| Show r NEWS BEHIND I D THE TH E NEWS 1 W Written f for The Telegram By Y Ray Tucker r WASHINGTON William WASHINGTON William Hassett Hassett Hassett Has- Has Hast t sett was vas dragged from the obscurity obscurity obscurity ob ob- ob- ob he really enjoys at the White House when humorous associates associates associates as as- recently inaugurated him himas as acting president of the United States They gave him that title in the absence from Washington of the president and both presidential presidential presidential secretaries secretaries Early and McIntyre And they draped the presidents president's flag behind his chair Bills Bill's regular assignment is to backstop for Mr Early He prepares prepares prepares pre pre- pares holiday proclamations Christmas Thanksgiving etc and performs the research work for presidential speeches He is isone isone isone one of the best customers of the congressional library though op operating operating operating op- op by proxy for F. F D. D R. R A Vermonter by birth and also in his drawl and gangling appearance appear appear- ance anco he was once a famous newspaper newspaper newspaper news news- paper correspondent here He covered the capital in roistering rollicking days clays when illustrious senators adjourned to near-by near oyster palaces as soon as the gavel fell His anecdotes have havea a Chaucerian flavor flavor Instead of getting a statesman on the phone there phone there were few telephones then then then-a a reporter hotfooted hotfooted hotfooted hot hot- footed it to the congressman's favorite saloon or restaurant and was sure to find him in the bar or upstairs eating rooms The system system tem tern had its advantages though Bill recalls that sometimes the politician got so convivial he couldn't tell the story story and and the journalist couldn't write it if it had been told In a concerted movement to defeat de do- feat adoption of the every 30 de 1 Thursday scheme in the coming election conservative California business men and chambers of commerce are flooding the state with burlesque scrip satirizing the pension plan It is a gaily colored piece of paper paper paper pa pa- per resembling a 1 1 bill An certificate it is is issued issued is- is sued by the State of Confusion whose motto is E B pluribus kid- kid dem It is described as illegal tender for private debts and guaranteed to bankrupt you ou and me and everyone else Behind the currency there is on deposit at the end of the rainbow twenty wooden nickels The scrip bears the signatures of Pass de Buck Comptroller and Ham n nl Eggs treasurer Latest reports indicate that the ham eggers' candidates for governor and United States senator sena sena- tor tor Cuthbert Olson and Sheridan Downey may Downey may win but that their currency scheme may be voted down The Democrats are soft pedaling the issue lest it backfire on them tho though gh they hope to corral corral corral cor cor- ral the Townsend vote Frank T. T Bell United States commissioner of fisheries is telling telling telling tell tell- ing fis fish fisi stories the them days das that dont don't make pleasant reading His report on the extinction of freshwater freshwater fresh freshwater water species in the great lakes is almost incredible except to experts Twelve kinds of fish have become become become be be- come so scarce that it is unprofitable unprofitable unprofitable table to fish for them Mr Bell insists that only a an in international international international in- in treaty with Canada involving g the thc eight states bordering bordering bordering border border- ing on these waters aters will save the fisheries from disaster Although new deal establishments establishments establishments establish establish- ments sprawl through every available available available avail avail- able office building private apartment apartment apart apart- ment mont and wealthy home in the downtown section of Washington a capital once woefully overbuilt cannot keep pace with the demand for more room The Roosevelt administration administration administration ad ad- ministration has been a godsend to real estate dealers and owners The shortage has become so acute that the department of commerce commerce com corn merce has had to ask for bids for construction of a special structure to house census takers for 1940 Once the task was a routine routine routine rou rou- tine affair handled by a few supervisors su su supervisors supervisors su- su who directed field workers work work- ers ems the Washington headquarters occupied a corner of a government government government govern govern- ment building But the 1940 canvass canvass canvass can can- vass will be such a gigantic undertaking undertaking un un- un- un that no existing structure structure structure ture will house the nose count count- ers The influx of new dealers clealer has has- also precipitated a boom in residential residential residential resi resi- construction Pat Hurley figures that he will willbe willbe willbe be tarred and feathered he returns to Oklahoma all through no fault of his own A picture magazine recently published a photograph of the former former former for for- mer secretary of war while riding a mechanical horse Pat hysterically hysterically hysterically hys hys- disclaims ims that he has such a secret hobby Born and bred on a horse he denies that he gets exercise on an imitation Copyright 1938 for The Telegram |
