish carrier is q tiny unit, compared
to Uncle Sans mighty 33,000-ton Sara
toga and Lexington, with their broods
Of eighty or a hundred planes apiece.
But the trim Scandinavian man-of-war
will be a useful reminder to our war
referendum zealots who would meet
prospective enemies at the ballot box
instead of on the firing line.
Senator Joe Guffey's recent house
warming of his palatial new washington
home marked the debut Of Justice
Hugo L. Black-the Alabaman's first
temperance in society since his Su-
preme Court ordeal. Intentionally or
accidentally, the Guffeys turned the
swagger party into a sort Of Black rally
Given in honor of Mr.. and Mrs. John
L. Lewis, their distinguished guests in
cluded Senator Bob La Toilette, widely
credited with having instigated Blacks
appointment; white House Tommy"
Corcoran, young Rooseveltian brain trust
legal luminary who had big finger in
the Supreme Court pie; Senator Ashurst,
chairman of the Judiciary Committee,
who led the losing fight for the bill, and
Attorney General Cummings, drst and
feryid public advocate Of the ill-starred
measure. Senator Gufey himself
rounded out the picture appropriately,
because 1t was he who launched the
proposal to purge tho Democratic party
Of anti-court Senators up for reelection
next year. Justice Blacks friends say
the lights nowadays burn far into the
night at his new Alexandria home, as
the baby member Of the bench puts in
long hours of reading, in pursuance OF
= determined plan to equip himself for
stellar service on the Supreme Court.
X =
Ambassador Saito, who skated on dan
gerously thin ice in participating In
commercial broadcast, to offer Japans
apologies for the Panay outrage, didn't
step so far out OF character after all.
He spoke under the auspices Of makers
OF product guaranteed to remove spots
and blemishes. Evidently Emperor HI
rohitoS envoy, confronted with the task
OF wiping out the ugliest stain Nippons
escutcheon has ever suffered In the
United States, figures he was exactly the
right man on the right program.
- X
r. +. G. Chairman Jesse H. Jones has
only one hobby nearer and dearer to
his heart than scattering dollars for
recovery purposes. It's his interest In
development Of the Texas grapefruit
industry. Florida is still far In the lead
In the output Of that succulent product,
Texas, California and Arizona trailing
in the order named. The banker-states-
mans favorite Christmas gifts to Wash
ington friends, 'Texasweet" grapefruit,
delicious without sugar." are now being
distributed. Somebody asked Jones If
the Lone Star article is having any
trouble competing With It's Florida rival.
ITS just the other way about" replied
Houston's favorite son.
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