San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-11
Harding's Death Leaves
No One for Radical EIe-
ment to Attack.
COOLIDGE PARTY BOSS
COP. Cringes Before New
Highlander 1t Ha d
Planned to Shelve.
By ROBERT T. SMALL.

the leaders of the Grand Old Party
gathered here from every section o!
the country, profess to see in the
succession of Calvin Coolidge to the
Presidency q solution rather than o
complication Of their problems.
Fate plays many strange pranKs.
One turn of the political Kaleidoscope
and the whole picture is changed. The
mat the Republican leaders have de-
cided to shelve, the man who was to
be cast aside after one term in the
| vice presidency, flashes 20 the fore and
these same leaders are agreed today
| thar he must be the next nominee OF
the party to succeed himself in the
White House. TAey are waiting for
| his orders.
1t has been one Of the most dra-
matte switches in presidential sit
uation ever known in Washington.
Men who two weeks ago shrugged
Thea shoulders at the mention of CAL
vim Coolidge's name today attend him
nat III hand. They have learned that
destiny sometimes rises above the die
ta,es of a party council.
Wanted Man FROM West.
| 1t has been decided that Mr.. Cool
i,lgc would lend no particular strength
to ticket in 1921 beaded by Warren
Harding. Mr.. Harding could pretty
safely count ugon the New England
vote any way. In the interest of
party success, Mr.. Coolidge must fore
90 any further ambitions he might
| have had and step aside to make room
for some good man from the West
from the home of prosressivcs and
radicals; someone who might lend n
touch at least of progressive color to
| the national. ticket.
All this is changed now. Mr.. Cool
| idge can have the next regular Re
publican nomination for the asking.
AS a matter of fact it will be thrust
upon him.. The leaders will not take
no FOR an answer. They have faith
in President Coolidge. They believe
| that, in the short time that interyenes
beIv cen the preference primaries ana
the convention itself he will establish
himself us the party cfoice.
TIE conclusion that President Hard
ing's death was had left the party in
| chaos was erroneous. The progressive
and radical wings of the party were
, preparing to descend upon Mr.. Hard
ing in the presidential year. 1t will
be difficult for them TO descend upon
President Coolidge, for he has done
nothing upon which they can descend.
Calvin Coolidge has assumed a lead
crship which must be respected. It
must not be assumed from this that
progressive hopes are dead. They are
still in a mood to fight, TO fight senc-
body, somewhere. Perhaps they can
find riffs in the Coolidge armor, but
the time is short and he has all the ad-
vantage.
No One to Attack.
| The hopes of Hiram johnson or La
! FUi cite or Pinchot and of the Others
who have been considered in line for
the III residential nomination were built
up on opportunity of attack. They
are suddenly left with no one to AT
tack.
The Harding administration is gone
from consideration. 1t died with the
President. The Republican platform.
dic;ated by the regular leaders, will
| point to the administration with
bride: the insurgents cannot view Ii
with alarm, for it is a ;1.ng over and
| done with
| Republican leaders no longer deny
that tie country was restless at the
time of President Harding's death. 1t
was restlessness suggestive OF
change. The country was in q mood
for experimentation.
Now, through an act of Providence,
the change has come. There is a new
deal at the White House, new deal
without any upset to the party in
po"er, without any schism within thu
ranfs. The leaders believe that much
of the restlessness will be relieved
that there will be disposition instead
to give the new man his chance. They
belie9e there will be at least ten.
porary SOLDERING of the more radical
thought. They believe that any op'
position TO Mr.. Coolidge in the next
Republican convention must be OF
such scattering nature as to be al
but negligible.
The leaders are here to discuss the
situation and, the more they study
the better they are pleased with the
prospects.
SO much for the Republicans.
The Democrats Viewpoint.
The Democrats view the situation
from an entirely different angle. They
too, agree that the Harding ADMINS
tratitn is thing of the past bu
they say that Republican responsibility!
foc the situation which may confront
the country next year cannot b
shifted from the party to the individ
ual. The Democrats will attack TIM
party and its capacity to govern.
The Democratic attack will SWIM
away from the White House to thu
capitol. 1t was never the Democratic
disposition to make a fight upon Mr.
Harding himself. They have prefer
red all along to take the position tina
: Mr. Harding was man, a man try
ing 10 do the right thing, but that hi
: PARTY leaders in Congress would no
support him in his personal policie
end would Not fall in with his benef
icel't leadership.
As the Democrats see II. Presiden
Coolidge will not be able to do mucl
: moe with a recalcitrant Congress
, than Harding accomplished. The Dem
: ocrats will turn their guns upon Con
gress. upon the Senate m particular
. Tl,y believe that. If they can con
time the swing away from the Re
2 publican party which was SO mani
{ fest in the 1922 elections, they cal
: Dsweep Il presidency along with
r possible congressional oyerturn.
Il
n a COOL. COMFORTABLE, con