The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1920-03-12
WHERE HOOVER STANDS
IN NATIONAL POLITICS
His Political Greed Is Based Upon
The Gospel of Service And
Unselfishness

In response to the urge of his
friends and admirers that he actively
enter the race for the presidency Her.
bert Hoover has written the follow
ing letter enumerating his reasons
for not doing so.
First, I am an independent Pro-
gressive in the issues before us today.
| think that at this time the issues
before the country transcend parti-
sanship. 1t is we'll known that l was
progressive Republican before the
war and / think rightly a non-parti-
san during my war service. The is
sures confronting US are new and the
alignment upon them has not yet been
made by the great parties. l still
object as much to the reactionary
group in the Republican party as |
do to the radical group in the Demo-
cratic party.
Second, l am not seeking public
office and, consulting my own person
al inclinations, l do not want public
office. l cannot prevent any citizen
or group of citizens from agitating
that should take public office, but
cannot conscientiously participate
in any organization to that end.
Il belong to group which thinks
that the American people should Sc
lect their own officials at their own
initiative and violition and that re
sent the manufacture of officials by
machine methods. / feel sure that if
l entered the race for nomination to
the presidency and undertook to So
licit and spend the cost of propa-
ganda and organization, this would
be in itself negation of the right
American instinct because of the OBJ
legations that it all implies. l 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 instinct.
Third, l hope to have the affec-
ton of my countrymen, but my am
bition is to remain a common citizen,
ready to engage in the play with any
organization and Leadership that has
for, its objective the consummation
and maintenance of great issues in
the forms that believe that are to
the public interest and benefit. |,
of course, believe in party organza-
ton, but it must be for the promotion
of issues, not Of men. l am not a
straddler of any issue, l spent most
of my time agitating for issues that
/ believe in. 1t is the privilege of
all of 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 assume that he
can dictate the issues to the Ameri-
can people or to the great parties
they support.
Fourth. You and your friends
have urged that l should undertake
to organize propaganda for myself
as representing issues, by entering in
to competition for nomination by a
great party. Aside from the reasons
mentioned above, this implies entry
upon a road of self-seeking, whereas
my view is that l should agitate for
the issues, not for myself. You right
ly say that joining sheer organiza-
ton without issues is simply office
hunting without regard to public SER
vice.
Finally, am not so ignorant as
not to realize perfectly well that such
a course does not lead to nomination
to the presidency, but / would not
be myself if l started out on a path
Of self-seeking to obtain any office"
Cih1axy ~