Evening star., 1923-08-07
BY VI. T.. HENNESSY.

When it was learned that Chief
Justice Stafford of the Supreme Court
of the District of Columbia called at
President Coolidge's suite in the Ho-
tel 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 grounded
in the law and is a firm believer in
the old adage that order is heavens
first law.
In the years that he was Il prac-
ticing attorney in the western part of
Massachusetts he built up an enviable
reputation for square dealing with
MS clients and in the courts of the
commonwealth.
Turns Down Office.
Few people know how far the
country came to losing this virile,
CITIZEN, now occupying
the highest office in the land. He had
oeen practicing his profession only
snort time when the clerk of the
Hampshire county court died and the
young attorney. Calvin Coolidge, was
appointed to fill the office until cleo
tion time. He might have had the
nomination of his party for clerk of
courts of his home county, but he de-
cided that he did not care to hide
himself in a little back office in the
r IN I,., 4
/ tired to give his entire time to his
private practice. Had Calvin Coolidge
accepted the clerkship nomination
rendered him, he probably still would
be virtually an unknown official in a
county court.
With a 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
precinct captain, he tackled that
job in the same thorough way that he
has shown since in handling the
many public matters that have come
before him. He was not satisfied
with checking up the voting list in
his locality, but he personally in
terviewed every man on the list, and
urged him to attend the caucuses
and be sure to vote election day.
Move Was Success.
The new committeeman's 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 job too seriously.
! His associates on the city COM
~mittee were only too glad to turn
over the affairs of the party to him
and he put new life into the local
| political organization. He was nom
mated 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.
AS a member of the city council of
his adopted city he gave evidence of
his interest in public affairs and al
ways lined up on the side of good
government and economy in city af-
fairs. When the city solicitor of
Northampton resigned, Coolidge an
nounced his candidacy for the place.
Politically the city government was
close. Again he showed his ability
to run a campaign. He sought dem
ocratic 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 sec
tion of the state. But he could not
hold all of his own party in the city
government and Coolidge secured sew
Ranked With Best.
That gave him a good standing be-
fore the bar, and when he retired
from the city solicitorship he was
ranked as one of the best in Massa-
chusetts. He acquired a lot of use
full knowledge about city affairs