Evening star., 1932-10-15
To Break a Golden Silence.

In recording the news that Gov.
Roosevelt will make known his long
delayed views ON the bonus issue, the
dispatches recall his statement OF last
April. contained in North American
Newspaper Alliance interview, to the
effect that:
do not see how, as a matter OF
practical sense, a government running
behind $4,000, 100000 year can con-
slider the anticipation of bonus pay
lnents until it has a balanced budget,
not only on paper but with surplus
in the Treasury.
Gov. Roosevelt's continued silence on
this issue has naturally led to wide
speculation over what he finally Will
say. The question now Is whether
the Governor, although he may mot
see how, as matter of practical sense"
the bonus can be paid, has discovered
how, as matter of political expediency,
he may say something about the bonus
that will at the same time assure the
taxpayers against the sort Of threat
represented in the bonus raid and not
ALLEVIATE those bonus-inclined veterans
who have been won to his cause through
his silence.
The suspicion that the Governor may
seek such way out Of the bonus
dilemma may be unfair. But it Is,
nevertheless, founded on rather good
ground. There have been plenty of
for II 70 oo
Legion's Portland convention and agi-
tation for the bonus at that time pro-
vided the logical occasion for a strong
expression on this business from the
Democratic candidate for President.
There is no doubling the fact that his
silence denoted tacit sympathy with the
veterans demands. When President
Hoover and Norman Thomas both spoke
plainly and emphatically against the
bonus, the Governors pointed refusal to
speak could be interpreted in no other
way. And this implied sympathy from
a man who has an excellent chance of
becoming President furnished stimu-
liant to the bonus agitation and encour-
aged the whole bonus movement when
the least to expect from him, as one
having the best interest of the whole
people at heart, was an effort either
to head off the stampede before it got
going, or lead 1t toward whatever fate
awaits it.
His Republican opponents have natu-
f1yy en;r raN
tinued silence on the bonus question as
material to build political issue. And
from the political standpoint the Gov
ernor may gain a certain strategic ad-
vantage now by demolishing this issue
at one blow and showing that his foes
have been wrestling with a ghost that
does not exist in daylight. Or, to change
the figure, he might be able to prick
the balloon and thus demonstrate that
the bonus issue" as far as he is con-
cerned, IS without substance when the
gas and air have been taken out of it,
Whether he does this, of course. de-
pends on what he says and how he
says it.
But, regardless of what he says and
how he says it, it is too late now to
alter the commentary on American
politics already written by his silence.
Anything goes" so to speak, if it means
votes. And candidates political con-
duct is something apart from his con-
duct as an individual. The smart thing
for candidate to do is one thing. But
the natural thing to have expected long
ago from the Governor as an individual
was a candid Yes" or a candid mo"
on subject tremendously important to
the people whom he asks to intrust him
with the highest honor and heaviest
responsibilities within their power to
confer.