Evening star., 1932-09-19
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE.

Not so long ago, the Repub-
licans were saying that If Gov.
Roosevelt would only keep on talking
he would cook his own goose. The
Governor has kept on talking" and
now President Hoover has decided tc
follow suit The Democratic nominee
| to date has made four set campaign
speeches-at Columbus, Sea Girt, Kan
sas City and Salt Lake City. 1t is
tacitly acknowledged in exalted G. o. P
quarters that Roosevelt so far has been
| a disappointment He has not talked
half as foolishiy or 5slf.destruetiVel{ ay
course, hoped-he would. His banking
farm and railroad views provide plenty
of targets. but by and large they fail
| lamentably, from the Republican stand
point, to reveal as many weak spots in
| his armor as they counted on, once he
took the stump. In particular, the
Governor has not run true to the 'radi-
cal'' form attributed to him in advance
Perhaps after he has basked in the
| sunshine of Senator Norris, and barred
the Rooseveltian soul on power in the
| far Northwest, as he is about to do, the
| cloven hoof the enemy is waiting for
will manifest itself.
Herbert Hoover has almost inexpres-
Sible contempt for the tricks of the
political trade. especially the hot air
| of the hustings. Yet it's a safe bet
| that he'd give a good deal right now
If he possessed the pep of Theodore
Roosevelt or the presentation-power OF
/ a Woodrow Wilson. What campaign
thunder those skilful politicians would
have made of the material at President
Hoover's disposall No administration
ernment in the whole world-can point
| to such a program of national welfare
/ as has been enacted under Hoover's
direction to combat the depression. He
cannot and does not, as his acceptance
speech stated, arrogate to himself ex-
elusive credit for the Nations mighty
effort to curb the economic crisis. The
Democratic party shares the glory. But
| the President can lay legitimate claim
to having piloted the ship of state re-
sourcefully and steadily when the storm
was rocking it the hardest and cap
, tanned the bipartisan crew with courage
and patriotism. If the people this year
we're voting their intelligence instead OF
/ their emotions, even Democrats admit
that Mr.. Hoover would face November
with vastly brighter hope.
| X r
Hardly a day passes, private advices
| from Idaho indicate. that Senator
| Borah is not urged from some quarter
| to break silence before it Is too late and
like all good men" make up his mind
| that now is the time for him Ito come
, to the aid of the party" It's common
knowledge that the sage of Boise left
the Republican reservation, at least
temporarily. because of the liquor plank
President Hoover's desertion of the
| ultra-dry cause was not designed to
bring "Big Bill'' back into the fold. Less
generally known is Senator Borah's
| objection to the Republican platform
on the ground of its "illiberalism," as
he sees 1t. The elephant. in the
Idahoan's opinion. doesn't give solitary
snort in the progressive direction.
And still they come! This week viii
see the publication of the latest addi'
| ton to the endless crop of books pur.
porting to tear the hide on Washington
| The new arrival is entitled High Low
Washington" and is anonymously writ
TENN the mode of the moment-by
"30-32." Beneath that nome de plume
the Philadelphia publishers announce
| Is hidden the identity of etwo writers
of unique experience boths in Europe
and America The volume, said to b'
non-malicious and somewhat pnuo