The Hoover Week

Over rough Virginia roads, last week, a brown army truck jounced, rattled, meandered, lost its way. Its freight: the Hoover fishing tackle. Its destination: the presidential reserve in Shenandoah National Park, where it arrived after nightfall four hours late. President Hoover, already at the preserve, did no fishing last weekend.

Instead, he: 1) Spent his first night away from the White House in a tent; 2) Got a twig-whack on the left cheek, just below the eye which made a mark; 3) Attended a Baptist Sunday School meeting at Sperryville; 4) Had his automobile pulled out of a Virginia mudhole by a state-maintained team of mules.

It was raining when he returned to the White House late Sunday afternoon after a misadventurous outing. Ten minutes later, tired though he was, he began to receive potent U. S. officials whom he had summoned. Came Secretary of State Stimson, Assistant Secretary Castle, Secretary of the Treasury Mellon, Under Secretary Mills (laden with papers), Senators Borah, Watson, Smoot, Congressmen Tilson and Garner.

They saw the President's twig-whacked cheek, waited for him to explain. But President Hoover had more important things to tell about than twig-whacks. With his callers he talked of German reparations--a reduction of U. S. claims as a sacrifice. The conferees gravely nodded their heads, agreed to a modification of U. S. policy. Senator Borah left 15 minutes before the rest. All departed, holding their tongues, wondering if it were too late to keep dinner engagements.

P:C Last week President Hoover made his first use of the flexible provision of the tariff law. He proclaimed duty increases on milk, cream, flaxseed, window glass.

P: In 1921 the late President Harding held a conference on unemployment, appointed a committee to investigate, of which Secretary of Commerce Hoover was chairman. Revised as a "Committee on Recent Economic Changes," it last week submitted its report. Keynote: Prosperity.

P: Last week President Hoover named ten men and one woman to investigate all phases of law enforcement--and the lack of it. This long-awaited Hoover Commission consisted of:

George Voodward Wickersham of New York, Chairman.

Newton Diehl Baker of Ohio.

Roscoe Pound, Dean of Harvard's Law School.

William Squire Kenyon of Iowa, U. S. Circuit Court Judge.

Frank Joseph Loesch of Illinois, Vice President of Chicago's Crime Commission.

Wrilliam Irwin Grubb of Alabama, U. S. District Judge.

Monte M. Lemann, President of the Louisiana Bar Association.

Kenneth Mackintosh, Chief Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court.

Paul John McCormick of California, U. S. District Judge.

Henry Watkins Anderson of Virginia, Republican Lawyer.

Ada Louise Comstock, President of Radcliffe College.

Citizens eyed these potent names, watched for them to square away on Law Enforcement.