The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-02-28

or guest President of the United States. Some say it will brand him with the name once applied to Rube Goldberg's comic strip Boob" McNutt.
 But one thing is obvious. You can't call McNutt a piker. His debut to Washington was one of the most audacious moves in political history. He was like the boy who dodges eggs at the coun- try fair. Almost everyone who came to his party was there to eat, drink and scof at the honor guest.
 Seldom have so many social scavengers hOvered around the refreshment table ready to find fault. Seldom have so many social columniStS j0tted down the gateau mille feuilles, the patisserie viennoise, the vol au vent fin de siecle and every other fancy name sure to house resentment out in the wide open spaces.
 There was no doubt about it, Paul V. was on the spot-and on the spot purely by his own choosing.
 Political Suicide, Or?
 AS rule it is criminal tactics for a campaign manager to bring out a candidate more than eight months before a convention. The farther ahead he comes out, the more people can fire at him. Usually such an early debut is political suicide.
 McNutt managers, however, claim that in Indiana babies are born discussing politics. And perhaps they are right.
 Already it is apparent that 1940 will see the bitterest fight within the Democratic Party since Al Smith and McAdoo split it wide open in the 1924 New York convention. Already the line is beginning to form on the right with the reactionary died-in-the- wool Democrats of Jack Garner, or on the left with the New Deal progreSsiveS of Franklin Roose- welt.
 So what could be more natural in any deadlock than compromis- ing upon a good fashioned Democrat, who is progressive enough to suit the New Dealers?
 There you are, ladies and gentlemen! Step right up and take good luck at Paul V. Me- Mutt!
 Funny thing is it may work. Last weeks social brawl was a big risk-but after all, McNutt made the first page of every paper in the country. And in poli- tics nobody gets anywhere by keeping his candle under bushel. Restless Ambassador
 During the first year that Joe Davies was ambassador to Rus sia, he was absent from the Soviet capital 199 days. Of these 89 days were counted as on off, clal business, while 110 were counted as leave without pay.
 The State Department gave this information to Representative Robert Bacon staunch New York Republican, who complained that Eff it is important enough for us to have an Ambassador at Mos COW, it is important enough to have him stay at his pest"
 NOTE-Davies' salary, as an ambassador, is $17,500 Foreign clerks employed by the State De- partment for some American en- baSsies and legations receive as low at $180 per year.
 Budding Congressman
 William E. Dodd, Jr., son of the Nazi-hattng ex-ambassador to Germany, will run for the Con- gressional seat now held by How ard Worth Smith, arch-conserva- tive Democrat from Virginia.
 Young DOdd, who is only 8, is as vigorous foe of Fascism as his father, and served as his fathers secretary in Berlin for more than two years.
 Despite his cosmopo.itan back ground, Dodd has deep roots in Virginia, factor of importance in his campaign against Smith. was born in Ashland, near Rich mond, and his home since 1913 has been on a farm at Round Hill, near Leesburg.
 Dodd's opponent resembles Sherlock Holmes without the fore and-aft cap, and was one of the five southern Democrats on the Rules Committee who ignored in tense administration pressure and refused to report a rule under which the Wage-Hour Bill could be debated in the special session of Congress.
 Oregon Senator