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Show Washington Comment With the election hubbub already-past already-past and every news commentator . ir- press and radio having excitedly ; reiterated the jubilant fact that the : Republican party has gained 14 . new governors, 81 new seats in the house of representatives, and eight in the senate; having interpreted the same as the beginning of the end for the New Deal, or a mere nothing for the administration to take in its usual stride (according to said commetr.ator's lights); the Gallup poll having patted itself on the back with due modesty for its uncannily accurate sport f prophesying pro-phesying we may dismiss the political campaign of 193S and turn to more vital matters, after performing one more duty: i.e., to note, with appropriate expression of admiration, that Mr. Roosevelt is again convinced of his prowess is a political prognosticator when (Continued on next page) o Washington Comment (Continued from first page) he called the turn pretty accurately accurate-ly on this latest inter-party brawl. We have the president's word (given at his post-election press conference) that his sealed-up predictions pre-dictions were "pretty good". He was one seat off the senate race (having favored his own party), 20 off on the house results not having expected the G. O. P. to do as well as it did. He called the right card for the N'ew York re- J suits, but did net attempt to predict pre-dict anything about other guber- naorial contests. So now vu know! But the general impression is' that while Mr. Roosevelt car- ' r:ed it c f f vi:h his usal good-na- j tured laugh, he was not t o happy about the whole thing. As surely as autumn follows I summer, so do the reports of an imminent cabinet shake-up follow the end of an election. And just so surely do the reports remain unconfirmed at the nument. But we give th-m to you for what they are worth in nevs speculation-" around Wa-jhin-ttoi'. The talk i- increasingly recurrent that two or more cabinet members may resign or be shifted to other posts. Now Paul V. MeXutt appears definitely to be coming back from the Philippines, Philip-pines, the rumcr is revived that Secretary of War Woodring may succeed him as American high commissioner com-missioner in the Islands. Mr. Woodring would lose nothing in rank by the change and would receive re-ceive a higher salary $1S,000 a year (where a cabinet -officer gets $15,000). The promotion of Mr. Woodring followed his chief s death, it may be recalled. He was assistant secretary of war when George H. Dern, of the original Roosevelt cabinet, passed on. In recent months, the administration's administra-tion's projected rearmament program pro-gram has brought other assistant secretaries cf departments to the fore. Both Assistant Secretary Louis Johnson, of war, and Assistant Assist-ant Charles Edison, of navy, have helped Mr. Roosevelt considerably in drafting his forthcoming recommendations re-commendations to congress Mr. Edison has likewise had a good deal of responsibility from the fact that his chief, Secretary Swanson, is new 76 years old and has been in ill health for years. It is constantly con-stantly being rumored that Secretary Secre-tary Swanson will retire. Another hardy perennial in the rumors crop is the possible disapearance from the official family of Secre- I tary of Commerce Roper. And once again, we give you that old stand-'by the departure of genial Jim Farley from the cabinet, though not from the Democratic National committee chairmanship! This season's output, however, has one discrepancy they seem to have forgotten that there is a lady named Madam Perkins' presiding over the portfolio of labor! It was with sincere admiration and affection that Washington of-; of-; fered birthday congratulations this week to Supreme Court Justice '.Brandeis the fourth person in history to serve in that tribunal after reaching such an age and now the oldest member of the court. His three venerable predecessors, prede-cessors, who served after reaching 82, were Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, who retired in 1932 at 91; Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, who died at 87 after serving from 1836 to 1864, and Justice Gabriel Duval who retired at 83 after serving from 1812 to 1835. With Justice j Brandeis now the dean of the court in point of age, the ncltt oldest I members are Chief Justice Hughes and Justice McReynolds, both of whom are 76. |