The Washington times., 1923-11-17
BY JOHN T. LAMBERT.
Copyright. 1928, BY Cosmopoiitan

Copyright, 1923, BY cosmopoiitan
News service.l
Henry Ford recently said to 2
friend:
President Coolidge himself has q
splendid background. but he Is SUR
rounded by q bunch Of scamps."
There have been two demOnstra7
tions of the confidence which the
public has for him. When he sud-
denly became head Of this country
there was not q tremor OF public
fear. The public was ready to trail
along with him, not hesitating to
give him chance to make good.
The other illustration Of his strength
was at the Chicago convention which
nominated Coolidge for the Vice
Presidency. His nomination came
like bolt out OF the blue. Messrs.
Lodge, Weeks and other conspicuous
Republicans from his own State were
against him. He knows It. Lenroot
was slated to be made Vice President
and the Lodges and Weelsses had
joined hands with the Old Guards
men to deliver to the Wisconsin
Senator.
Came Without Warning.
Then, without warning, an incon.
spicuous delegate from Oregon
jumped to his feet, proposed the
name of calvin Goodbye" in the
single display Of ardor which marked
all its tedious meetings.
That delegate thereby lifted him
self from the obscurity into which
he was falling in Oregon and has
since become one Of the States Ia.
vored leaders. He also won for him
self the governor generalship Of the
Sons of the American Revolution. in
which office he has worked valiantly
to -Englishize the textbooks in
American public schools.
PreSent-day talk that Senator
Lodge and Secretary Weeks always
have been regarded as the faithful
friends and allies of the President
is "bosh.
Prominent Massachusetts Repub.
Iicans served notice upon Weeks at
Chicago that his anti-C Coolidge tac-
tics would never be forgotten. He
was finally forced to retire as Re-
publican national committeeman
from Massachusetts, when control
over the Republican State committee
there was wrested away from the
Weeks-Lodge forces by the younger
Republicans Of the Coolidge and
Governor Cox factions, consolidated
by William M. Butler. The Republi.
can State committee elected Weeks
successor. Butler was chosen.
Feeling Intense
So intense had the feeling sprung
up against Senator Lodge in the
Coolidge faction that they prepared
to defeat the Senator's own choice
for Congressman in his own dis
trict. Senator Lodge was support
ing Ransom Pingree, of Haverhill.
The Coolidge forces decided to
project Charles 0. Bailey, an ardent
Coolidge supporter, into the race.
President Coolidge, however, is sup
posed to have sent word to his Bay
State friends to avoid party quar-
rel on that issue at that time, but
Bailey and the other Coolidge lieu
tenants went over to Col. A. Piatt
Andrew. and he was nominated for
Congress over Lodges choice,
Pingree.
1t may thus be seen that Presi-
oent Coolidge has made a good
zeal OF progress in this world with
OUT the help Of the superior states
men OF his party. He came Presi.
oent untrammeled by serious obli.
cations to anyone.
another element OF strength for
nn - the native independence
Wnlcn, enables him to do the most
unexpected thing at the most un.
;ApecLeo Tune. He is conserva-
tive-at times reactionary-whow will
make the most unusual ventures
into practical progressivism. stand.
patters will praise him TODAY and
aamn him tomorrow. Liberals will
De about to abandon ali hone of
securing any political progress
whatever in this world when he
VIII raise them to the seventh
heaven OF delight by some single
forward act.
Kept His Promises.
Zen years ago President Coolidge
agreed with very dear patron of
,H!he 10 support q bill in the legis.
ldture Tor the construction of a
puolc ownership street railway in
western Massachusetts,. You take
IL over there" he said, pointing to
Ihe Rouse, "and l guess we may
not nave any difficulty over here
IN the Senate" Back home, when
Coonoge promised to do a thing,
loiKs just went off and forgot it.
1t would be done.
The major part of one of his
inaugural addresses to the legisla-
ture there was devoted to a recon.
nendation to establish maternity
benefits. He won for himself, OF
course, the bitter antagonism OF
that large section of his own party
winch looked upon the recommenda'
ton as being highly socialistic'
ana OF a division of the medical
fraternity who seem to believe that
the principal business of the patri
otlc physicians in the public health
service should be to let the private
practice of medicine be exceedingly
prosperous. Maternity care is now
reality in the Bay State. When
Alexandria Carlisle seconded Cool
idge's nomination for president al
Chicago she mentioned his matern'
ity benefit recommendation as his
major act which would commend
him to the women voters of the
nation.
Signed Eight.HOur Law.
President Coolidge favored the
minimum wage law for women and
children in his own State. He
signed the eight-hour day law
there, against the protests of the