Evening star., 1932-08-14
BY MARK SULLIVAN.
T LAST We have q campaign.

n President Hoover's acceptance
II speech is an outright. unquali-
4 \ fled statement of set Of politi
cal PRINCIPLES. He appeals for
the support of those who believe in
those principles and those traditions
and he appeals to nobody else. Almost
he says to everybody else, to the whole
electorate:
Here I stand; If you believe in this,
vote for me. If you don't believe in this
unless you believe in this and all Of
this-vote against me, for have no
compromise to suggest, no concession to
make. II elected am going right ahead
straight down the middle of this road
which I here lay down, and unless you
have faith in this road, you will be dis
appointed in me, and that I wish 10
avoid"
That acceptance speech is startling
and unprecedented-the words are not
too strong-in its forthrightness. There
is nothing like 1t in American political
history. Acceptance speeches, like plat
forms, are traditionally made up on the
"cmnium gatherin" principle. Usually
acceptance speeches, again like plat
forms, are composed in conference with
party leaders. Consequently they be-
come a mass Of vague generalitieS, the
ACoAAs - AAAoSJ ROA6S'
Qualifying Is Usual.
"Put in this" says one leader, "to
please the women" Put in that" says
another, ito make sure the old soldiers
will not feel slighted" Say this, but
be careful not to say it too strongly, for
we must remember the labor vote"
Say this to appeal to the East. that to
appeal to the West" Say this-but
put in this as an estoppel" "Indorse
the tarif-but put in weasel-word to
keep the lcw-tariff Republicans in line"
That is the common, almost the uni
versal way of writing - not writing,
throwing together-acceptance speeches.
From all that, Mr.. Hoover's speech Is
starkly bare. He does not even appeal
to that time-honored decisive factor"
the independent voter and the doubtful
voter. He appeals solely to those who
believe in the principles he lays down.
To all others he has the effect, sensa-
tional in politics, of saying "Unless you
believe in this my course will not suit
you"
The principles that President Hoover
uncompromisingly lays down are the
conservative principles-the old princi-
pies of the American form of govern
ment, the old American way of life.
From no one Of these will he depart;
none Of them will he impair. To every
| fundamental American institution he
shows almost personal loyalty. We shall
| American way. Whatever that way
may cost in difficulty. he will. neverthe-
less, follow 1t. So far as he is con-
cerned. the form Of government. and
that body Of practices which we de-
scribe as the American system" shall
be what It has been from the begin
ming. Whenever he is called on to end
his trust and give back the Govern
ment to the people, whether that be
next 4th Of March or four years later, it
shall be the same Government and the
same institutions that were intrusted
him.
VIII Displease Some.
There are many who will not like this
Throughout this depression many fine
and able men. some of them not mere
theorists or ism" followers, have in
sisted that We must change scme of our
institutions fundamentally. As mat
ter of emergency, they say we can only
climb out Of this depression within a
reasonable time by making changes; as
permanent matter, they say that some
| Of our institutions, including some
aspects Of our Government and of our
I political system, are overripe for change.
Some Of these innovators squint toward
the Russian plan Of dictatorship by the
state; others toward the Italian plan Of
comforting great and arbitrary power
on whomever happens to be head Of
state. To both groups, and to all in
novators who would make fundamental
change, President Hoover says, in effect:
Il believe in the American system
the competitive system, the system that
gives equality Of opportunity to all and
rewards each according to his capacity
and worthiness. I shall resist all pro-
posals to change 1t. If you believe in
something different, do not expect you
to vote for me-"
From now on we will have a cam
paign-a real one, a debate in the field
OF principles. The Democratic candi-
date cannot fail to set up his group Of
principles in contrast to Mr.. Hoover's
or the policies Of Mr.. Hoover from which
he dtSsents.
Roosevelt for ChanxsA
Gov. Roosevelt believes In innovations.
In that he has many sympathizers, the
support Of many voters. It will be de-
sirable for him to be concrete about the
innovations he has in mind, the things
he proposes to change. At Chicago, as
he scrapped the custom of an accept
ance speech, he said:
Let it also be symbolic that in So
doing broke traditions. Let it be from
now on the task Of our party to break
foolish traditions"
A good many folks agree with that.
Some of our traditions really are anti
quated. But nearly all will want to
be told by Gov. Roosevelt just which
ones he deems foolish"
Incidentally, Gov. Roosevelt's throw
ing overheard Of the ancient institu-
ton Of the acceptance speech appears
now, in the light of President Hoover's
fidelity to it, to have some disadvan-
tage. It will have disadvantage to Gov.
Roosevelt unless he now, in answer to
Mr.. Hoover, makes his own declaration
of policies, belated equivalent of an
acceptance speech. The acceptance
speech as an institution-as a formal,
detailed and complete statement CT the
candidates position on public ques-
tions-is an institution America can
hardly afford to drop. 1t is too essen
tlal to the American practice of gov
ernment, too necessary for clarity in
the campaign, too desirable as a means
Of giving the country the opportunity
to vote intelligently as between two
choices.
President on Prohibition.
Mr.. Hoover's forthrightness appears