The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-09-15
HARD SAYS
MAGIC IS
SOUGHT
Writer Ayers Publicity to Pres
ident's 1920 Action Is
Now Boomerang.
BY WILLIAM HARD.

By WILLIAM HARD.
The Presidents friends are dis
turbed by rumors of widespread
criticism of the President in the
matter of the Pinchot coal settle
ment.
According to these rumors,
which often indeed are we'll
founded and verified reports, the
President is charged with having
surrendered to the United Nine
Workers through some sort Of
Encouragement about it all with
Governor Pinchot.
Blamed for Shifting.
He is also charged in any case
with having failed to try to settle
the strike himself on some basis
other than the PincI1ot basis.
The Presidents friends think that
the actual circumstances Of the
matter should be understood.
The fact is that the President
now begins to reap the consequences
OF the boomerang publicity which
his friends got out for him In 1920.
According to that publicity, Cal
win Coolidge could more or less sum.
mon spirits from the Vastly deep to
make any striker that ever lived
. be good.
Lloyd George Failed.
This writer has seen David Lloyd
George try to make British miners
be good and has seen him utterly
fail at 1t In the middle of the
greatest and most perilous war that
Britain ever fought.
According to the Coolidge pub
Ncsty enthusiasts, however. there
were apparently no limits to the
mystic powers Of Calvin Coolidge.
David Lloyd George. the WEIGH
wizard, would be nothing to Cal
win Coolidge. the Massachusetts,
magician.
Today In the White House there
- no magician, but only a man.
The surprise felt is due precisely
10 Mr. C0olidge's own touters Of
three years ago. They created ex-
pectations that no man livinK could
The facts REGARDING Mr.. CooIidge's
thractte coal matter are az fol-
lows:
PinchOt Came Forward.
Mr.. Pinchot offered his services.
The idea of asking for his services
had been discussed at WASHINGTON.
10 had been discussed but IL had
not been acted upon. Mr.. Pinchot
telephoned Washington from Harris
burg and offered his services spon-
taneously.
When the Governor Of Pennsyl-
vAnia offers to try to settle
strike existing wholly within the
State of Pennsylvania, only one
thing can happen. It happened.
The offer was accepted.
Mr.. Pinchot proceeded to try to
settle the strike and he proceeded
along lines of his own without any
pre-arrangement whatsoever with
the White House as to what those
lines should be.
Just how much Of a magician a
President would have to be in order
to prevent governor Of Pennsvl.
vAnia from negotiating an arrange.
ment between employers living with.
In the State Of Pennsylvania and
employees living within the State Of
Pennsylvania along lines satfsfac-
tory to the governor of Pennsylva.
MIA is a problem which the Preei-
dents friends would now like to see
solved.
Battling Situation.
Il might have looked easy TO
them three years. ago. 1t looks BAT.
fling to them now.
Additionally, they never were abIe
to suggest to the President anv
means by which either he or Pin.
chot could make the miners go back
90 work unless the miners wanted
70 60 back to work.
This writer can state with the
most absolute certainty that not
one of the gentlemen who were
roaring to the President to "be
firm was ever able in the slight
est degree to show that Presiden
tiak admonitions or judicial injunc
tons or military forces. all Of which
had totally failed to make miners
work in the past. would suddenly
acquire some new baptism Of power