Evening star., 1927-05-21
HUGHES SUPPORTS
COOLIDGE FOR 1928
Leaders Consider His Stand
as Political Utterance of
Utmost Significance.
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN.

us
Charles Evans Hughes announce
ment that he stands for the re-elec-
ton of President Coolidge first, last
and all the time" was accepted here
by prominent Republicans as politi-
cal utterance of the utmost signif1-
canoe.
Mr.. Hughes own name has been
during the last six weeks prominently
mentioned as the likely Republican
nominee for President in the event
President Coolidge should declare
himself unwilling to be a candidate.
Indeed. several of the leaders of the
party in the East have assiduously
circulated the prediction that Mr..
Hughes would be the choice of the
party in the 1928 convention II Presi-
dent Coolidge were out of the run
ming. Not a little quiet work has
been done along this line, but ap-
parently without consultation with
Mr.. Hughes himself.
Spikes Own Boom.
Now the former Secretary of State
has himself spiked the Hughes boom.
if 1t can be called such. He has de-
clared that he will neither seek nor
accept" the nomination for President
next year. His announcement made
yesterday in New York, followed the
publication OF reports in the news
papers that he was to be the choice
of many Republicans for the nonina-
ton if the President should take him.
self out of the picture or should be.
a0&,aa, an a "a hIa for. aOV reason
Mr.. Hughes gives two reasons for
his formal statement for his attitude.
The first is that he is for President
Coolidge. The second is that he is
himself too old. His statement fol-
lows;
II know nothing of the movement
to which reference is made" Mr..
Hughes said. There should be no
doubt as to my own altitude. l am
for President Coolidge, first. last and
all the time. and l believe that he
will be renominated and reelected.
do not wish my name 10 be used In
any contingency. 1 am too old to run
for President and / would neither seek
nor accept the nomination"
The so-called third-term issue,
which opponents of President Cool
idge have raised against him already.
has no weight apparently with Mr..
Hughes. 1t is clear that the New
Yorker. who was the nominee of his
party in 1916. does not take stock in
the issue. that he does not believe
that another term of Office would be
in reality a third term for President
Coolidge.
Considers 1t No Obstacle.
His assertion that Mr.. Coolidge
will be renominated and reelected
indicates that he does not consider
that the third-term issue will be a
real obstacle either in the nominating
convention or in the general election.
Coming from an authority on
American government of the eminence
of Mr.. Hughes, this opinion doubtless
will have no little effect upon public
opinion. 1t backs up the views already
expressed by other leaders of the Re
publican party in many parts of the
country. 1t follows close upon the
heels of similar statement from Sec
retary Hoover. who. like Mr.. Hughes.
has been prominently mentioned as a
presidential possibility in the event
Mr.. Coolidge is not the nominee.
So far the opponents of President
Coolidge's reelection in the Republi-
car party have had their difficulties
in finding an outstanding Republican
to enter the lists against the President,
il he is to be a candidate for re-
nomination.
Former Gov. Frank o. Lowden of
Illinois, champion of the principle of
the McNary Haugen farm relief bill,
is the only man whO has yet indicated
that he might be willing to enter the
running. Mr.. Lowden's boom has been
launched.
LOwden Older Than Hughes.
Right here Mr.. Hughes second rea- |
son for eliminating himself from con-
sideration for the nomination becomes |,
interesting. He is IS year old. If he !
became President March 4, 1929, Mr.. |
Hughes would be almost 81 years old.
Mr.. Lowden, however, is older than |
MIR. Hughes by more than year, and /
II he were inaugurated President in
1929, Mr.. Lowden would then be 90
years old. Only one President of the
United States has been as old when
he was first inaugurated, President
Henry Harrison, and he died |
within a few weeks after entering the
White House.
The only real opposition which has
developed to the reelection of Presi. !
dent Coolidge has been in the corn
and wheat belts of the Middle West
and the Northwest, based entirely on |
the opposition of the President to the
farm relief bill.
Reports from the far West all indicate
that no one but Mr.. Coolidge is now
being seriously considered as the Re-
publican standard bearer next year.
That section of the country. like the
East, apparently Is thoroughly salts
lied with the Coolidge administration
Of the Government. Even in the Mid
ole West, many of the leading Repub
leans declare themselves in favor of
tha rannrnina ffnn nf tho MEorasidnnf |