The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-18
Oil Scandal Has Caused Month Of Tribulations
 To Politicians
VANDERLIP'S FIASCO
 BUSHES GOSSIPERS
Coolidge's Hair Hardly Mussed, But. Johnson Grasps
 Opportunity
RALSTON LOOMS POSSIBLE
 DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE
Underwood Continues To Gain Strength-McAdoo's Back
 CTS To Meet

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17-Poli- ticians are taking time off from the Teapot Domezscandal this week to make an inventory and ascertain to what extent their wages have been dam aged by the cyclonic events of the last month.
 It has been a month of sleepless nights here at the capital. To the tribulations each passing hour, have been added the horrors of what might come next. Even those who knew their records were clean have moved about under the constant fear that the reck- less scandal, which has torn its way through every barrier, would brush them and leave its finger marks.
 But the experience of Frank A. Van derlip has hushed the scandal-mongers for the moment. Henceforth. it may be possible to concentrate a little more on the real scandal, which is great enough, and make some progress toward re" covery of the oil lands and the punish ment of any guilty parties. "
 It would be foolhardy to attempt to say what the ultimate political effects of the Teapot Dome affair will be. We can only be sure of what has happened.
 Here, briefly. is the scene which greets the eyes of the politicians as they come up out of their storm cellars to look over the wreckage. tx
 Coolidge Still Calm
 First, President Coolidge, to the as- tonishment of all, sits calmly at his. ac- customed place, with hardly hair mussed. His Lincoln Day pledge at New York promising immediate, ade- quate and unshrinking" prosecution, seemsto have inspired enough confi-, dence over the country to overcome the doubts created by his unfortunate choicss of special counsel. He was: com pellef dto withdraw the names of Thomas W. Gregory and Silas Fl, Strawn, his first choices, because hid den oil connections were turned up, and hard fight was made in the Senate to reject ex-Senator Pomerene. & | But this does not seem to have stirred any misgivings as to the Presidents sins lcerity and determination to press the lgovernment's case. One fact which causes uneasiness is the continued re- tention of Secretary of the Navy Denby, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roose- welt and Attorney General Daugherty. Coolidge was considered by all to be within his rights in refusing to concede the Senates authority to force cabinet resignations. But the feeling has been, and still is. thta he must find some way to detach these officials from his ad- ministration. f-,...
 Johnson Encouraged
 Senator Hiram Johnson's friends have taken much encouragement by the turn of affairs. Johnson's vote to ,oust Denby. and his speeches denouncing the condition of affairs at Washington, raise a concrete issue between the ad- ministration and himself. something he has not had before. After the March primaries, it will be clear whether he has any chance of taking the nomina- tion away from Coolidge. At the moment, Coolidge is still regarded as the certain nominee. But that view Is subject to revision.
 Senator Arthur Capper of Kansas
 tcontinued on Page Two. Column FivsJ