Evening star., 1940-06-26
Hoover Speech Points
To Submergenee Of
Domestic Issues
Pictured os Seeming
To Reuiize Platform
Will Be Scrap Of Poper
BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.

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dramatic news of the second days
proceedings Of the Republican Ma
tional Convention was the speech
Of Herbert Hoover last night.
The important part Of that speech
was the discussion of foreign rela-
tions. Monday night Gov. Stassen,
the temporary chairman, took 4
realistic view Of the American rela-
tion to the European war. It was
the first acknowledgment made by
the Republican party that issues
next fall will have nothing to do
with the Republican platform. Eng
lands struggle will guide the course
Of the campaign inevitably.
That discussion of domestic prob
lens will become academic by au-
tumn was the climax and summary
Of the Hoover speech on foreign
relations. The former President
also seemed to realize that in the
present campaign the Republican
platform will be a scrap Of paper,
whatever 1t promises.
Points Of the Speech.
The Hoover speech in the sec
tions covering foreign relations boils
down to this: Legal aid to the AL
lies; non-intervention under any
circumstances; bitter protest
against isolation and self-suffi-
cheney; during the peace a totalitar-
ian approach to American prepared
ness and stern realization that the
generation now in the United States
Is In for hard time, no matter who
dictates the terms of the peace.
Here was no politicians palaver,
here was hard sense in hard words
from a hard-headed man. But Mr..
Hoover did approach the foreign
problem resolutely, and however one
may differ with him one must ad-
NIT that our only living ex-Presi-
dent did present the situation un-
filnchingly in all It's stern aspects.
Excepting Mr.. Willkie, no other
candidate has had the courage to
speak so bluntly and with such en-
tire disillusion about the position
OF the United States in this war
When he said, There is no such
thing As our isolation from wars
which involve two-thirds of all the
people in the world" he must have
given the Republican National Com
mittee the jitters. He rebuked the
national committee further when
he added, THE Monroe Doctrine
alone is the negation of isolation
There is no such thing as eco
nomic isolation"
Legal Aid Phrase Hearteninx,
The speech was most heartenine
to those who believe that America
should give what legal aid is DOS
sible to those who are fighting for
liberty. The cheers that arose from
the audience when the former
President spoke those words indi-
Gated the temper of the convention.
A poll of the delegates by a research
association indicated that IS per
cent of the delegates held views
similar to those which Mr.. Hoover
expressed.
= The temper Of the great throng
IN the galleries and of the delegates
on the floor toward Mr.. Hoover was
obviously most cordial, No other
speaker has had such a greeting
by any audience in town since the
convention opened 1t was an ova-
ton. No one could question. after
nearing and seeing the crowds re-
sponse to Mr.. Hoover, that the dele
gates, If not the leadership who
are making the platform, appreciate
the gravity of the war situation as
1t affects tie United States In the
coming campaign. It is the SOM
nambulist leadership which is walk
ing through phantasm into calam-
ity.
None in Command.
ANA yet, paradoxically, there is
no leadership here. A Jim Farley
could take the convention over to-
day and nominate either Willkie-
which would be the easiest Job
Dewey or Taft. 1t is not exactly
true that there is NO attempt at
leadership. But no competent lead
ership Is evident, no one who can
command the situation, no one who
can ride herd on these delegates.
Not that they are especially RAM
pageous. The various delegations
are the mill-run of Americans, bid
able, organizable and subject to Or
dinary political pressure. The point
is no one has the steam.
Landon Is interested in a realistic
platform. While he has been work.
ing on the platform five or six of
MS delegates have been making OBJ
Vlous goo-goo eyes at Willkie. In
deed, Mr.. Landon's enemies saw that
while he has been engaged on the
eighth floor with cosmic matters
the Willkie boys have been stealing
his delegates out of the basement.
Joe Martin, another capable
leader, made a sensible speech YES
terday at noon, but he has taken
it out In oratory and has not tried
to round up his members of Con-
gress.
The Is or more of them who pro-
claimed themselves against Willkie
because of the Hull treaties realize
now that with the Hoover proposal
Tor economic totaHtarianism as a
preparedness program for the
United States or with the Presj.
dents American hemisphere cartel
the Hull treaties are gone. So the
congressional reason for opposing
Willkie is fading into air.
Stop Willkie Move Stalls.
Mr.. Willkie and Mr.. Hoover seem
to be Of one mind about aiding the
Allies by every legal means and
the stop-Willkie movement has not
yet begun to move. The clutch is
not working. This hiatus indicates
q woeful shortage of leadership.
Why political leadership of the
first order is lacking here no one
knows exactly. But perhaps the fact
that the Republicans have been
seven years away from the polit-