Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-20
HOOVER IGNORED
1 BYG.0.P. LEADERS
Washington Now Believes He
Really Means He Is Not a
q Candidate
I MIDDLE STAND ON TREATY
By CLINTON w. GILBERT
staff Correspondent of the Evening Publ,
Ledger

ttH.I Ledger
Washington, March % Herbert
7 Hoover's last statement on the treaty
lis regarded by Washington as remov.
(; ing him from the fold as possible
Even Democrats who have been favor.
able to his nomination say today that
he cannot now be the candidate
. His position on the treaty is neither
! the Lodge position nor the Wilson
( position but ono midway between the
7 two. He thinks that the treaty should
I be accepted in spite Of the reservations
Z which Senator Lodge has attached to it.
THUS he neither stands with Wilson,
4 who declares that the Lodge rcScrva
tons, particularly the one on Article y.
y destroy the treaty Nor does hc stand
Y with Lodge. who asserts that it is un
safe for the United States 10 enter
;ethe league without the Lodge reScrva.
\ tions. He is more for the league than
!, Lodge. in fact. is as much for the league
] as is Wilson himself only he does not
regard the covenant drawn bv Wilson
\ az handed down from Mount Sinai.
4 Just as in his public statements he
7 has refused to take sides between the
y two parties in advance Of seeing their
4 tickets so with regard TO the league he
/, has refused to take sides between VIII
son and Lodge now that the covCuant is
! an issue in the campaign. Nothing
! that Mr.. Hoover has said since his name
! became prominently mentioned for the
I presidency has caused aS much Snecu
lstiou as this latest statement. "What
/, does he mean by it, What i hc IN
/! tor "Is he trying to be a Repubi
| can? If so. why didn't hc say in the
4 srst place that he was one and be done
7 with it,"
II Hoover a Puzzle as Candidate
Considered as a candidate. Mr. Hoover
has been puzzle right along II he
I was Republican and desired to be
nominated, why didn't he enter tho Re
publican primaries along with Wood and
( the rest of them? This question seemed
to answer itself Therefore. Washing
4 ton settled down to the theory that Mr.
\ Hoover did not expect and did not seek
I the Republican nomination. but would
\ accent the Democratic nomination under
/ proper circumstances. The fact that the
\ Republicans would naturally bn re.
n nctaut to accept him as Il candidate.
\ In view of his connection with the Will
I son administration and in view par
4 L1cularIN OF HIS SupptIl OI w llSOu III
\ asking for a Democratic Congress last
\ fall. seemed to lend color to this theory
The Democrats accepted it and liked
+ II. IL gave them an ace in the hole.
Mr.. Hoover had great personal strength.
II nominated by the Democracy he
would bring with him large ind"pcnd-
lent support. 1t appeared to be- bad
Democratic year. but Hoover might
/ easily win for the Democracy. Several
l Democratic papers. particularly cloNr to
! the administration, took up with
Hoover as their candidate. Men Of i'm
4 portance in the Democratic party. loyal
h supporters of Mr.. Wilson, privately cX
pressed great interest in the Hoover
candidacy.
h This development did not produce the
result that might be expected on the
theory that Mr.. Hoover regarded him
K self as a possible Democratic nominee
/. and would welcome signs of interest in
himself on the part of the Democratic
Y leaders. There was no bending Of
Z Hoover in the Democratic direction. On
\ the contrary. certain engineering friends
\ of his wrote. asking permission to urge
l his nomination for PreSi lent The Dur
!, pose Of these people was Republican