Evening star., 1924-11-05

cession was the threatened strike in
the hard coal sections of Pennsyl-
Hania. He summoned a conference
OF governors of coal producing States
and worked out plan IN which the
Federal Government Co-operated with
the state governments to bring about
Il resumption of the mines. A part
of the administration plan called for
the appointment of Il commission to
determine the cost Of production of
coal and to inform the public as 10
reasonable protitS mine opera tors
should have, and other conditions in
Nolved, such as wages and living con-
ditionS of the miners. This commits
sion furnished facts upon which Gov.
Pinchot of Pennsylvania, operating
with the Federal Government, sue
ceedcd in bringing about q settlement
satisfactory to the workers and the
general public.
The most embarrass sing question OF
his brief administration was the So
called scandals which developed in
connection with the leasing of naval
oil reserves and administration Of the
Department of Justice. This led to a
prolonged investi CATION by Senate
committees, to the resignation Of Sec
Tetary of the Navy DENLY and the
dismissal of Attorney General Daugh-
erty. President Coolidge took a
determined stand OH the situation, in
Sisting from the first that all involved
should have fair hearing, and de-
clined to act until he was satisfied
that the officials involved had lost
faith of the people and were no long
er of value as cabinet members. The
Senate called upon him by resolutions
to dismiss Daugherty some weeks in
advance of his own action, and the
President showed him yigor and Nirile
Americanism by sharp message to
the Senate in which he plainly told
that body that it had no authority
over the executive branch of the
Government in the way it assumed
to dictate This was the strongest
state paper of his administration, and
more than anything else showed to
the American people that the Presi-
dent would fight when occasion de-
manded and the rights of his office
were invaded.
Acted in Oil Cases.
The President during the turmoil
in Congress over OIL was consider
ing legal methods TO protect the in
tereStS of the Government in the
leases and the alleged frauds i'll con-
nection with them. He requested
authority of Congress to appoint spe-
cial counsel to institute civil and
criminal suits for the restitution of
the oil reserves and the prosecution
of any guilty of wrongdoing.
These suits are now on trial, with
the Government case being handled
by former Senator Pomerene of Ohio,
a Democrat, and owen d. Roberts
Of Philadelphia. a Republican.
reform started by President
Coolidge was the reorganization of
the Veterans Bureau, which followed
the expose of alleged Irregularities,
laXlty, ineficiency and fraud in the
conduct of the bureau, which was
shown to have expended more money
than any other single agency of the
Government. An investigation con-
Quoted by a Senate committee led
the Department of Justice to prose-
cute Charles Il. Forbes. who was
charged, as director of the bureau,
with being responsible for conditions,
and with being involved in some
questionable transactions in connec-
tion with contracts for hospital
bulldogs.
President Keeps Cool
The public mind during more than
six months of the Coolidge admins
tration was filled almost entirely
with the revelations brought out by
the several congressional investiga-
tions. Those opposed to the adminls-
tration. preparing for the 1924 cleo
ticH, made ever! attenp. 70 make