Evening star., 1932-08-12

VETS are vets and drys are drys, and
never the twain shall meet. So might
Rudyard Kipling lilt, If he were to essay
the task Of analyZing the probable effect
Of Herbert Hoover's stand on prohibi-
ton. The President in his speech OF &C
ceptance does his level best to make
vets and drys meet on common ground,
but first-blush impressions are that they
are likely to remain house divided
against itself. Mr.. HOover's appeal Is
frankly to the reasonable" citizen
perturbed about the liquor traffic. To
that class he offers what he considers
q sane and constructive solution, i. e., to
let the States decide for themselves
whether they want to go wet or remain
dry The extremists in neither camp
are enthusiastic over such a proposal.
The repealist-wets will be satisfied with
nothing short of destruction of prohibi-
ton, root and branch. The fanatical
drys will be content with nothing but
the eighteenth amendment and the Vol
stead act, as is. Mr.. Hoover was pestered
with advice and counsel from both sides
before formulating his acceptance speech
attitude He must have known that he
could not and would not please every
body, so he decided to please himself
and leave the rest on the laps Of the
gods In demanding a change from the
present intolerable conditions the Presi-
dent goes miles beyond any position he
has hitherto taken on the noble expert
ment.
For the thousandeth time President
Hoover disclosed last night how hope
leSsly lacking he is in the arts of po-
litical showmanship. 1t was an oc-
caSion when a little stage play and
red fire would have been legitimate,
but, having utter contempt for such ar
tifices. he was Just himself-unemotion
al undemonstrative and oratorically
unimpreSSive. Every once in a while
the limelight was turned on the Pres
ident full glare, for picture-taking pur-
| poses, but even in that spectacular set
| ting he did not snap out OF his matter
of-fact, unaffected demeanor. Every
| once in a while some of his political
! advisers preach the gospel of pep to
Mr.. Hoover and urge him to go in for
| a bit of circus stuff now and then. He
won't listen to it. AS far as spell
binding is concerned, the President
cares little or nothing about his effect
| on a visible audience. He has acquired
a good broadcasting style and is most
| ly concerned with getting across over
| the radio. He has convinced himself
| that the air is his natural element.
X
| Undoubtedly, the pro-Hoover demon
stration which the Republican Roosevelt
women, headed by the widow Of ct. r., y
are giving the country is one Of the high
spots of a presidential campaign wholly
devoid to date of colorful aspects. The
arrival of the 71-year-old former First
Lady of the Land by airplane for the
notification ceremonies is well designed
to equal, If not outshine, the dramatics
of cousin Frank" in flying to Chicago
for his own notification on July 2. Mrs
Roosevelt shared the honors with Presi-
dent Hoover in Constitution Hall. By
her smiles and gestures she showed that
she enjoyed them and understood what
they meant. The participation of Alics
Roosevelt Longworth in the days events
was no less significant. Despite Princes;
Alice's" Unsuitable interest in public af-
fairs, she has never prominently identi-
fed herself with politics, as such. The
lending of her presence to the forma
opening of the Hoover reelection cam
paign Is nothing short Of an event oi
the first magnitude.
BY accident or design the Roose-
yeltian touch seems to be permeatine
the Hoover cause and camp at many
points. One of the Presidents closest