Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-29
Hoover Hits Norris Plan.

President Hoover's letter to Repre-
sentative B. Carroll Reece of the first
Tennessee district, indorsing his stand
against the Norris Muscle Shoals reso-
| luton, is attacked in certain quarters
| for two reasons. One, because Mr..
Hoover does not favor the Norris reso-
luton, which looks to Government
ownership and operation Of the Muscle
Shoals power development, and, two,
because Mr.. Hoover has apparently in
terfered in Republican primary cam
paign. Mr.. Reece is seeking renomina-
ton and his opponent, Samuel w.
Price, has attacked him because of his
opposition in the House to the Norris
resolution.
The President in his letter to Mr..
Reece, which was made public in
Tennessee, supports the plan for
Muscle Shoals development and opera
ton advanced by Mr.. Reece in opposi-
ton to the Norris plan. 1t looks to
private operation rather than govern
mental Mr.. Hoover's opponents, among
them Senator Norris of Nebraska, who
went over to Al Smith in the presi-
Dental campaign of 1928 because he
said he liked Mr.. Smiths stand on
water power better than he did that
of Mr.. Hoover, are Immediately seeking
to align the President with the power
trust" Mr.. Norris, at least, should not
-
any means, however, that Mr.. Hoover
is friendly to any trust merely because
he believes in private operation rather
than Government operation. In the
long run, private operation in this
country has proved more successful,
better suited to the needs of the people
and capable of giving better service
than Government operation.
In his letter to Mr.. Reece, the Presi-
dent said: 81 am assured the Senate
plan (the Norris resolution) cannot be
passed in the House. Nor would I
approve the plan, because it is not in
the interests of Tennessee or the rest
Of the Nation"
Very clear and to the point. The
President leaves nothing to the i'm
agination in this statement He will
veto the Norris resolution should it
come to him. Some of his critics now
are suggesting that he has no business,
as Chief Executive, to take q hand in
legislation which is before Congress,
They are the same critics, however,
who have complained that the Presi-
dent would not give his stand on vari-
GUS items in the tariff bill when that
measure was before the Congress for
consideration.
The President has leaned over back
ward since he came into office to OBJ
serve the niceties of the constitutional
differentiation between the legislative
and executive branches of the Govern
ment. The demand for firm leadership
Of the party in power, however, must
| also be considered. 1t is an essential
in a successful administration. The
President can go far in the presentation
of his views to win the confidence OF
the country and of the voters.
At the White House it is claimed that
Mr.. Hoover's letter to Mr.. Reece Is not
| to be interpreted as interference in a
Republican primary; that the President
has merely undertaken to clarity the
situation in fairness to Mr.. Reece, who
| is under attack because OF the stand
he took in the House. There can be
| little doubt that the expression OF
presidential approval for candidate
in a Republican primary is reckoned
as an asset to the candidate. Mr..
Hoover, however, is by no means the
first President who has given support
to a candidate in party primary.
Calvin Coolidge, when he was Presi-
dent, by urging then Representative
Gillett to make the race for the Re-
publican senatorial nomination and
backing him up, took a very decided
hand in settling that race. The late
President Woodrow Wilson tnterfered
now and then in the interest OF some
of his friends or against some OF his
enemies in Congress.