Evening star., 1932-11-02

| No man in American public life ever
! faced a more stimulating crowd than
| the one which thundered l3-minute
greeting at Herbert Hoover in Madison
| Square Garden Monday night, yet the
| President, in the opinion Of nearly
everybody present, lamentably failed To
rise to the occasion. The speech was
semi officially touted in advance as
bear cat" Of an utterance. One of the
big chiefs closest advisers told news
paper men that Mr.. Hoover would enact
| the role of ''taXidermist' at New
York, viz, tear the hide off Gov. Roose-
welt, the Democratic party and every
| thing the enemy has said or done thus
far in the campaign. The speech was
conspicuously devoid OF any such aspects.
1t was not patch on the fighting tone
Of the Indianapolis address of the previ-
Gus week. or even on the speech OF ac-
ceptance or the Des Molres Grafton.
Perhaps 1t was the fatiguing day the
President had behind him. Perhaps
he rang the changes on STUN hes been
using all Fall because he's run out OF
material Perhaps he was overaWed oy
the truly magnificent and tumultuous
welcome he received. Whatever the
cause, Mr.. Hoover did not begin to live
up to the anticipations or the unparal-
Ieled setting in which he found him.
self.
Commissioner Mulrooney's New York
police are peerless in the regulation OF
traffic, but as handlers of crowds they've
much to learn. Small-toWn cops could
hardly have made more of botch OF
the Hoover mass meeting. Although
reserves we're brought into midtown
from Long Island Gotham's Finest
proved wholly incapable Of coping with
the situation at the two main entrances
to the Garden. on the Forty-nlnth ana
Fiftieth street sides. washington news
paper men and women with working
press" cards Jared particularly badly.
Notified to appear any time up TO E4o
pm. at the stage entrance, it was I'M
nossible for them to strong arm their
way anywhere near that spot, which was
held by foot and mounted bluecoats
absurdlv too few to clear path to 1t.
Col. Bill Donovan, Republican candidate
for Governor; Ambassador and Mrs.
Walter E. Edge accompanied by former
French Minister of Finance and Com
merce Reynault and Senator Townsend
of Delaware: Editor Eleanor Patterson
of Washington and George Van Slyke,
famed New York political writer, we're
among those ruthlessly manhandled.
They narrowly escaped being ridden
down by police horses. Coz. Ed Starring
White House secret service man, nnally
saved the situation.
X n y \
All New York thirsted for some lib
eral" word from Hoover on the liquor
issue. When his Madison Square Gar
den speech ended without drop on
the subject disappointment was Keen
and little angry. This observer heard
Manhattan Republicans say before the
chance of carrying New York State
was to loosen up bit on prohibition.
They felt they had a right to expect
that he'd 20 at least as far as the Re-
publican platform. but by his COM
plete silence he made people believe
Al Smiths, taunt that the G. o. P.
| nominee is "the dry leader OF the
United States" is not altogether
baseless.
Although they profess there's nothing
| in it, Democratic leaders just the same
would give a good deal to know just
how much of trend to Hoover" has
set in during the past month. That
it is still making progress is undoubted.
What the Roosevelt management is
| hoping is that at best the swing to the
| President will do nothing more than
whittle down the size of Democratic
majorities in hitherto heavily Repub-
| lican States. For example. the Demo-
Gratis have confidently listed Indiana
| In the Roosevelt column, and still do.
Indiana went for Hoover In 1928 by
285,599. The Democrats have been
| claiming Jim Watson,s State by at least
| 100000 next week. One Of the fore
] most Of Hoosier Democrats informs this