The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1932-11-04
By Senator Arthur Capper
of Kansas

people of most nations have usual
ly been slow to recognize great
leaders in the times of crisis that
brought them forth. In u own
short history, we know that Lincoln
was much criticised and humiliat-
ed and believed he could not be
elected to a second term, although
he was reelected.
Cleveland was scandalously a.
bused, even by his own party
Roosevelt received more recognl-
ton while in office than most
presidents, but probably was not
appreciated at his true worth dur
ing his lifetime. And it still is
disputed whether Woodrow Will
son will or will not be classed as
a great president.
Hoover No Grand Stander
In the White House at the pres
ent time, the country has a man
who is not a spectacular presl-
dent. President Hoover, as | know
him, is too honest to be a grand
stander. He has courage and back
bone plus. His knowledge of world
affairs. of our own affairs, prob
ably is surpassed by no other
American. But he doesn't show OH.
He doesn't burn any red fires. He
doesn't put on any sort of show, or
stunt. He simply works at his job
lust as we work at ours, only long
er and harder than most or us
and lets it go at that.
Party politicians have always
complained that Hoover " mas
tried to "sell" himself to the coun-
trv They want him to dramatlze
himself, as they call it; do some
posing before the public once III
a while. as some pretty good presi-
dents have done to show us they
were presidents and get a nano
when perhaps they needed it. Not
so with Hoover.
Pilot in Emergency
There has been drama enough
in his life, goodness knows. lie
has met and overcome more ap-
palling difficulties in the last 10
wears than some of the great flg-
in history. The present oc-
cunant of the White House has
done plenty of things to entltle
him to the limelight, before our-
ing, and since the war. sui ne
takes these things as a matter u
in his methodical matter-oI-
wav He cannot or will not.
pose.
So recently as the last nine
months Hoover has been u pllot
through a series of TREMENDOUS
national emergencies. Two ol
these emergencies were unprece-
we have never seen thelr
ike before. One of them threaI-
aned the total collapse and III
nroyishment of this nation. II
came after economic distress ana
prostration, resulting
had brought about reVoiu-
ion in 20 countries. Three-quar-
-ers of the population OF the glope
vas affected.
No Country Escapes
whole world had been shaK-
IN Not one country escaped anu
t was our turn.
Az one of the gravest moments
r. our own uncertainty, some Vi
,ur good men and true became
Harmed. then frightened then
.st their heads. But the preslueh'
,ept his.
A. . White House conference OF
2enublicans and Democrats lroii
18th houses of congress, now near
. . wear ago. President Hoover
irtually made known his entire
rogram of financial and economic
elief.
If is when you see a man IN &C
ion day after day under stress do
have seen Hoover, that you real
y come to know him for what ne
Tho critical moment | have ID
lind was when winter was upon
s last year. Millions of men were
If of work. our public revenues
ad nearly dried up. To a large
xtent private incomes also hau
;s~anneared. Then foreign coun-
les began withdrawing more than
400 million dollars from the Unit
I States. This included one billion
,llars of our gold reserves. Where ,
as if going to stop? Fear seized D.;
,e people, they took more than :
600 million dollars of their saw :
gs from the banks and hid the +
.oney.
Wreck Came Near '
The storm was worldwide, an
collapse, which, in our t
.se. followed a colossal wave OF f
ock market speculation and t
lmbling. That only made it all the b
orse for us. t