Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-07
Republican Prospects for 1882.


It will not profit the G. o. P. to look
back upon the elections of last Tues
day. The Republicans must look for
ward and hope for better times. The
party in the past has had serious set
backs between presidential elections and
has yet sprung back to life and unex-
pectedly defeated the opposition In the
following general election. The Re-
publican party was at a low ebb In the
tide of its affairs in 1922, when huge
majority in the House was almost wiped
out but 1924 saw another sweeping
G. o. P. victory. 1t is natural to look
to the results of the elections just held
in New Jersey, Kentucky, Michigan and
one or two other States, where Demo-
Gratis won over the Republican candi-
dates, and for the Democrats to take
heart from them. But what the year
1882 holds for the country and for the
political parties is still mystery. The
campaign is in the making.
At last there are indications Of an
upswing in the business world, and
within the past two weeks wheat has
advanced amazingly in price. Many of
the farmers have held their wheat,
hoping for such a change. They have
been strongly urged to do so by leaders
in Kansas and other wheat-producing
States. Corn, too, has made q remark
able recovery recently. Almost unher-
aided and quite suddenly these changes
for the better in the economic situation
have come. Let there be a real swing
upward, and the political situation will
vastly change.
1t will then be remembered that the
Republican President, Herbert Hoover,
stood firmly against the Federal dole
against such unsound panaceas for the
farmers as the debenture and the
equalization fee. 1t will be remem-
bered that he stepped into the breach
with his proposal for half billion dol
lar bank pool to aid the weaker banks
and engineered the moratorium of
reparations and intergovernmental debts
when the world seemed headed for
bankruptcy. Hope Is what America
needs, hope and confidence, and If
they come within the next few months,
the issues In the next campaign are
going to be different from what they
would be II the voters went to the polls
today.
In any circumstances it would be diff
ficult even for the most partisan Demo-
crat to draw true and honest indict-
ment Of the Hoover administration.
From the point Of view OF the radical
such an indictment might be made,
since the President has kept the faith
and stood solidly against the nostrums
advanced by certain progressives, rang
ing from the issuance of billions Of
dollars of fiat paper money to the pay
ment by the Federal Government Of
money to long list of unemployed.
When the depression burst upon this
country two years ago and the stock
market crashed, the President acted
promptly. He called to Washington
representatives of industry and labor
and obtained pledges from them not to
curta1 wages and not to strike Fol-
lowed remarkable incident in Ameri-
can history. Labor, which in the past
was always the first to bear the bur-
den of business depression, suffered
far less than in other past depressions.
Reductions in wages were stalled OF
until the cost of living had materially
decreased for labor. If the country
has a breathing spell and the pail of
hard times lifts. the political psychology
will change, may change almost over
night.
Mr.. Hoover has a number Of con-
structive measures to advance when the
next Congress meets, measures de-
signed to aid in the present situation
and to prevent as far as may be a
recurrence of these present conditions
The country will watch with interest
what the Congress, hostile actually in
both Houses, will do with these recon-
mendations If Mr.. Hoover and the
country pull themselves out of the
present slough of despond, they are
likely to rejoice together.
When he chooses to do so Mayor