Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-11
BY WILLIAM YARD.

The deep thought among all nationa
political observers, analysts, experts
long-boW drawers and chance sho
artists, at this week end, Is the haz,
and problematical future of our twt
great political parties, in view espe
cially of the fact that one of them seems
to be lying on the roadside in a bruiseC
and broken condition, awaiting the ar
rival of some good Samaritan who will
furnish Splints and liniments and alst
a strong radio receiving set for catch
ing the deathlesS word Excelsior" on
of the ether of 1882.
To this spacious debate the writer
ventures to try to make little con.
tribution, based on personally ascer'
tanned facts and proceeding only Incl
dentally into surmises.
1t Is manifest that the revival of the
Democratic party will depend upon it!
constituting itself into an effective
opposition" 1t is manifest also, how
ever. that you cannot erect an "op.
position" except in answer and il
rivalry to the policies of the party ii
power. The first question therefore /,
not, What will the Democratic part,
do?" The first question obviously is
What will Hoover do?"
To that question the writer now ir
this dispatch devotes himself, out Of
many years of painful and pertinacious
observation Of Hoover's character anc
mental qualities.
The writer heard Hoover assailec
lately by intimate friends of his on the
subject of more Federal management oil
Tfya fnr 1N1oVHtc Thav oCcoi1nA hin
with statistics, and they assailed him
n1and Hoover listened at first pa
tiently and then with evident mounting
resentment. At pause he simply
said, I'm against it on principle anc
on conscience, and that's enough" anC
went on to something else.
That incident was the actual Hoover
so much obscured by yarns about his
efficiency" and about his skill as ar
adding machine"
Hoover in fact, leaves all the adding
and all the Subtracting entirely to the
bookkeepers and accountants. He has
an amazingly retentive memory, and he
hurlS statistics as weapons. He never
however, makes his fundamental de-
cisionS upon them. He makes those de-
cisionS wholly upon what some people
with admiration and other people with
contempt call general principles"
He was counseled by many of his as
sociates to compromise with the Nc.
Nary augen equalization fee." He
was vehemently urged to paint a def.
mite picture of governmental agrlcul.
tural rice-f1xing activity through the
sterilization corporations" favored by
the Republican party. He seemed due
to lose the whole Northwest unless hi
took this advice. 1t was pressed upor
him by vast multitude of Republican
Northwestern able politicians. He never
for one moment even thought Of accept
ing It, He rejected 1t without thu
slightest examination of details. HI
rejected 1t simply and utterly on TIT
broad general principle that govern
mental price fixing Of commercial com
petitive commodities Is contrary, as n
believes, not only to Sound economics,
but to "the American governmental
| system"
X X v II
| That second point-"the American
governmental SYSTEMS with him in
variably the really decisive one. From
that standpoint the writer prophesie
securely that Hoover will be the mos
antique" President that the Unitet
States has ever had in modern times,
| Hoover believes the Declaration o