The border vidette., 1928-07-07
MESSAGE TO DEMOCRATS

IT the Republican party is sat
isfied with Herber Hoover as its
candidate for the Presidency,
certainly Democrats have no re
ason to complain" was the com
ment from Democratic National
Congressional Committee head.
quarters here, made today thru
the Chairman. Representative
William A. Oldfield.
But Mr.. Hoover's nomination
| must be a bitter pill for old line
Republicans like Senator Curtis,
of Kansas, Watson, of Indiana,
Lowden, of Illinois, Butler, Of
Massachusetts, Hilles and Wads.
worth, of New York, and others
who, like them, have been fight.
ing the party's battle for quar-.
ter century or more," Mr. Old
field went on. From eally man.
hood until 1917. Mr.. Hoover
lived abroad. From 1917 until
1920, be was regarded as q Dem
Ocrat. In 1920, he styled himself
as an independent. His conver
sion to Republicanism wasrapid
ly being accomplished. 10 1920.
be became a Republican. and
during the few years Of his Re
publicanism, be has always been
an office. holder. Certainly. 10
MIR. Hoover's case, turning Re :
publican has been profitable. |
know of no man in our history
who has so quickly harvested
such big dividends from his par.
tisanship. But it must be bit
ter dose for regular Republicans,
who have borne their party ban
ner all their lives, to have an
eleventh hour convert come in
and waltz off with the prize
cherry. However, if that is all
right with the Republicans, it
certainly is with me.
but there is more at stake
than the personality of the ia
dividual who is to become Pre-.
sident. From the day be became
q candidate, Mr.. Hoover has not
taken a positive stand on any
public question, except we know
that in the background be has
opposed equality for the farmer.
1t is the general opinion that be
more than any other individual
has been responsible for defeat
ing the effort to give agriculture
a square deal and the farmer a
chance to get back on his feet
and earn a living. On the Mis-.
sissippi river food control pro
blem, Mr.. Hoover accomplished
a straddle as wide as the Missis
sippi at its mouth. On prohibi
tion, his dodge was so>successful
that be has been applauded by
both vets and drys. On corrup.
tion in elections and in public
office, he has been as silent as
an Egyptian sphinx. Neverthe
less, be must be satisfactory to
the election crooks. 1t is signi
ficant that when the Republican
nomination was hanging in the
balance, it was the Pennsylvania
boss, Senator reject Ware, who
lined up the Pennsylvania dele.
cation and gave Mr.. Hoover the
boost that put him over.
It will not be forgotten that
| Mr.. Hoover became a Republi
can and entered upon his official
career as a member of the Hard
| ing cabinet in an administration
that disgraced America. He was
the associate of Albert Fall, of
Harry Daugherty, of Will Hays
and Edwin DENLY. He sat around
the cabinet table with them at
the very time Fall was bartering
away the Naval oil reserves in
the worst scandal in the Nations
life and at the very time Harry
Daugherty was making the De.
partment of Justices rendezvous
for crooks and traitors. It Mr..
Hoover is the wise man he has
been made out to be, he is bound
to have had some knowledge, or
at least some suspicion of what
was going on. Bot in all the
years that have passed, be has
never lifted his voice to utter
one word of condemnation of the
scandalous record of the Hard.
ing administration. in which be
was an important figure. Mr..
Hoover may by this time be a
good Republican, wholly salts
factory to Will Hays, to Daugh
.. erty, to Fall, to Rush Holland,
Daugherty's 'fxer,' to Bascom