Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-08-13
IS
NEW POWER
Called Mark Hanna of Coo
lidge Administration, Events
at Capitol Show
BY GEORGE H. MANNING
Washington Correspondent of the
Perth Amboy Evening News)

seems destined to become one of the
powers behind the throne in the
Coolidge administration, the Presi-
dents principal adviser regarding
matters before congress-the Mark
Hanna of the Coolidge regime.
Out of the hundreds of senator's,
congressman, cabinet officers, politi-
cal leaders and personal friends who
called on President Coolidge to pay
their respects during the five days
he was in Washington before he left
for the Harding funeral at Marion
Senator Brandegee was the only one
with whom the President had a real
heart to heart talk.
President Coolidge heard all his
other callers pay their respects, ex-
press regret over the unfortunate
death of President Harding, and
listened to their nice words of hope
for his successful administration.
Many of them attempted to engage
him in a discussion of politics and
to ascertain his views and intentions
regarding International and domes-
tic affairs and his attitude toward
the leading questions of the day. To
all, President Coolidge listened re-
~spectively and attentively, but made
no commitment.
Only with Senator Brandegee did
he talk at any length. With him
he discussed almost every subject
engaging the public attention today.
President Coolidge and Senator
Brandegee are of the same distinc-
tive type-each keeps his own coun-
sci, rarely if aver discusses with any
one or in public the really big issues
rf ThA doy aanh onipfafn lIfnanS or
secrecy about personal and private
matters, and has extremely little to
say to newspapermen-their views
might in that way get to the public.
In less than twenty-four hours
after President Coolidge arrived in
Washington to take UP the reins of
government, Senator Brandegee
called at his suite in the Willard
hotel, where the executive Offices are
temporarily located, and was clos
eted with the new President over
two hours. 1t is fair to assume
that President Coolidge summoned
Senator Braandegee to counsel with
him because Brandegee is decidedly
not of the type to protrude his
views on anyone without soltcita-
tons.
Senator Brandegee bobbed up
~ a. " - REo
summons of the new chief executive
and, his conference over. disappear
ed as quickly and my%steriously as
he came and has not called again
Since the senate adjourned on March
4th, the whereabouts of Brandegee
has been a complete mystery ex-
cept to one or two close friends.
President Coolidge must have been
one of chosen because he had not
been more than a few hours on the
job before in popped Brandegee,
apparently in response to executive
summons.
The Connecticut senator has q
home at New London, Conn.,, which
he gets to very seldom; in Washing
ton he has one If the finest MN
SONS in the national capital at the
corner of Seventeenth and Eye
streets, where he is seldom SEEN, and
a country home at Rockville, Md,
seventy-two acres, ten miles u of
Washinfton, where it is vaguely
believed ne spends most of his time.
When Senator Brandegee left the
conference with the President he
declined to discuss with waiting
newspaper correspondents the SUBJ
jects which had been talked about
and subsequent efforts to draw from
President Coolidge information as
to what they talked about have been
quite futile. But from remarks
made to others by the President ii
is learned hat the World Court,
the hobby of the late president was
the chief topic and that from there
the whole gamut of national and in
ternational affairs was run.
Aside from the fact that they are
close friends-that is, as close as
anyone is a friend to President Cool
ldge or Senator Brandegee-the new
president doubtless sought counsel
from Brandegee because he knew he
would get the plain, true, ungarnish-
ed facts about national and inter-
national affairs without bias or frills0
no matter if it pleased or disap-
pointed. Brandegee is honest, frank
and outspoken to a fault, and cou-
irageous. 1t would mean nothing to
him if Coolidge differed with him
and he would take no pains to pre-
sent the situation in a pleasing man
ner. Coolidge knew that; he wanted
the truth, doubtless he got it from
Brandegee.
It is doubtful if there was ever g
vice president who mixed SO little
with the members of the senate a:
| Coolidge, who presided over thai
body for twenty-nine months and ap'
parently had not a single close FRIEND
or confident among it's SO members
He exchanged but few words beyond
a good morning" or good after
noon" with more than two or three
Senators.
The exceptions were Senator Bran
degee of Connecticut and Senator
Curtis of Kansas. Naturally, wheI
he came to washington to take vi
his new duties as President he con
fided again in Brandegee and Curtis
With Brandegee he was closeted twt
hours, and with Curtis he had tw'
or three conversations lasting abou
five minutes each.
Almost every President has hat
one or two men in the senate ant
House to whom he looked for coun
sci on congressional matters, anC
who served as mediums for making
the views and desires of the Chic
Executive known privately to tn
men on Capitol Hill.
Brandegee appears likely to be TN
mouthpiece of President Coolidge OF
lCapitol Hill, his chief advisor OF
congressional matters-to be TO
president Coolidge what Mark Han
ma was for President Mckinley.