Evening star., 1924-06-12
COOLIDGE CHARACTER
PARAMOUNT" ISSUE
Campaign Shaped Mainly on Per.
sonal Integrity of President
and Regularity"
SENSE OF HUMoR ExToLlED
Nominator Stresses This Trait to
Offset Popular View.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Bf FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
CONVENTION HALL, CLEVELAND,
Ohio, June 12.-Calvin Coolidge goes
to the country on the twin issues of
his personal character and Republi-
can regularity. Convention events of
last night and today made plain the
lines on which the battle Of 1924 will
be fought. The frenzied enthusiasm,
mounting almost to ferocity. with
which the La Toilette onslaught
against the majority platform report
was rolled back was the real index
of the conventions spirit.
1t was the spirit OF old-time stall
wart anism-reactionary Re-
publiAanism, its foes are bound to
call diminishing that uncompromis-
ing loyalty to party principles must
be yielded by every man and woman
who considers himself or herself a
Republican. The convention cheered
itself hoarse at every suggestion of
that kind.
1t expects Calvin Coolidge to preach
that doctrine virtually to the exclu-
sion of the more or less stereotyped
tional platform. 1t believes that at
least the full Republican vote Of the
nation can be mobilized under that
banner.
Burton's Keen Analysis.
If the repulse of the La Toilette
INSURGENTS hoisted high the flag OF
Republican regularity. the nominal
ing speech OF Marion Leroy Burton
elevated to even greater attitudes the
personality of Calvin Coolidge as a
campaign issue. Speeches placing
men in nomination for the presidency
are additionally personal and in
dividual. They are expected to be
supe rlatively eulogiStic~ But there
has seldom. if ever, been a nominal
ing speech which was 50 penetrating
an analysis Of character as Burton's
X-ray OF the President
My function is to present the man.
The emphasis must be just there"
exclaimed the eloquent university
executive at the outset OF his address.
Then he proceeded to present not only
Coolidge the man, but even Coolidge
the boy. The speech was an avowed
attempt to place character even above
capacity as the prime requisite which
the people Of the United States look
for in their President.
Cleveland has now shown in a thou
sand ways that Coolidge will night
the 1924 campaign boldly on his ad-
ministrative record with Congress.
He will lay less stress on the imme-
diate issues involved-bonuS taxa
ton immi grafton and the World
Court-and emphasize the failures OF
a so-called Republican Congress to
support a Republican President IN the
execution of his major policiea
Stronger Than Congress.
The President plainly calculates
that he is stronger with the people
than Congress is. He is ready for a
trial Of strength on that score He is
prepared to show that if he had had
organization support on Capitol Hill
in Washington, national needs would
have been more speedily and more ef-
fectively met. He will not shrink k
from asking condemnation and an
nihilation of the La Follettes and
the Brookharts, VINO. by wrecking
party unity, made party achievement
impossible. In effect, Coolidge will
invite Republican irregulars to quit
masquerading in G. o. p. raiment and
permit real Republicans to legis-
late and rule in the party's name.