Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1924-10-10
THE POPULARITY OF
PRESIDENT COOLIDGE.

lueEt - nO NY StSiy dlu III
myth" connected with the pop
ularity of Calvin Coolidge, the
claims of the ever-sophisticated
politician and the smart-aleck
type of journalist to the contrary
Notwithstanding.
President Coolidge has q
standing with the great body Of
the American people almost un'
precedented in the history of his
high office, because he embodies
In the average mind the thing
which his Democratic opponent
for the Presidency says is hi.
issue in this campaign, namely
common honesty.
Nothing can shake the faith O
the American people in the in
tegrity of President Coolidge
That faith is based upon the orr
gin, the character and the recorC
of the man. He symbolizes thai
quality which people generally
believe is at the bottom of gooC
government integrity in the
official.
Scandal and rumor of scanda
only cause the freedom of thi:
man from the suspicion of either
mental or moral dishonesty Il
stand out in sharper outline
There are two kinds of dishon
csty menacing to good govern
ment. One of these is finaneia
dishonesty. No one charge.
that either against President
Coolidge or the opposing can5i
dates for the Presidency. Tit
other is intellectual dishonesty
Witnessing the type of cam
paign waged by President Cool
idge's opponents, the people ar,
not 50 sure that they come clear
on this quality. As for Presi
dent Coolidge, people general,
believe that he would be as inca
pable of framing a fraudulentis
sne as OF forging a check.
The American people, during
the last ten years, have passet
through an orgy of bombast anC
false pretense in politics. Th'
demagogue has troubled theil
ears with his clamor until hii
wares have become a drug OF
the market. People are begin
ming to demand that politica
leaders display the same frank
ness and sincerity in polite:
that they expect from an homes
neighbor when he talks witt
them. They suspect the politi
clan who seeks to gain their con
fidence and support through fiat
terry and false pretense, just a:
they suspect any individual o
their acquaintance who tries tt
put something oyer" on then
by getting on their blind side
They suspect the politician who
continually shrieks that he is the
only honest man and the only
peoples friend on the horizon
just as they suspect any pious
fraud in their community whose
holier than thou professions are
accompanied by continual at
tacks upon the motives of others
That sort of private. or politica
performance may go over for q
time, but in the end the average
man sees through the sham ana
hypocrisy of such attitudinizing
and they classify the pretenderS
correctly.
The average man, too, likes
the simplicity of President Cool
idge. He likes the picture of the
rugged farm and the unpreten
tious home from which he came,
He likes the story of his quiet
transformations progress from
small beginnings to great con
illusions. He likes the process
of promotion from small to large
places of public responsibility
through the favor of those best
in position to know and measure
the quality of the man.
The man in the street likes
the preaching by practice of the
simple life by his President. He
likes the picture of the little
double house at Northampton
and of the. single hotel room in
Boston where he lived as Cover
nor. The average American
likes to recall the induction OF
of Calvin Coolidge into the Pres
idency, sworn in by the light
of a coal oil lamp by his weather
beaten farmer father in an old
fashioned parlor of a New Eng
land farm house. In an age OF
jazz; hysteria, extravaganza and
raucous demagogy they like sim
plicity, reticience, dignity, thrift
and old-fashioned horse sense.
z In President Coolidge they see
symbolized both the habits and
the political philosophy which
made this country all it is, and
which must be depended on toI
make it all it is going to be un.
less we are to lapse into chaos.
This explains the popularity
Of Calvin Coolidge. The Ameri.
can people pay themselves a
com, nj mani .,.iat, tho. l,,,.,..,. a. -