Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-02-13

Herbert Hoover has waited for the
crystallization Of what h. regards a
spontaneous and popular demand for his
| nomination before formally acowing
himself a candidate for the presidency.
That explains why the Secretary OF
Commerce has delayed until mid
February TO throw his hat into the ring.
Virtually ever since Calvin Coolidge
withdrew himself from the 1928 race
last Summer, Hoovers friends have i'm
portuned him TO declare himself an
aspirant for the succcSsorShip. They
eagerly asserted their readiness to do all
the campaigning that was necessary.
They told him he wouldn't have TO
lift a finger" All they asked was per-
! mission Ia use his name. Hoover's
position was made clear TO his admirers
| with resoiute defniteness. He refused
to sanction anything that savored so
far In advance OF chase for dele
gates" II and when the time came. the
commerce chief said that II looked as
| IL the country really wanted him TO run
for President. he would do so the
hour. he quite evidently thinks. has ar
| rived.
For many weeks it's been apparent
| that Herbert Hoover Is no longer the
political babe In the woods he was In
| 1920 He thoroughly knows his way
about now. Hard-boiled G. 0. p. ma
| chinists who have had recent occasion
for contact with Hoover are amazed at
his acquired familiarity with all the ms
and outs of the political game. That
doesn't at all mean that the Secretary
of Commerce has adopted. and decided
| to practice. the tricks Of the trade. II
merely indicates that he has ceased To
be innocent OF them. Probably Her
bert Hoover would have to be made over,
| In order to acquire a genuine fononeSs
| for the acknowledged hooks and crooks
OF politics and politicians. They are
not 10 his liking and are wholly foreign
Ia his nature. They do not t!he Win
| his engineering mind and ircct-action
minded enough to know that politics
| means parties, and that parties mean
organization. His friends predict that
Hoover will trot along In q. o. r, or
saniza,ion harness with little coaching.
| though the big boys" may md IL Try
ing AT times to make nm stay
hitched"
Senator Frank r.. Willis emotions
over Hoover's invasion OF the ONO
fayorite son preserves are not likely 10
be OF the enthusiastic brand. But the
| Buckeye Republican knows that the
| State more than once has been similarly
intruded upon. Leonard Wood success
fully contested with Warren q. Harding
for Ohio delegates In 1920. In 1924
Calvin Coolidge waded boldly into Scnn-
tor Hiram w. Johnson's devoted Can"
| fornia. and carried the primaries DS
a heavy majority. Hoovers nerve III
launching his presidential fortunes III
| primary where he Is assured OF con-
Test Is called good politics In Washing
| ton. Old timers say II shows the Gail
fornian isn't afraid Of a night Super
| HooveriteS claim the Commerce Secre"
tary Is already In sight OF a Kansas
| City ma Iority They believe his coming
out Larty IN Ohio will speedily do the
rest.
Iioovrr's supporters are anxious on
one important score They are III no
doubt that their favorite Is the popular
wiz Republican candidate. Ihey
boast that he has more genuine
strength among the rank and f1le OF
! Republican men and women than all
| other aapirants. avoWed or receptive.
put together. What they're afraid OF II
that tarty bosses may. nj Kansas CITY
| or before. contIive somehow or other
10 override and nuliity the popular
g. q, y. viii. They think back upon
what happened at Chicago IN 1870. and
their qiiaima become correspondingly
acute Harding WAS far removed from
being the Republican popular choice,
vet The national convention put hin,
over and put him up, Hoovefites think
The task that now mainly lies ahead ri
them Ia IN see that no such disaster
overtakes their man at Kansas CITY.
|
Meantime the Secretary Ut Com
meres' q fortunes are In about a. asttits