San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-10
BY NJ. L. HENNESSY.


Copyright, by The san Antonio Light.
/, Washington, ID. C., Aug. 1O.-Wher
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts camC
out OF the presidential suite the other
day after he had paid his respects
10 Calvin Coolidge and talked over
the future of the new administration
. he said that Mr.. Coolidge would make
good President, indeed great
President, and that "the whole coun.
try will be back of him."
Of course, a great many persons
who don't like Senator Lodge will
Say that he would make the same
statement of any President of his par.
ty, but in the present instance, Mr.,
IoCge will probably find that a great
majority Of his own party and many
who are not of his party will agree
with him.
=. The hope of the Republican party
lies ir Calvin Coolidge. 1t is within
his power to make or break it. Even
those who are not close students of
political conditions, will admit that
the Republican party faced 1924 with
dubious feelings. With q new figure
in tie White House, a new captain
steering the ship of state, the friends
of President Coolidge feel that the
tide against the party can be stemmed.
What is it that leads them TO believe
that the Republicans can recover their
lost ground?
His Character Will Appeal.
First and foremost is the public
record of the new leader, the telling
appeal they believe this new and
strange man in the White House can
make TO his fellow countrymen be-
cause of the thought that he embodies
many of the good old-fashioned no.
4, tions and ideas of the founders of the
government.
Not long ago Calvin Coolidge was
governor of Massachusetts. If it were
not for the Boston police strike and
the manner in which Mr.. Coolidge
+ handled himself and the issues in
volved, the chances are that he would
have joined the long list of his pre-
deceSsors and would have gone TO his
grave "unhonored and unsung." The
police strike projected him into the ma
tional political arena. The great bulk
j of the American people liked the way
]e met the ISSUE President Wilson
declared the strike of the policemen
3 al tTiIue dSulllSL tlNlllZullOU.
a Through an ancient act of the leg
islature, the governor in Massachu-
sets controls the Boston police depart
/ ment. And on September ., 1919,
when 100 of the 1900 patrolmen of
the force left their posts, Calvin Cool
idge called out the state guard. He
issued his famous proclamation in
which he declared "there is no right
to strike against public safety by
anybody, anywhere, any time" He
told Samuel GOmpers, who had inter.
coded in behalf of the striking police,
men, that nobody could intimidate the
j commonwealth of Massachusetts, that
there was no middle ground, that those
who had betrayed the city and desert
ed their posts had committed a grave
offense against society.
Wins on "Law and Order"
The strikers lost. Not a man of
them returned to the force, because
the police commissioner, backed by
the governor, held that they were
, false to their oaths. Mr.. Coolidge's
correspondence with Samuel Gompers
on that memorable occasion is one Of
the most interesting exchanges of Wig
orous letter-writing of the day. Cal
win Coolidge was reelected governor
of Massachusetts,. The plurality. an
historic one, was more than 125, 200.