Evening star., 1923-08-07

while in the city council and as city
solicitor. Then his party nominated
him for the state house of repre-
sentatives. When he made his first
appearance on Beacon Hill in Bos-
ton after his election he attracted the
attention of politicians in both par
ties.
MartinLomasney, the Boston demo-
to size up the new members, looked
over the new members from North
ampton the day the legislature con-
vened. AS Coolidge walked by him
in the members lobby Lomasney re-
marked that the member from North
ampton, in a long. old-fashioned
Prince Albert, was either school
teacher or an undertaken" When
Representative Coolidge was
leaving Northampton for the opening
of the Legislature he called on his
friend Richard Irwin, an old-time
politician. now judge of the su-
perior court. Irwin gave him let
ter to Speaker John N. Cole of the
house, which read as follows:
Dear John: This will introduce the
new member from Northampton. Mr..
Calvin Coolidge. He looks like a
singed cat. but he's a regular fellow.
Do what you can for him.-Dick."
Admitted Error.
Coolidge wanted to go on the ju-
dietary committee, but there was no
vacancy. When committees were an
nounced Coolidge found himself on
the street railways committee, and
Lomasney nudged his neiehbor. say
ing: "I was mistaken about the new
member from Northampton. He's a
lawyer"
After one year in the house the re-
publicans of his city were looking
around for a candidate who could
beat a popular democrat for mayor.
They named Calvin Coolidge. He
was elected and reelected. He gave
more time to the job than any pred
ecessor, visited the schools, public
and parochial. got acquainted with
the clergymen and school teachers
and city employees until he could call
most of them by their Christian
names.
He was now well on his road to
fame locally. Folks just seemed to
want to do things for "Car' Coolidge
He measured his words then as now
was careful not to promise anything
he could not do, and soon had rep
utation of being a politician on the
level, rare even in western Massachu-
settS. The way he swept the sena-
torial district election day attracted
the attention of the late Murray
Crane, who gave him his confidence
in political affairs. At the end OF his
second term in the state senate there
was q vacancy IN the presidency one
day Cal packed his grip and quiet
! ly slipped out of town, registered al
the Adams House, Boston, held con-
fab with two or three of the wise
men of Beacon hill and in twenty-fouI
hours he was back in Northampton
with enough votes in his valise to in
sure his election as president of the
senate.
Northampton ribbed their eyes
when they heard what their undem-
onstrative fellow townsman had ac-
| complished. Those who grinned and
| scoffed at the silent young lawyer
! were forced to change their attitudes
toward him and finally allowed he
was some pumpkins"
When he took the gavel and called
the Massachusetts senate to order In
! 1914 President Coolidge made the
| shortest speech on record in that
! branch.
But that speech travelled over the
state and got more favorable news
paper mention tluLn any speech of z
! senate president in generation
Massachusetts people awoke to the
fact that new figure had entered
their political field. His popularity
was such that the democrats made nc
| nomination against him for presid
| ing officer.