Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1927-08-04
COOLIDGE ANNOUNCES HE WILL NOT
ENTER PRESIDENTIAL RACE In 1928
Brief Statement Exploded Like Bomb
At Unexpected Time; 81 Do Not
Choose to Run For President in
1925" Only Words

/ N'~-te 0NO4-NSG IOudy lSSuSu CLle SIIH-
pie statement that 81 do not choose
TO run for president in 1925" tax
ing his close associates by complete
surprise.
This typewriter announcement
was handed to newspaper men by
| Mr.. Coolidge in his executive office
at noon today and a faint smile
lighted his face as he replied to the
astounded group that there was no
comment.
The fourth anniversary of his TAX
ing the oath of office upon the death
of Warren G. Harding was selected
by the president for making the an
nouncement which tonight seemed to
have lighted the fires of the 1928
political campaign.
Goes Fishing
Throughout the remainder of the
! day, with comment of Democratic as
wei as Republican political leaders
| throughout the nation, Mr.. Coolidge
retreated alone to the quietude of
his favorite fishing hole near the
state game lodge, where he is spend
ing the summer.
The statements wording seemed to
have left some political leaders still
speculating tonight whether Mr..
Coolidge would be brought into the
approaching campaign.
Significance was attached here to
the comment of William NJ. Butler,
personal political manager of Mr..
Coolidge in the pre-convention cam
paign of 1924. He declared:
Il am not convinced he will not
run if renominated.'
Mr.. Butler, as chairman of the Re-
publican national committee, has re-
tanned his close personal contact with
the president.
Fiye-Year Term
Mr.. Coolidge will have served five
years and seven months at the close
of the four-year term to which he was
elected in 1924, having entered the
Tiy5lai;tae sylaitae House i'm 1928 upon the death
of Pfesident Harding. 1t was just
four years ago that Mr.. Coolidge
was the central figure in an event of
worldwide interest when he took the
oath of office by light of an oil lamp
in the Vermont home of his father.
There are few things within rea-
son that Mr.. Coolidge could have
done which would have caused more
complete surprise here than his brief
announcement today. 1t is safe to
say that no single person with him
had the slightest inkling of what was
going to happen.
At the close of his regular Tues
day morning conference with the
press correspondents, the president
requested the newspaper men to re-
turn at noon, and the two and a half
hours consumed in waiting were
fraught with the widest range of
speculation.
Promptly at II o'clock the corre-
spondents were requested to enter the
presidents private office. He sat
behind the long mahogany table
which he uses for his desk in the
school room, leaning far back in his
chair and smoking a cigar which
was he'd in an ivory holder. Just
trace of smile, more around his
eyes than his lips, lighted up his
face.
No doubt it was the air of expec-
fancy that the newspaper men
brought with them that caused the
taut atmosphere, but when the Incl
dent is recalled, it seemed as if Mr.
Coolidge himself gave the appearance
of knowing he was about to make an
announcement which was destined to
electrify the nation.
He rose quickly even before all had
entered, took his cigar from his
mouth and looking toward the back
of the room, asked:
'Is everyone here now?" X
The last filed into the room and
the group moved close to Mr.. Cool
idge's desk. Except for the news
writer's, there were present only the
members of the presidents personal
staff and Senator Capper of Kansas,
himsef publisher.
Mr.. Coolidge walked to the end of
his desk holding a pile of little slips
of folded white paper.
'Will you please file past me-" he
said, 81 have a little statement for
YOU"
With rapidity, the line formed and
as each man stepped by the president
he was handed one Of the slips. No