Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-16
BY NJ. e. HENNESSY
Especial Wire Service TO The Journal.}
Downright. 1923.

BY Nj. f. HENNESSY
Especial Wire Service to The Journal)
Copyright, 1921
WASHINGTON, Aug. when it
was learned that Chief Justice Stat.
ford, of the supreme court OF the
District of Columbia called at Presi-
dent Cooldge's suite in the Hotel
Willard. Sunday, somebody raised
the question about the legality of
the presidents oath. Did the oath
taken before his father, when news
of President Harding's death was an
nounced, suffice, or would he have to
take it anew?
But if people knew Calvin Coolidge
they would know that law and order
are cardinal principles of the new
chief executive. He is well groom
ed in the law and is firm believer
i'm the old adage that order is HeaV-
ems first law.
In the years. that he was a prac-
ticing attorney in the western part
Of Massachusetts he built up an en-
viable reputation for square dealing
with his clients and in the courts
of the commonwealth. Few people
know how far the country came to
losing this virile,6 old-fashioned' eitii
zen, now occupying the highest Of
flee in the land. He had been prac-
ticing his profession only a short
time when the clerk of the Hamp-
shire county court died, and the
young attorney, Calvin Coolidge, was
appointed to fill the office until cleo
ton time. He Snight have had the
nomination Of his party for clerk of
courts of his home county, but he
decided that he did not care to hide
himself in a little back office in the
courthouse Of Southampton and re-
tired to give his entire time to his
private practice. Had Calvin
Coolidge accepted the clerkship NOM
nation rendered him, he probably
still would be virtually an unknown
official in a county court.
Enters Politics
With natural aptitude for public
affairs, what was to be expected but
that this young lawyer should drift
into politics? A Republican by birth
and conviction, he lost no time in
allying himself with the Republican
city committee of Northampton.
Made a precinct captain, he tackled
:he job in the same thorough way
that he has shown since in handling
the many public matters that have
come before him.! lie was not sat
isfied with checking up the voting
I'list in his locality but he personally
interviewed every man on the list,
and urged him to attend the
caucuses and be sure to vote cleo
ton day.
The new committeeman efforts
bore fruit and his precinct rolled up
a bigger Republican vote than ever
before. The political wall flowers
grinned and remarked that cal"
took his jo' too seriously. His asso-
ciates on the city committee were
only too glad to turn over the at
fairs of the party to him and he put
new life into the local political Or
ganization. He was nominated and
elected to the city council of
Northampton, but in this, his first
political campaign for himself, he
took nothing for granted. He rang
door bells and spent his evenings
calling on the voters OF the ward.
Elected City Councilman
AS a member of the city council
of his adopted city he gave evil
dence of his interest in public af
fairs and always lined up on the
side of good government and
economy in city affairs. When the
city solicitor of Northampton re-
signed Coolidge announced his
candidacy for the place. Political
ly the city government was close.
Again he showed his ability to run
a campaign. He sought Democrat
1c support as well as that of, his
| own party. His opponent was one
Of the most popular members of
the bar in Northampton and the
| leader of the Democratic party in
! that section of the state. But he
could not hold all of his own par
ty in the city government and
Coolidge secured several Democrat
| ic votes and was elected
That gave him a good standing
| before the bar and when he retired
from the city solicitorship, he was
ranked as one of the best in Mas
sachusetts. He ACQUIRED q lot OF
useful knoledge about city affairs
| while in the city council and as
| city solicitor. Then his party nom
| mated him for the state house of
representatives. When he made
his first appearance on Beacon
! Hill in Boston after his election
he attracted the attention of poll
| ticians in both parties.
| Martin Lomasney, the Boston
| Democratic leader who makes it
point to size up the new members,
looked over the new member from
| Northampton the day the legislature
convened. AS Coolidge walked by
him in the members lobby, Lomas'
ney remarked that the member
from Northampton, in long old
| fashioned Prince Albert, was
EITHER a school teacher or an UNI
| dertaker" When Representatives
elect Coolidge was leaving Mort
| hampton for the opening of the
Legislature, he called on his friend
/ Richard Irwin, an old time politl
clan, now a judge of the superior