Arizona republican., 1920-03-10
HOOVER DEFINES H|S STATUS ON
 PARTY POLITICS
Not Seeking Office But Will T ke Nomination If Called Upon, He Writes Sponsors - Is Indepen- dent-Progressive On Pres ent Issues

NEW YORK, March 9-Herbert Hoover, in a letter received tonight by Ralph Arnold of Los Angeles, New York representative of the Make Hoover President Club" of California, declared he was not seeking s-ublic of flee, that his ambition is to remain a common citizen but that he be- lieved he, like every other citizen, should always be ready for service when really called upon"
 Mr. Hoover's letter followed the ac- ion of a group of prominent Califor- nians residing in this city in appoint ing committee to go to Washington to ask MT. Hoover to make known his position. The committee included Mark Requa. oil administrator during he war.
 He asserted that while such pro- posals are indeed d great honor, l feel that I cannot alter the attitude that have consistently preserved
 MT. Hoover'S letter continued:
 Is Independent Progressive
 First, 1 am an independent pro- gressive in the issues before us today. 1 think that at this time the issues be- fore the country transcend partisan ship. It is well known that I was q progressive republican before the war and, I think rightly. a partisan during my war service. The issues confronting us are new and the align ment upon them has not yet been made by the great parties 1 still ob- ject as much to the reactionary sroup in the republican party as do to the radical group in the democratic party.
 Second, 1 am not seeking public of flee, and consulting my own personal ,Dls I Ia ay7t Iif. of flee. I cannot prevent any citizen or group of citizens from agitatfnG that I should have public office, but I can not conscientiously participate in any organization to that end.
 T belong to a group which thinks that the American people should se- feet thelr own officials at their own initiative and that resents the naming of officials by machine methods. I feel sure that if I entered the race for nomina tion to the presidency and un- 1ertook to solicit and spend the cost of propaganda and organization this would be in itself a negation of the right American instinct because of the obligations that it implies. I thor Oughly believe that I, like any other citizen. should always be ready for service when really called upon, but to go out and try to persuade the public to call me is opposed to my every in stinct.
 Says Party Shall Promote Issues
 Third I hope to have the affection of my countrymen, but my ambition is to remain a common citizen, ready to engage in team play with any organi- zatIon and leadership that has for its objective the consumation and main tenance of great issues in the forms that I believe are to the public inter est and benefit. I, of course, believe in party organization, but it must be for the promotion of issues, not of men, I am not a straddler of any is sues 1 spend most of my time agi- tating for issues that l believe in- It is the privilege of all df us to hold our own views and it is our duty to express them when called upon to do so. But no man can be so arrogant to aS | sume that he can dictate the issues to the American people or to the great parties they support.
 Fourth, you and your friends have urged that I should undertake to or ganize propaganda for myself as repre- senting issues by entering into com petition for nomina tion by a great | party Aside from the reasons men | tioned above. this implies entry upon | a road of self-seeking whereas my view is that I should agitate for the | issues. not for myself. You rightly | say that joining sheer organization | without issues simply implies entering upon office hunting without regard | to public service.
 Finally. I am not so ignorant as not | to realize perfectly well that such a | course does not lead to nomination to | the presidency but 1 would not be myself if l started out on a path of to obtain any office