WHO’S
NEWS
THIS
WEEK
By LEMUEL F. PARTON
NEW YORK.—England pioneered
the businessman - diplomat—
ahrewdly and effectively, it would
6eem. Many of her best fixers
and negotiators
Beat Fixers throughout the
Have Stake world have been
In Deals men who had a
personal stake In
the outcome of their operations.
They were not disinterested, per
haps, but no more were the tradi
tional diplomats who knew protocol,
perhaps, but nothing about oil.
America followed with Nor
man H. Davis, a financier who
became an effective European
swing man under five Presi
dents, and then came Spruille
Braden, engineer and industrial
ist who was our ambassador-at
large in Latin America until he
became minister to Colombia
last April.
President Roosevelt, agreeing to
act as an arbitrator in the Chaco
dispute, picks Mr. Braden to repre
sent him. In his own private indus
trial diplomacy throughout South
America, the husky and gregarious
Mr. Braden has proved himself an
excellent pacifier and trouble
shooter.
He knows the score in oil, copper,
rubber, minerals, hides and what
not, and this ma
Braden Wise terialized and par
In Latin ticularized diplo
Diplomacy macy has made
him useful in dip
lomatic representations at various
South American conferences. He
has been working on the Chaco set
tlement for the last three years.
In his youth, he did a short turn
in the mines near Elkhom, Mont.,
his native town, and then went to
Yale and became a mining engi
neer.
He was a second-string halfback
at Yale, but a first string engineer
and promoter from the start, elec
trifying Chile for Westinghouse, or
ganizing the Bolivia-Argentina Ex
ploration corporation, branching out
widely in South American develop
ment and finance. He desperately
wanted to be minister to Chile, but
was consoled with Colombia.
He is forty-four years old, re
membered in New York as the
fastest and hardest-working
handball player around Jack
O’Brien’s gymnasium, in which
he combated a tendency to
plumpness, creeping np on him
a bit in late years.
He was married in 1915 to the
beautiful and socially eminent Se
norita Maria Humeres del Solar of
Chile. They have three daughters
and two sons. Their New York res
idence is the former George W. Per
kins estate at Riverdale-on-the-Hud
son.
ft ft ft
CARL J. HAMBRO, burly presi
dent of the Norwegian parlia
ment, is in America for a lecture
tour. There is an interesting cut
back in his career.
Predicted At Geneva, in
Collapse 1927, he staged
Of League a spectacular de
bate with Austen
Chamberlain, in which, speaking for
the small states, he vehemently in
sisted that the league must find a
way to restrain strong aggressors,
or else find itself impotent and dis
credited in a few years.
With equal vehemence, Mr.
Chamberlain proclaimed the
trustworthiness of the strong'
states and their humanitarian
aims. Warning Mr. Hambro
against overt restraints by the
league, he said, “Along that
road lies danger.”
Mh Hambro was the most distin
guished recruit of the Oxford group
movement in 1935, and has since
been a leader of the movement in
Norway.
Returning from a luncheon attend
ed by Dr. Frank Buchman, founder
of the movement, in Geneva, he told
of the mystic exaltation of the com
pany and later announced his ad
herence to the group.
Although a conservative, Mr.
Hambro is the president of the La
bor party of Norway. For many
years, he has been leading the fight
of the smaller nations in the league.
Arriving in New York, he remarks
dryly that Norway is old-fashioned
—she has a surplus in her budget.
€) Consolidated News Features.
WNU Service.
Platinum Once of No Value
Old prospectors like to tell how
they picked “native lead” out of
their pans and sluiceboxes, and
what they said as they threw it
away. They are still saying things,
for this much despised substance
was actually platinum, which had
little value years ago. Counterfeit
ers used it extensively because of
its heavy weight, and gold-plated
platinum coins are still in existence.
In 1828-45 Nicholas I of Russia is
sued platinum 3, 6 and 12 rouble
pieces that are highly prized by the
coin collecting fraternity.—Detroit
Coin Club.
Jap-Russ War—G. 0. P. Principles—Medical Trust?
1—Warfare on the Siberian-Manchurian frontier has resulted in bloody encounters between the armies of
Japan and Soviet Russia. Soldiers of the Mikado such as these have engaged the Red forces. 2-Formulation
of principles for the guidance of the Republican party are discussed at a Chicago meeting of the program
committee* of which Dr Glenn Frank, left, John D. M. Hamilton and Col. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., are mem
hers™ Dr Irvin”Abel, president of th* American Medical association, now the target of a C. S. depart
ment of justice investigation to determine whether “organized medicine” has violated antitrust laws in oppos
ing co-operative health societies.
