Evening star., 1923-09-12
Politics at Large
By N. o. MESSENGER

He gathers them in"
4 No, this does not refer to Father
Time ana his Sickle. but to Presi
dent CooIidge's faculty of taking peo
pie into his fold once they come in
i contact with him, talk with him and
understand his processes and 'pur
poses. Remember. he is under the
handicap OF a preconceived and mis-
taken feeling that he is a severely
reserved man, silent to the point of
tacituriiity and deemed to be cold
and ,unsympathetic Reserved" and
cautious, yes; taciturn, no. I'm
sympathetic and eold? Not on your
life! Day by day he is proving all
these things to people who have
business with him.
Take Republican National Commit
teoman Jacob L. Babler of Missouri
who had nearly an hours talk with
him last week. Mr.. Babler is a man
full OF troubles and acquainted with
political sorrow. He came on to
| Washington with all those impres-
sions of the new President. When
he emerged from the conference he
was enthusiastic about his political
chief.
That Jim Watson" (referring to
Senator Watson of Indiana) gave
me to understand that President
Coolfdge was not much of talker.
/ found him quite fluent" Now, it
is fact that Committeeman Bah
ler's conference had to do with very
Vexing patronage troubles in Mis-
souri, and maybe he found the Presi
dents fiuency sympathetic with his
ideas of settling the patronage prob
lens. Anyway. he likes the Presi-
dent and said that Missouri has con-
: fidence in him.
*&%
President Coolidge had an earful
of Missourfs patronage squabble last
week, Gov. Hyde was a dinner guest
one night and after the coffee they
: talked state. politics Next, State
Chairman f. 3. Clements and Con-
rad Mann. member of the state ex-
ecutive committee, saw the President
| Then Senator Spencer saw him.
The main trouble appears to be
| dinerence over patronage between
| Senator Spencer ana the governor
and state committee, with the ma
: uonal committeeman a third angle.
Tell them to get together" was
! President Coolidge's reply to a Ques-
tton from Senator James e Watson
of Indiana, before he started for
Kansas City to make an address to
republicans, as TO what message the
head of the party might have for
the Missourians. ~ 80
+ *a&
J Cncenseiously, perhaps, the Presi-
dent in that remark sounded the key
nf ha Il.
iscribed the corner stone of the sup
port being given him for his nomi-
nation for the presidency in 1924.
BY one accord they are impressed
| with golden opportunity for har-
, monizing friction hitherto existing
ibetween the factions and all uniting
on. a ticket presented by fate which
holds out promise to them of victory.
Get together sounds good to me-
said Republican National Committee
man Joseph B. Healing Of Indiana
who is putting In some time at ma
, tional committee headquarters here
Before going any further it might
be stated that Indiana is one state
: in which the republicans are in a
sad plight over factional troubles
and then some; stand up in most any
&. /
or "Beveridge" and you can have a
, fight between their respective sup
, porters and opponents in a jtffy-and
IL won't be a."private fight either.
We are geing>to get together, all
comes on predicted National Com
lmitteeman Healing. Joe" always
was an optinist.
/, Representatives Hull of the
: Peoria, ILL.,, district is another Wis
iting fireman" among the ccmers- on
twhom President Coolidge took into
: camp" He thinks the President is
going to prove a winner. That com
bination of gather them in" and get
together is likely to prove a very
potent factor for good in the party
From trustworthy sources in Mas
| sachusetts comes information that
republican prospects in the cam
paign for the United States senator
, ship have materially improved since
the elevation of Mr.. Coolidge to the
presidency, with prospect of his be-
ling a candidate for the presidential
nomination in 1924. The report saws
! that UP TO a few weeks ago the re-
publicans were very dubious of their
bea ting Senator Walsh, democrat. for
re-eleetion year hence. He is said
TO be very popular in the state. with
record in the Senate not vulnerable
to attack.
The republicans faced a sharp con-
test in their ranks for the nominal
j ton, with possibility of it's leaving
| scars and factional difference. But
the situation has changed xpith Pres
ident Coolidge in the White House
| and with all Massachusetts, republi-
cans back of him.
It is predicted that the outlook Is
good for solid support of all the
factions of the whole republican
ident down, with no scratching on
the senatorship, whoever is the re-
publican candidate
Il 4s** y
President Coolidge continues to car-
ry cut his policy of being President
first and thinking about a nomination
afterwafd. He fixed that at.tfie outset
and is rigidly adhering, to IT. The
latest demonstration of his intention
TO continue to do so was made in a
letter to the secretary. OF new Cool
idge-for- President Club, organized In
Chicago. After expressing has appre-
citation Of the friendship for. and con-
f1dence in him thus shown, he quoted
from letter he. had written to "a
friend in, another state on the same
subject, in which he said:
'I have given no thought to the
matter to which wou refer and / am
| merely doing what / can to take up
the Burdens of my office. very much
prefer TO discourage thought and ae-
tivity In any other direction"
4 EnA