Evening star., 1924-01-02
Politics at Large
BY N. O. MESSENGER

President Coolidge, according to all
the signs recognizable to political OBJ
servers and from information de-
rived from many sources in all quar-
ters, is steadily growing in the con-
f1dence and esteem of the voters in
his candidacy for the presidential
nomination. Republicans of influence
are falling in line in his support
These men are confident he will be
Their only anxiety is as to what
may be done the party pros
poets at the elections in November
by attacks on the party in the pre-
campaign.
1t is realized by these men that
every word of disparagement ut
tered in the preconvention campaign
by republican rivals for the nomina-
ton is water over the wheel of the
democratic party. No personal at
tacks upon President Coolidge are
tenable; all criticism must be in the
party itself.
y = y
One of the handsomest tributes
paid President Coolidge was that of
Frank A. Munsey, owner of the New
York Herald and Sun, on the front
page of the Herald Tuesday Over
his own signature he said:
Moreover, we have a man at the
head of our government who has, the
complete confidence of the American
people. In Calvin Coolidge they find
the simple homespun characteristics,
the rugged honesty, the clear think
the definite way of doing things, the
unfiinching courage and the fine com
mon sense that they want in the
White House. And they will keep
Calvin Coolidge there.
Holding to this conclusion, bust
plans and lay out their work pretty
much as if it were not a national
election year"
That is Just about what Henry
Ford, himself a type of a business
man Of high order, said by way of
advice to the voters. Mr.. Munsey en-
bellished the Ford remark by point
ing out that a national election year
is not a propitious time for a re-
bound from the valley, and a boom
period is much too artificial to keep
on in full swing through the stress
and mlSgivingS of a national cleo
ton.
1t would constitute something of a
new era in politics If there could be
established this year the policy of
II fpe 10
paign. How often In campaigns has
business been "shot to pieces" by
politics.
Mr.. Ford and Mr.. Munsey may have
started something new. which is in
the line of both of them.
Well, we are in|the campaign year.
No longer do the writers have to re-
fer to the Campaign Of next year"
They will say "the presidential cam
paign." 1t is on at this hour.
The meeting of the democratic ma
tional committee in this city January
IS to select a site and name the day
for the meeting of the democratic
national convention will be attended
by all of the fifty-two woman men,
bers Of the national committee. ac
national committee. These woman
will have full voting power
in the committee and cast an equal
vote with the men. The statement by
the committee says. Democratic
women are congratulating themselves
upon having a vote on their COM
mittee, inasmuch as in a recent meet.
ing of the republican national COM
mittee the women who attended were
only associate committeewomen,' did
s1. t. ~ al nF hn
city, or otherwise vote on
any policy or issue discussed.
x X r. X
Commenting upon this. Mrs. Emily
Newell Blair, vice chairman Of the
democratic national committee, said:
Following a caucus, in which one of
their leaders told them that unless
they demanded equal voting rights in
their committee they would wake up
one day to find all OF the women of
the nation in the democratic party
as a result, the republican committee
promised the republican
women that the Cleveland convention
would give them a vote similar to
that given the democratic women by
the San Francisco convention in
1920"
The majority of the democratic
have madei reservations at the La
Fayette Hotel, where the national
will meet. Many will ar
rive January IA, and that afternoon
will meet with the vice chairman,
Mrs. Blair. On Monday they will be
at luncheon at the Hamil-
ton Hotel by the National Woman's
Press Club.
Announcement by Gov. Charming H.
Cox of Massachusetts that he will
not be a candidate for the United
States senatorship narrows the field
to two other republican aspirants-
Louis A. Coolidge, former assistant
secretary of the Treasury, and Will
liam M. Butler, national committee
man for Massachusetts, and at pres
ent President Coolidge's preconven-
tion campaign manager. These two
are good friends and the rivalry be-
tween them will be on amicable lines.
Mr.. Coolidge Is well known to the
voters through addresses over Sc
ries of years on public welfare and
is prominent in business, too. Mr..
Butler has been active in large bust
r ess affairs and has been friend and
adviser of President Coolidge through
out the Presidents political career.
X r
It's lots Of fun watching the repub-
lican and democratic national COM
mittees lambasting each other
through their publicity bureaus. They
don't care much what they say about
each other, just so 1t has a wallop"
and is likely to make the other fellow
"see stars" The other day the dem
ocratic committee charged that the
repubIican tariff law cost the Christ
mas shoppers billion dollars. on the
theory Of six billions of purchases
and a billion added by the tariff.
Now the republican committee
comes back with thesopening state