The Roosevelt Week

By midsummer in any ordinary year the President has said good-by to some six out of the ten members of his Cabinet as they and he part for long, needful vacations. Not until last week, however, did Franklin Roosevelt bid farewell to the first Cabinet vacationist, James Aloysius Farley. The prolonged session of Congress (see p. 10) provided no reason for detaining the Postmaster General. Having ordered the issuance of a purple 3-c- stamp commemorating the centennial of Michigan's admission to the Union in 1837,* he left on his desk only one important piece of unfinished business, the decision whether Commodore John Barry or Admiral John Paul Jones should be immortalized on a new issue of stamps as the father of the U. S. Navy. He trotted over to the White House, put his hand into that of the "Boss," explained that he would be away for six weeks sounding political sentiment and shaking hands with postmasters from Washington to San Diego, to Honolulu, to Washington. P:To the White House went a delegation of representatives bearing a petition signed by 242 members, pointing out that the great majority of the signers were Jews and Protestants. Responsive to the protests of the Roman Catholic Church against its treatment by the Mexican Government, the petition urged the Administration to inquire into the "facilities for divine worship" available to U. S. citizens in Mexico. With the petition was presented a memorial stating that the signers were unalterably opposed to any semblance of interference in Mexico but urging the President to undertake "the moral vindication of an ethical principle." Reaching out a large hand, Franklin Roosevelt drew a pad of paper toward him, flicked out his fountain pen and, like a true statesman, straightway declared himself. A few minutes later his "moral vindication of an ethical principle" was in the hands of the Press: "The President stated that he is in entire sympathy with all people who make it clear that the American people and the Government believe in freedom of religious worship, not only in the United States but also in all other nations." P: Assembling Secretaries Morgenthau and Perkins, Relief Administrator Harry Hopkins and Frank C. Walker, the President admonished them that it was none too early to begin figuring out how many billions would be needed for relief in 1937 and how many billions the Treasury could afford to offer.

P:One whole 20-minute press conference Franklin Roosevelt spent jesting with newshawks who, despite the dearth of news, were loath to leave his air-cooled office. He roared with laughter when correspondents asked him to explain items in the $20,642,700 relief appropriation he had allotted New York City: $57,720 for a "rodent ectoparasite survey"; $31,500 for "recreational leadership" for nurses and internes in 13 hospitals; $224,220 for a "vertical and horizontal survey." He chuckled over the testimony of Elmer Danielson at the Senate Lobby investigation (see below), called it "pretty cute," advised the Western Union messenger to become a journalist. He wisecracked that he was going to spend the week-end on Chesapeake Bay fishing for "hardheads" because "there are so many soft heads here." Having laughed the Press out of his office, he motored next day to Annapolis, boarded the Sequoia, spent two unrecorded days engaged in "hardhead" fishing or otherwise.

*When admitted to the Union, the State was recognized as having existed since November 1835.

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