Evening star., 1925-07-22

/
Eeft behind on that occa sion were
chiefly recollections OF Mrs. Cool
| idge's vivacity and charm Nobody
| herea bouts seriously expected mat
! Mr.. Coolidge would within couple
| of years be the domina ting political
| personality in the United States. with
| spurs won by dint OF brief record
| in the presidency.
Victory Is Own.
A. by common consent. 1t was
| Coolidge the man for whom the
country rolled up an overwhelming
| ma 1ority in Novmeber 1924. rather
! than for the Republican party or Re-
! publican principles. 80 il is the per
sonal aspect Of the President today.
rather than any concrete arhieve-
ments In the realm of policy, that
| has given him his grip on Western
! Elections. II isn't going too far to
say that the grip is strange hold.
At This writing. there fs hardly any
| politician in the United States. Dem
/ ocratic, Republican or Progressive,
who could break 1T, or even loosen il.
! Partisan foes OF Mr.. Coolidge pretend
/ to be at a loss 10 explain his popu-
lsrity. contending he's done nothing
! to Justify IL. but they freely admit its
"
lessness. under present conditions. OF
! undermining ii. A leading South Da
kota Democrat. whom the writer en-
/ countered in Aiontans. justifles the
/ Presidents strength in the West on
! the ground that he has the people
/ "rnystif1ed"
! He thinks thet the 1sciturn Yer
| monter has cast a sort Of politcal
spell over this region and lulled II into
a hypnoti admira ton Of qualities
which II merely suspects that he pos
! sesses. But the South Dakotan con
| fesses in the sa me breath that The
| Western country seems thoroughly
satisfied with the Coolidge opiate. and
reveals not the slightest sign OF com
ing out from the effects of it,
! Not all Western Democrats have
this expia nation of the Coolidge senti-
| ment. Indeed, most OF them share un-
! reservedly the view OF Republicans
and people generally that the Presi-
dent has laid some real foundations
! FOR his strength. Agreement is vir-
tuallr unanimous that IL is his econ.
! omy program and his drive for tax re.
! duction that give Mr.. Coolidge his
place in the confidence and esteem of
/ the transmississippi and internloun-
! tain regions. On the face of things as
| they are today the President will
hardly have TO do another single thing
| to hold Western strength than to ad.
here TO those policies.
/ Politics Shrewd.
! Ii is frequently said that no shrewd-
! er politician ever occupied the white
House than Calvin Coolidge. Inquiry
I in the West. brief as my own has
been. induces the belief that no
! shrewder politics was ever pla we'd by
any man than the President is pla yins
In adopting economy and lower taxes
as his battle cries. II deserves tha,
/ description because it is politics thai
avery taxpayer can understand and
can personally and directly profit
from, II has. At any rate sold" Mr.
Coolidge to the West visiblv and
! vigorously. II under his leadership
during the next three years there is
| progressive tax reduction. due TO his
proclaimed policy Of relentless econ.
Coolidge myth will be more ef-
tectually and irresistibly marketed
than ever.
Dave" Muivans. Republican ma
{ tional committeeman from Kansas.
said at Swampscott the other day
! that Calvin Coolidge could be renomi-
mated for the presidency in 1928 IL he
wants to be. Mr.. Mulvane probably
fhas no mandate TO speak for anybody
| Kansas. But he pretty accurately
| divines Northwestern opinion about
| the President. Only one reservation
requires to he made in the Coolidge
| horoscope, as far as this corner of the
/ country IL concerned: that is that he
| will hsve to continue to be the Gus
: todian and guarantor of prosperity to
| retain his hold on the Vests faith in
! him.
! IdeaIism is as widely diffused in the
! great open spaces as in the congested
! areas of the Republic. But men and
| women in these sections, where
| hardy pioneers have carved great
cities and fertile fields from out of
the primeval Businesses. are intense
| ly prscticsI-minded Nowadays they
| think and talk and have their being
! exclusively in terms OF economics
They are engrossed in the things that
affect their pocket nerve They are
concentrating upon liquidation of the
/ depression that smote the Western
i country two years a go and upon reap
ling the fun benefits of tue better
times they have now come upon-on
I the farms in the mines. on the rs nses
in the woods. In the poultry yards. in
the dairles, in the vegetable patches.
| in the orchards and in the mills and
/ the factories. II Ia in those directions
| that western eyes are turned and
Western energies are hent.
BREAD and Butter Paramount.
| Concentra ton on these vital bread.
! and-butter issues In SO all-absorbing
| that II Is difficuit. to the point OF i'm
possibility, TO induce people TO talk
| about anything else. They will do so
! if engaged. and can discuss other
matters. national and international
1 with that intelligence which Is de-
rived from time and opportunity for
| thought and reading. such as West
ernefs have. But 1t Is somewhat
extraordinary fact that their present
! interest In outside affairs is purely
4 academic. Compared to the size and
price of this years wheat crop, the
World Court IN worse than baga-
telle in Western estimation. What
{ secretaries Kellogg and Mellon do or
do not do. about European debts is
! vastly less important or interesting
to the average Westerner than an ir-
! rigation project. let us say. in the
State OF Washington or in Oregon.
China. Mexico. European security,
| recognition of Russia or any OF the
other questions of the so-called high
1 er politics. as they intrigue both ends
Of Pennsylvania avenue, are about
\ as remote from Western thought as
they are removed geographically.
/ But the West is concerned, and
/ deeply concerned, with Federal econ
omy and tax reduction: and 1t is be-
cause President Coolidge is dedicating
his energies to those issues that he Is
ace high with the business commu
| nifty, which includes In these parts.
for all practical purposes. about every
man. woman 40 child who figures in
the census of population. sAs long