Evening star., 1925-03-06

There are as many angles to the
Dawes episode as ouills on a porcu-
pines back; and 1t bristles with just
as many possibilities of trouble. The
Senate cloakrooms seethe with tales
of the milk that has already been
spilled and of the bucketfuls that are
still to slop over. You will hear. first
of all, that the White House is an
noyed. to the point OF rage, over the
whole business, Eyewitnesses are
even telling of the curl OF anger on
Mr.. Coohdges lips when the Vice
President was performing. Less cre-
dence is given to presidential opJec-
tions to Dawes theft of the snow
on Inauguration day than to Mr.. Cool
idge's reported distress over the out
break of an administration feud with
the Senate More than once, during
the past year the President has regis
tered displeasure with the time kill
ing habits of Congress. He would like
to break them. He recognizes their
iniquity. But it is not his way to
big-stick Capitol Hill into good be-
havior. Therefore, he deplores the
Dawes system of clubbing Congress
into reform.
1t is notorious that Dawes was not
the Coolidge choice for the vice presi-
Dental nomin alton in 1924. When this
writer. with a priority that almost
entitled him to be an original Dawes
man" suggested in April last, while
Dawes was not yet home from Eu-
rope, that the hero of the German
reparations plan would be an ideal
Coolidge running mate, a vigorous
demurrer was entered in quarters
close to the throne. II was asserted
that "Hell-and-Maria" would mar the
picture the Presidents friends were
anxious to present to the country, of
a ticket balanced with calm and eau
ton at both ends. AS all the world
knows, Chairman Butler and other
Coolidge leaders at the Cleveland con-
vention only took Gen. Dawes for sec.
ond place because they had no alter
native They preferred Lowden,
either of the Burtons (the late presi-
dent of Michigan University or Theo-
dore E. of Ohio), Borah, Kenyon,
Sanders, Hoover-anybody almost but
the Illinois brigadier. In plain truth,
the Coolidge commanders feared the
Inevitable. and the inevitable, they
now are circumstantially alleged to
believe, has happened, though little
more speedily than was expected.
What has Dawes up his sleeve?
Does he really mean to crusade for
REFORM Oh SeHdl6 PROCEDURE! DOl
Quixote fitting at windmills had
nothing on the Vice President, II that
is Dawes actual aspiration. Does he
mean to shoot at the moon, and, when
convinced that he has missed fire. quit
office? One wild yarn In circula ton
on Capitol Hill credits him with
that incredible intention. Has Dawes
1928 presidential ambitions. Does
he hope to do nothing more than to
challenge public thought on congress
sional reform, make 1t his platform
and go to the country on that para
mount issue four years hence? Those
guesses are hazarded In Washington,
too, in connection with Dawes amaz-
ing onslaught.
y IL Y *
Did i say amazing? Anybody
with a tithe of x-ray knowledge of
Dawes ought not to be amazed at all
by the history he made in the Senate
chamber on Inauguration day His
whole career has been an amazing
one, dating from the time, In 1896,
when he attracted Mark Hanna's at
tention by organizing Illinois for
Mckinley. Washin gton, least of all,
ought to have been taken off its
feet by Dawes vice presidential debut.
1t still has fresh memories of how
~ pitched high explosive into the