Evening star., 1924-06-11
COP. REVERSAL SEEN
ON LEAGUE QUESTION
Burton Speech Regarded as Sound
ing New Note, Still Short of
United States Entrance.
HoUsECLEANING DEMANDED
Keynote Is Attack on Position of
Last Congress.
BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE

CLEVELAND. June 1.-THE Cool.
idge forces began to clean house with
the speech of Theodore Z. Burton
opening the Republican convention
Burton's whole attitude was opposed
to the position taken in the last fouI
years by the congressional leaders. The
convention and the crowd in the gal
ieries cheered every utterance which
called into question the wisdom OF
any congressional action which op-
posed Coolidge position.
Burton was, Of course, the Coolidge
choice for temporary chairman, and
passed upon by the administration
leaders. So when Burton in his speech
abandoned the irreconcilable position
on the league of nations IL meant that
the Republican party is preparing to
take new position. Burton accepted
fully and without change the Box
peace plan in his speech; adherence
to the commissions of the league and
cooperation with the league without
league membership. The Box peace
plan also provided for membe rship to
the leagues world court without re-
sponsibflity to the league, and thus
the Harding -Hughes-Roo plan was
advocated in the keynote speech OF
Temporary Chairman Burton.
1t was a revolutionary step for
ward toward the mild reservationist
position upon the league of nations.
Coolidge does not evidently regard
the league OF nations as a closed in
cident.
Speech Scholarly Effort.
The Burton speech was a scholarly
effort They tell of him that when
he opened his camuaign for mayor
Of Cleveland and Tom Johnson de-
feated him Burton's first sentence in
his first speech was a Latin quota
ton In his speech opening the con-
vention he had been speaking an
hour before he drew any consider
hibition. After that Mr.. Burton warm
ed up. He got a decent but not fervid
recognition when he first mentioned
Coolidge. But the band did not play
and the applause lasted less than a
minute Great applause greeted his
vestigations at Washington. II Fall
or Daugherty had appeared after that
declaration the convention would
have given either an ovation. But the
climax of his speech came when the
temporary chairman demanded party
RS6 lhoS cdly SudhlnS Tie
leaders OF the various blocs and also
the stand-pat congressional leader
ship OF the Republican party
Lodge, Curtis and Longworth-who
have let the Presidents recommenda- =
tions' for legislation pass unno1iced
In the burst of applause which fol-
lowed this declaration for party reg
ularity the old pilots of the repre-
sentative party were formally drop
ped and Coolidge, the captain of the
ship, kept out to sea
Economy Is Keynote.
If any one runs independently from
this convention it will be the con-
gressmer and not the President. He
is boss here And his leadership, the
leadership of New England, is re-
sponsible for the tone of the conven-
tion. It is a new tone; repressed, un-
emotional, and with precious little
unnecessary outlay Of noise and en-
ergy. Also money is considered sa-
cred. Thrifty New England hires no
surplus bands to cheer but not in
ebriate the crowds. Thrifty New
England has no flags in the big hall,
except the great flag and the little
Thrifty New England, now in charge
Of the Republican party, has skimp-
ed on the badges, making the small
est and plainest that Republican
When the pilot was dropped the ex-
travagance, noise and emotion of the
wild west and Of the Pacific coast
went overheard with the pilot The
awful word has gone 1isping down
the line that Coolidge economy is to
be practiced in the Republican cam
paign ahead The boys who want ex-
penses for election work are liable to
ask Hoover or the Red Cross to re-
fEe ishment ne Next sa fail paoppng ao aa0 the pi
lot may mean suffering and sorrow IN
the tents Of the wicked.
Old Guard Inapotent.
Meantime, the old guard is sitting
on the platform at its own funeral.
There they range, the whole lot of
them, back of the speakers stand.
Phil Campbell. late chairman of the
rules committee of the House of
Representatives, is parliamentarian
for the temporary organization. Jim
Watson, who was able to get the
Indiana delegation, wanders up stage
now and then, as does Smoot who is
giving out the platform plank on
agriculture, and Dave Mulvane, the
handsome national committeeman
committee after a ten-year absence.
But the old crowd is merely looking
on. 1t is not even permitted to
name the Vice President.
The administration leaders hao
been taking various of the minor
statesmen out JOY riding as favorite
vice presidential candidates. LoWoen
had his ride but jumped out OF the Gar,
Albert ]. Beveridge got in. but Jim
Watson and Harry New OF Inc Inalana
crowded Albert out of the car.
The administration at the moment
:. taking KENYON of Iowa out as a
fayorite son for the vice presidency,
keeping an administration eye always
on Hoover If either of ohese JOY
riders on the vice presidential car
would stand up and announce ne
could have the nomination: Inc
trouble with the vice presldentiai
ONCE is that a man who Wouio an
nounce his candidacy for ~ rs
prohabfy not big enough to MI IL.
Mellon Gets Applanse.
Tho crowd in tho galleries thinned
ont az noon passed Ono o'clock went
and half-past1 and lunch time
vanished. When the routine work Of
the conveotion began the galleries
were only a little moro than half
filled. But the delegates were all
there The machine ground on with
out friction. Once. and only once,
it stopped to put on the cut-out and
make a real noise. That was Wnen
the name Of Andrew j. Mellon of
was announced as the