According to St. Patrick

The "Eyes & Ears" of his President in the Philippines, Patrick Jay ("Pat") Hurley, youthful and dashing Secretary of War, last week also took on some of the attributes of a presidential Mouth. Journeying to Manhattan, he made two rousing political speeches in defense of his Chief which had in them the clear clang of the coming campaign. What keyed up the Hurley addresses even more was the fact that friends of their energetic and ambitious maker warmly hope that 1932 will bring into the G. O. P. field a Hoover-Hurley ticket and that, as the vice-presidential nominee, Pat Hurley will carry on his square shoulders the full burden of the national campaign while the President keeps busy in the White House.

For the annual dinner of the New York State Chamber of Commerce Secretary Hurley had prepared an elaborate speech. When he stood up, however, he mumbled something about his inability to read and tossed his manuscript to the stenographer. "That," he remarked to Bishop William Manning who sat nearby, "is the gospel according to St. Patrick."

Fervently paraphrasing his prepared speech, Secretary Hurley launched into a description of how President Hoover had grappled with Depression:

"The President has courageously and intelligently faced each emergency as it has arisen and taken logical steps to mitigate its effects. ... He has shown the patience of Job and the courage of a lion. . . . The cry has been for leadership. Those who shouted most loudly for leadership usually showed the least of that quality themselves. . . . The President prevented industrial strife and warfare. . . . He brought about an international debt moratorium. ... He intervened . . . directed . . . saved . . . settled. . . . The President is now confronted with a serious fiscal situation in the Government itself. . . . Most anyone can suggest a plan for taking money out of the Treasury but no one has suggested a plan for putting more money in. ... I've been told that if the President proposes an increase in taxes he will be defeated for reelection. The President is more concerned with the welfare of this nation than he is with his own political future. . . ."

Next day Secretary Hurley went to a luncheon of the Bond Club where he echoed most of the things he had said the night before.

Immediately after the Bond Club luncheon, he got news that sent him and Mrs. Hurley fairly flying back to Washington. Their daughter Ruth, 9, had swallowed a Red Cross pin. (Damage: zero.)

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