The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-08-12
FRIDAY, AUGUST IF, 1882
Hoover Comes Over To Our Side

Herbert Hoover, thirty-first president of the United States, has finally admitted the xfailure of the prohibition amendment and Bits consequent dry laws. In what may be { the main speech of his l932 campaign for the presidency Mir Hoover last night accepted sthe nomination rendered him at Chicago in June and attempted to right the wrongs of the past three years of his administration It was noble effort on Mir Hoovers part | It brought forth from him perhaps the best speech that he ever made in any cause. We Ffdon't think that the Hoover of 1928 could ebe quite compared with the Hoover last 2 night Considering the speech from all angles and simply as speech, 1t was -marvelous piece of composition, well writ ten. well delivered, and shrewdly con- < structed.
 Whether it will have the desired effect upon the voting public remains to be seen. We can recall that the Hoover tone of 1928 was glowing with joy and prosperity In that distant era republicanism and prosper iity were synonymous. The democratic party stood for all that existed in the dark ages Yet the vaunted republican party was destined to witness in the regime of what 1t had been brave enough to term its most out {. standing representative an economic crisis of vast dimensions, And the republican party was to witness these same retrogressing dem- ocrats stepping in at the crucial moment and saving their faces.
 We doubt if all Mir Hoover's oratory and his persuasion can force an electorate to his viewpoint namely, that to the republican party must go any credit for our recovery frcm the forces of depression. We doubt If he can convince nation that the wet blink incorporated into the republican platform in Chicago is as frank or direct las that of the democrats, although he docs sS'h.s best to do SO. Of course. no part of the Hoover acceptance speech will be given the !. attention. or cause the most comment, as that which is devoted to the prohibition laws. For once Mir Hoover has faced this issue fairly and squarey. He has made decision and it is that prohibition having failed, we must seek to rectify the wrongs 1t has dore
 Like good many of the Hoover proposals it seems to us to be trlfe late. It cer- tainly has been delayed well over year. When the Wickersham commission was
 
 tion, the president had the most glorious opportunity of his career. He could have entered wedge into the business ills of this ,raton and many others by a firm demand flor repeal. Instead of that he forced the individual members of the commission into embarrassing positions and made the entire group the laughing stock of the nation, if not the world. by its contradictory stand. Certainly prohibition was no more success then than it is now. It's as we said above the president swerves, but not readily.
 How many weary months did it take to convince both the president and Andrew Mellon that we were actually face to face with an economic crisis? They were among the last to agree that it was time for emergency measures. As a result in what might be the last year of any chief exeeu- .tives regime he suddenly realizes that it IS time he acted As result we had the splendid emergency measures which Con- ..Gress fought over this spring and carly summer Now Mir Hoover believes that something must be done about prohibition. but not in the manner that the democratic platform suggests. Oh, no, that wouldn't be political If Mr Hoover hopes to turn the tide of events in his favor by this last minute stand against the 18th amendment we are afraid he doesn't reckon with the American public. Its memory is conven- iently good.