The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-09-19
|SLEMP seen. As
WHITE HOUSE
EXPERIMENT
Virginian Expected to Be Pres
ident's intermediary With
Congress.
By GEORGE r. HOLMES,
international News Service.

luL0EuotAOU1A
Having recovered somewhat from
the initial shock or CALVIN Cool,
| idge's selection OF a presidential
secretary, the national capital has
settled down to watch the working
ont of an interesting White House
experiment.
8. Bascom Slemp is the first
CONGRESSMAN to hold the important
| lob of being Secretary to the Presi.
dent--a Job that many consider OF
greater responsibility than a Caoi
net office, He comes to the White
| House fresh from sixteen years In
the House, and with an acquaint
ance in that body that is best de-
scribed by the fact that he calls
most OF the members by their first
names.
There are few men in either
branch Of Congress, or elsewhere
for that matter. more deeply
STEPPED in politics than Bascom
He is frankly and openly q
politician, Joe sTumulty was q
little known New Jersey lawyer
when he came into the post; George
Christian was even less known; but
Bascom Slemp knows the rank and
file OF the Republican party as DC
few other men. He is the first
man to hold the position to whom
the description political secretary
could be fittingly applied.
Consequently washington looks
upon his appointment as an expert
ment--and an extremely interest
ing one.
Knows COngressmm.
The vast majority of a Presi-
dents problems relate to Congress.
Congressman are continually sitting
ON the Presidents doorstep. The
success or failure Of an admins
tration program may, and fre-
uuentIy does, depend to a. large en-
tent upon the Executives relation
ship with individual members OF
Congress.
The expectation prevails that
Bascom SIemp will render yeoman
service to Calvin Coolidge in his
new Job, because he has that ac-
Quaintance with members Of Con-
gress that Mr.. Coolidge has not.
No President, with the possible ex-
ception of woodrow Wilson, ever
came into the White House with q
lesser acquaintance IN Official
Washington than Mr.. Coolidge
and this despite the fact that for
two and one-half years the taciturn
Vermonter presided over the Sem
ate.
Mr.. Coolidge had no intimates
In the Senate; to the House he IL
virtually unknown.
The name '.liaison officer al.
ready has been applied to Slemp.
It is expected he will be the GO
between, the pacifier, the, middle
man between the White House and
the Capitol. ~
It's 4 new Job. whether Il win
work out successfully or rot re.
mains to be seen, but Washingt g
interest is keen.
The Democrats. Of course, az.
sign another reason for President
Coolidge's appointment OF Bascom
Slemp.
SIemp is a Virginian.
For years he has been the only
Republican Congressman from that
Democratic State. 1t has not infre-
'quently been said OF him that "he
is the Republican party of sVir-
ginia."
Familiar With South.
At any rate, it is conceded that
there is no one in the party who
knows the Republican South any
better than Bascona Slemp. Under
all Republican administrations his
has been q powerful voice in the
allotment of Southern patronage.
He has been known in the past to
Swing a big stick" with the South.
ern and black-and-tan delegates to
national conventions. And now the
Democrats are unkind enough to as
sert that his appointment as Presi-
Dental secretary was made with an
eye on the Southern delegations at
next years Republican convention.
1t would be difficult to imagine
two men more unlike than Calvin
Coolidge and Bascom Slemp. Cool
idge is rather small of stature, blond,
reserved, deliberate and very, very
taciturn. His face in repose Is I'M
smiling and serious. Slemp is tall,
swarthy, quick, a volatile taIker,
and he has that pattering Of small
talk and familiar back-slapping that
are part and parcel of the earnest
politician.
The one is from Vermont, where
it gets so degrees below zero in the
winter; the other is from Virginia,
where the sun shines all year round.
And that tells the story of the two
men better than 1t could be told in
volumes.
Halls Firm Virginia.
Bascom Slemp is fifty-three years
old. He was born and raised" in
Virginia. He comes from the Big
Stone Gap region, the home of John
Fox, the novelist. He and John
Fox played together as boys all over
the country that is so beautifully de.
scribed in 1.-THE Little Shepherd of
Kingdom Come"
They once were law partners, but
they could not spare time from
hunting and fishing to go to court,
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