When the President is in Alaska and Congress is at home, where do foreign diplomats at Washington go? Bluemont in the hills back of Washington is the usual spot, but lately they have been taking to Atlantic City and the neighboring shore. The Polish and Venezuelan Ministers, and the Brazillian Ambassador have all chosen the New Jersey Coast for their aestivations.

Hiram Johnson, high priest of all irreconcilables, is still in Europe and does not intend to return until the first return trip of the Leviathan in July. Meanwhile 34 of the Senator's friends invited Frank A. Munsey, Charles M. Schwab, Otto H. Kahn to a dinner in the Californian's honor when he returns.

Herbert S. Hadley's acceptance of a college presidency (see page 18) is taken to indicate that he has regained his health. Having regained health, it is conceivable that he may, at some later date, reenter politics.

When the President Polk sailed for Europe a reporter approached one of the passengers and asked his name. The individual replied:

"I am Senator Henry Ashurst of Arizona, and I am opposed to office holders who go to and return from Europe shooting off their bazoos about how Europe should be run. I don't know how long I shall be gone or what I am going to do. That's all."

At Boston a reporter asked Mr. Ford whether it was true that he had said he would not be a candidate for President. He replied:

"I have never said anything of the kind. But I am not talking about that. No, nothing at all on that subject."

The Chicago Tribune said of Henry Ford as candidate for President in 1924:

"The election of Mr. Ford . . . would mark the beginning of a rapid degeneration in our government . . . What makes him impossible as a candidate ... is that he lacks any sense of his limitations ... If a man is both ignorant and ignorant of his ignorance he is not one to put in any place of responsibility."

Some years ago the Chicago Tribune made unkind remarks about Henry Ford, and the supermechanic sued the Tribune for libel. In the course of Mr. Ford's testimony at the trial Tribune lawyers found that he did not differentiate between Arnold Bennett and Benedict Arnold. But Mr. Ford won the suit and at his own request took six cents in damages.

Speaking of Mr. Ford's modesty, a writer in the Courier-Journal (Louisville) remarked:

"There is Mr. Ford, whose colossal knowledge, whose range of reading, deep fund of historical research are hidden from the world because he has no love of display. I venture to say that if Mr. Ford was placed on the witness stand and required under oath to give a fifty-word biography of Benedict Arnold he would remain mute. Rather than appear learned or highbrow he would affect ignorance. It is the nature of the man."

At the stage of 164,514 ballots, the straw vote taken by Collier's Weekly for Presidential preferences, showed the following results in round numbers:

Ford 54,000

Harding 33,000

McAdoo 13,000

Cox 11,000

Johnson 10,000

Smith 8,000

In the vote Ford polled 5,000 votes to Harding's 3,100 and Cox's 1,900 in Ohio; 3,000 to McAdoo's 600 and Johnson's 2,200 in California; 2,800 to Smith's 3,600 in New York.

Said Chauncey M. Depew: "I can't understand the psychology that makes Henry Ford a Presidential candidate. Take John D. Rockefeller, for instance. He has spent $500,000,000 for humanity, yet he couldn't be elected to any office. But Mr. Ford, who has also devoted himself to making money,.although he has not given much of it away, appears to be a popular choice for the Presidency. I cannot understand it. I don't believe he will be nominated."