Evening star., 1927-11-13
HOOVER ELIGIBILITY
DOUBTED BY SOME
Friends Hold He Has Resided
in u. S. for ID Years,
Despite Long Trips.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Eligibility of Herbert Hoover, Secre-
tary of Commerce, under one of the
constitutional qualifications for Presi-
dent, has been questioned in a 'whis-
pering campaign" in the National
Capital and elsewhere. 1t came into
the open recently through the publi-
cation of a letter in the Springfield,
Mass. Republican.
The attack upon the potential can
didacy of Mr.. Hoover revolves around
that provision in the Constitution
which says:
mo person except q natural born
citizen. or citizen of the United States.
at the time of the adoption of this
Constitution. shall be eligible 10 that
office 0he presidency; neither shall
any person be eligible to that office
who shall not have attained to the age
of 80 years. and been IA years resi-
dent within the United States
Was Out of Countr-.
The whispering campaign is based
on the last clause, which says that to
be eligible for President a person
must have been IA years a resident
within the United States. Prior to the
World War Mr. Hoover was out of
the country for long periods.
Close associates of the Secretary of
Commerce maintain. however, that he
has always been a citizen of the
United States. and that he has MAIN
tanned a residence and home within
the United States for a long period.
Any attack upon Mr.. Hoover's eligi-
bility, they say. must fall TO the
ground Edgar Rickard of New York,
who was associated with Mr.. Hoover
in his Belgian relief work before the
United States entered the World War.
in letter to the Springfield Repub
lican said:
II have known Mr., Hoover intimate.
ly since 1910 and during portion of
this time have been associated with
him in Belgian relief. Without going
into the legal question of whether the
IA years residence period mentioned
in the constitution must be imme
diately prior to March 4. 1929, or
whether it is cumulative. l can state
at once that Mr.. Hoover not only
maintained a residence and a home
within the United States for the whole
of my Is years acquaintance with
him, but that, while he from time to
time Travelled abroad upon profes.
siona1 work and public service. yet
know positively that in each and
every separate year ending March
he was himself physically within the
United States. The conduct of the
Belgian relief which you mentioned
was directed both from the United
States and Europe. and he was con
stantly back and forth from the United
States during the whole period of the
war"
Matter Appears Closed.
The Springfield Republican, com
menting editorially upon the matter,
said
"The telegram from Edgar Rickard
seems to answer the question tof Mr..
Hoover's eligibility and close the mat.
ter"
Mr. Hoover is a native of the United
States. He was born in West Branch
Iowa, in 1874. He took an A b. do-
gree in engineering in Stanford CnI.
versity in 1895, and from 1875 10 1913
he was engaged in engineering WORK
in the United States. Mexico. Canada,
Australia, Italy, Great Britain, South
Africa, India, China and Russia. He
represented the Panama-Pacific Tx
position in Europe in 1913-l9l4. When
the World War broke out he became
chairman of the American relief com
mittee in London. which aided Aneri-
cans stranded in Europe to return
home. and soon afterward became
chairman of the Belgian relief com
mittee.
When the United. States entered the
World War in 1917 Mr.. Hoover re-
turned to this country and became
head of the Food Administration. He
has resided constantly in this country
since that time. When 1929 rolls
around he will have been here T.
years. 1t would be strange, indeed,
his friends point out, If the years he
spent Immediately prior thereto as
lead of the American Relief in Bel.
gIuT :hould be counted against his
eligibility for election to the Presi
dcncy. if the constitutional provision
was interpreted to mean that man
must be continuously a resident with
ir the United States for IA years
prior TO becoming President.
Constitutional authorities here said
last night that it was a question just
VIVA. .he clause of the Constitution
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