Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1930-02-07
e N T IN Ell
Friday Morning $685. February z, 1880.


ssdent Hoovers letter to the Emeritus
President Of the Ohio State University, in
which he suggested that his critics were
only those with partisan desire that the
Chi'f Executive should fail regardless of
public welfare, was obviously intended for
general circulation rather than being
mere answer to DR.. Thomson's New Years
greeting.
In its essence, the Presidents letter
voices the rather familiar principle that
re sing can do no wrong and those who
disagree with him must be disloya to the
country's welfare and the ccuntry's insti-
htutions. Fortunately. or unfortunately, cleo
ton endows man with no greater wisdom
tnan ne possessed as a private citizen. If
I, we subscribed to the doctrine that the
President is always right, Elk Hills and
Teapot Dome oil reservations would now
De In the possession of Messrs Sinclair
and Doheny and the first would not have
served time in the Washington jail and
the second would not be facing trial for
the offense Of which bis accomplish former
secretary OF thef P~erior Fall. has been
co9sicted II Presidents were always right,
~ my lily would have remained
'ember Of the Cabinet and Charles Beecher
arren. the sugar lobbyist, would have
een made, and probably would remain
, ID ttorney General
- Coming down to more recent events, il
lay be pointed out that in the matter of
stention of tariff making powers. II Presi-
4 fent hoover's position is correct, then a
majority OF the Senate. including ID mem
bers Of the Presidents own party, are al
together wrong. Likewise, if the Presi-
dent is infallibIe, Congress did a wicked
and unstatesmanlike thing in refusing to
nulify the national origins provisions Of
the migration laws, as he requested And
to bring the question still further up to
date. II the President made no mistake in
asking for a joint committee of the two
houses Of the national legislature to con-
slider the reorganization of the various
agencies concerned with prohibition then
the leaders of the House Of Represen-
tatives, headed by Speaker Longworth and
administration Floor Leader Tilson, we're
glaringly in error for vetoing this program
Il is true that President Hoover, in the
short period he has been al the head of
the government, has met more rebuffs from
Congress than has been the portion of
most presidents. hat is It logical % assume
that these actions in oppos ion to the
Presidents views were performed by men
actuated by malice-to use the Presidents
word in the Thompson letter-or by de-
sire to injure the President even at the
expense Of the country's welfare Prob
ably President Coolidge felt as President
Hoover evidently now feels when Congress
over-rode Coolidge's veto Of the soldier bonus
and Of the increase in the pay of postal
employees.
President Woodrow Wilson's bitter ex-
perience with Republican Congress ever
the Treaty Of Versailles was a conspicuous
Incident OF controversy which the PTesi
dent lost. At that time, Mr.. Hoover, sup
porting Wilson, perhaps entertained certain
views as to the men and methods en-
ployed in preventing the ratification of
that treaty. but it is hardly likely that at
the present time he would include those
responsible for the defeat of the Treaty of
Versailles in his classification of Parti-
sans DESTROYS that the President should
fail. even IL their strategems injure the
country"
President Hoovers restiveness under
criticism and his attribution of an I'M
fiattering motive to those who make 1t
differentiates him somewhat from his pre-
decessors who recognized that men might
differ from them and still retain at least
the rudiments of patriotism.
As matter Of fact. the greatest criticism
Of the present Chief Executive has not
been because of his policies. but because
Of the impossibility of learning just where
he stands on various questions before the
country.
During practically the whole period Of
his administration SO far, Congress has
been engaged in a strenuous discussion Of
the merits and dement's of the Smoot-
Hawley tariff bill and even yet no.
body Ia able to extract from the Presi-
dent any definite notion Of where he stands
on it beyond the fact that he does not
want to surrender any part Of the authority
to alter the rates. although that extension
|. OF authority to the President was vouch-
safed only because Of an emergency that
existed seven years ago and which has
passed long since.
His party has right to expect leader
ship from him, and complaint that he
leaves them fioundering does not involve
such turpitude as President Hoover ascribes
to his opponents in his letter to Dr..
Thompson.