Evening star., 1938-04-11

server in the Capital is convinced that
the Presidents reverSeS indubitably fore
shadow heavy party losses in November.
On just how serious these prove to be
depends the question whether off-year
defeat for the party in power means loss
of national control at the ensuing presi-
Dental election. Some light on all this
should be thrown by the poll which
NewSweek is now making among the
leading Washington newspaper corre-
spondents. They are being asked O,
on the basis of present indications. to
prophesy how the next House and Sen
ate will be divided, and 90, to indicate
in the order of Importance which of
three factors-recession, natural mid
term swing from the administration, and
''dictatorial' moves is likely to be most
important in influencing a change in
party strength.
One of the highly significant signs of
the stirring political times is the re-
surgence of Herbert Hoover's popular
ity. The movie theater newsreels are
symptomatic. Nowadays it's the Cali
fornian's picture which is cheered and
President Roosevelts which is frequently
received in silence. His Washington
friends hear that Hoover is likely from
now on to make good many public ad-
dresses, by radio and otherwise. He de-
MED, in his latest speech. at San Fran
cisco last Friday night, that he's getting
any malicious JOY out of the depression
and political misfortunes which've over
taken his White House successor, but
he'd be little less than human if he
weren't deriving just wee bit of inner
satisfaction-to put it mildly-over the
evil days which have come upon the out
fit which planned things that way"
Hoover as G. o. P. standard bearer in
1910 is no longer joke.
x X X
While the Democrats in Congress were
wandering in the opposition Wilderness
Senator Pat Harrisons favorite role was
that of minority gadfly. Gleefully and
regularly it became his agreeable duty to
sting the G. o. P. The Mississippian re-
turned to his former pastime the other
day during his tilt with Senators Lodge
and Vandenberg over the social security
tax. Recalling the Republicans elev-
enth-hour attempt in 1886 to besmirch
the Social Security Act, which turned
cut to be a Landon boomerang, Pat,
switching to his famed ironical accents,
remarked: We're now hearing this
same sort of thing from other sources,
perhaps from some would-be presi-
Dental candidates, perhaps from some
near candidates, but, at any rate, from
persons who would like to destroy this
great humanitarian system" Lodge
and Vandenberg are both Republican
white hopes.
Not many humble soldiers in the ranks
of Federal workers, civil service and
otherwise, ever gain the distinction of
getting their names into the Congress
sional Record. Every solitary employe
Of the National Bituminous Coal Com
mission made that grade on April 6. In
the course of the Holt-Minton alteration
in the Senate over Coal Commission
patronage, there was introduced into
the Record a complete list Of every man
and woman on its pay roll, with the
salaries they get. from Chairman Hos
ford down to the loWest-grade clerk
typist.
Get a load of this. The one Govern
ment department in Washington, ap-
parently, in which it's impossible to
transmit communication is the Federal
Communications Commission. This OBJ
server, at least, has just had the expert
ence Of trying to telephone an official
over there and being told by the switch
board nymph that "the party isn't in,"
and 'its against the rule here to de-
liver messages in response to a
request that "the party" be informed
Of the call.
(copyrtsht. 1sssJ