BABE’S RIVAL
Threatening to surpass the great
Babe Ruth’s record of 60 home runs
set in 1927, Bank Greenberg, the
slugging Detroit Tigers’ first base
man, is already well ahead of the
pace set by the Babe in the year of
his greatest glory.
Typical American Girl
Meet Miss Frances Donelon who has been chosen as the "Typical
American Girl” following a nation-wide poll on the ten most beautiful and
popular artists’ and photographers* models. She is shown relaxing on
the sands at Atlantic City.
Travel in Fair Style
Sitting pretty in the ricksha is Zoe Dell Lantis, model for the 1939
Golden Gate International exposition at San Francisco, Calif., as Roth
Peterson, another exposition beanty, takes her for a spin around Treasure
island, site of the world’s fair of the West.
CZECH MEDIATOR
Viscount Runciman, former presi
dent of the British Board of Trade,
who as an official mediator is at
tempting to avert an open break be
tween Germany and Czechoslovakia
over the Sudeten problem. The Brit
ish emissary has urged the Czech
government to make further con
cessions to the Sudeten German
population.
82-Year-Old Watchman Father of 26th Child
. ■ i mi— mii'"t i him wn i'
George Boarman, eighty-two-year-old Washington, D. C., watchman, with his |wenty-one-year-old wife anc
their newly born son. Mr. Boarman, who has been married three times, is the father of 25 other childre ,
of whom are living.
MrnekmrfM WaMtwfrm Wyrt
MIXTURE OF RELIEF CASH
AND POLITICS DANGEROUS
Candidates’ Methods of Influencing Voters Scored
by Washington Observer; Suggests Return to
Flection of Senators by Legislatures
By WILLIAM BRUCKART
WNU Service, Netioeel JPreee Bid*., Weehledton, D. C.
WASHINGTON. — I had finished
reading my evening paper a few
nights ago when I found myself
quite down in the dumps. The news
of the day was disturbing. It was
vicious news in its implications.
There was so much of it that was
disturbing that I could not help won
dering where we, as a people, are
headed.
On page one, there was an ac
count of the bitter factional fight
within the Democratic ranks in Ten
nessee. Sen. George Berry was
seeking re-election—rather, renomi
nation—and Senator McKellar, his
colleague, was fighting tooth and
nail to prevent it. Party control in
the state was the objective, and
Marshall’! Apology
Thomas R. Marshall, Vice
President of the United States
in the Wilson administration,
once said: “I have only one
apology that f know of to make
for my political life. I apolo
gise to the American people
for hating been in fator of the
election of United States sen
ators by the people.” There,
thinks William Bruckart, is
the key to today’s problem.
Let state legislators pick U. S.
senators, he says, and we’ll be
rid of the demagogue who is
elected by his ability to prom
ise more than the opposition.
there were countless charges of the
use of money, fedeial relief money,
state payroll money, other money.
TTiere was, likewise, a fight going
on next door. In Kentucky, Gov.
“Happy” Chandler was seeking the
Democratic nomination to the sen*
ate and Sen. “Dear Alben" Barkley
wanted to be renominated and re
elected. Also, the New Dealers in
Washington, from President Roose
velt on down wanted Senator Bark
ley sent back, and the President had
gone into Kentucky to tell the vot
ers of his views. Again: money,
federal relief money, state payroll
money, charges of attempted trades
of federal judgeships so that there
would not have tc be a bitter pri
mary fight like that which came.
Mr. Hopkins’ Idea on Relief
Votes Backfires
Here in Washington, there was
the greatest spender of all time, Mr.
Harry Hopkins, head of the Works
Progress administration and profes
sional reliever of destitute persons
whether they are politicians or the
poor, popping off another idea. Mr.
Hopkins was saying that 90 per cent
of the relief clients would vote for
President Roosevelt for a third
term. It was a statement that im
mediately caused a backfire from
Capitol Hill where Senator Sheppard
of Texas was saying as chairman of
the committee investigating the use
of relief money in politics, that there
must be something done about such
methods of influencing voters.
In another place, I read how Gov
ernor Earle of Pennsylvania was
calling the state legislature into spe
cial session there to enact laws that
would prevent a grand jury from in
vestigating some of the governor’s
acts. The call for the special ses
sion had been preceded, of course,
by a terrific political fight over the
Democratic nomination for United
States senator in Pennsylvania,
which was won by Governor Earle.
The governor preferred to have the
investigating done by members of
the state legislature, if there was to
be an inquiry, rather than by an in
dependent group. The only way to
prevent it was by a law taking away
the authority of the courts and the
grand jury.
