The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-16
PRESS ON COOLIDGE MESSAGE

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 PRESS ON COOLIDGE MESSAGE
 The message of President Coolidge to the Sixty Eighth Congress is docu- ment of more than usual interest, be- cause it is the first formal and official statement of the Coolidge policies, Mir. Coolidge is known for his deep silences; even as vice president his reticence was marked. Since his ac- cession to his high office the presi- dents ability to keep his own counsel has been even more pronounced. As president, however, MT. Coolidge has owed the nation definite commit ment on major subjects of national scope. The interim between his ele- vation to office and the converting of congress was very properly given 10 study of the questions uppermost In the national consciousness. The mes sage was the outline or synopsis, 1t could hardly be called more than that, of the conclusions to which the chief executive has come.
 As to the reception given the mes sage by the nation, the New York Times observes: Noticeable to all must have been the sense not only of relief but of encouragement which came to great numbers of Americans when they read the message of MT. Coolidge. They liked the directness and simplicity of his style, but above all they admired the calm and uncon- cerned spirit which he showed in talk ing positions that seemed unpopular and were so daring as to make the ordinary time-serving politician gasp. .. To many who had become despon- dent about political conditions and who were led to despair of the appearance of vigorous personalities in our pub lie life, his message has brought better cheer and renewed hope" As to the style of the document the Kansas City Star says: "A word devoted to its qualities as literary document may not be amiss. It is, in the first place, rather striking example of the lit erary art of condensation. By com pairing the address with other writings and speeches it is readily enough dis cerned that this style is deliberate; MT. Coolidge can be and has been ornate. Lovers of the grand style will say that the president was sailing under bare literary poles. He was. He didn't have an inch of canvas stretched to catch favoring rhetorical breezes. A presidents address to con- gress being largely a statement of policy, clarity and conciseness are in dicated rather than rhetoric or elo- quence. So considered, President Coolidge's paper, it must be agreed, is not worthy of being called model of effective condensation, clear con- struction and terse expression"
 That the message has political sig nificance is heralded by the Philadel- phia Public Ledger as. follows: "The White House Sphinx has spoken, and the echoes are tremendous. President Coolidge has written Republican plat form that fits him with exactness. Other men will find 1t hard to better, and he has made it difficult for the Republican national convention of 1924 to write any other that might ignore its main blanks" Regarding the sincerity of the presidents posi- tion the Detroit Free Press ayers: {: Clearly the New England conscience has been hard at work. If Mir. Cool idge does not precisely lean backwards in order to make himself clear regard ing subjects that are controversial, he certainly holds himself scrupulously erect. He deals faithfully with the American people,"
 That the message is definite is the opinion of the St. Louis Globe-Demo- crat: "The message reveals the man. It lays open his mind and his character to public view. All the material for public judgment of his qualities is presented. What that Judgment may be is yet to be determined, but it can no longer be said that Calvin Coolidge or the views of Calvin Coolidge are unknown" A view somewhat differ ent from this is expressed by the Chi cago Daily News: "On the whole, the message is mild mixture of conserva- tism and progressivism, of individual ism and paternalism. It reflects the political uncertainty of the transitional period; it is not bold summons to beneficial action nor ringing protest against unsound current ideas and pro- posals. The voice of compelling and inspiring leadership is not manifest in the document"
 Coming to more Southerly papers, the Savannah News remarks: "To some minds this new and unusual state document will appeal as the state ment of a fighting man who talks little and does much; to others it will appear to be the utterance of a man who, in ~4 |