The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-10-24

He is in personal contact with the group practically every day, via long distance telephone con verSations with Senator Bennett Clark of Missouri, their chief Democratic adherent. Moley of- ten calls Clark off the Senate floor and confers with him over one of the phones in the Demo- cratic cloakroom.
 Secret aim of isolationist stra. tegy is to stall Senate action un- til they have exhausted every means of pressure to line up House votes. They know they are licked in the Senate, but believe they have g good chance to win in the House. x. Z
 Privately, more than one Ad-
 ministration leader agrees with
 them. A secret poll of repre-
 sentatives last week showed .
 majority of less than fifteen for
 repeal of the embargo. This Is
 too close a margin for safety on
 so important an issue, and
 among themselves the Admin
 istrationites are worried.
 At last Thursdays Cabinet meet ing, Vice President Garner ex- pressed the opinion that the Sen- ate isolationists were conducting secret filibuster and urged that the whip be applied to speed up action. He warned that every day gained by the opposition gave them that much more time to put the heat on House members. Z. HULL AND THE PRESS
 A press conference with the President is likely to be bolster ous, but across the street in the State Department, the confer ences held daily by Secretary Hull are solemn affairs,
 Hull stands behind a high backed chair at the end of table, his long fingers hanging Imply down, his head bowed and his eyes downcaSt. He has all the appearance of a pastor about to lead his flock in prayer.
 He is friendly and sweet-ten- pered, and his replies to questions, though seldom newsworthy, are given with disarming courtesy. When a question Is asked, he raises his blue eyes in a glance that is almost tender.
 Every newsman who attend these daily conferences likes. ."the old man." but everyone wishes he were less devoted to the twin gods of caution and dignity. They all feel like the news photographers who came to the Department re- gently to take Hull's picture As the cameraman entered the room, he sighed longingly and said un- der his breath, Gosh, if there : was only some way I could make the old man smile!" MERRY GO ROUND y.
 The Special Division created by State Department to care for U S. citizens stranded abroad is gradually liquidating its work Some, officials, pulled in from abroad for this duty in Wash ington, are being returned to their posts .. When British Ann- bassador Lothiain calls on Secre- tary Hull, he declines to check his hat in the diplomatic reception room, leaves 1t on messengers table just outside Hull'S door-Sc he. can make a quick getaway when the call is over :. One of Washington's hardest workers these days is Milo Perkins, boss of the stamp plan for distribution of surplus foods. PERKINS POLITICS ,s
 Root of all the trouble in the E Wage Hour. Administration is just one person Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins.
 To begin with. she alone was responsible for the selection ot busted Administrator Elmer An drews, who should never have been named. He ,is a kindly and well-intentioned man, but the joh was just too much for him. He had neither the experience i1oi the heft to swing it-- as Miss Perkins was warned. But she urged him on the President and he took her advice.
 Then when Andrews, .prodded by several able assistants. did try to do something. his hatlds Invariably were tied by red-tapt bureaucrats in Miss 5 Perkins de partmept.
 One of the most active of
 these .undercover axers was Per-
 sonal Director Robert C. Smith,
 . permanent civil service en,ploys who constantly wrsnglsd with