Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-21
new YORK WORLD
SUPPORTS HOOVER
Will Back Him for President as
Democrat, Republican or
Independent
PARTY LINES OBLlTERATED

New York. Ian. 21.--Thr New York
World. strong iudnnendcnt Demo
cratic newsnanpr, today publishes the
following editorial:
"In the Judgment Of the World the
hest equipnrd aud best qua lifted man to
succeed Woodrow Wilson Us president
of the United States Is Herbert [,
Hoover.
"We should be glad to support Mr..
Hoover as the Democratic candidate
for President on a platform that repre-
sented the historical rrinciplc" OF the
Democratic party We should be glad
to support him as an independent randi-
date on platform Of progressive libcr-
alism.
''We should not hesitate 20 support
him as the Republican candidate on 4
platform representing the kind Of gov
crnment which Mr. Hoover has cNcm-
plifed in his public career,
"AmonG the Democratic politicians
the chief objection to NJ. Hoover is that
he has been succossively Republican
and a Progressive. but has never affil
lated with the Democrats" Organization,
although he was nppointpd to Office by
president Wilson and wa" the most dis
tinguished of all the President s lieu
tenants during the war.
Partisan Objections Futile
Among Republican politicians the
chief objection to Mr.. Hoover is that
he never was an organization RNnubli
can and that in the fall Of 1913 he
had the indcncndCncc aud courage to
urge the election of a Congress that
would work harmonously with Prr>i-
dent Wilson
IF the country had followed Mr.
Hoover's wise and practical advice it
would not today be the victim OF Il
deadlocked government which is virtu
ally unable to function.
The partisan objection to Mr..
Hoover are arguments in his favor.
The American people are tired of pro-
1essional politicians and disgusted with
party politics. The old party lines have
broken down so far As the rank and file
OF voters are concerned. and in respect
to principles both parties are bank
rupt.
Although the spirit of partisaushin
has rarely been more bitter or moro
brutal. and never since Secession has
it been more inimical to TIE welfare
of the country. the battle of these war
ring politicians is fictitious conflict.
Party Distinctions Lost
''Mr. Taft was Mr.. Wilson's oppo
nent for the Presidency in 1912; yet
In so far as fundamental questions OF
government are concerned it would be
difficult to detect any important differ
ences betwene Mr. Taft and Mr.. Will
SON.. Mr.. Hughes was Mr.. Wilson S
opponent in 1916, and it would be
equally difficult to detect any important
differences between Mr.. Hughes and
Mr.. Wilson. They might disagree about
this policy or that policy; but in sc
far as their public utterances of the
last three years are an index to their
political principles. these differences
would be personal rather than partisan
In any true sense.
And if one W shed to carry the par
allel further he might we'll ask wha
there is to distinguish Il DPmocra
Republican like Speaker Sweet. of tn
New York Assembly. Both of then
have set forth to establish a new doc
trine of Prussianism which is a VERT
able cruciiXion of the spirit of Amer
ican institutions.
abraham Lincoln declared in his
FIRST inaugural that: This country
with. its institutions, belongs to tho
people who inhabit it,.
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 govern
ment, and have acquired subject
status under which their most ele
mentary rights and liberties can be
denied whenever the government itself
undertakes to regard those rights and
liberties as seditious or intmical.
Mere Matter of Prejudice
1T is needless to say that when
Democrats and Republicans can unite
In the advocacy of such Il rOnStruc .
tion o, the powers of government under
free institutions and when Democrats
and Republicans can unite in resist =
ing such an invasion of American ira .
ditions, party lines have become arti-
fetal and party adherence has degen
Grated into mere matter of prejudice
habit. self interest and cynicism.
!. although the two parties are des
titute of principle, they still retain some
of their former characteristics. and Mr.
Hoover combines the best Of those char
acteristics in both parties. The Re
publicans boast, and not without roa
son (if the record of the Sixty sixth
Congress can be ignored for the time be,
ing), that they represent cffici, ncy il
the administration Of government.
Mr.. Hoover has proved himself one
Of the greatest administrators of al
time. His achievements are among the
miracles of the war. and when Europe
speaks of efficiency it no louger speak,
of it in terms of Germany, but iu term,
of Hoover.
"If the Democrats cannot success
fully challenge tho Republican claim Il
superior administrative ability they
can honestly claim that, except for th,
brief period when the party organixa
ton had become a chatte of the slave.
holding obligarchy, the Democratic part,
has been the great chG:union Of i'm
dividual rights and of the liberties o
the people 1t is essentially the part
of the bill of rights aud Of tho coustitu,
tional guarantees Of freedom. tho un
compromising assertion Of which wa
never more needed than it is today
''ln spite of the southern prohibi