The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-08
COOLIDGE STAKINC FAITH IN MELLON
Considered Harding's Worst Politician, Becomes Pres
 ident's Mainstay
By RAYMOND CHAPTER Ueaxed Wire to The Age-Herald)

WASHINGTON. Dec. T.-Strange as it may seem, the man who was re- garded as the worst politician in the original Harding cabinet has become the mainstay of the, administration.
 President Coolidge IS stalking his political success on the financial ge- nius of the Secretary of the Treas ury The President places more con fidence in the tax reduction program prepared by Mellon than in any other policy If it is carried out faithfully by Congress it will insure the success of the republican party in the next election, Coolidge firmly believes.
 Mellon. one of the richest men in the United States, came to Washing ton nearly three years ago as po- litical greenhorn at politics
 Hell never do,' the political wise ones said with finality, after they had looked him over. He had no con ception of the importance of a con- gressman or state leader. He had a mind trained in big business and had no conception of what the public wanted, they said. His control of the aluminium trust, his grip on. the fi- nanciai structure. of the great steel district in Pennsysvsnia, and his sfs filiation previously with the whisky business made him a liability. That was the first reaction among Hard ing's close advisers.
 Harding Advised Against Him.
 Don't appoint him; you'll ruin yourself at the start was the ad- vice dinned into Harding's ears dur ing the best minds conferences at Marion.
 Now the politicians who were ex- pected to be the chief source of strength are in the background. Some have made blunders which have se- riously embarrassed the administra- tion. Some have engaged in unprof- itable controversy and offended many well-intentioned groups.
 But Mellon comes through the con fusion as the man on whom Coolidge is leaning. Whatever strength Cool idge has now is largely due to his straight committal to the tax reduc- ton program formulated by Mellon It was this feature of the Presidents message which received the most commendation.
 It is just what should have been expected. For the real problem of administration. which succeeded Will son, was one of war time liquidation. It was financial problem--a matter of deflating the currency, bringing down taxes, and reducing tne vast war debt.
 A
 Secretary Mellons annual report, just made public. reveals what has been done in this direction. Five years after the war, the tremendous debt of s26, 900. 100000 has been cut by s4,00O, O00, ,000--A figure almost as large as the British debt to the Uni ted States which win require sixty two years to be wiped out. Now Mellon is proposing to cut taxes rr., +, ,Ixr 1v1l in. sists that it still will be possible to pare down the inde bt tedness each year. Mellons opposition to the soldier bonus arises from his financial cal culations. and not from lack of sym pathy with the men who served in the war. If Mellon were consulting his personal inclinations, he probably would urge a bonus.
 There is nothing cold or hard about the man. He Is the; exact opposite personally, of what a captain of in dustry Is popularly supposed to be. He is extremely sensitive. easily en- barrassed, diffident, fond of art and music rather than the more robust diversions. Nf
 Carefree When At Leisure.
 He wanders about Washington at night, looking into shop windows like cHiiu. but when ne Slts doWn at his desk in the treasury building, figures become his god. His calcula- tions tell him that taxes cannot be cut if soldier bonus of the size proposed, is to be paid,
 Bonus, proponents take exception to this. They figure that the. annual payments during the life of the pres ent generation will average ss7.- 100000 year. Mellon proposes to A - The British debt brings in an annual average of nearly $2o0, ,000. There fore. they say, there is no reason why the country should not recog- nize it's obligation to the ex-service men. Congress inclines to this view. view.
 Coolidge knew this. but he staked everything upon the soundness of Melons recomm endations.