Evening star., 1924-01-05
BLOC SYSTEM HELD
| MENACE BY HOOVER
Secretary Sees Parallel to
European Dictators in
Congress impotence.
Specjal Dispatch TO The Star.

OF commerce hoover, WHO HIS VIII
ten a letter discussing the recent
trend OF politics to William Allen
White, Emporia editor.
Hoover sees in the congressional
blocs symptoms Of the same thing
that threw Europe into chaos and
which required the rise of the abso-
lutte dictator.
Recently an editorial from Whites
pen pointed out that after five years
OF reconstruction practically all of
the civilized world has turned to die
tators; Italy to Mussolini, France to
its military party, Greece to Plastiras
and Russia to in-Trotsky. The
editorial caught the eye of Secretary
Hoover and brought forth a comment
on the political situation and its
possibilities.
The Hoover letter follows:
You have asked for my diagnosis
OF the epidemic of dictatorship that
seems to have infected many OF the
ion as to whether 1t might be CATCH
ing in our country.
AS you know, all European democ-
racies were patterned more or less
after the British or French form Of
so-called responsible government
That Is. the entire administrative arm
OF the government-the cabinets
chosen as a committee from the MEM
bership of the legislative body. and
can only continue 80 long as it has
distinction between their form OF
government and ours. because the
administrative arm of our govern
ment springs directly from election
New for the epidemic.
No Majority Party
"In practically every government
In Europe there are in these days
from three to twenty political parties
in the legislative assembly, with no
single party in majority In con-
sequence their cabinets, and thus the
administrative branches Of their gov
ornments. have been necessarily
founded on temporary coalitions be-
repre- senting minortties. Likewise
legislative work must be accom-
plished by coalition. Any coalition
between groups OF different political
suit in the abandonment of matters
OF important principle and the con-
seauent adoption OF the largely
negative policies. All virility and
short lived and constructive and
courageous policies in legislation or
administrative action have been con-
spiciously absent. The problems in
have been enormous. and In the face
Of the violent differences Of opinion
between the different factions the
negative policies have resulted In lit
tie more than drift and paralysis OF
government
"That is the disease. AS result
the people in one country after an
other. in evaporation. have welcomed
some form of dictatorship. This does
not necessarily indicate a failure Of
sentiment for the principles Of lib
eralism. 1t Is failure In making
practical government machinery for
their application. Nj
United States VIII Suffer Less.
''Our form of democracy will suffer
much less than those of Europe from
this sort Of paralysis, because the ad-
rninistrative arm of our government,
springing directly from the people,
has 1T least continuity Of office and
does have defniteness of administra-
tive policies. The same disease. how
ever can infect our Congress in such
tive legislation and responsibility. In
fact. We have slight infection of 1t
right now.
"It is possible that the world is fac
ing two alternative forms of democ-
racy. Either of the majority must be
expressed through the parties, the
party structure must admit OF ma
jorities, these majorities must assume
Of which Is impossible for long II
there are more than two parties OF
any importance; or alternatively,
some new adventure must be embark
through referendums upon all impor-
tant questions. I do not believe the
latter will work over the large popu-
lations of the modern world (it may
work in local issues). for 1t would re-
duce the legislature to q nonentity
and destroy the essence of construc-
tive government, which 10 team work
between the administrative and leg
islative branches in all questions, to
say nothing of the destructive exag-
gsratlon of sectional and group emo
tions arising from referendums over
10 diverse country AS ours. 1t Is, of
course, the negation of representa-
tive government.
Compromise Vital to Cure.
whether the disturbed countries in
paralysis and return to liberal de-
mocracies by better party organiza-
tion can only be determined by time.
and depends upon many factors. One
individual mind OF the necessity for
cessfui democracy implies. Prac-
governments; otherwise there Is un-
likely to be any stable majority. and
this implies willingness and spirit
of cor,"romise In individuals OF per-
o1t Rss Tesis wishRn R9a' .inrl. IN S'I% party
srabls poriien Of objsetives. I doubt
whether any two thinking men will
political philosophy or ever agree
precisely on all the items of legis-
1ative or administrative program. In
In accepting the conflicting points.
but the whole survival Of our form
OF democracy will depend upon a
willingness to adopt team play and
tiens Within the main ranks
Our political parties change their
objectives with time and changing
problems. or new parties are born
very helpful periods. A crystallisa-
ticn Of new ob3ectives In old parties
io tho safest course for democracy.
but this course has not always been
trsmists will not make the necessary
<sompromisee with new developments.
'~We have hitherto accomplished ed
this fairly we'll in America with q few
exceptions and unless we can main
tain 1t our Congrsss will become i'm
potent until 1t Is accomplished anew.
Party government can obviously be
abused, but these abuses extend ex-
sotly to those limits which the public
permits by its own negligence.
OBVIOUSLY progress requires that
men shall advocate their own ideas
hy every means possible. Likewise
the eompr omiSe necessary for suc-
cessful government requires that they
should advance these ideas in. one
party or the other. I know that po-
iitoA logidians Jibe at such m idea
hut tt 10 = talent for tesnpering logic
with 0ompromioe and common sense
that hAs made our institutions work.
Ahle.s
DINNER BOARD NAMED.