Evening star., 1948-06-24
RepubIicun Statesman

Of all Republicans capable Of command
ing the respect of the party, Heroert
Hoover is best equipped to give the Wise
counsel which he offered the convention
Tuesday night.
Now in his Seventy-third year, the lot
tmer President has outlived any personal
ambitions. For him, there is nothing ne"
either in victory or defeat. He mas known
both. and he has come to the point Wnere
he also knows that it is not the winning
of an election that counts Tor SO nluch'
but rather the use which the VlctorS make
of their opportunity. One can only nope
that the rank and file of the Republicans,
confident of presidential victory Tor the
first time in two decades, will heed his
words.
In this speech, Mr.. Hoover was not
disposed to rake over old ashes For as
he put it, we are faced with world IN
which there is little time for regrets
What is the responsibility which we must
assume? Mr. Hoover stated it clearly
"The only obstacle to the annlhlllatlon OF
freedom has been the United States OF
America. 4 1t is in our interest ana,
above all, in the interest of liberty through
out the world, that we aid in giving
strength and unity to the nations OF
Western Europe 1t is only thus that we
can restore balance of power IN the
world able to resist the hordes from the
Eurasian steppes who would ruin western
civilization"
In doing this, as Mr.. Hoover very
properly pointed out, we must be careful
not to exhaust our own economy, for that
would play into Stalin's hands. But the
real danger now is not that we Will do
so much that we exhaust ourselves, but.
that we will not do enough, within the
limits of our capacity, to insure the success,
of the projects to which we have Sdedi-
Gated ourselves. In the last Congress there
was a strong and determined effort to do
less than needed to be done, and less than
we were capable of doing, for Western
Europe. 1t was only with difficulty that
a minimum military program was put
through And we have not yet made
even a real start on the problem to which
Mr.. Hoover alluded when he warned that
we can no longer tolerate industrial shut
downs which paralyze the economic life
of the Nation.
The real question before us is whether
our political system contains the seeds
OF its own destruction. The political game
is an old one. and the standards by which.
it is played have grown infleyible. SO
when Mr.. Hoover calls upon the Repub-
licanS to produce something more than
platitudes, to produce some real leader
ship, to realize that politics is game to
be played for more than mere personal
advantage, he is asking a great deal. He
is asking his party to abandon the old for
mulas which have brought success in the
past. He is urging them to look beyond
the narrow interests of the party to the
larger interests that are at stake in this
critical battle to safeguard our Nation
and civilization"
Whether the Republican Party or any
party, will attain this higher level of
politics remains to be seen. There is little
reason to be optimistic about it. But we
ought at least to make ourselves realize
that we have come to point where the
alternatives are numbered. If the victors
in November do not make themselves
worthy of the victory" we can expect
with considerable assurance that what is
left of freedom in the world will be in
ruins before their term of Office is up.