Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1932-01-22
Criticism OF Mr.. Hoover.

In an effort to soften the effects of the
criticism to which President Hoover has
been subjected good many Of the Repub-
can newspapers have been DIGGING into
history and reciting the abuse that has
been heaped on past Presidents from
washington down. AS a matter of fact
Mr. Hoover has had less abuse to complain
OF than almost any President. So far as
criticism Of him has emanated from re-
sponSible sources. it has been directed
almost exclusively to his official acts The
fact that fly sheet at the beeinnlnS of
the nineteenth century called Washington
tyrant and that from some other Obscure
source proceeded the expletive "traitor. :"
directad To Jolun Aao~ss, and .aaS3Aat I,nroln
was charged by some Of his enemies with
having usurped power to which he had M
constitutional right, would not appear to
nave any bearing, for example, on Presi-
oent hoover's signing the Smoot. Hawlev
tarin bill. spelling the Wagner empIovman,
measures. or compelling the enactment ~
BILL" 'e''oi
me personal attacks on Presidents in
'he past are comparable in some desree 20
'he subject matter of recent books deaIioa
with Mr. Hoover's business career. These
volumes had attracted but little attention
anu had been almost absolutely ignored bv
tne newspapers until Col. Robert H Lucas
executive Director of the Republican No.
uonal Committee, was inept enough to
ascroe their production to the na,ionaI
democratic organization. Colonel Incas'
statement commanded a certain amonnt
Vi newspaper notice and the Democratic
disclaimer of any knowledge Of the books
III aoVance OF their production or of apv
connection withtheir authors or suthorsh;n
naturally stirred considerable curiosi,v q.
70 their contents and thereby doomed ,hs;,
sale and gave them a general Circulation
winch otherwise they could not have had
iheSe books and the violent laneuase
employed by members of his own nor,v
"hen they were fighting his nomination
ana previously when he was a member ~
woodrow Wilson's war administrative
are really the only examples of persona;
uetraction to which President Hoover has
been subjected
true that some members of his own
party-the latest of them Mrs. Ruth Hanna
mcCormick-have questioned the expedi-
ency OF renominating the President becanss
OF his unpopularity and even Mrs. McCor.
mick IN the editorial published in her
Nockiord. ILL.,, newspaper was careful to saw
OF this unpopularity. I'VE state this "a a
fact. apart from any criticism of his record
as Chief Executive"
IS familiar expedient to link a
pfesent-day officeholder with his dis,;n.
euished predecessors and, in the case Of
the citation of the defamation of ,b..a
great figures. the obvious purpose ia 70
imply that criticism OF the present. dav
oinclai has no better basis than the .coI,Iina
that our national heroes endured in the
ua"n OF our political history. Perbans the
oeSt commentary on the effort is to recitr
merely that these curiosities of politica,
poiemlcs had no effect either on the Doli,i.
ca' fortunes Of Washington. Adams or
hncoln-or on the reverence in which their
names are held. The unpromisins char.
acter OF Mr.. Hoover's prospects are not due
10 any assault on his private conduct. They
are the result of his own official acts and of
the effect of those acts on the welfare of
the people of this country.