Evening star., 1932-11-08
BY the Associated Press.

associates have had three strikes, and
now they're out"
Excerpts from Farley's talk follow:
THE people of America want leader
ship in the White House. They want
as President man who will act when
action is necessary. Because they have
felt that the present Chief Executive
has been totally lacking in this qualif1-
cation they will insist upon having a
new President.
"As the weeks Of this campaign have
followed one another the spokesmen OF
the opposition have naturally tried to
becloud the issue and to divert the at
tention Of our citizens from the futile
leadership and failures Of the present
administration It may be worth while
therefore, to be a little more specific
In my charge that President Hoover has
lacked leadership. Nothing illustrates
this better than the manner in which
he has treated the prohibition issue. Let
me ask, has he led or has he followed
public opinion? II he has led 1t, where
did he lead it? II he follows. how far
behind has he walked?
Represented As Dry"
"In 1928 he was represented as the
advocate OF the eighteenth amendment,
but because it was known that large
number of Republicans did not believe
in this provision of the Constitution the
promise was held out that when elected
he would bring about an investigation
of the whole problem. Then followed
his election, and. in turn, the appoint
ment of the Wiclersham Commission.
When its detailed report was submit
ted condemning the eighteenth amend
noept President Hoover set II aside He
was still prohibitionist.
when the Republican National Con-
vention met last June and great num-
bers of the delegates who did not nap
pen to be upon the Federal pay roll As
appointees Of the President were urging
the adoption Of repeal plank, It was
President Hoover and his appointees
who defeated that plank and brought
about the adoption Of the meaningless
declaration which We find In the Re-
publican platform. But when the popu-
lar reaction to the frank, vigorous and
straight forward repeal plank OF the
Democratic platform showed the Presl-
dent that popular feeling demanded
change, his own opinions suffered a
change. He abandoned the plank he
had himself written into the Republic
an platform and penned the more lib
eral, but still evasive, language OF his
, speech of acceptance.
II realize, of course, the deep emo
tions that have always been stirred by
this question Of how the liquor trafhc
should be handled. l know that ever
since he coined the phrase noble ex-
pertinent the President has been using
honeyed words to soothe the feelings
Of the dry forces. from whom he was
gradually trying to slip away when he
began to feel that his election might
depend upon a change of heart.
But l ask these people, and I ask
Republicans who are against prohibi-
tion, to consider thoughtfully tonight
this simple question: Can men who
has permitted his opinions to change
| for political purposes be accepted aS q
leader by either faction?
"May Change Again"
II do not care what your convictions
| may be with respect to this issue, the
record Is clear that no reliance what
ever can be placed on the permanence
| of the Presidents convictions. If
| within q month he was willing to
change from the position taken in the
platform to the position taken in the
! acceptance speech, within another
! month he may change backward or for
ward again, and no one can predict
! the direction or extent of his change
without knowing in advance what
! popular sentiment is likely to be.
Nov let US consider his attitude
! toward the great underlying issue Of the
economic depression. We all know that
! this disaster came upon us in the Fall
of 1929. We all know that instead Oh
! taking action to change the trend OF
1a rrOnhQClpC
that things were about to cure them
selves and that prosperity was just
around his famous corner.
In November. 1880 new Congress
was elected. Republican voters were
still believing the promises Of the
| President and they gave him Repuo-
lican majority in that Congress. There
were 2l8 Republicans in the House and
IL Farmer Labor Representative as
against ZIG Democrats. The President
could have organized that House OF
Representatives for his own party on
March 4, 1891. The depression was
then almost l8 months old. He had no
program. He had laid down no plan
| to fight 1t. In his campaign speeches
he has drawn vivid picture OF q
valiant leader laborins day and night
| in the stern war upon the depression.
| but for Is months, while the forces OF
the depression were gathering fury, he
sat with folded hands and did nothing
"At that time Senator Wagner OF
| New York had for two years been urg-
| ing the enactment of the unemploy-
| nent measure for which the President
| now claims so much credit, but nothing
was done because the Chief Executive,
the man who had been the chosen
| leader Of the people. was unwilling 10
exercise the functions which had been
| imposed upon him.
'I am aware, Of course, that the Ex-
ecutive excuse for this Is that Congress
is unruly. But I say to you that NO
President of the United States who. goes
down in history as great President
ever had any difficulty in ruling his own
, Roosevelt. Grover Cleveland and the
other great leaders of the past had the
respect and confidence OF their Con-
crosses, because they were never IN the
| least fear of dealing with them.
Leadership Is Lacking.
president Hoover, on the other hand
| has. failed because he cannot lead. He
has commanded neither the confidence
nor the support of Republican Con-
crosses. and this inability of the Presi-
dent 10 direct the activities of the legis-
| latiye branch of our Government has
been one of the chief causes Of all the
! troubles from which we are now
suffering
Certain ill-advised business leaders
have been trying to intimidate ths
I voters Of this country by intimatine
| that the success OF the Democratic can
| didetes would be bad for business. Such
statements are not only in violation OF
every principle Of Americanism and OF