Evening star., 1932-06-06
The Political Mill
By G. Gould Lincoln.

volume entitled Have Faith In MaSSa-
chusetts" 1t has become increasingly
popular to publish books about candi-
dates for the presidency. Indeed, . can
didate for the presidential nomination
Is scarcely . Hull-dedged candidate
until some one has written and pub
lished a book about him. This year
has seen new crop Of books and q
new crop Of candidates. Speaker Gar
ner and Gov. Richie Of Maryland are
among those whose careers have been
unfolded to the public via the book
route. and there Is soon to be published
a volume on Owen D. Young. But the
presidential candidate about whom the
greatest number Of books has been pub
lished Is the President OF the United
States. Some Of these volumes. how
ever, have been designed to discredit
entirely President Hoover. Some Of
them have been written and published
by entirely diScredited persons. whose
sole desire apparently has been to make
money out of retailing scandal for
which they have no proof, have fur
nished no proof and can produce none.
~
Within the week q new Hoover book
has been published. It Is called "The
Truth About Hoover" written by Her
bert Corey and published by Houghton
Miftlin Co. Mr.. Corey effectually gives
the lie to the defamers of the Presi-
dent Of the United States. He has
made an exhaustive search OF records;
he has information from men Of repu-
tation and character in a position to
know all the facts about Mr.. Hoovers
career as a mining engineer In China,
Australia and South Africa: he has
produced court records and other mat
tiers OF record to set the world right
about Mr.. Hoover. and he has done an
excellent job-so excellent that the
scandal-mongers who have sought to
throw mud ON the President have been
answered completely.
Whether or not The Truth About
Hoover" was designed as Q campaign
volume, its publication comes at an
opportune time. It will doubtless be
used In the coming campaign, for Mr.
Corey, in addition to clearing away the
whole murky web which the Presidents s
detractors sought to build up about his
past, has given an interesting interpre-
tation OF the administration Of Presi-
dent Hoover. He has related the great
accomplishments of the President in
thls period OF depression and what he
mas done to meet the destructive eco
uOiIllC lOTCeS.
The fact OF the matter IS. too. that
Mr.. Hoover has deserved well of the
american people not only because of
the constructive measures he has adyo-
Gated and the steps he took to prevent
an immediate and violent reduction of
the wage scale after the stock market
crash IN 1929, but also because OF the
many things he has saved the country
from. He has stood out against the
economically unsOund equalization fee
ana debenture plans Of dealing with the
exportable surplus Of agricultural prod
ucts; he has prevented the establish
ment OF a Federal dole" which many
members Of Congress would have fas-
tened on the Nation and which would
nave incurred the expenditure Of hun
ureds OF millions Of dollars for MANY
years TO come. He has taken q definite
stand against tremendous pork barrel"
public works programs, which would add
enormously to the tax burden of the
people. His political stock has been on
the up and up in many parts OF the
Union since the people have come to
understand what he has been about in
the last three years, and it IS likely to
rise still further. The antics of the
Democratically controlled House and of
the Senate, which is controlled by a
coalition of Democrats and insurgent
Republicans, have helped the President
through the contrast presented. If the
Congress should stick around Washing
ton all Summer. it probably would in
sure the reelection of Mr.. Hoover. In
stead Of embarrassing the Chief Execu-
tive. the legislative branch of the Gov
ernment has made him shine by COM
pariSon.
The spotlight today is on Iowa
There Senator Smith Wildman Brook
hart, Republican Progressive. ardent
dry and veteran of both the Spanish
American and the World Wars, is fight
ing for his political life against five
contestants for the Republican sena-
torial nomination. Despite the efforts
Which have been made to diSlodRe
Brookhart, he still has q chance to win
the nomination, as he has won before
against heavy odds Should he fail to
receive IS per cent of the vote cast to-
day in the Republican primary his
goose will be cooked, for either some
other candidate, under those circum-
stances, will have defeated him in the
primary or the nomination will be
thrown into the Republican State Con-
vention, and the opponents Of Brook
hart believe they can beat him in a
convention row. The Iowa Senator was
a strong supporter Of President Hoover
in the 1928 campaign, but turned
against the President later In the farm
bill fight. What he will do if he obtains
the senatorial nomination on the Re-
publican ticket remains to be seen.
He supported La Toilette against Cool
idge in 1924 and Hoover against Smith
i'll 1928.
Virginia this week will in Democratic
State Convention give former Gov
Harry Flood Byrd his first instructed
delegates to the Democratic National
Convention. Idaho, Mississippi and
Florida are expected to elect Demo-
cratic del. ations to 20 to Chicago to
support Roosevelt for the presidential
nomination, whether they instruct for
him or not.
More and more 1t is beginning to look
as though the case Of Mayor Jimmy"
Walker OF New York City, made in con-
nection with the legislative committees
investigation OF the city government,
would not have such q widespread eff
feet on the choice Of Democratic NOM
lnee Tor President as seemed likely
lew weeks ago. II reports from New
YORK be true. the case will not be acted
upon by Gov. Roosevelt until after the
Chicago convention, which Is due to
open June 81, or three weeks from to-
day. Apparently Mayor Walker prefers
not to have the matter considered by
the Governor until after the national
convention. Perhaps he believes that
the Governor would be less impelled to
oust him from Office after the Governor
snail have been nominated for Presi-
dent, with an eye to the possible ef-
feet the removal Of the mayor might
have on the Tammany vote in New York
City in November. On the other hand,
II the mayors friends should prevent
the nomination of Gov. Roosevelt for
President, what might the mayor expect
OF the Governor when he comes to deal