The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1923-08-10

This telegram was brought to the
Coolidge home at Plymouth Notch by
w. A.. Perkins of Bridgewater, who
owns the telephone line running from
~BridgeWater to Plymouth. About five
minutes later newspaper men arrived
in Ludlow.
\ drive Of thirty miles through the
idSe summer home.
MIR. Coolidge and Mrs. Coolidge had
retired about an hour before the death
messages we're received. Ten minutes
after the arrival Of the newspaper men
Mr.. and Mrs. Coolidge came downstairs
into the sitting room Of the Coolidge
home. Mr.. Coolidge was dressed In a
black sack suit and wore a black neck
tie. Mrs. Coolidge wore n black and
white gown, white shoes and stockings.
NJ. Coolidge was very pale and showed
deep regret for President Harding's
death. He seated himself ut a table,
while Mrs. Coolidge brought a lamp
and read the kilograms he had re-
ceived.
He then called his assistant secre-
tary, Irwin Geisser, and dictated to
him his statement and the telegram to
Mrs. Harding.
Mrs. Coolidge Weeps.
In the meantime people were arriv-
ing from all directions. Mr.. Coolidge,
seeing the house becoming crowded,
gave orders that an adjoining house
be opened for use as press h~eadquar-
ters.
Meanwhile, the new first lady of the
land sat weeping softly and exclalm-
ing in sympathy for the bereaved first
lady in San Francisco.
What n blow-what a terrible blow
TO poor Mrs. Harding" she said. "She
had had such a heavy burden, In her
w illness, to bear up under-and
now this !"
Finally Secretary Geisser returned
with the press copies Of the state
ments, and pushing back the old
photograph album and the family Bible
on the center table, Mrs. Coolidge
busted herself with the work Of help
ing distribute them.
The newspaper men had scarcely
gotten out Of sight when another tele-
graph messenger arrived with q copy
Of the presidential oath from Wash
ington. In the same sitting room
with its hand-braided rugs, its clutter
Of venerable colonial furniture, its old
wood stove and It's family Bible-Cal-
win Coolidge received the oath of office
from his father, and became Americas
thirtieth president.
Calvin Coolidge is n quiet, taclturn
man, known to his friends as Silent
Cal"
For more than twenty years prior to
his election as vice president he had
been in political life, starting almost
His first political Office was in the city
council Of Northampton, Mass, where
he had settled. For years he held va
rious offices in that city, including
those OF city solicitor and mayor;
then he was elected to the Massachu-
sets house Of representatives. Later
he won Il sea- in the state senate and
vas its president.
Coolidge was lieutenant governor Of
Massachusetts and in 1919 was elect
paign won by the Republican party In
several years. He was governor for
two years. II was during this term he
during his term as governor that he
first attained nationwide prominence.
This was In connection with the pO-
licemen's strike in Boston. He took
firm control of the situation, ordered
the state guard to patrol the streets,
and kept down rioting, taking the
stand that law and order must be pre-
served. The strike was a complete
failure. /.
He was mentioned as a possibility
for the presidential nomination prior
to the 1920 campaign, but he made a
public announcement that he would
not consider the nomination. His
nomination and election to the vice
presidency followed.
Mr.. Coolidge comes Of a long line
Of New England ancestors who came
to America in 1880, settling neal Wa
tertown. Mass. President Coolidge
has two sons, Calvin, Jr., and John.
Neither he nor his wife has been par
ticularly active socially. A man Of
simple tastes, a thorough student, q
hard worker, he is looked upon by his
friends as a clear-beaded, solid Ameri-
can. Although shy, he remains un-
perturbed 70 matter how exciting the
situation may be. The keynote Of his
nature is dependability. In dress he
is conservative, usually the opposite
Of ~extravagant, but always immac-
ulate.
In Washington Mr.. Coolidge has
been ranked as a clear thinker, care
full In speech, a fair mixer-as aggres-
sive as any vice president can be.
Law "a hano 0ld Hlorv