San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-19
ACE MAY PLAY
/ A LARGE PART
/ IN 1924 RACE
Majority Of Presidents
{, Have Been Little
Over so.
OFFICE BIG BURDEN
Possible Candidates Range
in Age From 81
to 69.
Ry DAVID LAWRENCE


Washington. d. C.. Sept 1s.-Age
NAV be literally a vital issue in the
next presidential campaign.
Democrats of prominence are begin
ming TO talk among themselv about
che age of the men most suitable TO
make the race ,gainst President Cal
vim Coolidge if the latter is the Repub-
hcan nominee.
Mr.. Coolidge is now just past 81
and will be 90 years and half
March 4. 1924, when the next presiden-
tal term begins.
Many people who argue that the
burdens of the presidency are almost
super-human and are clamoring that
4be executive be relieved, have lost
sight of the fact that few men enter
the presidency of big business at the
age OF 80 or more.
Looking over the list OF % presi-
dents of the United States preceding
Mr.. Coolidge it will be found that all
but four were 81 or younger when In
augurated and that the majority were
nearer 80 than 81.
OF the four presidents who entered
the White House above the age OF 81,
Nillia1 Henry Harrison. age 6S.
served only a month of his term and
died; Zachary Taylor who was GA. died
in office after a year of his term
James Buchanan was IS upon inaug-
uration and John Adams was 81.
Ages of Possible Candidates.
Using 81 as the upper limit OF the
presidential age at inauguration
though TO be sure the two-term presi-
dents have usually been much younger,
than that-the men who are now be-
ing talked of on both the Republican
and Democratic tickets for the presi-
dency. would be narrowed down to a
few.
Here are the ages Of the various
statesmen mentioned for the presidency
as they would be on March 4, 1925,
when the next presidential term be-
gins:
LaFollette. 60 years, months.
Pinchot, 80 years. 6 months.
Senator Ralston. 6S years. 9 months.
John W. Davis, 81 years, 10 months.
Al Smith, ~ years, . months.
James NJ. Cox, "a years il months.
W. ". NtauOts W. NtdAo " nApANhos
W. ]. BRYAN, 65 years l month.
Oscar Underwood, G. years 10
months.
Carter Glass, 81 years l month. I
Hiram johnson, IS years, months.
Former Senator Kenyon, of Iowa, %
years, S months.
Henry Ford, 81 years. 6 months.
OF the fore: ing number only two
men are younger than President Cool
rlge and they are both Democrats.
Governor Al Smith of New York and
John W. Davis of West Virginia. the
latter of whom is the youngest Of all
the men mentioned for the presidency.
II 81 were the age limit for inaugu-
ration of President, only former SEN
ator Kenyon, of Iowa, James NJ. Cox.
John W. Davis, Al Smith and Calvin
Coolidge would come under that mark.
Ford Past Sixty.
. Most people do not realize that
Henry Ford, for instance, is past go
Or that the veteran senator from Wis
consin, Robert NJ. LaFollette. has
passed 6S and will be nearly 20 on
March 4, 1925.
! Samuel Ralston, junior senator from
Indiana, would be over 6S at the be-
ginning of the next term.
The vigor Of Theodore Roosevelt in
the presidency has always been attrib-
uted by many of his friends to the fact
rhat he was AZ, the youngest man to
enter the White House in American
history.
At the end Of his seven years he was
only 40, which is below the age Of
all the candidates now being men
toned.
The burdens of the presidency are
admittedly greater today than they
we're in the past.
There is no doubt that both Warren
Harding and Woodrow Wilson had the
best of medical attention.
The former was 80 years old when
inaugurated and served less than three
Years.
The latter was Sc years old and
broke down at IS.
While many a man is stronger than
his years, the politicians are wonder
ing what the popular effect will be Of
a comparison of ages if Mr.. Coolidge,
q relatively young man, is the candi-
date against a man much older than
be will be in March, 1925, namely 80
and half years.