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¶Nebraska's 74-year-old utility hating statesman, Senator George W. Norris—unlike Virginia's 77-year-old Glass and Idaho's 70-year-old Borah—loves to talk privately about retiring from public life. Recently passing through Salt Lake City, Utah, he talked about it, in his usual vein, to local newshawks. Promptly the news was flashed from coast to coast: Senator Norris would not run again in 1936. Franklin Roosevelt, questioned about the news in press conference, genially expanded. Said he: "If I were a citizen of Nebraska, regardless of what party I belonged to, I would not allow George Norris to retire from the United States Senate, whether he wanted to or not, for the very good reason that I feel he is necessary not only to Nebraska but to the United States as long as he lives." Senator Norris, on reaching Los Angeles, denied the Utah remarks credited to him.
¶Two unrelated incidents of last week cost Franklin D. Roosevelt a certain num-ber of Roman Catholic votes: 1) In a letter to the Knights of Columbus of New Haven, the President reiterated that his policy would be one, in no sense of "indifference," but absolutely of "nonintervention" with the Mexican Government in its domestic war on the Catholic Church. 2) Charles Edward Coughlin, the loud Michigan radio priest who once cried "Roosevelt or Ruin" and since has differed with the New Deal on several issues, made the breach definite. He publicly proclaimed: "Today I humbly stand before the American public to admit that I have been in error. . . . Like a grotesque Colossus, this Administration stands astride the two extremities of social error. . . ."
¶War in the Chaco having long since been buried in old newspaper files, President Roosevelt last week proclaimed that, provided Bolivia and Paraguay would import no arms and munitions until after a formal treaty of peace had been ratified, the U. S. embargo on such shipments to them would be lifted as of Nov. 29.
¶Whenever two or three men are banded together they can, if they will just drop a note to the White House, be virtually assured of a formal chit from the President of the U. S. expounding his sympathy with their aspirations, his admiration for men of their calling, perhaps his appreciation of the civic virtues of their creed, race, or particular forbears. Last week the members of the New York Board of Trade settled back in their chairs at luncheon to hear a chit written by the President specifically to be read to them. It had come in answer to a letter from one of their officers, assuring the President that they had been incorrectly reported in the Press as opposed to his Neutrality Proclamation. Up sat the members in their chairs, however, for after saying he was glad that the report had been an error the President continued:
"I know you will not mind my saying that, in my opinion, many persons throughout the country have drawn the conclusion from this and other published statements that your organization is, broadly speaking, opposed to most of the acts and policies of the United States Government."