Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-03
PLACES
DECISION ON PARTY
Determination Not to Seek
Nomination Result of Long
Consideration.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

President Coolidge literally means
what he said when he announced that
he did not choose TO run for the
presidency in 1928" and this means
also that he has placed squarely be-
fore the Republican party the decision
of whether he shall be drafted at the
next Republican national convention
to be the nominee for the presidency.
This is no sudden action on the
part of Mr.. Coolidge, startling as his
words may seem to many, who have
not been aware of his own matter-of-
fact attitude toward the political
world.
Mr.. Coolidge did not say that he
would not accept the nomination II
rendered to him by his party. He
merely said he did not choose TO
run" and he is thoroughly sincere
in refusing to use his Office or ms
influence to bring about his own re-
nomination. Between now and the
Republican national convention in
June, 1928, Mr.. Coolidge will not lift
a finger to forward his own cause in
the convention.
In this respect Mr.. Coolidge has
taken exactly the same position which
Woodrow Wilson did in his famous
letter to A. Mitchell Palmer in 1913
when he said that Presidents should
not use their office to perpetuate them
selves politically and that so far as
he was concerned he pledged himseir
to resort to nothing but public opinion
in deciding his own attitude toward
second nomination. Chafles EVahs
Hughes. while on the Supreme Court
he was not a candidate for the presi-
dencv. Nobody ever was authorized
by him to obtain a single delegate or
to orcan nize a campaign. He was noml-
mated in 1916 as the spontaneous act
of his party.
Third Term Talk Embarrassing.
Mr.. Coolidge has been embarrassed
bv the insistent criticism of his oppo-
nents that it was his ambition for a
| "third term" Senator Walsh Of Mon
tana recently returned from Europe
and predicted that Congress would
| ADOPT a resolution expressing its opln-
| ion against third term. All this was
assumed to be direct attack on Mr..
Coolidge's motives and desires. He
| has baen embarrassed Furthermore by
| the attitude of certain groups IN the
| Middle-West who keep using the 1873
political situation as threat unleSS
! he gave his consent to a certain klnd
| of farm relief legislation. Indeed, MI.
| Coolidge has found that every act ne
commits as President is subject to po-
| Iitical scrutiny.
To retain the independence which he
thinks a President should have and at
the same time to free himself of any
responsibility for what the politicians
NAV decide-whether they choose to
draft him or discard him-the Presi-
dent has at any rate spoken the nrst
word long enough in advance or The
coming political session of Congress
! and the Republican National ConVen-
| tion itself to he able to point 10 his
! recent statement as his personal
| preference.
Mr.. Coolidge knew exactly what
would lie the varying interpretations
that could be placed on his announce
ment. He knew that If the Repip
! lican marty did choose him by ac-
cIamation. the responsibility for the
"third term would be on the Repub-
| loan party itself and IL the Re-
nuhlican party was victorious at the
noIIs. representing in such case the
ma iority of the American voters. the
| decision would be then the public
opinion of the United States as ex
| messed by the ma jority in a referen
dunn. It would not be then Mr.
Coolidge violating a third term
J precedent" but the people deciding
that when they wished to give = st2
ond elective term or Il longer nerioo
of service than eight years they hao
the right to do 50 because there is nc
constitutional limitation Oa the presi
dental tenure.
Position Is Strengthened.
What Mr.. Coolidge has done is tt
rid himself Of the charge that he Il
trying to get the nomination and al
the same time has strengthened his
position in the electoral campaign i
he should be nominated. II he hat
not issued such a statement rs ne die
Yesterday, he would have beer
besieged between now and next june
with requests for an expression ol
opinion, particularly in connection
with those primary contests in Whicf
his name can 20 on the ballots oniS
i.wjth his written consent. This cor
respondent wrote some time ago tha
MIR. Coolidge would answer some q
the first requests for his consent bl
refusing to permit his name 10 so OF
any of the primary ballots. Mr.
Coolidge's announcement makes j
easier to write such letters when th'
time comes.
The plan has been in the mind of th
President for some time. and he ha
, indicated his viewpoint to+a few yer.
U x.