Evening star., 1920-04-02
WILL HOOVER BACK
c. 0.P. CANDIDATE?
ASK POLITICIANS
OId-Liner Would Know if He
Will Abide by Conven-
tion Decision.
BY N. O. MESSENGER.

(which I rise to remark" observed
a politician at the Capitol today,
that some Of US moss-back. old re-
pubiicans. from way up at the head
Of the creek. would surely admire to
have Herbert Hoover answer one ques-
ton:
"'win you agree to support the
nominee Of the republicap natienal
convention? Mr.. Hoover has not 90
dse,aSed himself thus far in his CON-
fession of political faith. Wherein he
rl&Safffes hlineelf as an indebendeht
.sWe want to know il Mr.. Hoover Is
a good-enough republican to submit
to the judgment of q national conven-
ton Of republicans, and II he should
not be chosen as the candidate to
named. His intention in that respect
would be to US the test OF his repub-
licanism. and we ought to know about
1t before we are asked to advocate his
nomination"
Not Likely to Answer.
There is every present indication
that this thirst for Information Of the
cans will not be assuaged. There is
thought to be little likelihood that
Mr. Hoover will accommodate with a
brimming cup of answer. 1t has been
suggested that this is one subject Mr..
Hoover does not care to discuss.
Mr.. Hoover, his friends declare, Is
not candidate for president of the
republican party; that he wants to be
President of the United States. Up to
six weeks ago. by his own statement.
he was undecided as to which party
he would adopt: it would depend. he
wrote, upon how the parties lined up
on the great questions Of the times.
President Wilson's insistence upon
ratification OF the peace treaty with
out reservation apparently eliminated
his further consideration of the demo-
cratic party. He would not roll his
but loaded up his basket and started
of to play with the republicans, in
case he should find them amenable to
the conditions he imposed.
Conditions He Prescribes.
These conditions he set forth:
If the republican party-with the
Independent element of which I am
naturally afhNated-adopts a for
ward-looking. liberal. constructive
economic issues. and II the party pro-
poses measures for sound business ad-
ministration of the country, and is
neither reactionary nor radical in its
approach to our great domestic ques-
tions and is backed by men who. un-
doubtedly assume the consummation
Of these policies and measures, will
give it my entire support"
Politicians See Puzzle.
The politicians assert broad twi-
light zone of uncertainty to exist
there as to the exact nature of the
platform and the specific character Of
men Mr.. Hoover would support. Both
political parties claim to stand for
forward-lookfng. liberal platforms;
both parties avow their eagerness for
sound business administrations: both
parties are against reactionaries and
radicals; the sentiment Of both par
ties. as indicated by the votes in the
Senate on the treaty, is for reserva-
tions to the league of nations.
The only candidate now in the field
who would seem to be eliminated by
Mr. Hoover's description is Senator
Hiram johnson. who is an irrecon-
cilable opponent of the league of ma
tions. but Senator Johnson's faction
was a considerable minority of the re-
publicans in the Senate.
Likened to Seven Plaques.
Every day brings additional indi-
cations that Mr.. Hoover is likely to
be worse than the seven plaques OF
Egypt to the old-line political man
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