Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-14
HOOVER TRIP ST|RS
| POLITICAL CIRCLES
Whether He Will Deliver
!, Speeches or lust Fish Is
I Disturbing Factor.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Whether President Hoover is going
West on an old-fashioned political trip
or whether he is merely going fishing
and vacationing seems to have dis
turbed the political fraternity here
AboutS.
Denials have come from the White
House that the President had politics in
mind or that he will make speeches.
Just what harm there is or what de-
parture from precedent is involved If
the President did make few addresses,
and even dicuSSed politics, is not ex-
planned Presidents have always re-
tanned the right to make tour across
the continent and to take advantage of
the opportunity to tell the people few
things about governmental policies.
Democrats Are Busy.
The Democrats, however, have not
failed to seize upon the announcement
of forthcoming trip as sign of weak
ness on the part of the administration.
AS a matter of fact, they will not fail
to make the most of any losses that the
Republican party may sustain in the
Autumn congressional elections. Mr..
Hoover, therefore, is likely to be urged
by Republican leaders to do what he
can in the way of speechmaking. The
theory has always prevailed that the
stronger a President is with public
II,
retain control of Congress.
Mr.. Hoovers itinerary thus far in
cludes only the national park areas
and he will, of course, go TO the Pa
ciflc Coast. Nowadays, however, a
President can be in retreat almost any,
where in the United States and yet by
microphone and press dispatch reach
all the people who want to listen or
read.
President Taft made a trip in the
middle of his administration and so
did Mr.. Wilson and later Mr.. Harding.
Obviously Presidents try to avoid a
discussion of politics, but no matter
what they say, the political world in
terpretS their utteranceS as part
Of we'll designed plot to capture votes
either for themselves or the members
Of their party who are up for election.
People Want to See Him.
Another argument made in favor of
q long trip by a President after he
has been in office a year or more Is
that "the people want to see him." A
retiring personality is too much of a
mystery for the average voter and while
some residents have profited by such
mystery, the desire for a personality
who will come out and meet folks Is
considered by the politicians as far
more advantageous in the long run.
Entirely apart from the political dis
cusSion of the Presidents trip, there
Il enthusiastic comment from Western
members of Congress, because of the
belief that the attention of the whole
country will be focused on the West.
Mr.. Coolidge achieved something of
this and won the gratitude of the Mid
die West, particularly the Dakotas, but
no President has called attention as
Mr.. Hoover's proposed journey will do
TO the vast possibilities of recreation
afforded by the national parks.
Mr.. Hoover, as an engineer, always
has been interested in the potentialities
Of Western land and rivers, and un-
doubtedly such speeches as he will make
viii be devoted to an exposition of what
he conceives to be the economic future
Of the West, as well as its recreational
advantages for the whole Nation.
(copyriSht, $780,