Evening star., 1923-08-08
PRESIDENT LIKELY
TO AVOID FIGHTS
Will Not Take Up Issues
Pressed by Predecessor,
Observers Believe.

The procotol providing for adher-
ence of the United States to the
world court is now before the Senate
foreign relations committee. Presi-
dept Coolidge may let it rest in COM
| mittee. If he does not press for ac-
tion on the procotol, the Senate for
eiSn relations committee, headed by
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts, and
with Senators Borah, Hiram Johnson,
Moses, Mccormick, Brandegee and
Wadsworth, all opposed to the court,
or lukewarm to it, as members. it ic
expected the procotol will be buried
While President Coolidge's views
| in the past have been favorable to in
ternational agencies for the preven-
tion of war and the promotion of
world peace, he has not gone on
record in any public utterances as be-
ing in favor of the adherence of the
United States to the world court
If the procotoI is allowed to sleep
| in the committee, the next republican
national convention will decide
whether it shall put a plank in the
republican platform proposing adher-
ence to the court by the United States.
In other words, there has been no
referendum to the party or to the
people in general on the question of
adherence of this country to the court
as now established.
Has Threatened Split.
1t is a fact. however. that the
question Of the world court has
threatened serious split in the re
publican marty. snlit that republi-
cans generally are anxious to avoid.
Many of the republican leaders are
urging that the soft pedal be put on
| the court question for the present.
OF course. some of the democrats
may we'll he expected to demand that
the committee on foreign relations
take action on the protocol and re-
Port Ii to the Senate A motion to
discharge the committee may be
made so as to bring the measure
as it will be constituted can be safely
relied upon. it is said, to prevent ac-
tion on such a motion and to defeat
it If 1t ever comes to a vote. The
talking abilities of the anti-lea guers.
who are also the anti-court group, has
been demonstrated in the past.
II is true that the President might
even withdraw the protocol from the
Senate. He has that right. But it
is not believed that he will follow
such a course.
His Slate Is Clean.
There is n feeling here that President
Coolidge comes into the presidency with
no preannounced policies and with no
apologies to make. So far as he is
concerned the slate is clean. He has
the opportunity to write his own record.
He has made few il. indeed, any close
political intimacies since he has been
in Washington. So far as policies are
concerned 1t is believed that Mr.. Coolidge
will follow the example of Vice Presi-
dent Roosevelt, when he succeeded to the
presidency on the death of Mckinley.
Mr.. Roosevelt may have and undoubted-
ly did adopt some of the policies of
his lamented predecessor. but the slogan
my policies" was read into the political
nomenclature of the country when
President Roosevelt was a candidate
for election the convention nominee
of his party in 1904
There has been no definite announce
ment by President Coolidge as to poll
cies but these he has indicated he will
discuss after the interment of the late
President.
1t is considered quite within the pos
sibitities that President Coolidge will
not press in the next Congress contro-
versial matters that originated with his
predecessor. In other words that his
administration will be marked as dis
tinctively by policies of his own crea-
ton as was the administration of Roose-
welt in the second term.
Nomination Predicted.
In Washington today the nominal
tion of President Coolidge in the re-
publican national convention. less
than year away is being confidently
predicted wherever politics is dis
cussed. This Is in marked contrast to
the current comment of week or so
ago. The republican politicians were
more or less doubtful as to the ex-
pediency of renominating the former
Massachusetts governor even for Vice
President. Now these same party
leaders are looking hopefully into the
future. and many of them are openly
expressing the conviction not only
that President Coolidge will be nomi-
mated in the republican convention,
but that he will prove unbeatable at
the polls.
These prophets are counting on an
administration at the White House
which will in all essential matters
commend itself to the American peo-
pie They have met Coolidge at
moment when great responsibilities
were unexpectedly thrust upon him.
and they have found him unafra.d and