Evening star., 1938-01-07
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE,

only holsters the ailing Roosevelt cause
in the Senate but increases the growing
phalanx of World War veterans there.
He had two years of active service as
buck infantry private in 1918. The
Senator-el other distinctions in
clude Phi Beta Kappa key.
New diplomatic appointments turn out
to be about as expected, with the excep-
tion of the shelving of Hugh Gibson, now
Ambassador TO Belgium 1t was thought
he might be offered the assistant secre-
taryship of state. vacated by Hugh Will
sons appointment as Ambassador to
Germany. But evidently Gibson's record
as buddy of Herbert Hoover proved
an insurmountable handicap to the bril-
liant career man. When he retires next
summer, Gibson will have completed ex-
actly 80 years in the foreign service in
Guiding duty in a dozen different coun-
tries and major assignments in the
State Department. BritonS and Belgians
cherish his name in grateful regard be-
cause OF his heroic attempts to save the
life OF Nurse Edith Cavell in 1914.
y
Oratory had field day in the Senate
W1lCIl COlACdSuCS VII UOIll SlOCo VI Vic
chamber Wed in tributes to Carter Glass.
None was more eloquent than Senator
Barkley's panegyric. In the midst Of
it, the Democratic majority leader, just
turned threescore, observed that he's now
in position to supplement the theory
that life begins at 40 by saying that 1t
begins at so, while Glass, the Kentuckian
added. happily can say that life begins
lid; I-A
veteran Virginian, Barkley quoted from
Christopher Marlowe's Faustus: Stand
still, you ever-moving spheres of heaven,
that time may cease and midnight never
come"
Government leaders concerned with
national defense problems rejoice over
recent signs that pacifism is losing
ground on the campuses Of American
colleges and universities. A year ago the
celebrated oxford pledge not to 60 to
war "for King or country" was formally
indorsed> by American student organi-
cations. Last week the National Student
Federation Convention at Albuquerque
and the American Student Union Con-
vention at Vassar College almost stimuli
taneously rescinded the feather
China are tending to make our young
"collegiates" look more realistically upon
questions Of peace and war. The altered
viewpoint finds expression in the report
submitted to the Vassar meeting to the
effect that the fundamental policy Of
the Student Union must be re-examined
in the light of altered circumstances"
++*
Simon Michelet, indefatigable presi-
dent of the National -Out-the Vote
Club, has just launched Nationwide
campaign of election and registration
reforms. It comedies with the start OF
the regular session of Congress and
meetings Of II State Legislatures this
month. Most States will elect new Leg
islatures in 1898. Among the objectives
Michelet is pursuing are I'd repeal OF
the poll tax as prerequisite of the right
to vote-a relic Of barbarism," as it was
once termed by Prof. Ely Of Johns Hop
kins, and only retained anywhere on
earth by seven American States; ca bal
lot reform through elimination OF the
Electoral College and of emblems like
ROSTERS and eagles at the top OF the
ballot and adoption of shorter and SIM
pier ballots; 60 universal employment
of the automatic voting machine; 90
reduction of the registration system to
some standard of national uniformity,
and 90 prompter canvasslng and re-
porting of election returns.
At recent Washington dinner party q