South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-02-29


visiting all these points annually"
That SIR Hoover's visits TO the place
of his voting residence in California
conceded with the election day I'm
any number of cases is improbable.
The fact SIS that all this talk about
how often Mr. Hoover voted. and
what party ne voted for. is Of very
little importance. IL is ST down
/ because the politicians talk about
/ it, because 1t is interesting. and 20
make the record complete. But II
| Mr. Hoover IS nominated for the
presidency by either party it will
| have TO be not on any basis OF Iarty
regularity, but on the assumption
| thar this is time for parties 60
name the man best qualified. on a
non-partisan basis. regardless Of
| politics. That Is a large assumption.
but Mr.. Hoover's friends Will have
90 make good on just that assump-
ton If they are to-get a nomination
for their man.
Mr.. Hoover won't get the repub-
lican nomination, and 10 is vain for
his friends 10 think about IT, Only
.
as 20 be now unforeseen could lead
the men who dominate the republi-
can convention to choose Hoover.
( Close acquaintance with the present
ideas OF all these men makes II pos
sible 10 say that only one OF them
gives even passing thought TO
/ Hoover as a possibility Hoover is
too much of an outsider The re-
publican leaders think this is their
I year-and why give the nomination
I TO any one outside the lOdge2 The
uttermost thought among all the re-
I publican leaders is that the nominee
\ must be an organization man With
many OF them this factor is so de-
I termining that they are dubious
I even about Gen. Woodland Gen.
/ Woods political status Ilaces him
! closer to the republican organization
/ than Mr.. Hoover. who is completely
I outside il. (There is more TO this
/ than mere political fraternity or
partisan free masonry. There is
| good deal of legitimate Justification
I for it, In this country we have
party government. The nominee
I OF a party must have the confidence
i of the party leaders, and if elected
must work win the leaders Of his
I party in the house and senate.
There is no other practicable way.
/ Any other way makes the president
| either an autocra&, completely indie
! pendent of congress, or else a non
| entity. ignored by congress.)
! HOOver's Oncnse TO Republicans.
! There is one other reason why
! the republicans won't have Mr.
| Hoover They connect him with an
/ event in recent political history
which makes him anathema TO
/ them. 1t Will be remembered that
/ during the congressional camLaign
! of 1918 PRIEST Wilson. acting upon
/ the advice of Mr. Tumulty and Mr.
/ Burleson. issued q call to the public.
/ asking the public 10 return only
! democrats TO congress. That call
i made the republican leaders about
as angry as anything that Mr.. Will
! son has ever done. The country did
! not return a democratic congress.
/ and the reason commonly given and
| accepted was the public resentment
/ of Mr. Wilson's call. Be that as il
may. the republican leaders We're en-
/ ragged by il and they still harbOr
malice over it.
/ While republican resentment
/ against this action on the part Of
\ Mr.. Wilson was at it's. height. and
while the country was angrily de
batting the propriety OF what Mr.
| Wilson had done a New York dem
I
I Mr.. Hoover whether he did not
/ think the situation required that
/ Mr.. Wilson should have unity Re
! hind him Mr.. Hoover replied TO
! this question with a letter which
was commonly taken as an endorse
! ment of Mr.. Wilson's request FOR a
| democratic congress. Mr.. HoOver's
letter really was not quite that, for
whereas the presidents appeal men
| toned the republican party and the
/ republican leaders specifically and
| with opprObrium. Mr.. Hoover did
not mention either political party.
but confined himself 10 a tenable
statement Of the principles involved.
! The essence of Mr.. Hoover's Letter
on this occasion was in these words:
NY CIV ii VIEWS al q cullAAAAetA A4ft-NA
i'm a word-that we must have
united support for the president In
the issues before us there can be no
party politiCs IL is vital that we
have a united front and a sustained
leadership I am for Pres't Wilson'S
leadership. not orly in the conduct
of the war. but also in the nego-
Uation of peace and afterward in
the direction of Americas burden
iu the rehabilitation of the world.
There is no greater monument 10
any mans genius than the conduct
of Negotiations with the enemy by
the president. There is no
other leadership possible now if we
are to succeed I'm these great issues. -
These are the words in which Mr..
Hoover expressed himself on that
occasion The truth is il would be
difficult 10 take exception either
/ then or now TO what Mr.. Hoover
said-in the way Mr. Hoover said
it, II Pres't Wilson had confined
his call 10 the words in which Mr..
Hoover confined his endorsement,
and If Mr.. Wilson had refrained. as
Mr.. Hoover refrained. from men
tioning either party and from dis
+ eliminating between the two parties,
I ~