THE PRESIDENCY: Meal, Message, Mail

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THE PRESIDENCY

Meal, Message, Mail

Only one official meal does the President of the U. S. have to eat outside the White House this season—a formal dinner given by the Vice President. Last week President & Mrs. Roosevelt ate their obligatory meal. Three days later the President let it be known that, as far as he was concerned, the Democratic candidate for Vice President in 1936 was going to be John Nance Garner.

¶From the White House to the Capitol went a message urging the Senate to approve U. S. membership in the World Court. It was the eighth message from the fourth successive President to that effect.

¶"Ah. President Roosevelt—such a wonderful personality, such affability! What a host! Really a remarkable man, remarkable!" exclaimed onetime President Abelardo Rodriguez of Mexico after Franklin Roosevelt had entertained him at a stag luncheon.

¶By advice of the Tariff Commission President Roosevelt cut the duty on imported beer from $31 to $15.50 per bbl. That still left the rate $10.50 per bbl. higher than the tax on domestic beer.

¶President Roosevelt gave a formal reception for the Justices of the U. S. Supreme Court. Only four attended: Messrs. Hughes, Butler, Roberts, Stone. Very much on hand was Attorney General Cummings, sitting on a table, swinging his legs, laughing, chatting in high good humor to show that he was not worried by what the old gentlemen might decide about Gold.

¶President Roosevelt sent Congress a program to establish old age pensions and unemployment insurance.

¶When an airmail letter from him was held up, the President had a copy sent by wirephoto to reach Amelia Earhart at a banquet given in Oakland, Calif., in honor of her Hawaiian flight. The flight, according to the San Francisco News, was a Hawaiian publicity stunt for which Miss Earhart was paid $10,000. Said the President's twice-sent letter: "You have scored again."

¶Following reports that the White House had asked Secretary Ickes to fire two of his right hand men—and denial thereof by the President—newshawks asked Mrs. Roosevelt whether she had made the request. She retorted: "I never would dream of asking either the resignation or discipline of any one. The running of departments is the business of the heads of those departments, and no pure outsider would have the slightest basis to ask any head of any department to do anything about his own people."