The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-12-17
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 193l
Damon and Pythias

It could not have been anything but friendship that persuaded Secretary of War Patrick J. Hurley to rise before the rePubli- can national committee in Washington this week and outline program of Hoover achievements in the years that the president has been in office. We say that because there is no hope for the handsome Cabinet member from Oklahoma securing the vice. presidential nomination. Vice-president Cur tis spiked the hopes of Secretary Hurley. Governor General Roosevelt, and several other young republican hopefus recently when he decided to have another try at the office where he has been forced to bear the brunt of attacks to which he, as senator from Kansas would have been immune. That being so. then it must be personal friendship which animated Mir Hurley to the pitch of excitement he displayed in de- lending his chief.
 It is news these days to find republicans defending the president. Even the demo- crats in Congress called for few of this species the other day when Representative McFadden, republican, of Pennsylvania, de- livered such tirade against Mir Hoover that even democrats blushed for shame Ger tainly in Mir Hurley the president has staunch friend, even if he is bit exuberant in his remarks. Perhaps that should be overlooked in the thrill of listening to the Oklahoman denounee Hoover tradueers and paint his reputation in golden colors on shield high up on the ceiling. But in the cold light of reason this can merely appear as an attempt to hold what few honors there are left to Hoover.
 In pointing out his remarkable achieve ments in the face of so much concerted opposition, Secretary Hurley refers to bis re- lief committee which called upon every com munity to solve its own problems of unem- ployment. That was established year in Waterbury before the president named his commission. As for the program of public construction we in Connecticut are in po- sition to judge just how rapidly 1t moves. Just consider the countless delays that postoffiee building has met in our large cities. As for farm assistance it just aint. :. As we have stated again and again Califor- mia fruit growers are the only ones we know of who profted by the Federal Farm Board loans. And they had to break the prohibl- ton laws to do it.
 The recent conference on home owning and home building was farce if eyer there was one. While its purpose was undoubt- edly praiseworthy. it is funny to talk about people buying homes or building new ones when those who own them are watching mortgage holders take them out of their hands. We must admit that in the main the motives behind the Hoover proposals have been excellent. We are not attacking the president on what he tried to do We real ize to-day. as must many more people. both democrats and republicans, that Mir Hoover does not measure up to the job which the American voters gave him three years ago. As an engineer he was a success. He may have fed Europe when it was starving. but he cannot lead the United States out of the present morass. Capable, certainly he is Adaptable. we don't think so. He doesn' { know how to work against opposition. We admire Secretary Hurley for his defense. but not for his attempt to consecrate the Hoover faiIureS