Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-10-03

O1N wv POtN
iticians are discovering that Calvin
Coolidge is a canny President. The
dictionaries offer as synonyms for
canny such terms as shrewd, know
ing, cautious, wary, artful. reason
able, quiet, easy and safe. Those who
play the great national game of office
getting and holding say that Mr..
Coolidge is all of those things, with
one possible exception. They do not
find him easy.
He is anything but that when it
comes to smoking him out" as to
what he thinks or what he plans, or
to rushing him into hasty alliances
or political moves hat might have
an important bearing on the COM
ing campaign. The President Is a
man who takes counsel, but he Is al
so IN who keeps his own counsel.
And when he makes up his mind as
to a course he is to pursue, nothing
can swerve him and only a mind
reader has a chance of learning the
why's, wherefores and ultimate pur-
poses of his decision.
From the day of his accession to
the Presidency the party leaders,
particularly the other presidential
/ dOPAA III oAA0 LIASAA lAACAAAot y
been anxious to learn just what he
intends to do about being a candidate
for the nomination next June. Var
Iious methods have been tried in their
efforts 20 get this information.
Men have gone to the President
and said to him, in effect, that they
were ready to line up and work for
him the moment he said the word,
and then they have sat back and
waited for the word" All they
have received has been thanks for
their friendly assurances and an in
timation that the President was pri-
marily concerned in discharging the
great responsibilities of the office he
had assumed and was not giving a
thought to anything but the prob
lens Immediately at hand.
others have approached him with
the suggestion that So-and-So who
was being urged to get into the race
for the Republican presidential nom
nation was disposed to withhold the
announcement of his candidacy and
to forbid any activity in his behalf
until he knew what the Presidents
attitude would be. All they thave
learned has been that Mr.. Coolidge
has no advice to offer and no sugges-
tons to make to other prospective
candidates.
The Club Trick Tried
OF course the ancient and time
Ehonored club-trick has been tried.
la New Yorker wrote that he was
anxious to organize Coolidge Clubs
that would work actively for the
Presidents nomination, but that he
did not like to take such a step I'M
less he knew that it had the Presi-
dents approval, or. at least, that 1t
would not be Objectionable to the
President.
This subterfuge has rarely failed
to Smoke OUT a presidential can
didate. In this instance all it elicit
ed was a cordial letter to the effect
that the President was naturally APP
preciative of the compliment implied
in organizing clubs in his name and
that he would construe such activity
as evidence that he had support and
good wishes of the organizers to the
end that his administration might be
successful. Not a word about work
ing for next JuBe's nomination.
Another ruse that has failed has
been for a Republican who is a re-
cognized leader in his State to cal
at the White House and tell the
President that he, the leader, has de-
cided that 1t is the thing for him &c
do to give out an interview, upor
leaving the executive Offices in which
he will place himself on record a:
~favoring the President for the 1921
nomination. The idea back of thi:
maneuver is that Mr.. Coolidge will
say something that can be interpret'
ed as an authorization of the pro
posed interview. which in turn ther
could be construed as a semi-oficla
announcement that the President !!
a candidate. But Mr.. Coolidge has
proved anything but an easy rtarl
for such tactics. On the contrary
from time to time. 1t has been maAt
unmistakable that nc one is author
lied to speak for him on any sub
ject whatever.
Even His Friends Are STRAPPED
Even the Presidents friends WIKI
are ready to go through fire ant
water in his behalf are "s,umped'
to know what the White House pro
gram is with respect to year,
campaign. II goes without sayin;
that they have assured tMr. Coolidge
that they are for him and anxious
to get busy in the scramble for dele
lgates, and doubtless some of then