The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1932-05-26
A COURAGEOUS PRESIDENT
Duluth Free Press)


President Hoover last week demonstrated quite
convncingly that he has the courage of his convic-
tfons and that he will not sacrifice the nations
welfare to political expediency.
He vetoed, without the slightest hesitancy two
vicious bills which potically-minded congress
had enacted; appropriating millions of public
money for pensions to war veterans their widows
and dependents and another tariff bill sponsored
by the Democrats taking from the president the
thority to regulate the tariff schedule under the ex
ible provision Of that law
By the pension veto the president has drawn
down upon his head the wrath of that influential
group of veterans who insist on being paid in
cash for having performed their obligations as pa
trotic citizens to their country BY the other veto
he has laid himself liable to accusations of playing
partisan politics in the midst of a crisis when such
considerations ought to be laid entirely aside.
While the attitude assumed by the president in
both OF these instances is justified in the eyes of every
citizen that puts the welfare of the nation first
der the political situation which manfesty obtains
it took courage of an exceedingly high order to do
what he did shamefully large majority of the
members of both houses of congress permitted them
selves to be bulldozed by the forces backing these
proposals into voting for them If the facts could
be brought out it would undoubtedly transpire that
not few of those who voted for these measures
hoped the president would have more backbone than
they possessed and the country from the newt
able of their own cowardice by vetoing
them.
But these are not the only instances in which the
president has of late displayed great courage and
hce His pronounced opposition to the proposed bon
legislation and his direct appeal to the country for
support in his battle with congress apparently COM
petey demoralized by the vicious assaults of preda
tory elements, further proof that he holds the
nations welfare before political preferment
Then have his reconstruction program. BY
advocating aid for the nations banking system, its
railroads and other main arteries of the country's
economic system instead of direct federal contribu
tons to the unemployed, he gave the demagogues
and those vocal champions Of the dear people" the
argument they wanted for showing him up" as the
puppet of ''big business" From, political stand
point it might he said he playing right into
the hands of his opponents then.
President Hoover, however, is not playing poll
tics he is engaged in doing the best he knows how
to help get this country out of the depression, no
matter what Interpretation the politicians may put
on his actions. He believed that this could best
be accomplished by adhering to established American
principles of business and that these should be
fully tried out before taking up new and untried
measures.
Never before has this country had president
who took such active leadership in endeayors to
restore economic normally during crisis. Mani
testify this is of the worst crises this country
has ever experienced and 1t is now apparent that
extraordinary measures will be required IL COM
plete disaster is to be averted.
The president apparently has become convinced