The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1923-12-06
Pres. Coolidge Delivers
His Message to Congress
T0day--Syn0psis Herewith

Inc OoLn congress was IOrmaIiy
organized Wednesday, after several
days of fruitless balloting for Speak
err of the House.
Fifteen Republicans, including
Congressman Knutson of this district,
opposed the reelection of Speaker
Gillett until a compromise could be
reached whereby the Rules Committee
promised to be more liberal and al,
low the House membership to have
something to say about the legislation
to be passed on.
President Coolidge is delivering
his first message to Congress this af-
ternoon. The Herald is extremely
fortunate in being able to publish a
two column synopsis of a document
that is free from frills or extraordin-
airy promises. Mr.. Coolidge does not
mince words nor hold out any false
hopes to those who hope to be able
to ..ishake down" the government for
relief.
It is possible for the Herald to
cover the presidents message in this
issue through the vigilance of Will
liam L. Daily, the National Editorial
Associations representative in Wash
ington. The Herald pays cold cash
to be permitted to publish Mr.. Daily's
letters as we know positively that
anything he writes will be reliable.
fxxy0
reached this office Monday of this
week but it was not to be released
until the Presidents address to Con-
gress had been delivered, and the
Herald is the only weekly newspaper
in Central Minnesota publishing the
Presidents message today. The
moral is plain-if you want the news
when it is news, you must read the
Herald.
Mr.. Daily's symposium follows be-
low:
. Washington, Dec. 6 - President
Coolidge's first annual message to
Congress was delivered in unequiv-
ocal terms. Even his most severe
critics admit that no strained in
depreciation is needed to ascertain
the Chief Executives position in
current, political and economic is
sues. The fact that Mr.. Coolidge
showed no apprehension in drawing
the fire of formidable legislative
blocs has apparently revived the
waning faith in his forcefulness and
leadership.
Condensing his pithy message OF
five thousand words into few
paragraphs, the conclusion is in
escapable that the new president has
emerged from his shell of cautious in
activity. Political observers are gen.
orally agreed that Mr.. Coolidge has
defined views on controversial ques-
tons in manner which admits nc
doubt. Enthusiastically practicing
strict economy in the use of words,
the President declared that he is OPP
posed to the granting of bonus, ia
vors the Mellon plan for tax reduc-
ton and approves a world court pro
vided it is divorced from the League
of Nations. He made it clear that the
farmers should make more deter
mined effort to work out their own
salvation rather than project them
selves into the arms of the Nation as
a whole, as supplicants for Federal
aims or subsidy. Mr.. Coolidge de-
Tended the budget system and threw
down the challenge to those propos-
ing to restore the "pork-barrel sys
stem to appropriations.
Nobody questions the fact that
the President has made himself de-
cidedly unpopular with the Legislative
clique known as the agricultural
bloc" He pointed out to Congress
that "for the most part agriculture is
successful, eleven staples having risen
in value from about S5,30O,000, 600
two years ago to about $7,000,000,-
900 for the current year. But range
cattle are still low in price and some
sections of the wheat area, notable
Minnesota, North Dakota, and on
!west, have many cases of actual dis
i tress." The Chief Executive believes
that Investigation of crops is neces-
sary because "the distress is most
acute among those wholly dependent
upon one CROP" He objects to the
permanent interference of the gov.
eminent in the problem Of exporting
wheat and indicated that farmers
must not expect unstinted financial
assistance from the public Treasury
or a government plan for fixing
wheat prices. The remedy, in the
opinion of the President, remains
with the farmer. AS to relief meas.
ures for agriculture, Mr.. Coolidge ex.
pressed the view that Indirectly the
farmer must be relieved by a reduc.
ton of national and local taxation.
He must be assisted by the reorgani.
cation of the freight rate structure
which could reduce, charges on his
production. To make this fully eff.
fective there ought to be railroad