Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-01-16
HERBERT HOOVER HAS
EVERYBODY Up Tree
ON THE Presidency
Barnes Launching of Boom
Checked by Former Food
administration - Not a
"Pary Man"
BY DAVID LAWRENCE

Hoover may or may not be a candi-
date for the presidency. but he has
everybody in Washington up a tree
as to what are his real intentions.
One would have thought that Julius
Barnes, head of the United States
Grain corporation. and intimate
friend and business association of
MI. Hoover, would not make a speech
declaring the former food administra-
tor to be a Progressive Republican
unless his friend knew about it.
One would have thought that in an
utterance of such Importance Mr..
Hoover naturally would be consulted.
but the first impulse of the distin-
Suished mining engineer, who now
adays is the victim of so much po-
litical publicity that he actually is
uncomfortable under the embarrass-
rent OF it. was to quelch the whole
business. He happens to be at work
here on the industrial commission,
which President Wilson recently ap
pointed. And when news came over
the wires of the speech by Mr..
Barnes. construed by many as
formal launching of the Hoover can.
didacy. the individual most affected
wondered if there were some way
he couldn't stop it.
He admits being a Progressive with
Il small ''p'' and was sympathetic
with the Progressive movement
which. in 1912, manifested itself in
the nomination of Theodore RoOse-
welt on the one hand and Woodrow
Wilson on the other but as for be-
ng a party man" either as to Re-
publicanism or Democracy, Mr.. Hoov-
er SHES al the word and naively
suggests to anybody who attempts to
talk presidential politics with him
that the so-called movement in his
behalf, which appears to have so
much spontaneity throughout the
country, is really in effervescent
protest against politicians in both
parties-a negative movement born
more or! resentment against the po-
litical ring than particular knowledge
of Mr. Hoover's capabilities for the
high office of president. And nat
urally enough, Mr.. Hoover. can give
You a dozen arguments why he
ought not be considering.
Case OF Hughes
Political reporters are usually fa-
nliiiar with the game OF cafnouflage
t3z1eS cfi-sR0 ctt3fc1f~
dates affect. The most puzzling case
of recent years was that of Charles
Evans Hughes. who was being spolz-
Ell of for the presidency while he
was still > justice of the supreme
court of the United States. OF course,
nobody knew what was going on
IN the mind of Justice Hughes, but
lie gave every evidence of sincerity
ri
told wouId-be boomers and campaign
ers that he did not believe, first,
hat there was anything like the
Movement IN his behalf which was
represented to him: and second, that
lie did not really know what he would
10 if what he construed as "a mir
acle in politics did come to pass.
He imagined that to be nominated,
man needed a political organization
and he wouldn't tolerate any such
thing. He was greatly embarrassed
by certain political managers who
gave the impression that he had at
:horized them to start a campaign
or him
Now the case of Herbert Hoover Is
very much the same except that Mr..
Hoover is not as sure of his party
IS was Governor Hughes. Mr.. Hoov-
1T is only sure of what he thinks
)4ght to be done in this country in
he present age of reconstruction and
ne hasn't any idea that his own sus-
gestions are the only ones that can
Dc followed in this era of economic
disorder. But he would honestly like
20 serve, preferably in a private ca
D4city in the establishment OF
normal conditions throughout the
world. He doesn't think it necessary
tor him to run for office to serve
The public and would as soon be the
appointee Of any administration or
government in bringing such knowl-
edge as he has to the relief of Euro
PeGn 0? American economic prob
lens.
Tzzasn't a 'Fo,:c- Face
Herbert Hoover is by no means d
subtle person with a poker face
who could sit before you and deny
that he is a candidate and yet leave
you with the impression that he
would be tickled to death to be nom
inated. He IS confident that the
movement for him, which seems to
have gained so much ground in tn"
press, is only ephemeral and that in
another six months. he will not even
&c free to work out the plans which
ne has, as a private citizen. for
service in the international and ma
}onal situation.
Nothing would hurt him so much
as to have the public get an impress
sion of receptiveness on his part and
then have the movement of today
gradually fade away, as he thinks it
will, by the time the conventions are
at hand. He would feel that his
friends had put him in the awkward
position of an office seeker, thereby
injuring perhaps the influence he
might have as a private citizen.
With the non-politics of the coun-
try in the future, Herbert Hoover is
under two iliusions-one that he is
temperamentally and otherwise I'M
suited to be a president, for he re-
CARDS himself as too blunt and direct
to get along with the political per-
sons in congress and elsewhere, with
whom he imagines he would be in an
interminabIe struggle; and second,
that a movement raised on the foun-
dation of popular resentment against
any class is the most inSubStantial
thing to which to tie an anchor.
But every friend he has believes
Hoover wrong, while the party poll
ticians who control nominations, un-
less the public takes a hand, natuT-
ally thinks he is right. They would
hate to have to nominate him, and
that goes for both the Republican as
we'll as the Democratic politicians.
100000 Fire in Maiden
HICKORY. y. =. Jan. 14.--Dam-