Evening star., 1925-06-10
Politics at Large
By N. o. Messenger.

a topic of discussion in President
! ICoolidge's visit to Minnesota and with
the deep impression he seems to have
made upon the public wherever op-
portunity was afforded for acclaim TO
be given him. The prevailing opin-
ion in responsible Republican quar-
tiers is that beyond a doubt President
Coolidge will be a candidate for re
nomination in 1923. The run-of.the-
mill OF Republican politicians do not
waste their time considering third
4 term" objections which they declare
to be far-fetched and too finely drawn.
| They believe that he is the man to
| lead the party to victory in the next
presidential election and assure the
success of Republican candidates for
Senators and Representatives in q
-greater degree of likelihood than any
other potential candidate now in
sight. Every incident and event in
which the President participates is
discussed by the politicians from the
angle of its bearings upon his ex-
pected candidacy and its relations to
the fortunes OF the Republican party.
| Reports coming to Washington from
both neutral and partisan observers
who have recently been making sur
Yey of politics and the temper of the
4
tration, agree that President Coolidge
still holds the lead in popular esteem
which he attained by the tremendous
vote of the last presidential election.
He still Is lace high" with the people,
i they concur. One investigator, now
back in town, who represents one of
the largest independent newspapers of
the Middle West, asserts that his in
vestigations show that the President
l-.~, ,,e,t,- Lot
| ground since he assumed Office. He
says that they admire the sincere and
modest attitude Of the man, and have
| Iunbounded faith In hts motives and in
4 his course of action They like his
simple and unassuming ways; are
Thoroughly convinced of his devotion
to economy, and approve 1t heartily.
4 Even some of the partisan Demo
cratic observers are forced to admit
that the Presidents position with the
people is at this time una ssailabl
and that this reacts to the benefit of
the Republican party at large.
Democratic hope, they find. must
rest more upon individual candidaSies
4 for the Senate and House than upon
! Democratic principles and policies.
The natural reaction to be expected
between presidential elections also
Nconstitutes a strand in the Demo
cratic rope of expectation.
President Coolidge's visit to Mime.
! sofa is counted upon by Republicans
to add to the further undoing Of what
is left of the third-party movement in
the Northwestern States. Far-seeing
Republican leaders claim that the
Minnesota visit in all human prob
ability will result in completely de
moiishing the La Toilette movement
in those States and affords a fighting
chance for bringing back Wisconsin
into the regular Republican column
For many years the hold of Senat OF
La Toilette upon that State has beer
phenomenal, but now it is hoped tina,
it will be materially loosened, IL moi
sha ken of.
X *
The decision of the United States
Supreme Court q week ago last Mon
day in the Maple Flooring and Gem
ent Association cases has caused a
great deal of comment In both com
mercial and political circles of a di
pergent nature. That decision af
firmed the legality of the gathering
and dissemination of trade and pre-.
duction statistics. The Democrats ar:
charging that the decision pulls the
teeth of the Sherman law" The Ma
tional Industrial Conference Board oi
New York contends that business
throughout the United States should
greatly benefit by the decision.
The Democratic view is put for
1 ward by the National Democrat, the
new party organ which began publ
cation In this city two weeks ago
This paper, speaking for the Demo
cratic party, insists that the decision
has apparently thrown the whoh
question back into politics and per
haps furnished an outstanding issu
for the next campaign" This view il
important If it represents the purpos,
of the Democrats to inject most un
eXpectedly another issue behind which
the party can rally in 1928.
The ajority OF opinion of the Su
preme Court, with Chief Justice Taft
Mr.. Justice Reynolds and Mr.. Justic.
Sanford dissenting, made 1t legal fol
trade associations. or combinations q
persons or corporations to openly ant
|, fairly gather and disseminate infor
nation as to costs, volume of pas
production, prices in past transac
. tions, stocks on hand and freigh
rates, to meet and discuss such infor
nation and statistics SO long as the,
, do not attempt to reach any agree
ment or any concerted action with re
spect to prices or production or re
straining production
|. The lower courts in the eriEina
, | trial of the case decided agains
the associations, guided as the,
must have been," says the Nationa
Democrat, "by decision of the Su-
preme Court in 1921 in what il
known as the hardwood floor case
To reach Mondays decision II wa,
necessary for the Supreme Court II
reverse its decisions in the hard
lwood floor case, as well as to re
verse the decision of the lowe
courts.
The National Democrat quotes on,
of the counsel for the cement man
ufacturers' association as sayin,
that Mondays decision iegalizin;
meetings and discussions which hav,
heretofore been prohibited as a re
, straint of trade and competition il
,, probably the most momentous de
cision on the antitrust act sine
the famous Standard Oil case il
1912. The Democratic organ as
serts that most people would agre,
that 1t is momentous in affordinl
the trusts the greatest liberty the.
have had in recent years and tn,
: greatest opportunity to resume thei
former practices
n v Y X *
4 The threat to reintroduce trus
questions as an issue In the mex
campaign is definitely made by TIA
Democratic organ, which says "tha
| the people will not let the trust cues
ton rest under this decision is
foregone conclusion" The presen
tendency OF the administration, tn,
National Democrat charges, has bee
, to let big business do pretty rnuci
. 1 as It pleases. On the other hane
. L there have bean f.-on,,...4 s>-..-.