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Show Washington Comment The Republicans stole the show ; in the news at Washington last week from the moment Lew Douglas Doug-las advised the G. O. P. to aban- don high tariff and support reci-;,ro;-.il fade, through Republican Hor.se Leader Snell's 67th birth-iay, birth-iay, an:! on to former Governor Lar.dcn's dramatic spurning of the 1940 candidacy. Tossed in for good measure were the portentous utterances of the governt .-s oi Vermont and New Hampshire, and the subsequent scramble to add them to the list of 1940 G. O. P. presidential possibilities. Governor Landon's arrival a few days in advance ad-vance of the Gridiron dinner, at which he was a leading guest, was attended by quite a fanfare. Republican Re-publican notables met him at the station and escorted him to his hotel. He was later entertained at a luncheon in the senate restaurant, restau-rant, hosted by his fellow Kan-san, Kan-san, Senator Arthur Capper, and after a press conference at which he amVunced his future political policy (and flung down the challenge chal-lenge to former President Hoover, some authorities like to believe) he accompanied Senator Capper to the White House, where he haa been specially bidden by Mr. Roosevelt. It is a fact, particularly particu-larly noted on this occasion that Governor Landon and Governor Aiken greatly resemble each other in appearance. Governor Aiken, since his dramatic attack on the (Continued on last paffe) o Washington Comment (Continued from first page.) G. O. P. national committee last week, now has joined the distinguished distin-guished company of Now Engenders Engend-ers eligible for 1940 candidacy former Governor Winant and Senators Stylo, Brides and j Honry Cabot Ixige. The other favorites of course are Senators Vandonburg and LaFollette, Mayor ' I -a Guardia, and the one and only Thomas Dewey of New York. On the social side of the news. Representative Sncll, with his birthday anniversary, shared honors hon-ors with Vice President Garner's much publicized venison dinner. Mr. Snell merely puffed his omnipresent omni-present cigar, prophesied the extra session would be a "flop" and, lamented la-mented the good old days when "Congress never took orders from anyono". The vice president dined 25 colleagues of tho senate and one Polish ambassador on his 125-pound 125-pound trophy of the hunt. Besides ! the venison he served his guests hunters' buffet, bortweh a la granJ due, brook trout, puree of chestnuts, chest-nuts, broccoli polonaise and flaming flam-ing plum pudding. The venison had been soaked in wine, vinegar and spices before roasting. It was dono full justice by the diners, despite de-spite the ragging tho vico president presi-dent had received about its true origin. Mr. Roosevelt pretended to believe that the Garner trophy was "my old friend Bessie" a tame doe (not a cow), but others claimed it was a calf. The spirited controversy inspired a couple of members of the house of represen-j represen-j tatives to decide the relative merit of Maine and Idaho potatoes when, i baked and forthwith the open fire I in the house cloakroom was turned ! into a domestic baking oven. All j of which has been manna to the news hounds who cover the capi-j capi-j to, but not particularly helpful tJ 1 the legislative program which stands at present something like this: the house has turned the' farm bill over to the senate and j now will take up wage-and-hour; ! housing, as yet unreported, will follow, and the objective now is j to get all three measures into conference before the tentative ' December adjournment date, with final action to come not before the January session. Meanwhile, j Senator Bailey of North Carolina ' achieved fame by refusing hie $109.02 mileage check saying that; his railroad expenses "couldn't . be j over $20 and I'll waive that." Shake-up in our diplomatic assignments as-signments results in the following set-up, according to rumor which j has only a couple of bases in fact: Dodd of Berlin, will be replaced by I Hugh Wilson, present assistant ', secretary of state (that is fact);; Bingham, of London, will retire ' due to ill health and be replaced by Joseph Kennedy of maritime commission (almost fact); Davis, of Russia, may go to Rome in place of William Phillips who may-replace may-replace William Bullitt, of Paris, who will in turn be assistant sec- ; retary of state. Further gossip insists that Kennedy may later oecome secretary of treasury in place of Morgenthau, who in turn may get the London portifolio. i |