Hoover Progress

Looking daily fatter and persistently genial, President-Elect Hoover last week visited Uruguay and Brazil. The night before the-night-before-Christmas he sailed on the U. S. S. Utah from Rio de Janeiro for home.

"All the Same Age." The morning after Mr. Hoover had left Buenos Aires, La Nacion (potent daily) printed an exclusive and somewhat effusive interview with him. Some new Hooverisms:

"The idea has persisted for a long time that among nations, as in families, there are younger and older brothers. One deduces from this idea that the function of acting as tutor, at least in spiritual matters and many times in matters of policing, is exercised by the older brothers with the supposed younger brothers.

"I absolutely disapprove such sentimental or political doctrines or views. There are no young, independent sovereign nations, there are no older and younger brothers of the American continent. All are of the same age from a political and spiritual viewpoint, and the only difference between them is the different historic moment in their economic progress.

"I see in each nation of the continent a friendly nation and each of the same age, friendly and equal States of a great continent in which great nations progress along an even line as a group of friends as friendly, or more so, than brothers with similar ideals, which lead in new directions to new purposed, all close together and all at equal levels.

"The fear of some persons concerning supposed intervention ideas of the United States are unfounded. . . ."

In Uruguay. It was dusk when the Hoovers steamed into Montevideo from Buenos Aires. Lights flashed on the city's tallest tower: "Welcome to the successor of Washington. Welcome to President Hoover."

Cannon crashed in the harbor forts.

President and Senora Juan Campisteguy of Uruguay were at the pier. Senora Campisteguy to take Mrs. Hoover to the Parque Hotel where an entire upper floor was reserved, President Campisteguy to have a half-hour with Mr. Hoover at the National Palace. The populace was out in scores of thousands but here, more than in most of the South American cities visited, were heard cries of "Viva Sandino" and "Down with imperialistic America!"

The Montevideo police and correspondents of the U. S. press dutifully reported that such shouters were "identified as belonging to a Communist group. . . ."

Twenty-one guns were fired again by the harbor forts. The Hoovers went out to where the U. S. S. Utah lay in waiting. The harbor was not smooth. U. S. newsgatherers following by launch were thoroughly seasick. The Utah sailed for Rio de Janeiro with the Hoovers installed in admiral's quarters, the same quarters that General Pershing occupied when the Utah brought his mission home from Peru's centenary celebration in 1925.

It was decided to omit Venezuela and Cuba from the Hoover itinerary and proceed, after 60 hours in Rio, direct to Key West.

Strong Brazil. Brazilian Senators made speeches (in Portuguese, the national tongue). Brazilian historians published essays. The Brazilian Jornal do Commercio, quasi-official daily, published an editorial rehearsing U. S.-Brazilian friendship, recalling that Brazil was first to recognize the Monroe Doctrine. The editorial also said: "Although we have always recognized what we owe to Europe and the necessity of our relations with the Old World, still we all know what we owe to solidarity of interests with the United States. We admire the North Americans and do not fear them, knowing that we are as strong a people as they."

The Guanabara Palace, a national mansion, was in readiness for the Hoovers.

In steamed the Utah to "the world's most beautiful harbor," escorted by the Brazilian cruisers Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul.* Saluting cannon roared on the harbor heights. Airplanes soared in Vs. Aerial bombs exploded, dropping U. S. and Brazilian flags.

President and Senhora Washington Luis Pereira de Souza/- had come into Rio from the summer capital at Petropolis in time to dash up to the gangplank amid a fanfare of trumpets. Also present were Vice President Mello Vianna and many a Senator and Deputy. Bright-uniformed guards lined the Avenida Rio Branco up which the procession passed. Confetti and ticker-tape snowed down `a la the U. S. The crowd was estimated at the conventional 100,000.

As he set forth to explore Rio's splendors, Mr. Hoover made the gesture of dismissing his secret-service guard. He said he felt perfectly safe among Brazilians. Motors carried the visitors up to Hunchback and Sugarloaf Mountains.

Descending from on high, Mr. Hoover visited and addressed the Brazilian Congress in its eight-sided, starry-domed chamber. The Brazilian Supreme Court also awaited his coming, listened to his words.

At the State Banquet in the Cattete Palace (Brazil's White House), "the noble and elevated" friendship of Brazil and the U. S. was Mr. Hoover's theme. It was the last speech of his tour and the longest.

* The Brazilian Navy, like the Peruvian, is U. S.-trained. Rear-Admiral Noble E. Erwin and other officers of the U. S. naval mission to Brazil were present to meet the Hoovers.

/- The "Washington Luis" is used in common parlance.