The Washington times., 1923-08-15
COOLIDGE ACTS
L|KE:vETERAN
IN OFFICE
"Press Gallery" Finds Him
Much to Its Liking and
Strong on Facts.
BY WILLIAM HARD.

general q large personal professional
esteem from the press gallery.
This esteem is bound to show it
self in the tone with which the
facts Of Mr.. Coolidge's policies and
actions will get reported to the
American public. 1t will not be in
any way a matter of twisting the
facts or of coloring them. The
facts, as facts, will be reported on
their merits; but around them, in
the case of every President, there
is necessarily a tone OF one sort of
feeling or a tone of some other
sort Of feeling.
In Warren Gama1iel Harding's
case 1t was a tone of sympathetic
human good will. In the case Of
Calvin Coolidge it seems likely to
be tone Of respectful and appre-
ciative, and sometimes amused re-
spect for an apparently thoroughly
professional and competent political
performer. 49,,
Acts Like a Veteran.
If Calvin Coolidge had been Presi-
dent for seven years, he could not
answer the questions from the
newspaper correspondents with
more directness, conciseness,. clear
ness and surenN1s. He bears him.
self absolutely without one touch Of
the amateur either in the manner
Of his speaking Of his lines or in
the lines themselves. His perform.
anee is clearly the performance Of
an old hand. Of a veteran.
! 1t is forbidden to quote directly
from anything that a President
says at newspaper conference and
it is forbidden even to attribute
any saying or sentiment directly
to him even IL no quotation marks
are used. There is no rule, however,
which forbids the reporting of his
demeanor; and >at this moment his
demeanor is more informing than
his necessarily fragmentary state
ments of the problems and probable
tendencies of his very young ad-
ministration.
His demeanor Is cool and assured
to a degree that would be amazing
II one did not remember suddenly
that this man is like an actor who
has spent all his life playing small
! parts and then larger and larger
and larger parts till at last one
day he Is given, star part and he
steps out onto the stage and per-
haps in his heart is frightened but
outWardly in voice and gesture
I
to give an absolutely professional
performance.
The press gallery begns to observe
the results of the fact that Calvin
Coolidge in the course of his whole
adult life has done virtually nothing
but be a public man. Mckinley, 1t
Is remembered, was also a soldier.
Roosevelt was also a naturalist and
also almost everything else, Taft
was a Judge. Wilson was a his
torian.- Harding was a publisher,
Calvin Coolidge was, is, and will be,
simply and solely, a practitioner
Of the duties and arts Of public life
Genuine Office Holder.
lady at a dinner party in Wash
ington some time ago had what she
thought was a bright idea for get
ting Calvin Coolidge to talk. She
said;
"Mr. Vice President, let's not talk
politics. Let's talk something that
will give us some real talk. Tell
me. Mr.. Vice President, what 8
your hobby?"
Holding office" said Calvin
Coolidge. G and the conversation
1t is not at all true, however,
that the conversation always
languishes when Calvin Coolidge is
! in it.
He chatters like a magpie," at
least five public men have said
to this writer after interviews with
Calvin Coolidge since he became
President.
Calvin Coolidge can talk at ease
and at length If he chooses to,
certainly in his conversations with
the newspaper correspondents he is
perfectly fluent. He Is not diffuse
in his treatment of the subjects dis
cussed but he is ready and he is
smooth. He does not talk haltingly
He does not talk like a man with
whom speech is a difficulty. He
talks runningly/ or, perhaps, 1t
would be better to say, sprintingly,
from a quick start to a sudden
stop, with plenty of speed in be-
! tween.
The chief impression accordingly
that one gets from him is Of his
thoroughly attained and perfected
self-control. He can say nothing, Or
say much, and can choose which
to do; and always in his eye and
frequently in his speech there is
the sly dry humor that made him
kqHIOuS III HIS undergraduate udyS
at Amherst.
Standing behind the Presidential
table in speaking TO his newspaper
questioners he is a figure certainly
Of the oldest Anglo Saxon New Eng
land. His @mallish head. his redish
hair, his irregular features, his
roughened skin, his wiry frame,
give him a look as Of any English
yeoman starting to roll bOulders
in New England pasture. This
effect is heightened when for the
4 word number" he says "numbah'
and for the word future" he says
"fewchah."
Already Making Good.
/ Looking at him and listening to
him, this writer in the end perceiV'
ed the point Of a remark made re-
Gently by an old friend Of Calvin
Coolidge's who in talking about
him to this writer said:
Calvin Coolidge is two things
He is Of England and Of New
England, with a strong inherited
English turn toward the arts Of
government. He is an habitual
office-holder, who Is weathered and
Weather-wise for all the storms Of
government. You will see that
whether you like the direction in
which he sails the ship or not, you
will enjoy seeing him sail 1t, just
as a technical spectacle"
t, l..