The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-11-15
THE WORLD AND HOOVER


With the single exception of Wood
row Wilson no American President
has ever been the center of such world
wide interest as Herbert Hoover will
be from the moment he enters the
White House.
On Wilson humanity pinned a very
definite hope. Broken, bleeding and
trampled upon by war, it looked to
him and his international peace pro-
gram to save it from anything like
that ever happening to it again.
Today the eyes of all nations are
on Hoover Clothed with greater pow
er than any potentate, and head of
what has suddenly become the richest
and mightiest of all countries, people
everywhere are eagerly, and some
times anXiously, waiting to see what
use he will make of his power.
The battle for world trade is on
with all the trouble breeding posi-
bilities which that may mean. Navies
and merchant marines have become
problems as vital as the same prob
lens were when Britain and Germany
bickered over them prior to 1914. War
outlawry, cooperation and concilia-
ton between nations, war debts and
Preparations, the struggle for control
of indispensable raw materials and
the open door for commerce-these
and other questions are to be answer
ed or interpreted by Herbert Hoover,
so his attitude will necessarily mean
much not only to the prosperity but
to the peace of the world.
Great Britain, naturally enough,
manifests q special interest in the
American President-elect. Sane think
ers both in Britain and America hold
that the salvation Of white civilization
depends largely on Anglo-American
relations. Nevertheless there are
those, even in high place, who predict
almost certain war between the two
countries over foreign trade.
Hoover distinctly does not belong
to the latter category. Says the Paris
Temps: "He works with figures, so
there will be no disagreeable surprises
with him in office" In other words,
he is too practical statesman to fol
low a policy which will lead to de-
structive international friction.
What is even more important, the
world, to Hoover is made up of people
rather than of countries. In this may
be found the key to his whole foreign
policy. He reduces all things to sim
pie human equation. To him markets
are people, not places, and foreign
trade eXpension is to be had by i'm
proving the standard of living and
purchasing power of the people rather
than by war for the domination OF
either countries OF trade routes.
Consider China. Cooperating to
put China on her feet and improve
the Chinese standard of living would
not only net both Britain and Amer
lea billions of dollars profit annually
but China herself and the rest of the
world would be infinitely better off in
the bargain.
Last year, for instance, we sold Chi
mas 4O0,O00,0OO people only $109,00O,-
900 worth of goods. We sold just as
much in Mexico with only 100000
inhabitants. On Mexican basis the
Chinese would have bought more thar
$3,000,000,O00 worth of our stuff.
Viewed in this humanitarian way
there is no limit to trade expansion
for all and without clash. By boost.
ing Chinese still further, until, say
they approximated the Canadian level
our annual sales to China would reach
the brain-wrenching total of $4,000,
100000 a year, or more than sever
times as much as we now sell to the
entire world.
Improve the world and We improve
ourselves. That is a Hooverism. Hoo
yer works with facts and figures, anc
thinks in terms Of people, as the Eur
opean press has keenly observed
Which means that he is less concerned
with abstract principles, as tn
French Journal DIES Debats puts it
than he is with practical results t.
everyday folks.
Because Hoover thinks these lines
in our opinion, the signs are bette
today for constructive, internationa
cooperation, with America taking tn
lead, than they have been in eigh
years. Though by a somewhat diff
erent route, the Wilson dream of
world peace under American leader
ship or initiative may yet come true
to the everlasting benefit of man
kind.