Evening star., 1932-10-13
False Prophets.

By perhaps unfortunate coinci-
dence. the address last night OF Presl-
dent Hoover before the American Bar
Association, meeting in annual session
In this city, was delivered in the course
Of a campaign in which he is candi-
date for reelection. 1t is therefore sub
ject to direct application to the ISSUES
of the campaign and will doubtless be
read by many as the utterance OF
candidate rather than as the measured
expression of the head CT the Govern
ment speaking of the national welfare
wholly apart from the fact that an
election is imminent. That it was such
IN expression and not an argument for
the continuation of the present execu-
tive personnel is well assured. Had the
occasion occurred a year ago or a
month hence Mr.. Hoover would have
spoken precisely as he did last night.
When he said that today, perhaps as
never before, our very form of govern
ment is on trial in the eyes of millions
Of our citizens" the President did not
refer to the fact that in less than four
weeks those millions will vote either to
retain him in Office or to supplant him
with another. He unquestionably re-
ferred to the crisis in American eco
nomic affairs and the belief that pre-
walls among some of the people that
the Government is responsible for this
disaster. He says: Economic stresses
of unparalleled magnitude have wracked
our people, and in their distress some
are tempted to lay the lame for their
troubles upon the system of government
under which they live"
Agitators for change in the social
order have seized upon this now
receding adversely as an argument for
q change in the fundamental order,
not only in personnel but in system. The
fact that they have been unable to
evoke any general response does not
lessen the responsibility which they
have incurred in attempting to shake
the faith of the people of this country
from It's foundations. Nor does 1t
lessen the responsibility Of all who are
charged with governmental administra-
ton to conduct the affairs OF the
Nation in such manner as to hold the
confidence of the people.
The most pregnant passage in the
Presidents address last night was per-
haps the following:
1t can be a dangerous thing If wise
and trusted men fail to explain to the
people how often in history the people S
interests have been betrayed by false
prophets of a millennium. promised
through seductive but unworkable and
disastrous theories of government. The
menace is doubled by the TACT that
these vain allurements are today being
offered to our harassed people by men
of public reputation in economics ana
even by men in public life.
No man can foretell to what lengths
the pressure Of public claInor may at
any time be brought to b2ar upon those
charged with the processes OF govern
ment to yield to changes which you
know, before they are tried, would
destroy personal liberty and sweep away
the security OF savings and wages built
up by centuries OF experience. All
progress and growth is a matter OF
change, but change must be growth
within our social and governmental
concepts If it should not destroy them.
When this crisis has passed, as as
suredsy it will pass in the orderly course
Of events, 1t will be possible to look
back upon the scene of three years of
distress and at times almost frenzied
effort at correction with calmer vision
than is practicable today. The election
will have been held, the chosen eXecu-
tive will have taken his cath Of ONCE
for q second or for first term, the
Congress will have been rcorganized,
by whatever party gains the ascendancy
ii any does-and the Government at
Washington will still live and function.
There will have been no radical change.
But 1t will not be for lack of mis-
chievous desire and effort on the part
OF small minority, using agencies OF
agitation whose responsibilities OF
citizenship and of Office should have
restrained them from such sinister
enterprise.