Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-11-26
WHO'LL SWING THE HOOK
IN NATIONAL POLITICS?
The States, Exercising About the Only
Right Left Them, Are cIuttering the
Stage With Favorlte Sons

traditional rights. 1t would be most
heartless, therefore, to deny them the
pleasure that they find on the threshold
of each presidential year in building air
castles around favorite sons and march
ing their prodigies forth for the admira-
tion of the brethren
We are now drifting toward Il phase of
national politics that is very like an
amateur night in vaudeville The victims
are plentiful. Demure or defiant, conf
dent or all a-tremble, they face the world.
The hook will get them all. Bless the
hook. 1t is our salvation.
Ordinarily the madness of period like
this is Il gentle madness. 1t hurts no one.
But these are exceptional years and
already earnest hearts everywhere yearn
for chloroform in bulk.
Chloroform could not be used on the
favorite sons, of course. That would be
a perious violation of the rights of proud
and sovereign states. But it could be
sprinklcd wisely about to bring sleep to
every rumbling Polonius in an editorial
job who takes favorite sons seriously and
thereby misleads hurried and harassed
public. For the Reeds and the Borahs,
the Hi Johnsons and the McAdoos, the
Hardings and the PondeXters will crowd
the stage and fill the air with distracting
sound.
They will wave red-white- and blue
platitudes.
They will sing the woes of Serbia and
| Poland to people who cannot buy shoes
| and do not know why they cannot buy
them.
They will warn US about European
entanglements when they should be tell
ing US how to get out of the entangle-
ments into which we drifted with their
assistance.
They will talk about Skantung to a
nation that is already suffering because
| it cannot get its coal mined.
They will pose and pretend.
Meanwhile the country, if it is safely
to face the responsibilities forced upon it
by the war and the wars reactions in a
future that is sure to be trying and diff
| cult, has need to listen to other sorts of
men. 1t needs to listen to historians and
scientists, to economists and scholars and
to any one who is able iptelligently to
assess looming issues that are new,
dangerous and as yet not wholly defined.
The nation has a need of consecrated
and gifted men. 1t needs John the Bap-
tist-a blazing, trampling prophet with
out fear, who can lash the people them
selves to a sense of their own follies and
tear the masks off all the scoundrels and
thieves and hypocrites who, true to the
ivied axiom, find a last safe refuge in
elaborate pretenses of patriotism.
Favorite sons do'hone of these things.
If they did-they Would not be favorite
sons.
The performance is pretty we'll under
way. So far the audience is bored
General Wood, speaking his ancient piece
in shining armor, has had only f1utters of
applause. Johnson's shadow-bo boxing is a
pleasant diversion for dull days, and little
else. Mr.. Harding has received much ap.
plause from Ohio. The rest of the country
regards him with chill silence
Mr.. Palmer and Governor Sproul are
two favorite sons who are doing what
any vaudeville audience would recognize
as Legitimate turns" and doing them
very rigidly indeed.
McAdoo has consistently overplayeC
his part. He is bit too suave. There
has been great flutter of interest and &
: great deal of enthusiastic applause fol
Governor Coolidge, of Massachusetts,
TIE one promising figure entered by any
adoring state this year.
: The mood of the audience is in favor O.
r the Massachusetts governor SO it shoulC
9 be. For Mr.. Coolidge is pretty general,
e distrusted by all our best lady and gentle
\ men mandarins--those who find tha
turtle and champagne are necessities O
r life, and the more conservative set VIII
Y are not happy unless they can lose mil
= lion-dollar pearl necklaces now and ther
: He is unpopular, too, with the amateu
n bolshevists and all who believe in govern
n ment by policemen's unions.
The governor of Massachusetts, talk
v like scholar and gentleman, and
h is obvious that he doesn't care a han
d for applause. That, as every one know.
e is in itself an assurance of applause fror
n discriminating audiences.
y Mr.. Coolidge lives in Massachusetts
and unfortunately he has Vermont a,
e cent. That will count heavily against hil
y in the Wests-far and middle. Yet he ha
n the light within. Roosevelt had it. Lin
If coin had it. Wilson has it. And whe
d. you have the light within, you can |,
,r it shine for all the weary and anxiol
is eyes of the world. You can do miracle
10 And men will surely follow you.
Ir Mr.. Lodge has been mentioned for IL
n presidency. We suspect that he is beir
"a showed forward as the candidate of tho,
H. Democrats who wish to bring disaster u
utterable upon the G. o. P. AS favori