Evening star., 1935-04-14
.HOOvER'S INTENT
PUZZLE TO c. 0.P.
Leaders Try to Smoke Him
Out, but Silence Is to
His Advantage.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

have been an occupant of the White
House-is always regarded as pres
idential possibility" candidate for
his partys favor. That is one rea-
son why a number Of Republicans in
and out of Congress have set about
the task of eliminating, If they can.
the possibility of the nomination for
President next year of former Presl-
dent Herbert Hoover.
The favorite political pastime for
some months to come will be to ask
the former President whether he will
be a candidate for the Republican
nomination in 1886. Every time Mr..
Hoover travels or opens his mouth
his every movement and his every
word will be carefully scanned and
interpreted.
Many of the Republican leaders and
near leaders, in Washington and out,
say today they do not believe that
Mr.. Hoover will be candidate. Most
of them insist that he could not re-
ceive the nomintaion-although some
say so with reservations, pointing to
the fact that Mr.. Hoover still has a
strong hold on parts of the Repub-
Ncan organization.
Hoover Likely to Keep Silence.
No one seems to know whether Mr..
Hoover will crafty the wishes of those
gentlemen who desire to smoke him
out on his own political plans. 1t
seems rather likely, however. that Mr..
Hoover will continue to say nothing.
If he should announce that he would
not become a candidate nor accept
nominal ton for President under any
conditions, his influence in the party,
both in regard to the selection OF
candidate and the writing of plat
form, would be diminished.
Four years ago the Democrats were
trying to smoke out Alfred E. Smith,
their presidential nominee in 1928, in
an effort to learn whether he would
cast his hat in the ring in 1882. The
former Governor of New York fatty
refused to be drawn out. Indeed. he
said flatly that any man was fool
who undertook to say what he would
do year in the future; that no one
knew what conditions might be. AS
matter of fact. early in 1882 Mr.,
Smith got into the presidential race
stop Roosevelt" drive at the Chicago
convention.
West Opposes Hoover.
Should Mr.. Hoover become can
didate and win the Republican nomi-
nation. Republican progressives from
the West insist he would not receive
their support. This fact, plus one
other. seems to initiate strongly
against the candidacy of the former
President. For the @. o. P. is look
ing to the West next year for victory.
They cannot win without it. The
other factor in the equation is the
belief on the part of many Repub-
licans that the overwhelming defeat
suffered by Mr. Hoover in 1882 and
his linking in the public mind with
the beginning of the depression would
make his election impossible.
There is no denying the fact that
Republicans are beginning to think
rather we'll of their chances in the
national elections next year. The
deluge of attacks on various phases
of the New Deal has encouraged them,
rather than anything that has hap
ARE looking also for Huey Long and
the "lunatic fringe"-so dubbed by
Gen. Johnson-to create a diversion
and division in the New Deal ranks
of 1882 and 1884. And since admin
istration Democrats have begun to
take Long and his threats of splitting
the Democratic party seriously enough
to make replies to him, the Republi-
cans are hoping still more from this
third party talk Senator Barkley of
Kentucky is going on the air in a
Nationwide hook-up tonight to dis
sect the Long share e-the-vealth'
plan. Senator Robinson OF Arkansas,
the Democratic leader of the Senate
and Postmaster General Farley, chair
man of the Democratic National Com
mittee. have begun to belittle and
discount Long and his influence in
public speeches and statements.
Democrats Have Big Fund.
The Republicans in their calcula-
fions would be foolish to overlook the
fact, however, that the Roosevelt ad-
nniniStration is going to have the ex-
penditure of some SIS 5000 900, 900 of
lief. between today and election day
in November next year The same
administration was putting out hun
dreds of millions of dollars for all
kinds of relief when he congressional
election was held in 1894. The Presi-
dent has insisted that relief must be
outside of politics. OF course it can
not be. ANY one who receives money
from political source usually wants
to receive more. He may fear his
supply will be cut of if there is a
change of party in control. The
Democrats did not let the voters for
get that fact in 1884, and they prob
ably will not in 1885.
Every Republican. or nearly every
Republican, when he is speaking for
publication, insists that this is no
time to talk of presidential candi-