The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-01
ENTHUSIASM IS
 SADLY LACKING
 IN BOTH PARTIES
Nicholson Says, All Would Be Happy Except For
 Word "If''
Bx CHARLEs MICHELsON

WASHINGTON, way OI.-lu good many respects this is the dourest presidential campaign in the memory of living politicians. Frequently one or the other of the parties has gone into the fray with the knowledge that 1t was engaging in a fOrlorn hope. Or dinarify the despair of one has been accompanied by the exaltation of the other, but this time the democratic tick ct is apprehension and uncertainty and the republican ticket pessimism and apathy.
 Ordinarily two or three weeks before the conventions the political sun is shining for everybody !; the leading can didates are swaggering in their strength, the dark horses are rejoicing at the prospect of the champions killing each other off, and the district leaders of all compilations are telegraphing national from Cow Hollow and Lost Gulch that the tide is running so strong that nothing can stop an over whelming victory. In the closing days of May, 1924, democrats and repubh- cans alike see nothing but clouds and fog Should the word 'if'' be ex- pungated from the vocabularies, there could not be any pre-convention politics. If religious prejudices could be elimi- matted All Smith would sweep the cOun- try; if McAdoo were not anathema in New York, there would be nothing to it if Underwood were not from the south nothing could stop him; if it were not for the provincial resentment in the west against a Wall street clientele John w. Davis would be unbearable {; if Ralaton were a younger, more vigOr- GUS figure it would be all over, On the other side of Coolidge had enough of iron in his composition to handle his party in Congress instead of letting it bedevi1 him on every important issue, SO that the picture that will be presented of the cool, silent, stern man in the White House could have the verification of something besides futile protest and inefficient opposition against congress si0naI iniquities, the election, in view of the democratic feuds and rivalries, would be only q formality. ,
 Does Not Even Hate
 Congress is a mieocosm of the coun- try, politically at least. All the men in 1t are politicians of considerable if not pre-eminent rank. They may not repre- sent the aggregate of civic sentiment, pegged as they are by whips of militant minorities farm group, the lobar group, the collier group, the prohibition group. the big-business group etc. but they do reflect the world of cau- euses and conventions, else they would not be there. Probably we never had a President who cut so small figure in congressional decisions as the one we have now. Other Presidents have quar- reled with other Congresses, though rarely when they have been of the same political eOmplexian, but this Congress does not even do the President the honor of hating him. The republican senators in particular, go their way, disregarding veto threats and ignoring messages, playing their own games. Few of them f have any faith that Coolidge will be eleoted; still fewer think that even if he pulls through he will have bet ter control over the next Congress than he has of this one.
 There waS q casual conversation about a party slogan in the cloak room the other day-'The full dinner pail" He ERpt us cut of war and that sort of tiiinG- Lodge was there and Curtis, It WIS just after they had turned down the bonus veto.
 Moses, the Senate cynic, came along
 What could be more titting?" he said with a glance at the company, than stand by the PresldentY
 Must Fight For Places
 Probably much of the pessimism of the republican senators is due to the feeling of many of them who come up for reelection this time that they per- S0nallE are fated for defeat in No vember- There may be a question as to how the country regards Coolidge; there IS none as to it's resentment of Con gress for its record of unfruitfulness Political geography is all against the republican legislators, for whereas all hut two of the democrats who run this Year are in the south and have there fore no troubles, practically all the re- publieans are in states where it is fight in the best of times.
 Unqualified prophecies of success are rare on either side, except, of course, the public declarations where the prinei- ple of claiming everything obtains, as usual Most of the customary forecast CTS are building alibis to explain dis aster rather than planning celebrations for victory. Perhaps the nearest thing to q sincere faith in good fortune to come is MeAdsO's belief that he is the dsstined one. The other fellows are that whoever may win out at Madison