Evening star., 1921-03-12
COOLIDGE ON GUARD
FOR LOADED QUERY
ASK the President" Reply
to Chair Question-Cabinet
Asks Much Advice.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

President Harding's first week in
the White House has been a struggle
against the limitations of a twenty
four-hour day and the irrepressible
energy of an army of office seekers.
Mr.. Harding has made pleasing
impression upon everybody who call
ed on him-an impression of earnest
ness and conscientious application to
duty.
The cabinet officers have interfered
to some extent with the orderly proc
esses of the White House by break
ing in on regular engagement hours
to seek the advice and guidance of
the chief executive. This will not
continue, however, as the ten heads
of departments will gradually be-
come accustomed to their surround
ings and will soon go ahead on their
own responsibility.
Indeed, the cabinet Secretaries have
been reticent to express themselves.
not SO much because of timidity as
unfamiliarity with the business they
found on hand when they took Of
flee. There has been. of course. the
usual amount of stage fright, as hun
dreds of newspaper reporters have
bombarded the new officials with a
thousand and one questions. the
great majority of which couldn't be
answered as yet even if the cabinet
Secretaries had wished to unbosom
themselves.
Aroused Coolidge Suspicious.
No more amusing incident of the
caution which the new officials some-
times affect could be mentioned, per-
haps than when correspondent
representing Boston newspaper
caught Vice President Coolidge off
his guard and asked him question
so simple that Mr.. Coolidge imagined
it was loaded"
The Vice President was leaving the
cabinet meeting, to which he had
been invited by Mr.. Harding. Vice
PRESIDENTS do not attend cabinet
meetings every day, and the novelty
OF the occasion stirred the curiosity
up to Mr.. Coolidge and inquired:
Mr.. Vice President, would you
mind telling me Just where you sat at
the cabinet meeting?"
There was a pause. The former
Governor of Massachusetts, pondered
a moment. turned his gaze thought
fully backward toward the cabinet
room and without change of express
sion finally said:
L am afraid you will have to ask
the President about that"
The Vice President momentarilv for
got that about ten minutes before the
photographers were admitted in the
presence of the cabinet, where their
cameras took away many records of
the Vice Presidents placid counte-
nance at the end of the table oppo-
site the President-that is, between
the Secretary of Commerce and the
Secretary of Labor.
While very little was said about the
prac
cabinet meeting, it was later officially
announced that his advice had been
sought in exactly the same way as if
he were the head of a government de-
partment. Vice President Sherman
sat with the Taft cabinet for a while,
Dut the practice was soon discontin-
ued because of the relation of the
Vice President to the Senate, over
which he sits as a presiding officer.
and in which body he is privileged to
cast vote in the event of tie.
Traditional Jealousy.
There always has been considerable
jealousy between the executive and
legislative branches of the govern
mnt. and it is not altogether certain
that the Vice President will find it
to his liking to be part of the ad-
ministrative machinery of the gov
ernment on the one hand, and a pre-
SlOlnS OI1lCeF ana mem per OF the leg
islative branch of the government on
the other.
The theory back of the admission
of the Vice President to the cabinet
meeting is that he shall be well in
formed in case of an emergency and
be ready to take over the reins of
government. The opportunity to get
such a training, however. is not to be
found in cabinet meetings, where the
discussion centers primarily in busi-
ness of an administrative nature, in
stead of general policies. Indeed, it
is suggested that Mr.. Coolidge may
feel obliged to withdraw from such
discussions as relate to legislation
on which he might be compelled to
cast a deciding vote.
President Harding has succeeded at
the outset, however, in conveying the
idea that he wants to take counsel.
He is by no means set in his opin-
ions, and he has revealed already
passion for harmonious agreement
both in his cabinet and in Congress.
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