National Affairs: Haberdashery & Handclasp

Early this year in Washington, Emil Hurja and Theodore Huntley began to bet. Mr. Hurja, a prime political dopester in his own right, is Postmaster General Farley’s second-in-command at Democratic National headquarters. “Ted” Huntley, a pompous little ex-Washington correspondent with an amazing bass voice, is the arch-Republican secretary of Pennsylvania’s arch-Republican Senator David Aiken Reed.

Mr. Hurja first bet Mr. Huntley a hat that Democratic Nominee Joseph Guffey would beat Senator Reed this autumn in Pennsylvania. Next time they met, Republican Huntley raised the bet a pair of shoes. Later Mr. Hurja bumped the stakes a couple of shirts and Mr. Huntley came back with some neckties. By last week the bet covered nearly a full wardrobe, which Mr. Hurja stood in imminent danger of losing to Mr. Huntley.

At Harrisburg last week aging Governor Gifford Pinchot had, after 32 years, put aside his liberal beliefs long enough to make his peace with the Regular Republicans. Gifford Pinchot became a Progressive with Theodore Roosevelt in 1912. For years he has plagued one of the most conservative and hidebound States of the Union with his own individual brand of radicalism. When Franklin Roosevelt entered the White House Governor Pinchot flirted outrageously with the New Deal, evidently in the hope of winning some sort of Democratic support. But President Roosevelt, for once, was not lured across party lines to help a political friend, and Governor Pinchot was roundly trounced by Senator Reed for the Republican Senate nomination last spring (TIME, May 28). There was talk of Governor Pinchot running independently, of his handsome, redhaired wife running for him. Such a ticket would have seriously threatened the State G. O. P.’s chances in November, probably given Democrat Guffey a walkaway.

Not only did Governor Pinchot last week bury the hatchet with the Old Guard organization, thus throwing his personal machine into the Regular line and practically eliminating Democratic chances, but he also invited his longtime political foe, Senator Reed, to Harrisburg for a friendly handclasp. “There is no personal bitterness between Pinchot and myself,” beamed Senator Reed. “I fought him as hard as I could and the Governor did not pull his punches on me.”