Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-01-27

Democratic newspaper Of the cOuu-
try, has editoriaIly announced for
Herbert =. Hoover for president re-
CARELESS of what party may nomi-
nate him. The editorial, which was
published conspicuously in the World
on Wednesday morning, January 2l,
has created nationwide interest and
discussion. The full text of the edi-
torial, just it appeared in the
World, is reproduced below:
In the judgment of The World the
best equipped and best qualified man
t. succeed Woodrow Wilson as
Presiden. of the United States is
Herbert c. Hoober
We should be glad to support Mr.
Hoover as the Democratic candl-
Gate for president on platform that
represented the historicl principles
OF the Democratic party. We should
be glad to support him as an in
dependent candidate on a platform
of progressive liberalism. We
should not hesitate to support him
as the Republican candidate on d
platform representing the Kind of
government which Mr.. Hoover has
eXemplified in his public career.
Among the Democratic politicians
the chief objection to Mr.. Hoover is
that he has been successfully a Re :
publican and Progressive, but has
never affiliated with the Democratic
organization, although he was ap-
pointed to office by President VIII,
son and was The most distinguished
Of all the presidents lieutenants
curing the war.
Among Republican politicians the
chief objection to Mr.. Hoover is that
he never was an organization Re
publican and that in the fall of 191 3
he had the independence and courage
to urge The election Of q congress
that would work harmonious1y with
President Wilson. If the country
lad followed Mr.. Hoover's wise and
practical advice 1t would not today
be the victim of a deadlocked gov
eminent which is virtually unable to
function.
The partisan objections to Mr..
Hoover are arguments in his favor
The American people are tired Of
professional politicians and disgust
I'd with party politics. The old par
ty lines have broken down so far as
rank and file of voters are concern
SN1 Gnu III I''SpGCI " III lIlCIpleS UOlI
rGrties are bankrupt. Although the
spirit of partisanship has rarely been
more bitter or more brutal, and
never since secession has it been
more inimical to the welfare of the
country, the battle of these warning
politicians is a fictitious conflict.
Mr.. Tai. was Mr.. Wilson's orpon.
cnt for the presidency in 1912; yet
iOcofar do m TO connections
o. government are concerned il
would be difficult to detect any i'm
rortant differences between Mr.. Taft
and Mr.. Wilson. Mr.. Hughes was
Mr.. Wilson's opponent in 1916, and
it would be equally difficult to de
tect any important differences be-
,ween Mr.. Hughes and Mr.. gWilsou
They might disagree about this poll
cy or that policy; but insofar as
their public utterances of the last
three years are an index 10 their
'1itical principles, these differences
would be personal rather than par
tisan in any true sense.
And if one wished to carry the
parallel further he might we'll ask
what there is to distinguish a Demo-
crat like Attorney General Palmer
from a Republican like Speaker
Sweet, of the New York general as
sembly. Both Of them have set forth
to establish a new doctrine of Prus-
sianism which is a veritab1e cruel
fiXion of the spirit Of American in
situations.
Abraham Lincoln declared in his
frst inaugural that
"This, country, with it's institu-
lions, belongs to the people who in
habit 1T"
The Palmers and the Sweets are
seeking to set up a wholly opposite
theory, which is that the government
no longer belongs to the people, but
that the people belong to the gov
eminent, and have acquired a sub
ject status under which their most
elementary rights and liberties can
be denied whenever the government
itself undertakes to regard those
lights and liberties as seditious or
inimical.
1t is needless to say that when
Democrats and Republicans can
unite in the advocacy of such a con-
struction Of the powers of govern
ment under free Institutions and
when Democrats and Republicans
Can unite III resisting Such an 1nV2.
sion Of American . tradition, party
lines have become artificial and party
has degenerated into a
mere matter of prejudice, habit, self
interest and cynicism.
This is not a year for partisan can
didates in any sense in which that
term has previously been employed
in politics. Party labels there must
be, because the party label has been
established by law; but when the
Republican national committee is
forced to offer a prize for a plat
form it is ridiculous to pretend that
there is anything which resembles a
genuine cleavage of public opinion
along party lines on the questions
that confront the country. What is
going on is merely the maneuvering
CT ambitious politicians who are
waiting to see which issues are ex-
pedient and which are not
Although the two parties are des-
titutc of principle, they still retain