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Show SEEN and HEARD around tfie py& NATIONAL CAPITAL J, By Carter Field FAMOUS WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT Washington. Tammany Hall, so vital to any plan for carrying New York for Franklin D. Roosevelt next year, has not the slightest reason at the present moment for desiring desir-ing the President's continuance In office. It has gotten so little patronage pa-tronage that It is Inconsequential. On the contrary, most Tammany leaders feel that it was Roosevelt and James A. Farley who were responsible re-sponsible for Tammany's not having hav-ing the tremendous New York city patronage at the present moment. For It was a Roosevelt lieutenant. Joseph V. McKee, who ran with the tacit blessing of the White House and the more open support of Farley for Mayor on an independent inde-pendent ticket, thus bringing about me election or aiayor tuoreno n. La Gnnrdia. And the President has been almost as friendly with I.a Guardia since the latter's election as he has with certain other Republican Repub-lican Progressives, notably Senator Robert M. I.a Follette. Even tills is not all that Roosevelt Roose-velt and Farley have done to Tarn many. When Roosevelt was governor gov-ernor he went after the administration administra-tion of Mayor James J. Walker, aided in its being shown up in spectacular spec-tacular fashion, and finally forced Jimmy Walker out. Tammany never held this against Roosevelt. Its leaders are always practical. They knew there was nothing else Roosevelt could do, unless un-less he abandoned all hope of becoming be-coming President. They knew that to pick a fight with Tammany has always been good national politics. And besides, while many of them were sorry personally about Jimmy Walker, they put their own man In - VTnayor, and the Hall continued to flourish. But It must be remembered that for the two years preceding this. Tammany had been deprived of any share of state patronage. Tammany rather expected this of a Presidential candidate, but when Roosevelt's protege, Herbert H. Lehman, continued to starve the tiger, ti-ger, despite the fact that Al Smith had supported Lehman, the griev ance began to grow. This would have made no difference differ-ence If it had not been for the La Guardia election, which left Tammany without federal, state or city Jobs to dispense, in fact, at 'the lowest ebb of its power since the Civil war. Always Dangerous But that does not mean that Tammany will be weak in the next election. By no means! If the record rec-ord of past campaigns is a safe guide, Tammany when furthest from the patronage trough, Is always al-ways the most dangerous. Nor is this due to desperation, or to the idea of fighting with one's back to the wall. It involves other elements ele-ments which very few people out In the country, to whom the very word "Tammany" is one of opprobrium, oppro-brium, understand. Rut It Is a tiling which a very brief conversation conversa-tion with any old New Yorker will confirm. The point Is that when Tammany Is in power at the city hall everything every-thing that goes wrong is blamed on the Wigwam. Iiy the same token, when Tammany is not in power at the city hall, everything that happens which does not appeal to the voters is an asset for Tammany. Tam-many. Moreover, and this will surprise folks west of the Mississippi especially, espe-cially, most people who have lived In New York for a few years, and nave nau a cnance to contrast us administration with that of other cities, believe solemnly, whether right or wrong, that the taxpayer In New Tork gets more for his money than do the taxpayers of most other cities in the United States., The writer is not attempting a statement of the merit or lack of merit of this contention. He Is stating a political fact, which can be easily demonstrated by a few conversations with New Yorkers on your next visit to the metropolis. Hope for Bonus Payment of the uonus in full not long after congress meets In January, while not a certainty, Is considered at least probable. Pres- ldent Roosevelt has made no def- m-" ' Inlte commitments, despite the fact that certain American Legion lend ers have been giving that Impression. Impres-sion. No one really doubts that he will again veto the measure. The change In the situation as compared to last session Is that the President Presi-dent Is not expected to turn on anything any-thing like the heat to prevent his veto from being overriden that he did last time. Wlihont so much Presidential pressure, congressional experts say. there Is not much doubt that the eennie will follow the house In overriding the Chief Executive's dis approval. In fact, this theory Is commonly accepted in congressional as well as I.oelon circles In