Evening star., 1932-10-19
NORRIS ATTACK
OPENS OLD SORES
Charges Made Against Hoover
Years Ago Brought Out in
Senator's Speech. :
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Attacks by Senator Norris Of Ne
braska on the personal integrity OF
President Hoover, following as they dc
similar tactics by former Senator Reed
of Missouri, have served to focus at
tention on the part played by the
strategists in both Democratic and Re
publican headquarters in approving oi
the distribution of personal calummes'
When Mr.. Hoover at Cleveland IN
dignantly denied he had ever, as =
mining engineer years ago IN oouci,
Africa, employed Chinese labor, ne salo
the canard had been included py the
Democratic headquarters in It's written
instructions to speakers. Four YEAR
ago the Democrats were charging tna'
some of the Hoover lieutenants IN tne
south were distributing literature oe-
signed to stir up religious feeling WIZ
respect to Alfred E. Smith. Mr.. hoover
repudiated such tactics at the tlme.
Stirs Up Old Row.
When Mr. Norris, following the Lead
of former Senator Reed, refers 10 IHt
wears that Mr.. Hoover spent as
promoter of mining STOCK, ne SUIT
up a controversy that was USED pfloi
to Mr.. Hoover's nomination, !ust a.
were the suggestions about ms loiit
residence abroad having virtually eA'
patriated him. .,;,L Of
Campaign managers may tnlnK al
is fair in political warfare even II II
impugns the personal integrity OF tit
President of the United StaVes' nue
is unfortunately one OF those tnlnsE
that can be thrown of nghtly ohl.
by a man of political training. Wnerea.
a man of Mr.. Hoover's sensitNelesS
What hurts the President, OF course
is that having served the American
people as their President Tor amos
four years during the most severe
crisis in American history WoFkint
nioht and day and with not the
slightest suggestion of any personal ir'
regularity in Office, two men speaking
under the auspices of the Democratic
National Committee should so bitterl!
assail his honesty.
Old Question Raised.
The whole thing has raised anew ths
question of whether a single term 1ol
President. namely, six years, Wlthou
the privilege of reelection, would no
he a better thing for the country al
around. In the first place, the los
of momentum in Government durlnt
a campaign extends from the Presl'
dent to his associates in the execu
tive branch of the Government. Th'
Chief Executive finds himself forcet
to 90 out campaigning to defend MN
self at a time when his presence II
Washington is vital.
Senator Norris, in his scatching at
| tack on the President, revived all tn
unkind things opponents had salt
about Mr.. Hoover II years ago and TIT
entire speech in Philadelphia was de
signed to prove Mr. Hoover was per
sonally unfit to hold public office. Thu
| far there has been no such note
| personal bitterness introduced agalns
Mr.. Roosevelt by any Of the prom
| inent speakers on the Republican side
though the Democrats are chargin
| that there has been more than on
whispering campaign about Mr.. Roose
| velt's health and also that there hav
! been attacks made on some OF tn
| Democratic nominees business ven
| lures.
| The theory that the American peopl
are fed I'D on a mud-slinging campaign
! and are no longer interested in per
| sonal attacks does not seem to hav
occurred to some of the campaign man
ayers on both sides.
(Cspyright. 1922