Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-09
H|URDL|NG POLITICS
HOOVERSBIG TEST
Clash Between His Desire to
Get Results and Conflict
ing Interests Seen.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

What kind of an administration VIII
Herbert Hoover give the country?
This question is being asked with the
idea that his experience as head OF the
Department of Commerce Will furnish
some answer to the query.
First of all, everybody here recognizes
that politics will be Mr.. Hoover'S most
difficult hurdle: that If 1t were not LOT
political considerations he would re-
orpanize the governmental machinery,
make a start on many needed revisions
Of old fashioned practice and generally
attempt to advance the economic for
tunes of the country by greater CO.
operation between the Government and
business.
Politics Deep Seated.
But politics is ingrained in Congress
and in the very system Which gave
Mr.. Hoover his enormous popular vote
Politics has become lust as much the
responsibility and wo.,sy of a President
In his dealings with Congress as any
thing else the Chief Executive has to
do. Mr.. Harding knew politics. because
he came to the White House after hav-
ing been elected to Office and gone
through local campaigns. Calvin Cool
idge knew politics from the ground up,
having dealt with political psychology
all his life in Massachusetts,. But this
Is the first elective Office Mr.. Hoover
has ever held-the first time in his
career that he finds himself beholden to
an organization of political managers.
Unfortunately for him, and perhaps,
for the strictly political elements, the
pre-convention campaign developed
some sores. Mr.. Hoover was fought by
some of the regular organizations. Com
until HnnVpF ~
iZationS. containing again some poll
ticianS who had been fighting the. local
regulars.
Which, then, should Mr.. Hoover rec
ognize now? Would 1t be the HilleS
faction in New York or the group in
which Ogden Mills was conspicuous.
Should it be the Goodrich group in In
diana, who were for Hoover originally.
or the Watson element. which fought
him? While it is true that all regu-
lars got back of the Hoover campaign
whole-heartedly once he was nominated.
the question which deserves recogni-
ton is usually brought up just the same
when it comes time to make appoint
mentS.
Wilson Task Recalled.
Woodrow Wilson had a task some
what analogous. He had been fought
by the regular Democratic State or
CARNATIONS who favored Champ Clark
in the preconvention campaign OF 1912
and the original Wilson men in several
States later reminded him of this. At
first Mr. Wilson stuck with the latter
group, but found that the regular State
organizations comprised members OF
Congress whose support was essential TO
his program. Later he began to lean
to the regulars, whence originated much
of the talk of "ingratitude" leveled at
Wilson in politics.
II Mr.. Hoover could organize a divi-
sion of politics and put some practical
hand at work in it and could say,
Here's just another problem, work it
out for the best interests of all con-
cerned and give me your recommended
tion," he would Mft load from his
mind, but might 80 escape the conSe-
quences which are after all personal in
their effect on the party leader.
Mr.. Hoover'S forte is cooperation.
His mind doesn't run toward the politi-
cal solution. He like to cooperate even
with those who oppose him. A striking
illustration of this was given during the
campaign. He was FESTIVE under the
implications of the religious issue. He
thought it had no business in a cam
PdAS4s 11Io 11SOlllCG Was W SGt ElQ VI IL.
Desired to Cooperate.
'Now. If could cooperate with Gov.
Smith on that" he began in a CONVEX
Sation with the writer and then he
stopped. For he realized that cooper
alton with the opposing side in a cam
paign isn't possible.
Yet it illustrates to q certain extent
that the Hoover mind isn't consciously
partisan. Were it not difficult thing
to explain to party leaders he would
promptly put Democrat in his cabinet.
He may do it yet in recognition of the
TACT that Texas, Florida, North Carolina
and Virginia are giving him their cleo
toral votes.
Broadly speaking, the future Hoover
administration will be an emphasis on
business problems and his success will
De measured by the kind of co-opera-
ton Congress and his own political
friends give him. The men who helped
TO elect him can make his Job harder
by demanding the impossible. Public
opinion helped Wilson in his early
struggles with Congress. 1t helped
Roosevelt. It's the only thing that will
help Hoover meet the demands of prac-
teal politics, as expressed in Congress.
(Copyright. 1929