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Show j WASHINGTON I NEWS LETTER j ! By Special Correspondent i t Last week's scorching heat in the Nation's Capital reduced all effort to a minimum; and political circles reacted re-acted as did everyone else to the inertia in-ertia of the moment. It seemed scarcely possible that a political campaign cam-paign betweeen two great . national parties was really in action. Literally, Liter-ally, nothing significant broke in any quarter. The President retired to his Virginia mountain camp for the holiday. holi-day. His Secretary of Interior, Ray Lyman Wilbur visited him there, but nothing of an official nature was given giv-en out as a result of the conference, if conference it was, although Mr. Wilbur had just returned from a two month tour of the West, where he undoubtedly investigated political and business conditions. While this pleasant little visit between be-tween the Chief Executive and Mr. Wilbur was taking place in a sylvan retreat, another member of Mr. Hoover's official family was out celebrating cele-brating Labor Day in a big way by making .two speeches on the subject. This was William N. Doak, Secretary bf Labor, who incidentally celebrated his own birthday in this wise. It is interesting to discover that as Mr. Doak was bom fifty years ago last Monday, so the institution of Labor Day came into existence in Septem-. ber 1882. This would seem to some, who point to heavenly signs,' as making mak-ing Mr. Doak especially fitted to preside pre-side over the destinies of Labor. Another An-other interesting angle develoving from this discovery is the fact that the present holder of the title is the first native-born Secretary of Labor the United States has ever had. His predecessors, William Wilson, under President Wilson's regime and James Daws, come from Scotland and Wales Wal-es respectively. Those who run may also read something interesting in the nomination nomina-tion last week of Tallant Tubbs of California for the Senatorial seat, lately occupied by Senator Short-ridge, Short-ridge, who went down to defeat. Mr. bbs is a vigorous "wet," it will be significant to point out. He runs against William Gibbs McAdoo as the Democratic nominee and he has one other not-to-be-taken-lightly op-onent op-onent in the person of the Reverend Shuler the Prohibition candidate. The wiseacres contend that despite all this, it looks like a strong Republican Republi-can victory for Mr. Tubbs and the party. Which indicates also, it ds believed, be-lieved, that California is almost certain cer-tain to go for President Hoover in the presidential elections next nov-emlber. nov-emlber. Due to Mr. Hoover's indefatigable efforts and as an aftermath of the famous White House financial conference con-ference a week or more ago, banks and banking continue to occupy first place in . the public eye and public thought. The new Home Loan Bank system received a new blood stream last week when- the U. S. Building and Loan Leag-ue in the closing session ses-sion of its fortieth annual convention at French Lick pledged cooperation of the Home Loan system. Ward B. Whitlock, elected president of the League at the same session, issued a triumphant challenge to pessimism when he declared "the end of the depression de-pression for people with money invested in-vested in home and home mortgages is near at hand." Meanwhile the stress and strain of putting a nation financially on its feet is beginning to tell and the first casualty is President Charles Addison Addi-son Miller of the Reconstruction Finance Fin-ance Corporation, who is in hospital in Washngton in need of rest and repairs. re-pairs. Mr. Miller, it will be remembered, remem-bered, is known as the dean of the savings bankers in New York State. Only last week he laid down the presidency pre-sidency of the Savings Bank of Uti-ca, Uti-ca, New York, where he had held office of-fice for twenty-five years and where for thirty-eight years he was trustee and counsel for the institution. He served his almost lifelong connection for the sake of his new post on the Reconstruction Finance Corporation after the Attorney General's decision that no officer of the R. F. C. may receive compensation from a private corporation, thus showing his loyalty and devotion to a cause which is close to Presdent Hoover's heart and thus demonstrating the calibre of the man who has put aside self-interest to serve hs country in its hour of financial finan-cial crisis. ! Washington is agog this week over the rumor that Henry L. Stmson, who has effectvely guided Mr. Hoover's Hoov-er's ship of State will resign his portfolio port-folio on March 4, 193S, irrespective of his Chief's victory or defeat at the political polls in November. The rumor ru-mor was first given publicty in a privately pri-vately circulated political news magazine, mag-azine, but according to friends and self-styled confidents of Mr. Stimson it would seem not to be without foundation. foun-dation. It is understood that basic questions of American foreign policy are the points at issue in Mr. Stim-son's Stim-son's rumored decision and since he and the President have repeatedly been unable to see eye to eye in this matter, the Secretary has decided to follow into exile a number of other distingushed men who made up Mr. Hoovsr's original cabir.tt. |