Show l' l I NEWS BEHIND H I N D THE NEWS rS V I I Written it n for tor The he lele telegram r B By Ray lucker WASHINGTON WASHINGTON-It It It was the the new undersecretary of interior Harry Slattery who turned the crank of the motion picture machine machine machine ma ma- chine which first flashed into franklin D. D Roosevelt's mind the dollars cents value of national nation nation- al Sil conservation Mr Slattery was then aligned with Gifford Pinchot Pin- Pin chot chat The year was 1911 and the future president was a member of the New York state senate He sat Satan on the committee which heard arguments for creation creation creation crea crea- tion of a state conservation de de- de As graphic evidence Mr Pinchot showed two movies of a Chinese city as it was 2000 years ago and in 1900 By erosion and storms it had been transfOrmed transformed transformed trans trans- formed from a bustling place hemmed by farms and vineyards into a sunbaked desert Only rats roamed through the ruins that once offered habitation to thousands of peo people le 1 Though Mr Roosevelt campaigned campaigned campaigned cam cam- for the senate on a platform platform platform plat plat- form of standardized d apple barrels barrels barrels bar bar- for state up-state farmers his in interest interest interest in- in terest in agri agriculture and conservation conservation conservation conser conser- had been only casual until this episode Between Mr Slattery's Slattery's Slattery's Slat- Slat tery's good right arm and Mr Pinchot's eloquence he became a convert convert and and the first Democratic president to sweep the agrarian west so unanimously in two national national national na na- na- na elections In naming Mr Slattery to this key post the president brings into his official family one of the most sensible liberals Washington has known for more than 25 years years- the friend of such men as Theadore Theodore Theodore Theo Theo- dore Roosevelt Pinchot Justice Brandeis the late Tom Walsh George W. W Norris Teddy Roosevelt used to josh him as the smiling Irish rebel from South Carolina where he was born Emerging from Georgetown Georgetown Georgetown George George- town university as a lawyer the youngster found government more fascinating than the courtroom r When the first Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson left office he became the the scenes man for Progressives on Capitol hut hilt From 1920 to 1932 he acted as adviser and investigator for those senatorial which helped to change political history Since 1933 he has served as administrative administrative administrative ad ad- secretary to Mr Ickes Unlike predecessor West he is extremely popular on both sides of the aisle in house and senate He has retrieved many lost legislative legislative legislative legis legis- causes for Secretary Ickes and and for President Rosevelt He knows government politics government politics people His promotion with that of John W. W Hanes partially confirms confirms confirms con con- firms Whirligigs Whirligig's prediction that F. F D. D DR R would seek a new type of adviser for the waning years of his second term One of Washington's ablest performers per per- formers formers Assistant Assistant Navy Secretary Secretary Secretary Secre Secre- tary Charles Edison has Edison has a genius for passionless anonymity Though V the son of the famous inventor is bossing an top- top heavy navy department his name appears in the headlines only when he cant can't keep it out Unlike so many predecessors including one who bore an even more illustrious name M Mo Edison refuses to confine himself to routine routine routine rou rou- tine paper work He doesn't sign on the dotted line when gold- gold braided admirals shove orders and memos on his desk thereby permitting permitting permitting per per- them to shunt him aside He wants to know the why and the wherefore He has familiarized familiarized familiarized familiar familiar- himself with ships and sealing sealing sealing seal seal- ing wax so completely that he wrests grudging admiration from the sea deep-sea boys Despite his age and illness Secretary Claude Swanson wont won't quit until he has to It is suspected suspected suspected sus sus- that he wants to hang on as long as that equally young Virginian Vir Vir- ginian Carter ginian-Carter Carter Glass Glass Glass-d does es But when the time part-time chief steps down Mr Edison is sure to step up The writing disease which has afflicted so many illustrious new dealers President dealers President Roosevelt Mrs Roosevelt Wallace Cummings Cummings Cummings Cum- Cum Farley Ickes has Ickes-has has now found a victim below Formen Former Former For For- mer men Head Usher Raymond Muir yearns o make a book of his exciting exciting exciting ex ex- ex- ex citing two years as White House door The late Ike Hoover turned out a best bestseller seHer seller by setting down his experiences but he watched and listened to all presidents from Harrison to Franklin D. D Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt veIL Taking example Mr Muir has apparently kept voluminous notes on what he saw and heard and and who came and went Since shifting to state department protocol protocol protocol pro pro- tocol he has found time to order and reorder his thoughts and he thinks he has the makings of a masterpiece V Presidential Secretary Early didn't offer much encouragement when Mr Muir broached the idea Said Steve Why Ray you'll be lucky if you can get it printed at your own expense But Steve always was a literary killjoy kill kill- joy joy that's that's part of his job In a shabby second-hand second bookstore bookstore bookstore book book- store on a side street at the capital capital capital capi capi- tal several famous statesmen are keeping a rendezvous with literary literary literary liter liter- ary oblivion For this week the browsers' browsers bargain is a a book grandiloquently entitled The Trail of a Tra li- li i- i tion It was written by Arthur Hendrick M. M A. A A.- A. and it sells for 39 cents Thus is fame when you try the wrong game Historian Vanden Vanden- berg is now the senator from Michigan Copyright 1938 for foi The Telegram |