Evening star., 1932-02-16
HOOVER GREATNESS.
EXT0[LED BY JONES
Senator, in Radlo. Forum
Speech, Sees President
Triumphing Over Critics.

triotic Of our Presidents, Senator Wes-
ley Jones Of Washington declared last
night In 4 Radio Forum address. ar
ranged by The Star and broadcast by
the National Broadcasting Co. over q
coast to- coast network
Our interest and welfare are his
highest aim" Senator Jones said In
referring to the efforts Of President
Hoover to lead the Nation out Of the
morass of depression. He will make
any personal sacrifios for the peoples
good. He Is 4 partisan. as oil Amer
leans are partisans; but first he Is 4
patriot. as all good Americans are
patriots
The bitter personal attacks made
against the President, the Washing
tonian said, are nothing new In Amer
lean history. He cited examples to
show that every great President has
been savagely criticized while sin ofiice,
and that Washington and Lincoln were
among the most violently assailed Of all
the Nations leaders Just As his prede-
cessors In ONCE have ignored those who
heaped calumny and abuse on them,
Jones said, 80 Is President Hoover re-
fusing to waste his energy in refuting
personal attacks. but Is applying 1t
solely to the problems Of state before
him, problems Of an enormity such as
no other peace-time President has had
to face"
Text Of Address.
Senator Jones address follows:
Ladies and gentlemen Of the radio
audience:
Most speakers over the radio start
right out on their subject. Maybe that
Is best prefer not to do 1t. or
course I don't know who you are. where
you are, nor how many you are. l
know have so much time, and when
that is up I stop whether I am through
or not Maybe you like the way I
begin, maybe not. feel more at home
with you anyhow.
I am going to talk about how We
treat our Presidents and how We have
done so from the beginning. I will talk
no politics What / say you may for
get. 1t may do no good, but ask
you to think it over. If you think am
right, do your part as good citizens to
see that more respect Is shown our
Presidents, regardless OF their politics.
That office Is the highest in the gift OF
the people-it Is the highest in the
world. No man is, and no man In the
worlds history has been, the head OF
such concentrated, homogeneous
body of . hundred and thirty million
energetic, intelligent. highly civilized
and progressive people as is the Presi-
dent of the United States.
Presidents Not Bad Men.
No bad man has ever been President.
That I want to emphasize. Our people
select him. They may differ over
principles and policies. but the man
they select for this high ONCE has al
ways been, and will continue to be, q
good patriotic man. No President has
received harsher treatment at the
hands Of his contemporary historians
than Andrew Johnson; but now that
the passions engendered by his time
have subsidized and an impartial study
of his character and his life has been
possible, he Is taking his just place in
history as one of our really great and
good Presidents.
Probably in the main we are very
much like other people of our race,
but we do substantially differ from
them in many ways. We are more
energetic. more progressive, more cap
able, more enlightened and more ad-
vanced in the civilization Of the day
than any other people on the face OF
the earth. Our amazing development
and record Of achievement in every line
of human endeavor and accomplish
ment justifies this opinion. We boast
of our liberty and our liberal spirit, of
our freedom and our independence, and
yet we are the most intemperate, In
tolerant and domineering in our
language. This Is especially true Of our
attitude toward those whose opinions
differ from ours, and toward those in
public positions when their action does
not accord with our views. We have
been SO from the very foundation of
our Government. We may not always
agree with our friends or those with
whom we come in daily contact, but
that disagreement does not, o. should
not, terminate the friendship or dis
solve those daily associations. There
may be honest differences of opinion,
but that is no valid ground for ques-
tioning the integrity, sincerity, honesty
or patriotism of those with whom we
do not agree. We are too prone to do
this; I protest against it! I appeal to
history, to your own sense of justice,
and to your patriotism, to be more
just and more fair to others.
Unjustifed Criticism Dangerous.
We denounce Communism and an
archy, and rightly so. Yet we often
unwittingly encourage and seem to
justify those dangerous doctrines by
the language we use toward, and the
attitude We attribute to, men in high
position. I have heard language in
the United States Senate toward men
in high Office that I believe to be
WAioAy diJOooAACd, hll0 IL GlldU S0IG Ol
language is justified. then our Govern
ment is in danger! Fortunately, we
are less intemperate along these lines
than in the past, and this, I think. is
very encouraging. 1t ought to be
interesting and instructive to learn
how we have acted along these lines in
the past, and hear the length to which
We have gone in expressing our diff
ference in opinion by an attack on
character. 1t may be encouraging to
men now in high positions dealing
with tie most intricate and difficult
problems Of government, and who are
earnestly striving to do the best pos
sible for the welfare Of our people, but
who are severely criticized in their per-
sonal characterA their motives and