The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1923-08-09

defied the commissioner, secured a
charter from the American Federation
of Labor and, after nineteen ringlead-
ers in the movement had been brought
up on charges before the commissioner
and had been found guilty. but with
penalties suspended to afford them an
opportunity to reverse their action,
three-fourths of the police force went
|, on strike on the evening of Sept. 8.
Gov. Coolidge's reply was to call out
all the state troops. These succeeded
in making their influence felt after
twentyfour hours of lawlessness,
which brought home to the entire ma
ton the danger involved in the union
ization of the police and their affilia-
tion with labor unions, practice that
had been going on with little public
attention paid to it for many months.
but which was suddenly checked fol-
lowing the object lesson presented by
Boston's plight.
Gov. Coolidge, to be prepared for any
emergency also called on the United
States army and navy departments to
be prepared with forces to cooperate
with the state troops in the event that
such cooperation should be necessary.
1t was soon admitted that only the
promptitude with which Gov. Coolidge
acted, and his duty in a grave emer-
gency as he saw it, regardless of polit-
ical consequences, saved the day. For
some time the eyes of the nation were
with anxiety, at first indeed with grave
foreboding. But the strike soon pc
tered out.
When the Central Labor union,
backed by President Gompers of the
American Federation of Labor, sought
to intercede with the governor in the
interest of the striking policemen and
urged reinstatement under conditions
that had obtained prior to the strike,
they were met with the firm declara-
ton that there was nothing to arbi-
trate" that what had occurred was not
a strike but. violation on the part of
the policemen who quit their jobs OF
their oath of office.
Mr. Coolidge referred all who sought
to intercede to the police commissioner
and subsequently gave the latter all
the support at his command replac-
ing the derelicit members of the police
force.
The first term of Gov. Coolidge was
drawing to lose when the Boston
police strike occurred. In the fall pri-
maries of that year the Republicans
nominated him for a second term,
while the Democrats nominated Rich
ard E. Long. The latter had been the
Democratic candidate for governor in
the preceding election and had been
defeated by Coolidge by little over
1000 plurality.
In the 1919 campaign Lond pledged
himself, if elected, to reinstate all of
the striking policemen. Gov. Coolidge
took the law and order" end of the
argument, declaring that his opponent
had made that an issue He defeated
Long by upward of $4,000.
This victory brought him into the
public eye as presidential possibility.
The Massachusetts, Republicans met
late in November of that year and
before the republican national conven-
tion the following year. g..trs '....
The convention finally nominated
Mr.. Harding, although on the first bal
lot he had only IS - votes out of 9S4
in the convention Mr.. Coolidge had
the tenth and final ballot had beer
taken. The Massachusetts, delegation
cast its twenty eight votes solidly for
the governor. He received two votes
from South Carolina. and one each
from Kentucky and Texas.
Coolidge was nominated for Vice
President on the first ballot taken for
that office. receiving 674h votes to
146k for United States Senator Irving
Lenroot of Wisconsin,, his strongest
competitor. Scattering votes were cast
for some other candidates, but the
vote was finally declared unanimous.
all rivals withdrawing in favor Of
Coolidge.
During the campaign Mr.. Coolidge,
in the course of number of speeches,
indicated his reputation for independ-
ence, although in the main he went
along with the policies proclaimed by
Mr.. Harding and embodied in the par
! ty platform.
| On what was one of the leading is
| sues of the campaign-the league of
nations issue-Coolidge was not as
orthodox as some of the Republican
leaders might have desired. In his
speech of acceptance, delivered in
Mort ha mpton where he lived. and later
after the campaign had begun in an
| address delivered at Carnegie hall,
Coolidge declared she did not believe
| the covenant intended to create a super
government.
This was after the league covenant
had been repadiated by the Republicans
on the grounds that it might bind this