Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1920-03-19
MIR. HOOVER IL "AN
INDEPENDENT PROGREssIvE,,

and then finally. thus does Mr.
Hoover give a political inventory Of
himself, to the best of his knowledge
and belief, to satisfy the curiosity Of
the Make Hoover President Club of
California which seems to be more or
less Indifferent as to what party ve-
hicle shall hc comma ndeered to trans
port Mr.. Hoover into the White House
one could detect in Mr., Hoovcr's re-
sponsc a faint note of wciriness Being
| called on so often to define ones po-
ltcal feelings ana impulse, to stand
up and bc measured, must be some
what irksotn" and especially to one
who. while not dtspisng the honor
done him, and much less the office of
I President, nevertheless seems 20 cher
ish the freedom Of private citizenship
! NOR" than u" does the power ana fame
that are thus Ianeled before his vision.
, hut If these repeated demands seem
| some what to weary Mr.. Hoover he
goes about the work Of complying with
| them with admirable fortitude and
patience.
And what do We learn from the lat,
est self-limning of his. political char
| acter? That he was, before the war
"a progressive Republican" and that he
Is now merely "an Independent pro-
| gressive." which two Characterization
admit of the deduction that at present,
events having somewhat abated his
Republican prediction, he is under no
party attachment a state Of political
orphanage to which the war and its
aftermath have reduced tens of thous-
ands. Item two in this inventory is
that the reactionary group of the Re-
publican party is just as repugnant to
Mr.. Hoover's political sensibilities as
Is the radical group of the Democratic
party. Recalling Mr.. Hoover's previous
statement that, whatever he might be,
l Qu He
Republican nor a Bryan Democrat, one
is brought to the brink of the conclu-
sion that Mr.. Hoover perceives no very
material difference between a progress
i've Republican and progressive
Democrat. an opinion which. If he hold
1t Will be concurred in by good many
others. One might advance in safety
to the further conclusion that Mr.. Hoo
yer thinks that the doctrinal differ
ences which used to distinguish the two
parties and supply an Ineligible rea-
| son to men preferring one or the other
| have been too frequently and badly
! preached by the representatives of both
parties to make them available nov
as a means of joining an issue Of suffi.
cient substance to make it worthy
/ occasion of political battle. Here again
is conclusion which has probably
| found logment in many minds that
| lack the courage to avow il. ADpar-
emily, In Mr.. Hoover's estimation, par
| ties and men are distinguished politi-
cally mostly by their outlooks and
! impulses. There are some whose OUT
look is backward and whose impulse
| Is negative. There are others whose
outlook is forward and whose impulse
is affirmative, Mr.. Hoover places him.
self in this last-named category. But
| he is unable to say that he is either
Democrat or Republican, or that he
will support one or the other party.
because he beholds each party an
agglomeration of forward and back
| ward-looking men, rendering both
highly amorphous. So he remains
politically unattached. waiting for the
two parties to reveal their impulses
and purposes, IL they are capable of
doing IL positively, whereupon he will
go with that one which reveals the
impulses and purposes that most near
ly accord with his own. He will look
to their platforms. to the treatments
| they propose of the concrete matters
awaiting settlement; and of course to
| the tradition and character of their
| nominees. If, in the matter Of the
nominee, either should wish to make
him its champion he will answer to the
call. but of course on the imperative
condition that ii make a declaration of
purposes that is reconcilable to his own
judgments of what is right and expe-
dent. 1t may be said, and doubtless
| Will be. that 1t is rather an arrogant
, attitude that Mr.. Hoover assumes in
| that II requires the party which would
| nominate him to conform it's ideas to
his. There might be something in that
| criticism IL Mr. Hoover were seeking
| the office or the nomination. Bu- since
he is not, 1t seems to us that he is
| exercising no more than the rights of
| an Independent mind which cherishes
| Its integrity more than ii does rarty
| decorations. 1t might be sa,C, further
| more, In defense of him against that
| criticism, that he takes occasion to saw
| that no man can assume ito dictate the
| issues to the American people or to the
great parties they support" This ia
not merely correct, but an admirable
| attitude. He makes It both the right
| and the duty of the parties first to
| define the issues as taeis own minds
prompt and then to choose for their
nominees men who ara sufficiently in
| accord with those defiT.iions to cham.
pion them with sinceri'y and courage
| This latest self exposition may not
| increase the likelihood of M. Houver's
| being nominated by either party. Ger
| tainly II Will not nurture the possibil-
ity II one existed, of his being nomi-
mated by the Republicans Most of the
| forward-l lockers of that party are
| against the League of Nations where
as Mr Hoover is for il; while most
OF those who are for il, nominally or
| really are backward lockers. Mr. Hoo
YER IL seems likely, would be inclined
to- make the question of entering the
| League "f Nations the paramount issue
| IN the event the treaty should not have
| been previously ratified. But out of
the desire to have the United States
enter the League of Nations no issue
can he made, An overwhelm lining ma
)ority OF the people are in favor of il;
most iepuhlican and Democratic Sena-
tors nave alison professcd il. and both
| parties. we may he sure would declare
Tor II. Thus II there is to he any issue
| made out of this matter. it must con-
Germ the question If IL shall enter the
| League of Nations suhiact ,o ,ba 49,,