Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1932-10-20
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Washington, -. L. oct. o.-WHen
President Hoover moved into the
White House somebody started the re-
port that there were no books in the
presidential mansion A committee of
book publishers set about repairing this
deficiency, and library of about 500
volumes, mainly of the English clas-
sizes, was formally presented to the
United States for the presidents use.
1t so happened that this effort was
unnecessary because the Library OF
Congress sees to it that a selection of
the latest books, as we'll as any special
bookAwhich the president may wish to
consult are always on the shelves of
the White House Library.
Whichever way the election goes
next month, the next president will be
booklover. Mr.. Hoover is not only
great reader but is also a writer of
books. His writings have been on the
subject of his life work, mining en-
gineering. The best known of them
is his translation with the assistance
Of Mrs. Hoover, of the earliest known
book on mining. 1t is called DE Re
Metallica," and was printed in Latin in
the 10th century by German named
Georg Agricola.
Mr.. Hoover once figured out that
the time he had spent on ships, in the
course of his professional travels,
would amount to year and quarter.
On his voyages he has always taken
trunkful of books with him, and there
are always books on the stand at the
head of his bed.
Governor Roosevelt grew up sur
rounded by books He still lives in the
house in which he was born, the old
stone Roosevelt home in Hyde Park,
New York, which stands on the brow
of hill high above the Hudson river.
The south wing on the mansion is the
library, a magnificent room nearly rs
feet long and two full stories high, and
all of the walls are lined to the ceiling
with bookcases filled with valuable
volumes, many Of which have been in
the Roosevelt family since the 17OOs.
Governor Roosevelt could not fail to be
influenced from bovhood by this easy
access to the worlds great literature
1t is a rare thing in America to find
a man living for so years in one house,
it is still rarer for a man to live to
be fifty in the house in which he was
born.
Attention on Silver
There is a feeling in Washington that
the more important international prob
lens which have played such a vital
part in our own economic affairs are OH
their way to early settlement The
presidents announcement that he would
advocate any settlement of debts ow-
ing to us by the nations of Europe
which would hold out promise Of bene-
fit to the American people by restoring
our foreign markets is interpreted in
some quarters as opening the door to
consideration of plan whereby pay
ment might be accepted in silver at a
fixed price per ounce, considerably
above its present market value.
The conviction is growing that the
low price of silver, which is the only
money available to half the worlds
population, is at the bottom Of the low
price of commodities generally. If sill
yer were restored to its average price
OF 60 cents an ounce, it is pointed out,
the low-exchange nations of the world
which are on silver basis, like China,
would no longer be able to produce
commodities at half the cost of pro-
ducing them in America and England,
and sell them in the world market in
competition with goods produced on
the gold standard of values.
Likewise the people Of those coun-
tries, with the buying power of their
silver money doubled, would be in a
position to buy and pay for commod-
tiles produced in the gold standard