Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-08-16
SAY PRESIDENT I.
GOOD PICKER
In Naming Former Congress
man SIemp of Virginia, as
His Secretary
BY GEORGE H. MANNING
Washington Correspondent of The
Perth Amboy Evening News

Perth Amboy Evening News
WASHINGTON. Aug. 16.-The ap-
pointment of former Congressman
C. Bascom Slemp of Virginia, as
secretary to President Coolidge is
being generally taken as conclusive
Indication of the Presidents inten-
tion of becoming a candidate for the
Republican presidential nomination
next year.
A shrewd political move designed to
capture southern delegations to the
party convention to be held next
year and to line up delegations from
several other states for Mr.. Cool
idge in the Republican convention, is
the most generally accepted explana-
tion which has yet been offered for
the action of the President in choos-
ing the Virginian as his secretary.
After the first shock of surprise
occasioned by the announcement of
the appointment had worn off
though, followers of political af-
fairs were forced to the conclusion
that no selection the President could
have made would be better calculat-
ed to react advantageously to his
own future public career.
For, aside from his commanding
position in the southern branch of
the Republican party, Mr.. Slemp, as
a trained and able politician, mem
ber of the Republican national COM
mittee, and a man with the fullest
possible knowledge Of even the most
obscure workings of the legislative
branch of the government, Is admir-
ably qualified to act as adviser. to
the President, and to serve as a buff
fer for him. He will be able to keep
President Coolidge constantly in
touch with the political thought of
the country as reflected in the Re-
publican national committee: he can
give sound advice as to legislative
procedure, and act as intermediary
between the White House and the
capitol.
There is another important func-
ton which Mr.. Slemp is expected to
exercise which will go a long way
towards Tightening the burden of the
Presidency; that is. general super
vision of patronage. AS almost the
only Republican member of congress
from the entire south for the past
sixteen years, Slemp has exercised
Ia powerful influence on all the most
important matters of patronage in
that section, and has a depth Of
knowledge and variety of experience
in such affairs as makes him the
ideal man to relieve the President
of the many worries over political
patronage quarrels which are con-
stantly being brought to him.
Slemp's appointment, it is believ-
ed, is directly attributable to his
close friendship and association with
former President Harding, the mem
bers of the Republican national
committee of which he is one, the,
Republican leaders in the senate and
House and the leading politicians in
the party who have the ear of
President Coolidge.
For the past several years, es-
pecially since the beginning of the
'Herding administration, Mr.. Slemp
has golfed almost daily with about
"a dozen of the Presidents closest
friends, and Mr. Harding himself as
often as the chief executive was
able to get away from the White
House for recreation. This group
of leaders included Senators Edge
and Frelipe huysen, of New Jersey;
Iale of Maine; Keyes, of New Hamp-
shire, Sutherland, of West Virginia;
Kellogg, of Minnesota; Speaker Gill
lett and Congressman Treadway. of
Massachusetts.
Speaker Gillett, it is believed, was
esponsible more than any other man
for Mr.. Slemp's selection. Mr.. Gill
ett, a warm friend and admirer OF
Slemp, is believed to have suggest
ed to President Coolidge that the
Virginia man would make an admir-
able secretary. 1t was Gillett who
sent for Slemp and arranged to have
him lunch with the President on
the day the appointment was an
nounced. Up to that time Mr.. Slemp,
and probably President Coolidge,
had any idea that such a choice
would be made.