Evening star., 1934-09-04
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MARYLAND and VIRGINIA
Hoover Breaks His Silence.

Former President Herbert Hoover
breaking silence on things govern
mental which has lasted for year and
half, has characterized the New Deal
as threat to the liberty of the Amer
ican people. The former President is
writing in the current issue of the
Saturday Evening Post and the title
Of his article is "The Challenge to
Liberty" No mention of President
Roosevelt by name Is made. But Mr..
Hoover deals specifically with the
American situation as he sees it today.
He says:
II is now claimed by large and
vocal groups, both in and out of Gov
ernment, that liberty has failed; that
emergency encroacnments upon its
principles should be made permanent.
Thereby are created the most urgent
issues first, whether we must submit
to some other system by which the
fundamentals of liberty are sacrificed,
and second, whether, even if we make
these sacrifices, we shall not defeat
the hope and progress of humanity.
MIR. Hoover expresses his sympathy
with those who honestly search hu-
man experience to find some way out,
some system where freedom will re-
quire no safeguards, and where justice
becomes automatic and bread comes
with little sweat Of the brow. The
idealists, he says, make their contribu-
tions. But idealism alone cannot solve
the problems of the people
The New Deal, in the opinion of Mr..
Hoover, with its regimentation of the
people, its bureaucracy, its curtail-
ment of liberty, is merely another ex-
preston of the theory that democracy
will not work; theory that has been
put into force in some foreign ma
tions since the great catastrophe of
the World War and since the economic
depression growing out Of the war en-
quilted many peoples. He lists the
many and vast powers which have
been delegated by the Congress to the
President of the United States. It is
clear that the former President finds
that the powers placed in the hands
Of the Chief Executive make him a
virtual dictator.
It is not without interest that on
the eve of the publication of the article
by the former President Senator Will
liam E. Borah was warning American
workers in Labor day speech at Poca-
tello, Idaho, that If they yield up their
liberties under the Constitution and
the American system Of government
on the theory that they will gain
economic security, they will lose both.
At one time the Idaho Senator cam
paigned for the election of Mr.. Hoover
to the presidency and later he broke
with him. There Is not the slightest
sign that there is any political affilia-
tion between Mr.. Hoover and the pro-
gressive Republican Senator today
Yet they appear to be united in their
denunciation Of the New Deal. Both
regard the plans and operation of the
New Dealers as distinct attacks upon
the personal and human liberties and
rights Of the American people.
The American system of govern
ment and Of life, Mr.. Hoover says,
has at all times been subject to at
tack from the right on the party of
economic greed and to attack from
the left on the part Of greed for
power in bureaucracy and govern
ment. Both most be resisted.
In some quarters Mr.. Hoover's at
tack upon the New Deal may be
construed as an effort to restore him
self to the limelight and to possible
leadership Of his party in 1896. This
does not appear to be well founded.
The mystery is that for more than q
year, in the light Of the vast powers
transferred to the President by Con-
gress and the development of a huge
bureaucracy of government, Mr..
Hoover has been able to maintain a
silence. Mr.. Hoover has had a wide
experience in government and in in
dustry. He has distinct views on
Americas needs. Very many of the
people will give attention to what
he savS