short, ofliclnl Washington believes the ho. nus will be passed months before the national conventions meet In June. Bonus politics Is one of the queer exceptions to general rules. It has come to be generally accepted that It does not hurt a President to oppose bonus payments. But Just as generally It Is believed that voting against anything the soldiers sol-diers want is little short of suicide sui-cide for a senator or member of the house. This theory may or may not be accurate. It has never been adequately ade-quately tested. But. whether opposing the bonus contributed or not, the senators and members of the house who attempted attempt-ed to stand by Presidents in opposing oppos-ing the bonus were killed off hv their electorates one after another. Curious Complication There Is another curious complication compli-cation to the present situation. Several Sev-eral senators are known to have told the bonus lobbyists that they would vote to override President Roosevelt's veto if that one additional addi-tional vote would put it over. This is not just patter by the lobbyists. Two senators, whose names the writer is not permitted to mention, have confirmed such reports. They told bonus workers later that If It could be demonstrated next time that one more vote would do the trick, they would produce. At least two such senators, telling tell-ing about It afterward, said they would probably have to "vote with the boys" next time, adding that it is always the last vote before election elec-tion that counts. Both senators in question are coming up for re-election next fall, and both are expected ex-pected to have hard fights. By making that halfway pledge they removed in advance any grounds for the Legion leaders making any drive against them. In fact, both fully expect to vote for the bonus next time, and for the bonus bo-nus to pass over the Roosevelt veto, thus eliminating any possibility of repercussions for them at the polls. But last time they did not feel strong enough to risk the Presi dent's ire when he bore down od them to sustain the veto. They were interested in bits of that $4,-000,000,000 $4,-000,000,000 work relief, for instance. in-stance. Not to mention several other possibilities of Presidential favor or disfavor. Next time, the understanding on Capitol Hill is, there will be no threats from the White House, not even implied ones. Morgenthau's Trip Rumors persist that the trip ol Secretary of the Treasury Morgen-thau Morgen-thau to Europe is uot just a pleasure pleas-ure excursion, despite Ids emphatic emphat-ic insistence. Silver senators especially espe-cially attach far more significance to it. They insist he is seeking an international agreement tor the re-nioniiizatiou re-nioniiizatiou of the white metal. They point out that more than usual pains were taken to hide the recent conference between Mr. Mor-geuthau Mor-geuthau and Montagu Norman, famous fa-mous and mysterious head of the Bank of England. This visit is alleged to have occurred oc-curred at liar Harbor, Maine. Montague Mon-tague Norman slipped into that Down East resort with not even a society column mention of Ills movements. move-ments. At the same time Morgen-tliau, Morgen-tliau, always a dutiful son, real ized Unit he bad not seen his father fa-ther for several weeks. Henry Morgeiithau, Sr., by a curious coincidence, co-incidence, was also at liar Harbor. So the secretary of the treasury slipped up to Bar Harbor and paid Ids parent the long, deferred visit he owed. j So much tlie silver senators know. They add that they also know that the British financier and the head of Uncle Sam's treasury had a pro-1 traded talk so protracted that it was the subject of much clatter in the servants' quarters all over Bar Harbor next day. ; Nobody even claims to know what they talked about. Montagu Norman Nor-man is famous for saying absolutely nothing to his Interviewers. Morgeiithau Mor-geiithau is not quite so taciturn but almost. Shortly thereafter Morgenthau announces a pleasure trip to Spain. What the silver senators think Is that some very Important financiers, finan-ciers, and some of the leading finance ministers of Europe, will also suddenly decide that a brief rest In Spain away from all the excitement about Italy and Ethiopia Ethi-opia is Just what the doctor ordered or-dered for them. What they earnestly hope Is that Morgenthau will he able to persuade them how much It would he to the advantage of all concerned con-cerned for there to he an International Interna-tional agreement on silver. Behind this desire on the part of the silver senators--and behind the possibility that Mr Morgenthau may he sroing to attempt Ji'st that Is the dlscnnrriL-ing fart th.-lt the administration silver program hm rather hog:;ed down. C WN'tt Servle |
