New Britain herald., 1928-10-23
HOOVER's MASTERPIECE

Grand CeutTAAs tsAo SlASs"
 HOovER's MASTERPIECE
 Herbert Hoover gave an address In New York yesterday which oy common consent seems to be re- rarded as his masterpiece of the campaign. Yet 1t leaves commenta- tor, puzzled. Even stalwart Repub- lican editors are baffled.
 The Republican candidate told the country how in 15o years we have built up | social system that Is peculiarly American, 'in which de- centralized local responsibility is the very base"
 He told how the government IS ineficient when it meddles in bus- iness, The functions of the govern- msnt at Washington, he held, should be reduced to a minimum. He oppos- ed unnecessary boards. commissions and prying interferences. In short iMr. Hoover gave . magnificent ex- position of Jeffersonian democracy.
 Claude Bowers. fiery keynoter Of the Democratic convention. who enalyzed Jeffersonianism and Hamll- 'tonianism in such striking and lurid lanxuage, must have been delighted when he read the Hoover address. In the next book Bowers writes on Jefferson he can we'll afford to quote MT. Hoover at length.
 Unlike Hamilton. and like Jeffer- son, Hoover steps forward as the na- tion's most pronounced and fore most individualist. He does not be- iieve in too much federal govern ment and too little local government. This American system of which he speaks 50 eloquently. is nothing else but the original and genuine Jeffer- sonianism which both parties, as matter of plain historic fact. have somewhat. left behind in practiqN, though not in theory.
 Individualism is something we all like to favor in private conversation. But xhen we are confronted by the actualities of government, the need for | species Of federal traffic regu- lation of business, industry and sommerce, we seem to agree that regulation of this and that is not a bad thing but necessary. We talk about the need for government to keep its pawA out of business; but careful readers of the nations his- tory soon discover that almost all political action from the beginning has been. predicated in whole or ln .pest upon the Hamiltonian principle !of strengthening the central govern sment 50 that trade and commerce might be advanced. Before the first words of the Constitution were writ tea the confederated states enjoyed . saturnalia of individualism, and II was largely to avoid the evil conse- ;quences that . central government had to be established over tht opposition of individualists.
 Bringing the situation up to tht minute. what do we find? That the centralized local responsibility MT Hoover so eloquently talks about il the very thing that Governor smit} most ardently desires in connection with the prohibition issue. Fedora prohibition. according to the thesi of Mr. Hoover if carried to it's logi cal conclusion, has no business beint engrafted upon the federal list o functions. Prohibition if anythin, has been an invasion of local self government and local responsibility Governor Smith would return pro hibition to local responsibility. S should MT. Hoover. if his words a Madison Square Garden are to b taken at face value.
 But in connection with this all lieves in and stands for the yer antithesis of local responsibility. H prefers to be known as the dr candidate. supported by the Anti Saloon league. the W. c. T. |. an other organizations it is not neces sary to dignify by mentioning then
 During the war. Mir. Hoove, eloquently proclaims. the governmen However desirable this might hay been during wartime. it is not a ideal for peace times, he says. An he is right. But the 18th Amend ment was written into the Constitu tion during that very time. a produc of that very despotism he is concern ed about. Why shouldn't Mir. Hoover like MT. Smith. advocate going th
 ( !. relic of despotism?