Evening star., 1923-12-06
COOLIDGE MESSAGE
Wins WIDE PRAISE
Presidents Courage and Di.
rectness Approved, as Is
Tax Cut Request.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
Nominated in South Dakota and
with his platform now before the
country. Calvin Coolidge is at length
out in the open. Henceforward he Is
all but an offlcially and formally
avowed candidate for the republican
presidential nomination in 1924. His
friends. while preparing to organize"
Systematically on his behalf. believe
Mr.. Coolidge has done. for the time
being, all that it is necessary to do,
His message TO Cougress--clear.
crisp and courageous. as they view 1t
at once opens his campaign and
supplies his platform. Time and the
fates. they are persuaded. will do the
rest
Although President Coolidge ad-
dressed Congress only at noon to-
day, it is possible already to sum-
marize Washington political opinion
of his message. The message. in print
ed form, has been in private circula-
ton throughout the Capital and the
newspaper offices of the country for a
week. Opinion in Washington crys-
tallized rapidly, and there has been
ample time for outside opinion to fl
ter through from the. four quarters
of the republic.
Presidents Courage Manifest.
This article is an attempt to sum-
Tnarize comment upon Mr.. Coolidge's
message as members of Congress
have supplied it. Their views express
in most cases, not only their own
reactions" but those Of their con-
stituencies as we'll. There is a fair
degree of uranimity on one point
That IS, that courage is written con-
spicuously across the entire face OF
the Presidents pronouncement from
beginning to end He has not lodged
He has not minced his words. He has
been uncommonly specific. He has
not numbered up his recommendations
with verbose reasoning. His attitude
on the bonus is the outstanding ex-
ample of his unequivocal style. But
I do not favor the granting of a
bonus" the President says at the end
on the subject OF veterans" That's
all.
Mixed Emotions Evoked.
IF there is comparative agreement
that Mr.. Coolidge has been coura-
geous in his maiden address to Con-
gress. there is a similar consensus
OF belief that the message will evoke
an extensive variety of mixed emo
tions. Few early commentators find
1t entitled TO laurels for liberalism.
Massachusetts, men declare 1t Is con-
spicuous,y inferior in literary merit
TO Mr.. Coolidges gubernatorial state
papers.
Friends of the world court are
gratifled by his commencing of it ITO
the favorable consideration of the
Senate" They find no fault with
the President for not voicing his
favor with more feryors They know
that Mr.. Coolidge is teniperamentaIIy
not 2 very fervid man. They are
those men are confounded who. inn
mediateiy after the Presidents ac-
cession to Office, yociferously pre-
dicted he would reject the world
court. His advocacy of the policy.
which President Harding avowed in
his deathhed utterance at San Fran
cisco, is generally ascribed to the
influence of Secretaries Hughes and
Hoover. In one passage of the world
reproduces almost textually argu-
nents publicly used by Mr. Hughes.
Some well informed authorities have
gone so far as to suggest that Hughes
would have left the cabinet had
coolidge turned down the particular
Harding policy" represented by the
world court proposal. The price Of
Andrew w Melons retention of the
Secretaryship of the Treasury is said
by the same authorities to be the
uncom promising rejection of the SOL
diers' bonus by the administration.
ror ,ud Iyo~u, ID ~Ir.r
Comment centers for the moment.
and for some time is likely to center. on
TWO primary phases of the Presidents
ressage-taxation and agricultural re-
lief Mr.. Cooidge's adoption of the
Mellon program was universally antici-
pated. So was his stressing of tax re-
duction as the paramount issue de-
rnanding congressional action. Few au-
fhortties on Capitol Hill expect the
Coolidge-Mellon tax program to go
through as the Secretary of the Treas
nry recently promulgated it. But its
all classes OF the people-will not be
seriously opposed. Every member Of
House and Senate knows there Is "dyn-
anite' in hostility to the conferment of
SO elementary boon as cutting down
taxes Fresh from back home" "a
Congress is. it knows there Is no issue
before the country assured in advance
OF such popularity as slashing of the
income tax brackets and other federal
:nposts The politician or the party
that helps to Illustrate that kind of leg
Islation is asking for punishment, and
worse.
Westerners Not Pleased.
There is little promise, at this writ
ing. that the Presidents recommenda-
tions on the subject of agricultural
relief are destined to arouse enthus-
tasn. Many western members of
Congress call the message weak" In
that particular, because it holds out
nothing novel In the way of pana-
ceas. Nobody expected the President
to espouse any of the more radical
or drastic suggestions for helping
the farmer. especially the distressed
wheat growers Of the northwest. hhe
feature thought likely 20 appeal to
the rural community more than any
other is the assertion of Mr.. Coolidge
that IAN entire reorganization OF the
rate structure for freight is nee
essary" in the transportation act.
The average farmer is inclined 10
trace most OF his troubles to high
railroad rates on what he sells and
idge message should usher in an era
of lower freight rates, the farming
country would think 1t mora prac-
tical. direct and lasting help than
operative marketing. War Finance
Corporation grants in aid Of exports
of flats and grains" or even cheap
fertilizer. In high railroad rates the
his distress. real and imaginary.
Politicians discuss the Coolidge
message mainly from the standpoint
of the issues" which 1t will give to