Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-07-17

1t was not to id expected that Her
bert C. Hoover would be permitted to
enter upon his job as national food
administrator without having bis reH-
utation besmirched at the hands IF
those members OF congress who are
not in sympathy with the movement
of which he has been selected as the
directing chief.
Whether these members Of the
congress are merely the mQuthpIec7S
Of the interests that have been lobby
ing to defeat enactment of food con
troll legislation IS purely matter Of
speculation Whether they are or NOS
they ought 90 know that they are far
away from harm0uIziuE with public
sentiment in this country That seutl-
ment fav0rs adoption of The admins
tration food bill without any further
delay There may be defects in the
measure as it Is to be put upon its
passage, but the principle that it car
ries is right and opens the only way
in which the government can aHorG
the relief that ID is SO essential be
given 10 the nation at this critical
period tn it's history
The ugIiest charge that can be
raked up against Mr.. Hoover at this
eleventh hour is that it was he that
was chiefly responsible for the inta-
ton of grain prices in America year
ago when he as representative of the
Belgian relief commission, bid up the
markets here in order 10 get the sup
plies that he needed in carrying out
the work entrusted TO his hands
Granted that Hoover was thus guilty.
We don't see that such am act disqu8l-
been chosen TO fill by the president OF
the United States Hoover az tha-
time was serving as the agent Of
commission whose business i was 10
see that the starving people of Del
GUM were provided for- Hoover Lad
70 have wheat or he wouldn't be able
to take care Of his charges. There
was but one way in which to procure
wheat. That was in paying more for
it than a competitive bidder offered.
That is exactly what Hoover
did And If he hadn't done it the Bel
giaus would have suffered more than
they did and he would have been
voted failure instead of the success
that he proved himself 90 be as food
commissioner of the devastated little
kingdom.
Hoover may not turn out to be ali
that the people expect him 10 be when
he takes up his duties as national food
administrator, but they 30 like the
ideas he has thus far advanced In dis
cussing the program that he proposes
to enforce as soon as he is clothed
with adequare powers by the ma
tfonaI congress. Hoover doubtless will
step on somebody's toes while he is
putting into operation his plans. bur
those who will be hurt viii prove that
they are obstructiouists by that very
fact When Hoover gets on the JOB
he will blow the whistle and give
rybody time 10 get on the track on
hitch he proposes 10 run his food
control train Those who insist on
attempting to block It's passage are
going 10 be fia6tened out, and the pub
lie. sitting as a coroner's jury, isn't
going to put any blame on the shout
ders OF the train crew.
AT that Hoover may not be able to
get the results that everybody hopes
that he wiIi-t1at is. everybody ex-
cept the fellows Hho have been reap
ing excessive profits because we have
had no laws 10 cheek their practices
But che nation is for giving him ii
chance 10 try his theories, The people
are growing impatient with congress
There Is no excuse for the sparrlnc
that 1t has been doing on tke food
bill. Il knows that tbs people are de-
mandtag and expecting passage Of
that legislation. The ruses that have
been advanced uat!l noY 70 obtain
sysss