Evening star., 1935-12-18
HOOVER BATTLES
FOR V|ND|CAT|ON
Different Man Locks Horns
With Roosevelt in New
Campaign.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


maligned. Certainly it's not the old
Hoover the indecisive. hesitating,
overcautious. unpolitical personality
who struggled four years in the White
House with the problems of world
wide economic upheaval.
But whatever be the purpose or
motive, it is becoming apparent to
everybody in the political arena that
Herbert Hoover is going to be a factor
to reckon with, force to consider in
appraising the elements Of the next
campaign.
Even if Mr.. Hoover knows in his
heart than he cannot be nominated
and he has intimated to friends that
he really isn't seeking public Office
he, gould hardly keep silent now as he
sees. the New Deal going out Of its
way to attack the things he did.
President Roosevelt's speech steAt-
lanta last month was bound toSarouse
the ire of the former President. For
one thing. Mr.. Roosevelt was misled
by his advisers who furnish him
statistical data into claiming credit
for certain assets that were created
under the Hoover administration by
the r. F. c. Naturally, Mr.. Roose-
vslt's misstatement of the facts about
the public debt in this respect would
stir Mr.. Hoover to the boiling point.
Difficult to Prove.
But, unfortunately, the remainder
of Hoovers speech, as he fastens the
blame for the bank holiday on public
fear of the New Deal, is as intangible
and difficult to prove as Mr.. Roose-
veltss exaggerated comment in his
Atlanta address that the mechanics
of civilization" had stopped on March
3, 1888
Looking back to the fateful month
of February, 1898, the public generally
had little knowledge of what the New
Deal held in store. So far as a spend
ing policy was concerned. Mr.. Roose-
welt not only was committed to econ
omy, but it will be recalled that he
did put through the economy act in
the first few weeks Of his term.
~There was no hint either of uncon-
sfitutional action or usurpation OF
power, nor of the subsequent plunge
into spending.
Mr.. Hoover is on the right track
when he mentions the publicity given
to r. E. C. loans to banks as a cause
Of panic. This is something concrete.
The whispering campaign that was
going on in the Winter of 1888 about
the condition of banks was the direct
result of the insiStence Of the Demo-
Gratis in Congress on making known
every loan, large and small. People
reasoned that, If bank needed r. F.
@. money, it must be in weak condi-
tion-a hurdle that it has taken two
6r three years to overcome, because
the truth was the r. F. c. rarely came
% the rescue Of bank that really
couldn't be saved.
There may have been q few insiders
who knew Mr.. Roosevelt was not overly
fond of the gold standard. In fact, q
great many persons more or less In
luential in the Roosevelt circle were
discussing possible departure from the
gold standard. But it is not plausible
h argue, as Mr.. Hoover does, that the
gublic generally knew it or that this
OoA1hos
. Detroit Bank Mystery.
As for Detroit and the Michigan
Area. the story Of what happened there
has never been fully told. There are
those who insist that the Detroit banks
could have been saved by the R. F. G.
If it had not been intimidated by
political considerations and fears of
what might happen if it repeated its
experience with the DaYes bank in
Chicago, which it helped only to have
its action bitterly criticized by political
opponents.
Also it is doubtful whether the De-
troit banks that were closed could have
been regarded as being as sound then
assthey are today, with the recovery
that has been, made in the assets they
held.
There is not much value now in q
post-mortem discussion of the factors
that brought on the bank holiday Mr..
Hoover may well be convinced that
pubic confidence was low in 1888 be-
cause administrations were changing.
Michigan fire became national con-
hagration. 1t will always be debatable
whether the bank holiday could have
been prevented, and many persons who
were in the thick Of it will contend it
could have been ayerted.
Hoover Fight Defensive.
But today the fact is that Mr..
Hoover feels he has been bitterly
criticized for things which were not
his fault, and he proposes to defend
his own administration from all such
attacks, no matter what it may do to
his own political fortunes.
This will make the record of the
Hoover regime a matter of debate,
something the Roosevelt Democrats
will not dislike at all. The latter
would prefer anyway, to have public
psychology transferred from the mis-
takes Of the hour to the events Of
1881, 1882 and 1898.
But Mr.. Hoover. humanity enough,
will fight the battle for vindication,
and while he may not convert all of
the many who deserted him in 1882,
he may help to hold intact the Re-
publican vote that was cast for him.
Anyway, the Republican strategists
can hardly ignore the Hoover tactics,
for these are likely to become more
important as the campaign unfolds,
especially after the nominations have
been made.
Mr.. Hoover's words are stronger,
they have more punch and ginger
than ever before. His style has i'm
proved and he has adopted the Roose-
veltian idea of q bit of irony and
satire as he slaSheS out at his opposi-
ton. It's new Hoover, and histor-
ians may well wonder what might
have happened if the new Hoover had
been active in 1881 and 1882.
(CopyriEht 1889
"Cu q II