THE PRESIDENCY: Honors for France

The U. S. Government, led by President Hoover, last week gave itself over to honoring France’s Dieudonné Coste and Maurice Bellonte, first to make the Paris-to-New York non-stop flight (see p. 26). In the rose garden back of the White House President Hoover greeted the Frenchmen in the name of the Nation in a little speech about their returning Col. Lindbergh’s visit. Later in the White House was served a State luncheon.

The French flyers had hardly landed before a nation-wide goodwill tour was projected for them by Charles Hayden, popular and potent head of the great Manhattan banking house of Hayden, Stone & Co., director of 71 corporations (including Curtiss-Wright). Ambassador Morrow started the tour fund going with a substantial contribution while Mr. Hayden, smart bachelor with a strong social bent, mapped and arranged receptions, solicited more subscriptions.

¶ To Baltimore went President Hoover to review the annual parade of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He took his place on the canopied stand at City Hall beside Maryland’s Wet Democratic Governor, Albert Cabell Ritchie. For three hours marchers streamed by. After the strictly military units had passed, a startling demonstration developed. Veterans came along flourishing beer steins. One New York unit lustily sang the Brown Derby’s “Sidewalks of New York” while gesturing derisively at President Hoover. The President saw trundled by a little cart bearing a keg, jugs, empty gin bottles festooned in crêpe paper. He heard crowds yelling: “There’s something for Hoover to swallow! What do you think of that, Mr. Hoover? Hurrah for Ritchie! Stand up, Bert! Take off your hat! Bow! You’re all wet, Ritchie!” As the Wet demonstration continued under his nose the President’s round face lost its affable smile and the corners of his mouth went down into a grim expression. After he had returned silently to Washington, the V. of F. W. went to Annapolis for a crab feast, which afflicted several hundred delegates with ptomaine poisoning. When enough of them had recovered to hold a final business session, the organization adopted (873-to-637) a resolution demanding the repeal of the 18th Amendment.

¶ President Hoover has attempted to improve U. S. diplomatic representation in Latin-America by appointing ministers and ambassadors there who were trained foreign service men. Such a man is Leland Harrison whom President Hoover transferred as Minister from Sweden to Uruguay over Mr. Harrison’s protest. At Montevideo, listed by the State Department as one of the five most expensive posts in the world, Minister Harrison, unable to find suitable quarters elsewhere, took a hotel suite at $18,000 per year, as against a rental allowance of $3,000 per year. He began to write letters to Secretary of State Stimson, complaining of conditions. Statesman Stimson replied. Their correspondence grew acrimonious. Statesman Stimson curtly vetoed Minister Harrison’s proposal that he return to the U. S. and explain in person why it was so hard to live in Montevideo. Such tension had apparently developed that last week it was reported Minister Harrison was on the point of resigning unless President Hoover gave him another post.