Mr. Hoover

Last week, at the Department of Commerce, Candidate Hoover received reports anent his great expectation.

P: Primaries and state conventions during the week brought the total of delegates actually or theoretically Hooverized to 164. Accretions were Maine's 8, Michigan's 33, Kentucky's 29, 47 in New York and one in Wisconsin. The "actual" standing of other G. O. P. candidates was: Lowden, 100; Curtis, 23; Norris, 16.

P: Dr. Hubert Work, Secretary of the Interior, one of the many Hoover "managers," asserted that the "actual" Hoover strength was 214 pledged delegates; that Candidate Hoover would be nominated on the first ballot by 570 votes (only 545 are necessary).

P: In Omaha, Secretary Wilbur of the Navy said: "I am for Herbert Hoover." He thus became the third overtly Hooverized member of the Cabinet. The others are Mr. Work and Postmaster General New. Secretary of Agriculture Jardine is paying his fellow Kansan, Candidate Curtis, the compliment of staying silent.

P: Eastering in Bermuda, Senator David A. Reed of Pennsylvania, Senate spokesman for Secretary Mellon, told people: "Of course, we would all gladly jump on the Hoover bandwagon. But is there a bandwagon?"

P: A bill before the House last week was designed to give U. S. industries immunity under the anti-trust laws in collective buying of crude rubber, potash, sisal "or other raw materials or products of nature." The opposition which sprang up declared that such a measure would injure the U. S. consumer. New York's vociferous Black sought to belittle Candidate Hoover, to whose warnings against the British rubber monopoly, the measure was traceable. Up stood Connecticut's tall Tilson, the Republican leader. He called attention to Premier Baldwin's announcement, the day before in Parliament, that the British rubber monopoly would be terminated in November (see p. 15). Leader Tilson said: "I think the Secretary of Commerce is due the thanks and gratitude of the people of the entire country."

Observers could not remember when Leader Tilson had paid Candidate Hoover such a forthright compliment. They concluded that the Hoover backing was coming to include industrial Connecticut; also that Leader Tilson was not far from midstream in the Vice Presidential undercurrent.

P: Upon the Hoover scene came James W. Good, onetime (1909-21) Representative from Iowa. Mr. Good managed President Coolidge's western campaign from headquarters at Chicago in 1924. Now he was announced as "General in Chief" of Hooverism.