The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-08-09
ALL READY
TO CAST
BAIT
-
Coolidge to "sit Tight" in
Boat; Other Candidates
to Fish Deep
BY WILLIAM HARD

With this weekend the period
Of preparation for the campaign
comes to an end and the cam
paign itself really begins The
politicians of all parties have fin
ished manufacturing their bats
and are about to cast them upon
the political waters, first in noti-
fication speeches to and by can
didates next week, and then in
daily performances by minor talk
ers from now on until the first
Tuesday after the first Monday in
November.
What becomes interesting now
at this passing moment is to note
the shapes and colors of the bats
and lures in which the politicians
of the three parties are trusting
in their efforts to hook and net
the voters.
Coolidge to Sit Tight.
There is no doubt that the
Coolidge managers have determined
to do their best to confine them
selves to quiet. unobtrusive. long
line trolling. They will sit quiet in
the boat. They intend to make no
unnecessary noises whatsoever. So
far as they can bring it about, they
will simply sit in the boat and
hold the line at the end of which
they will will have for their sole
bait a live and beautiful minnow
in the shape of the character and
career Of just simple Calvin
Coolidge.
They want to make the issue
Calvin Coolidge. After much
thought they find themselves fol-
lowing that policy and following 1t
with good reasons.
II they discuss other issues, such
as taxation and tariff and the
/ bonus, the immigration and rail.
Nroads and pensions and Federal
salaries and foreign affairs, and If
they discuss with any degree of
fullness and completeness, they i'm
mediately find themselves in the
midst of controversies existing in.
ternally within the Republican
party.
Has Hold on Voters.
On the other hand, if they can
find themselves discussing and ex-
hibiting Calvin Coolidge, they are
helped by the strange hold which
Coolidge had even upon hundreds
of voters who disagree with him on
many points Of legislation.
Not within the memory Of the
Oldest political reporter has there
been a time when one man in and
by himself was so important to the
Republican party as Calvin Coolidge
today.
Partly because Of his character
and partly because of his famous
luck, he is holding within the Re.
publican party almost all of the
surviving great leaders of the old
Roosevelt movement Of 1912. This
generalization runs true through
the country. 1t is true regarding
that great Rooseveltian Ex-Governor
Bass, of New Hampshire.
The Rooseveltian progressives-
the leaders of them-are not be
La Toilette Is having to get his
strength from other quarters. La
Toilette did not get along with
Roosevelt in 1912. The Rooseveltian
survivors are not going along with
La Toilette now.
ROOseveItians Stick.
1t can be summed up by saying
that on the whole the Republican
middle class mass, whether 1t calls
itself conservative or calls itself
progressive, is sticking to Coolidge
rather than departing from him t.
either La Toilette or Davis. The
1915 various Rooseveltians left
Hughes in order to vote for Will
son and for what they regarded as
Wilson superiority to, Hughes, ir
the matter of progressivism. The
most viglant reporting can dis
cover virtually no tendency of thai
sort this year in the way Of any
breaks of Rooseveltian Republican
progressives from Coolidge tt
Davis.
Davis is not the magnet to tho
Republican left that Wilson was
True for the typical Rooseveltians
La Toilette is too much and Davis
Is not enough. They remain, &C
cordingly, caught on the Coolidge
hook, though they, many of them
come into the boat with great re
luctance and after many unsuccess
full dashes for freedom.
Coolidge end is still holdins
both the rock.ribbed Republican,
and the recently rebellious Repub
licans who were colonies and can
tains in the Roosevelt Christian
soldier army. Whatever Republican,
Coolidge loses will be of other sort.
later to be mentioned.
Two Davis Boats.
Davis, meanwhile, is fishing from
two boats. One boat Is commendec
by Glenn Shaver of West Virginia
who. as chairman of the Demo
cratic National Committee, will fish
especially in the border States be
tween the South and the NORTH
and in the Western States from
Pittsburgh to Pacific coast. Tht
other boat is commanded by Thorn
as j. Spellacy, of Connecticut, wht
quite independently will fish fol
quite different variety of voters OF
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