Evening star., 1929-01-01
.HOOVER'S JOURNEY
IS CALLED UNIQUE
Latin Trip Is Said to Have
Set Precedent Others
May Follow.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.
By Radio to The Star.

bV Kau0 10 Inc StaT-
Copyright, 1929, New York Tribune, Inc.
ABOARD U. S. S. UTAH. en- route
to Hampton Roads, January 1.-Presi-
dent-elect Herbert Hoover, with his
arrival in the United States on Sun
day, will look forward to the first of
the domestic tasks that will engage
him as President and at the same
time will look back upon the compile
tion of what. essentially, will have been
an important incident of his manage
ment Of the countrys affairs
The South American journey. seen
in relation to Mr. Hoover's presidency
has been unique. Actually 1t is case
of a newly elected President taking up
one of the important features of the
office in advance Of his Inauguration.
The cases are not unusual where
Presidents, after their retirement from
office. have travelled abroad for pleas
ure, as Grant did and as Roosevelt
travelled to Europe Africa and South
America. Nor are the cases unusual
in which our public men have gone
abroad in intervals between their pub
lie activities, doing so in a spirit CT
seeking recreation during leisure, as
William Jennings Bryan Travelled
around the world in 1905 and 1906.
Mr.. Hoover. in beginning South
American journey almost Immediately
after his election, may have had N
mind, no doubt. to a partial extent,
the idea of rest after the campaign
through which he had passed. But so
far as rest is figured as purpose OF
the Journey, that part of it was &C
complished and done before the first
leg of the sea journey was completed,
before he landed at any port.
Quick Rccuperaticn.
Mr. Hoover has to a striking degree
the power of quick recuperation, which |
is o fortunate attribute of his abstem-
ious life as well as his sturdy physique. |
BY the time he reached the southern
tip of Lower California he was a rested
man, and his energetic mind was eager
for the ceremonies and duties ahead |
of him.
Thereafter there were repetitions of
the same experience, of concentrated
activity followed by quick recuperation
and renewed Zest for the next visit.
Each trip ashore was crowded with
activity. Always there were ceremonies,
and always Mr. Hoover was on official
duty and on parade from the moment
his ship dropped anchor.
Always Mr.. Hoover, in the expressive
phrase of sport, threw everything he
had" into the event at hand. But al
ways the interval of a day or two OF
the ship was enough for his great re-
cuperative capacity to show itself, and
always he came to each new country
with the same zest as to the first.
Mr.. Hoover'S South American journey
was an important national service, a
tour of duty accompanied also through
the nature of the case by pleasure to
both the hosts and the guest. In
sense Mr.. Hoover may be considered as
having looked about him Tor the one
most important aspect of his presidency
to which he could properly attend be-
fore actually taking the Office. The
domestic aspects of the Office obviously,
he could not take up with propriety or
good taste until after he should
formally assume the office.
The journey has had scores OF diff
ferent kinds Of usefulness, all of which
are important and some of which will
continue as long as South America
and North America sit side by side.
Some of the many uSefulneSSeS could
have been achieved by any President
under the same circumstances.
Precedent May Be Followed.
The courtesy and honor, the mutual
acquaintance and good will, the disSi-
patton of suspicion in the few quarters
where it existed, the creation of con-
fldence-an these and some others of
the high services arising out of the jour-
ney could readily be accomplished by
other Presidents. After this strizingly
successful precedent, doubtless they may
be renewed by some future Presidents.
But Mr.. Hoover, in addition to these
services was able to accomplish others
that could be brought about by the
qualities in which he IS unique.
During the Great War, when Mr.. Hoo
yer was functioning in the relief Of Bel
gium, he was practically as we'll known
throughout South America as in the
United States. South America knew
him as a humanitarian and has pri-
marily remembered him thus till now.
That gave him On this journey
uniquely favorable standing for off,
setting the feeling, not uncommon IN
South America, that the United States
is rather exclusively commercial. Mr..
Hoover, in short was a new kind Of
symbol for the United States and was
able to create a new and essentially
more accurate picture of our country
Also, Mr.. Hoover is one of the worlds
greatest economists. Each South Amer
ican country has individual economic
problems which have nothing to do
with its relations to the United States
AS respects these problems Mr.. Hoover
was able to give advice and suggestions
from the disinterested point of view Of
so to speak, a consulting engineer.
Often the political problems of South
American countries arise directly out
of their economic problems.
An outstanding characteristic of the
whole journey, little mentioned in dis