The Wilmington morning star., 1940-01-08
WASHINGTON
DAYBOOK
By PRESTON GROVER

WASHINGTON, Jan. The is a well-fed
belief in washington that the thrilling story
about President Roosevelt choosing Secretary
Hull as his successor was broadcast as part OF
a campaign to save the trade agreements act.
The story blossomed so frequently that the
secretary himself put out a statement framed
to tame the report without actually killing it.
The Hull boomlet grew fast enough that for a
time it looked as il the secretary might be
pushing the trade agreements only to boost
his candidacy.
No situation could be more tragic than that
/. the eyes Of Secretary Hull. He sincerely be-
lieves that his reciprocal trade agreement Is
the sanest influence abroad today, too valuable
to have its life staked altogether upon his
own candidacy.
One Senator Says
One senatorial supporter Of the trade agree.
ment program said the Hull boom was design.
ed to continue in force until congress has ex-
tended the life of the trade agreements act,
which otherwise will expire June II. He
thought it might be "needled' from time to
time by further "leakings' Of inside" infor-
nation" Once the act Is extended, he suspect
ed the Hull boom might be left to carry its
own weight.
The fact that the President devoted a husky
part of his annual message to the trade agree
ment program augmented the belief that every
administration effort would be put forward to
rush the extension Of the act through congress
at any early date.
That would be healthy for the administra-
ton in several respects. 1t would get the
tariff issue out of the way we'll ahead of the
campaign. It is a cockle.burr under the saddle
Of party harmony. Further, it would strength.
en- the hand of the state department in nego-
tiating its latest agreement with Argentina.
That is proving a tough one, toughest Of all,
in some respects. Yet it is the keystone Of the
+roSo ,roh uuhioh tho odrojpj~ atior hnne@ IN
extend over all the Americas.
California Headache
Things are boiling in California over wheth-
er Senator Sheridan (pensioner) Downey or
ex-senator McAdoo is to run the show. Nc
Adoo has the inside track at the White House
but Downey is in the senate, the only demo-
cratic member, and that counts when appoint
ments are to be confirmed.
Downey at present is in virtual rebellion
over patronage. His worst enemies are being
appointed to office and none of his friends get
the nod unless they are Endorsed by McAdoo
also.
Roosevelt appointed Paul r. Leake as customs
collector at San Francisco. In the last cam.
paign Leake opposed both Downey and his
gubernatorial running mate, Culbert l.. olson.
He was Endorsed, however, by McAdoo.
Downey is expected to hold up his con-
firmatlon on the GROUNDS that ne is person.
ally obnoxious to him. In the senate that
counts, as witness the episodes when Senators
Glass and Byrd made the President recall a
Virginia judiciary nomination a year ago.
Only last year Downey had to withdraw
Pierson M. Hall as a candidate for a southern
California district judgeship, because Hall was
personally obnoxious to ex-senator McAdoo.
Downey had to compromise on Campbell E.
Beaumont, who was satisfactory to both OF
them.
Downey labored through the appointment OF
Martin Welsh as federal judge at Sacramento
only, as he sees it, because Welsh also was
acceptable to McAdoo.