Evening star., 1924-09-30
FLO w E r S
For the Living
Herbert Hoover
BY JULIAN STREET

One hears with the regular. old
line. standpat, hardshell politicians
of Washington, Secretary of Com
merce Herbert Hoover is not popular,
in which connection it may be men,
toned that Secretary Hoover has to
say mo" from fifty to a hundred
times a day, and that he finds it
simpler to say NO" in one word than
in ffty or a hundred words. He is
busy man with a big job-a job
that grows bigger and bigger the
longer he is in it, as any job he holds
is bound to do-and he finds 1t neces-
sary to economize time. His official
day begins at am. when he break
fasts with a secretary at his elbow,
and ends when the conferees and the
second shift or third shift secretary
leaves his house at night.
Herbert Hoover has the unquali-
fed admiration of those whose ad-
miration one would most desire
Intellectual men and women, human
men and women, able men and women
in business and the professions all
over the land, yes. and all over the
world. are his friends and followers.
He Is an idealist, but practical; and
intellectual, but again practical, for
his mind is an engineering mind.
marvelously efficient instrument de-
voted to the service of the American
people.
Unlike some other men in Washing
ton. Hoover seeks nothing for him
self. He does not want political Of
hce, he does not want glory; his
happiness lies in going quietly ahead
putting every bit Of energy he has
into His job.
His energy and zeal he probably in
herited, for his father was a black
smith and his mother was Quaker
preacher They died when he was a
child, and he was reared by Quaker
relatives on farms in his native Iowa
and in oregon, going to work at the
age of 13.
Since he has been Secretary over
400 conferences have been held in
the department with representatives
of various industries and professions
by means of voluntary cooperation
Practically all these conferences have
been called at the request of the in
dustries and professions themselves.
Through cooperation Secretary
Hoover secured the abolition Of the
12-hour day in the steel industry.
Through cooperation he secured
Standardization in the lumber trade
which will effect a saving to the peo-
pie of the country of perhaps $500
000,0 annually. He has worked for
two years on department reorgani-
cation bill. familiarizing himself with
the functions OF the 129 divisions
which now compose the executive
side of the Government. The bill
proposes resrouping of depart
ments and bureaus on the basis Of
purpose, putting an end to unneces-
sary division of functions and to the
overlapping of one department or bu-
reau by any other departments and
bureaus. No such work has been at
tempted since the time of Alexander
Hamilton, and the bill, if passed, will
relieve the President of an overload
OF labor which should be deputed to
members of his cabinet. will make
the Government infinitely more eff
cient and win save taxpayers fifty to
one hundred millions a year.
Now and then Hoover is attacked,
but it is hard to find a vulnerable
point. If some one says he used re-
lief funds to foment a counter reyoIu-
ton in Russia. he has but to point to
document hanging in his office.
signed by Soviet officials, in which he
Is thanked in the highest forms for
his partisan, non-political admin
tstration of relief work. If the dis
gruntled attempt. according to the
custom OF the country and the time,
to fmpugn his honesty, the attack re-
bounds on the attacker. You can't
fool the people about Hoover They
know they can trust him.
When 1t is charged that he is not
an orator the charge can be sustained.
he is not an orator, not a politician.
but a much rarer sort of mana
quiet, ciearheaded, Industrious, hon
est and peculiarly capable public
servant to whom is due a rising vote
Of thanks from the entire nation.
Copyright, 1924. by the Bell Syndicate. Inc
TOm0rrOw-Elhie Janis,