Evening star., 1940-12-15
Earnest Note Of Unity
Concludes Evening
OF Gridiron Fun
Rapid Fire Of Satire
Directed at All, but
Ends on Harmony
(Continued From First Page.)

tcontinued From First Page)
q Gridiron Club meeting preceding
the dinner. Lewis Ward Of the New
York Times was elected vice presi-
dent.
Tonight the Gridiron Club
makes its contribution to the cause
Of national unity" President Foote
said before the guests were seated
During the late unpleasantness, by
a series Of strange condolences, 1t
happened that the paths of the
President of the United States and
the Republican candidate did not
cross BY a strange series Of cir
cumstances they will not cross to-
night. The Great Inspector and
the Great Crusader are still more
than II hours apart.
"On one thing" Mr.. Foote con-
tinued there is no division in
America. We are beating our plow-
shares into swords and training our
boys to be soldiers for defense, and
we mean business. In this we stand
united.
Through it all we can still laugh
in America. Just ahead OF us are
a Merry Christmas. Happy New
Year and Much Heavier Taxes"
The dinners entertainment began
with a chorus wearing Ounce caps
representing the White House Order
Of Ounce Caps-singing songs from
earlier shows, each showing how
wide of the mark were the Grid
iron Clubs shots in dinners be-
ginning with 1896.
Democrats As Grid Players.
There followed a Republican skit,
laid before an abandoned Willkie
Club, and where gathered a motley
crew of CRUSADERS" some dressed
in arrnor, some in rags.
The Democrats saw themselves as
football players. and boy and girl
students on the campus Of Old Elec-
toral College. Two old friends
John Garner and John LeWis-met
on the stage at another point. j.
Edgar Hoover of the F. B. I. and
Representative Martin Dies of Texas
figured in another skit; and the
National Defense Advisory Com
mission was shown trying to get an
old broken down jallopy to run again
on simulated gasoline from a
simulated tank.
The two speeches Of the evening
were made by two defeated candi-
dates: Wendell Willkie. unsuccessful
Republican aspirant for the presi-
dency, and Senator Ashurst, Demo-
craD OF Arizona. whose effort to
retain his Senate seat failed. A
parody on Empty Saddles in the
Old Corral marked the introduce
ton Of Senator Ashurst. himself
once q cowboy. Both speeches, in
the tradition of the dinner, we're
off f-the-record.
Music for the dinner was fur
nished. as usual, by the U. S. Marine
Corps Orchestra, led by Capt. Will
liam F. Santelman, who was ini-
tiated as a limited member of the
club.
Marshall Mcneil. Washington cor
respondent for the Houston Press,
was initiated as an active member.
Political Prophecy Hailed.
For years." said an announcer,
opening the dinner program, the
accuracy of the Gridiron Club in
the field of political prophecy has
aroused national admiration. We
open our dinner tonight with a
presentation entitled, The Gridiron
Club Is Always Right. or Uncle
Franklin's Dog House."
Here followed songs used in
dinners going back to 1896, but this
time the chorus wore Ounce caps,
singing:
No third term,
"Theren be no third term"
"ThereW be no third term
And Gridiron faces were no redder
than "Franklin's" when members
revived from the 1887 dinner the
song:
% the merry-go-round broke
down,
"The New Deal hit the ground,
"And Franklin said, Is my face
red?'
when the merry-go-round broke
down."
Excerpts from other accurate"
but nonetheless tuneful songs of
other dinners followed, until the
announcer could stand 1t no longer.
With the broadcast sarcasm he
broke in with
What a record Isn't it wonder
full. We never missed once. Three
cheers for the White House Order
of the Ounce Cap"
And then, to the tune of Farmer
In the Dell" the Ounce capped
chorus burst into:
"Oh, we told you so,
"In prose and song and rhyme,
"The Champ is still the Cham
pion-
1--WE knew it all the time!
I'VE knew it all the time.
"We knew it all the time.
"The Champ is still the Cham
pion.
I'VE knew it all the time!"
A "Simulated Motor"
An old jallopy appeared on the
stage. occupied by Secretaries Stim-
son and Knox, attired in Prince AL
berts and wearing long white
boards; Admiral Stark and Gen.
Marshall in uniforms; Edward Stet-
tinius and William Knudsen, wear
ing overalls, and Donald Nelson,
defense co-ordinator, attired in a
nifty, right out-of the catalogue
suitsA
The jallopy had broken down, and
the master. minds of national de-
tense were concerned about getting
1t running again.
Secretary Knox" said Secretary
Stimson, "I wonder why this dog
gone thing doesn't get anywhere?"
Knox suggested that Gen. Marshall
be assigned to find out, whereupon
the general got out. lifted the hood
and pulled out sign reading EN-
CINE"
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