Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-10
Politics at Large
RY g. Gould Lincoln

The Democrats i'll the Senate ana
House have already sought to make
an issue OF it against the administra-
ton. But the trouble about the strike
as a political issue Is that If It is once
settled, 1t will cease to be an issue.
The voters generally will begin TO
think about something else. The Cope
land resolution. emanatinE from
Democratic source, calling upon PreSi-
dent Coolidge to invite the opera tors
and miners To the White House in
an effort TO get a strike settlement,
Is calculated to emnirrass the admir-
istration. which has maintained a
hlnds-uff policy so far. and To be of
political assistance to the Democrats.
II the President adopts the suSees-
ton and the strike is not settled, then
In n measure the administration may
be discredited. If he does not adopt
Inc suggestion and the strike IL not
settled then the Democrats may cry
"Ont upon YOU for a do-nothir2 eX-
ccUtive.'
But what If the President eventual
move all his own--which results in
| the settlement OF the strike" Then
the admnistra ton gains. The glory
will be that Of President Coolidge.
| when il comes 10 playing politics The
danger which the administration faces
/ is that the strike will refuse to settle
itself, so many people are anxious
to have IL do. 1t has already been in
progress for more than five months.
Suppose II runs for a year. throughout
the Summer, or longer? The con-
sumers OF coal had good running
start for this Winter with much
| anthracite in their bins. There have
been substitutes which il has been
possible TO obtain. But the price of
| the substitutes has mounted higher
! and higher until now they cost more
than anthracite did before tho strike
was called. MANY people are becom-
! ing thoroughly disguised. Should the
! people in New England and The Mil
| die Atlantic States have TO face
! another Winter without any anthra-
cite and with substitutes At very high
| prices. there may he an outburst Of
feeling against the Government for
| not having sought 10 intervene
! From various sources 1t is learned
| that the financial interests are lining
/ UP TO back the operators for A long
period and that on the other side or
Sanized labor the country over is
| prepa airing to send a great deal of
money into the strike district to keep
| the strikers going. II such is the case
| and If advisers of the administration
| have had in the back of their heads
| that this is the time TO smash the
| union the situation is filled with dy-
Mantle. If the belief should become
widespread that the administra ton has
aimed TO smash the union" by a
| hand-off policy, ii would lose MANY
| friends
One argument advanced hv those
who advocate letting the strike 20 to
a hnish is that negotiated peace
/ would result in increa Sed prices of coal
10 the public. Well, the public this
| Winter is paying more for its fue, in
mann states than it ever paid before
ana - sfttins fuel by no means as
satisfactory as it got year ago.
! Dissatisfaction with the situation is
increasing. Senator COPELAND OF New
York. who has been doing his dailv
dozen in the Senate with the aDthra
| clte strike as his topic has aided in
focusing attention on this fact. Final.
~, IN desperation and the hope of
! putting an end to these exercises Re-
publican leaders in the Senate de-
clded TO let the Copeland resolution
| 20 through. and II went with
| whoop.
Senator Copeland il earnestly in
favor OF relieving the suffering of the
people in New York CITY who lack
the fuel they require for their heaters.
| and who must pay high prices for
what they get. His fight TO bring
about some action by rhe Federal
/ Government in the matter not un-
naturally should endesr him to the
people.
! Senate and House have been engaged
/ in announcing that Democratic CO.
! operation with the Republican ad-
ministration i all off--that they in
! tend to make the coal strike, the
! Italian debt. the Air Service the
farm problem and the tariff real is
! sues-along comes Senator Reed of
Missouri with blast against the
! Democratic leadership in Congress
F! thai is masterpiece. even for that
genius of invective.
! The senior Senator from Missouri
/ does not like his party's action on
/ the World Court nor on the tax re
| duction bill, and he said so in terms
| that fairly siZZle. What effect his
attack on the party leadership will
! have remains TO he seen. II can
scarcely tend to make for peace
! There is no doubt about il that some
Of the Democrats in Congress have
; been FESTIVE under a leadership which
| has made possible practically q non
: partisan tax reduction bill. and Sen
ator Reed may find real following
among these dISgruntled Democrats.
! On the other hand, his attack on the
! World Court. which has been a Demo
! cratic pet. may lessen his appeal.
! The Democrats may say that the
! Coolidge administration went along
/ with them in the World Court mat
ter rather than that they went along
will, President
! x X X
! There is no gainsayng the fact
: that Secretary Mellon of the Treasury
| Department has about succeeded in
| having his plan of tax reduction com
pletely adopted. The SurtaXes have
been brought down in accordance with
his ideas, the publicity clause of the
in .ome tax law is scheduled for repeal.
The estate and gift taxes for which
he has favored repeal alone have not
yet been agreed to. The reason he
| has been successful is that many of
the Democrats have convinced them
selves that they made a political error
/ in 1924 when they fought the Mellon
! plan Nor would they listen to the
pleas OF the insurgent Republicans to
! fl ht this plan again this year.
! X +
! The anti.W orld Court group in the
Senate is laying its plans TO continue
the fight against American participa-
| ton in the court. and to make it GER
tain that there is to be no further step
by this country which might mean
entry into the League of Nations. The
group rallied to the call of Senator
Borah of Idaho, and for an hour and a
I half discussed ways and means of
stirring up the country at a meeting
in the Office of the foreign relations
committee yesterday afternoon. Practi-
cally every one of the Senators who