There were other states involved,
toe. Senator McAdoo, who is seek
ing renomination aa the Democratic
senatorial candidate in California,
was under fire. Some of his cam
paigners, it was charged, were us
ing coercion as well as federal re
lief funds, while out in South Dakota
opponents of Governor Berry, now
the Democratic nominee for the
United States senate, were bringing
forth a new set of charges. They
informed the senate committee here
that the Farm Security administra
tion in South Dakota had been send
ing out a press release that bad
nice things to say about Governor
Berry. The press release was two
years old, of course, but the FSA
was mailing out many of them to
voters—and paying no postage on
them. It was another case of using
the franking privilege, said the ac
cusers.
Politic* Hit* New Low With
No Change in Sight
It was enough to make one sick at
the stomach; here was politics in a
new quegmire, and no signs to in
dicate that it is not a permanent
condition. What, I thought, is go
ing to be the type of men owning in
to the United States senate with such
background as these stories indi
cated?
And then, rawer in aisgust with '
the whole thing, I turned to a new
book. The volume is titled "Nota
ble Virginia Bar Addresses."
Among the 27 speeches listed
there, I decided to read that by the
late Thomas R. Marshall. His ad
dress, like all of the others, was in
tended to preach good government
and the obligations of the lawyer as
well as the layman. In reading that
speech, I came across this passage:
“I have only one apology that I
know of to make for my political
life. I apologize to the American
people for having been in favor of
the election of United States sena
tors by the people. My reason for it
was different from the reason of
many men. I had gotten tired of
voting for some old rum-nosed Dem
ocrat for the legislature in Indiana
because a United States senator de
pended on him for election; and I
thought that I could raise the grade
of legislators in Indiana by letting
the people elect the United States
senators. Now, it was an altruistic
movement to make that change in
the organic law of the United States;
but, ladies and gentlemen, when it
has resulted in the spending of half
a million dollars to elect a senator,
I want to know if the old fashioned
government would not have been
better.”
Answer to Today’s Problem
Gwen In 1920
And right there, I believe, is the
guts of the present day problem.
Mr. Marshall had held many elec
tive offices and the speech from
which I quoted the above passage
was made while he was vice presKJ
dent of the United States. He was ’
an observer and a student of poli
tics. He saw in 1920 where we, as
a people, were going and I have no
doubt that he could have predicted
exactly the set of circumstances we
are meeting now.
When Senator Norris of Nebraska,
once a Republican, then a Demo
crat, and now labeled as something
else, drove the constitutional amend
ment through congress and cleared
the way for direct election of Unit
ed States senators, he accomplished
two things. (1) He made it possi
ble for the purest type of dema
gogue to win elections by his ability
to “promise’' mere than the opposi
tion, rewards, political patronage,
pork barrel returns to the state and
(2) he assured that vast sums of
money can—indeed, must be—used
to influence elections. And, in am
plification of the second item, he
made it possible for any administra
tion, any dominant party, is con
trol of the federal government to
build up national and state ma
chines jointly by using federal money.
Too Many Senators Out for
Greatest Amount of Swag
I grant that corporations, "vested 1
interests,” formerly had too much J
to say about the election of United
States senators by state legislatures.
But of the_iwo, I have oome to the
conclusion that we had a better na
tional administration and particular
ly a better senate under that condi
tion than under the system where
every voter casts a ballot directly
for a United States senatorial nom
inee. That is why 75 per cent of
the present senate members are
nothing more or less than salesmen
who are trying to collect for their
states the greatest amount of swag
which they can put over with their
brother senators. That is why, too,
day after day, we have watched
cliques formed and trading done
over legislation in the senate. The
senators either are trying to make
good on demagogic promises or they
are building a storehouse to be used
in the next campaign.
Senator Norris may have thought
he was performing a great service
to the American people and he may
have felt that he was building a
monument for his name, but I am
firmly convinced he did quite the
contrary. For, be it known, were it
not for Mr. Norris’ monumental
amendment to the Constitution of
the United States there could hardly
oe such an outrage committed as
that by Mr. Hopkins. It must be
remembered that Mr. Hopkins nev
er was elected; he is an appointee J
of the President of the United States
and is responsible to him alone. So
when Mr. Hopkins flirts with a state
electorate, there can be no other
interpretation placed upon his ac
tion than that he is using the influ
ence available as a result of his did
tatorship over relief distribution.
It all depends, of course, upon
how one views the functions and
purposes of the United States sen
ate. If, one wants the senate to be
just a glorified house of representa
tives, able to maintain itself solely
on what pap it is able to li
the laps of voters—then, we
to keep the present system. If,
ever, one believes as I do that the
senate is comprised, or should be,
of'senators of the United States in
stead of senators of a state variety
unconcerned with the Union of
states, then there could well be re
peal of the amendment
• Wtatrn Nmpw« VtOom.