Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-21
COOLIDGE WILL NOT
FOLLOW HARDING
POLICIES BL|NDLY
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Ueased Wire Service to The Journal.
(COpyrirht 1923

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17.-Having
| pledged to the American people that
he would carry out the Harding poll
cies. President Coolidge has set
about to find out just what those
policies are. In the last two days
! the president has had many confer
ences and invariably lie has asked
his callers to give him the benefit o.
| their recollection of conversations
with Mr.. Harding and intimate con-
SITUATIONS extending over the last
two and a half years.
Mr.. Coolidge has revealed himself
as a sympathetic listener. Al nc
time has he indicated that he disap
| proved of what was done, out he is
scrupulously trying to find out just
what We're the circumstances that
| led Mr.. Harding to make the decl
sions of policy which he made. Cabi
net meetings probably did not dis
| Nose 80 per cent of the Harding adj
ministration. Day in and day out
| Mr.. Harding's engagement list was
| full ard it is no eXaggeration to say
that much of the business of his al
ministra ton was done orally. There
wasn't always time to make rec
| ord of important matters.
The president today is like a stu
dent at a new school. He must get
| acquainted with his fellow students
l. II int
curriculum of studies. While Mr.
Harding did have the vice president
at the cabinet table, Mr.. Coolidge
found himself on taking office unta-
miliar with much of the routine OF
the government in which in the past
he had only an advisory interest, but
which now becomes his personal and
official responsibility.
The Political Aspect
Mr.. Coolidge has been careful not
to disclose himself in the changes
in the Harding policies, He has
simply let it be known in general
he will carry them forward and
that the changes he will make are
of a character which Mr.. Harding
himself might have made if he had
lived.
But that's the nub of the political
aspect of Mr.. Coolidge's assumption
of the presidency. While Mr.. Hard
ing was rapidly gaining in political
strength he did have considerable
opposition. Mr.. Coolidge would like
naturally to inherit all the assets
of Mr.. Hardings administration
with none of the liabilities. What
his statement, therefore, means is
that all the Harding policies he be-
lieves are to the best interest of the
people and which will help to insure
a continuation in power of the Re
publican party after 1924 will be
faithfully executed, but that the
new executive reserves the right to
modify or amend the Harding ad.
ministration acts or pledges when
ever it shall be 20 the best inter.
ests of the country to have them
amended.
No formal or official announce
ment is needed from President Cool
idge to establish the fact that he
is DESTROYS of earning a second term.
He would be a strange human if
he didn't. And there would be lit.
tie stimulus to his daily work if
he were Indifferent to the second
term idea. But Mr.. Coolidge feels
already the restraint of the presi-
dency which keeps the men in the
white house from actively seeking a.
nomination for himself The new
president, however, is in a some.
what different position from any one
who has occupied the office before.
He took the oath on the eve of a
presidential campaign. He has only
a short time to show the country
what kind of an executive he is.
In four or five months presidential
primary contests will be here, and
If rival candidates think Mr.. Cool
1dge is not making a satisfactory
showing before the country they will
redouble their efforts to carry i'm
portant states in the primaries.
The Slemp Appointment
Mr.. Coolidge, therefore, must work
fast. Some people are disposed to
think he worked fast when he Sc.
lected as private secretary Bascon
Slemp former representative from
Virginia, and an astute Republican
politician with a wide acquaintance
and influence in the south, where
delegates are usually much sought
after by the managers of presiden-
tial candidates. President Coolidge
IS really not guilty of that charge.
All that he did was to ask Speaker
Glllett and other friends who knew
congress we'll just what type of a
man he ought to have for secretary,
They picked Slemp for a variety of
reasons, and it is, of course, probable
they thought of the necessity of lin
ing up southern delegates for Mr..
ECool1dge, although he himself might
| never have suspected the politics in
it.
What Mr.. Coolidge needed in the
+ White House was man who knew
politics and politicians. He also
wanted a. genial soul who would
know how to make political folk feel
| at nome when they called at the
White House. Woodrow Wilson had
that type of secretary in Joseph P.
Iumulty, who was really a political
manager as well as secretary. Under
President Harding, Attorney Gen
eral Daugherty played the role of
political manager. Presidents al
ways have somebody to deal for them
with the politicians and the organiza-
ton leaders. SO long as presidents
must rely on organized effort in pri-
maries and elections, this will be
true
When Mr. Coolidge has familiar
lied himself with the Harding poll
cIes, he will no doubt express his
viewpoint on pending questions ex-
pl1cltly. Some Of his. statements will
be reiteration of what has been
said before by his predecessors. 9th
err announcements will carry their
own explanation of why deviations
are necessary. Mr.. Coolidge is not
bound by his pledge to split hairs
over what Mr.. Harding's policies
were, but he is just the same MAX
ing systematic effort to inform
himsel fon their substance so that
no radical changes may be made
without advising the country of the
reasons that prompt the new presi-