The Wilmington morning star., 1940-04-17
WASHINGTON
DAYBOOK
BY JACK

WASE1N1IoN, April 10. representative
Martin Dies gave a party the other day-and
nobody came. Congress- No. / smeller-outer of
subversive propaganda had an uncle from
Texas in town and was showing him the
sights.
On Saturday, when all is ordinarily quiet
and peaceful here, Mr.. Dies spread word
among the boys in the house press gallery that
he was having a little luncheon at the May.
flower. There would be steaks and liquids and
things. Mr.. Dies was not going to make any
important announcement, it was said-but who
knows what will pop out at a party given by
Mr.. Dies? And besides there would be Mr..
Dies uncle and just to show Uncle that Mr..
Dies had the situation well in hand, there
might be a word or two of Importance.
Under such circumstances, Mr.. Dies no
doubt should have gotten a good turnout.
Uncle could have told the folks back home in
Texas just how solidly Mr.. Dies was in with
the Washington press.
But Howard w. Smith, Virginia-the old
meanie-threw a curve to Mr.. Dies. Mr..
Smiths house labor committee came through
just at high noon with a big story on their
NLRB recommendations-and if there was a
man in the house press gallery that had
lunch that day, it was graham crackers and
milk about 3 p. m.
Now do you know why MIR. Dies gave a
party and nobody came?
I'm still wondering what he told Uncle.
Speaking of parties, Representative Foster
Stearns of New Hampshire and Mrs. Stearns
gave a tea the other day and although you
couldn't count the guests, there wasn't a
democrat in the whole kaboodle. Which may
show which way the republicans around here
THINK the 1910 political wind is blowing.
The Federal Communications commission
gets the darnedest requests. A New England
er wants it to put a ban on war songs. A
Pennsylvania objects to kiddie serials using
the terms ~'Injuns' and "Redskins." (What
are you listening to those things for anyway,
MisterD An Ohioan says radio shouldn't pay
any attention to daylight saving. An Illinois
listener wants a ban on cooking recipes that
cook up into a mess. A New Yorker says a
certain religious program offends him. A
woman in Massachusetts says she's been
cleaning her teeth with a certain tooth paste
for weeks and that the radio commercial is
all a lie. An Indiana happie says that as.
t%rological stuff on the radio gives him a pain
in the neck. A Philadelphia brother wants all
old jokes put on the blacklist. Care you
comedians listening0
The C couldn't correct any one of these
things if 1t wanted to. If YOU have radio
complaints (and who hasn't?) make them to
your local station or to the chains.
While we are on the subject of words and
phrases in the ether, can any one give me a
catch-phrase for ''SSSS'? Those are the ma
rine radio call letters, used since the begin.
ming of the war, to mean just the opposite of
sos "SSSS" means stay away from us"
and generally is used when a ship spots a
submarine in the offing and doesn't want to
%endanger sister ships. But no one yet has been
able to figure out a catch phrase that will
make the letters as we'll known as "SOS."
Here's how jittery the silence Of President
Roosevelt about his third-term plans has made
the state politicians In 81 states, the dates
for the democratic state conventions have not
even been set, although it's nearing the point
when you can count the weeks to the ma
tional convention on your fingers.
Out of the q states in which dates have
been set, there are Is in which the dates are
set by law. In other words, in only y states
have the democrats had courage even to plan
their conventions without knowing what the
President is going to do. The point is, you
can't climb on a bandwagon until you see one.
And what state politicians fear most is getting
on the wrong cart.