Evening star., 1927-05-04
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Washington's favorite and incessant
indoor sport continues to be the at
tempt to find out whether Calvin
Coolidge is going to run again in 1928.
Politicians of high and low degree,
from all parts of the country, take
a hand at the game, but to date the
Presidents record for silence on the
paramount issue remains unbroken.
A Republican United States Senator
from certain Atlantic seaboard
State recently dined at the White
House and decided to utilize the inti-
macy of the occasion for the purpose
of smoking Mr.. Coolidge out. The
Senator proceeded by way Of flank
attack. "Mr. President" he said, 1.-The
State of will go Republican
next year against Al Smith, If you're
the candidate" Senator --- waited
expectantly for the sphinx to speak.
Mr.. Coolidge watched a ring or two
curl from the end Of his after-dinner
cigar, paused for what the Senator
thought was about to be momen-
tous utterance, and then observed
That's very interesting"
Col. Edmund Obetter known as
"Ed") w. Startling, who is to explore
the various Summer White House pos
sibilities in the Middle West, has been
attached to the United States Secret
Service since 1914, on practically con-
tinuous duty with the presidential
bodyguard The colonel is a Kentucky
giant and calls himself tobacco
planter by occupation. Near Hopkins
vile, in the Blue Grass State, Star
lings mother and brother operate the
ancestral farm, in which he himself
retains an interest. The colonel has
watched over three Presidents In his
time. He accompanied Woodrow Will
son to Europe and was a commanding
figure during the presidential tours
through Great Britain, France, Italy
and Belgium. Starling's present as
signment is to decide where the
President and Mrs. Coolidge will be
happiest this Summer-climate and
other conditions considered-and to
that end the next few weeks will ind
the colonel successfully in Iowa, WIS.,
consin. Minnesota, South Dakota and
Colorado. To those five States the
choice for the 1927 Summer White
House seems to have simmered down.
X X II
Survivors of the battle of Manila
Bay, which was fought 20 years ago
this week, held a banquet at In
dianapols to celebrate the anniVer-
sary A special guest of honor was
to have been Thomas S. Ferguson,
who was Admiral Dewey's orderly on
the flagship Olympia. Sergt. Ferguson
now lives at the United States Naval
Home, in Philadelphia. Unable to at
tend the festivities in the West, he
dispatched the following telegram to
his shipmates: LET us congratulate
ourselves on the twentyninth ami
versary of the battle of Manila Bay.
l can recall with pride and patriotic
memory the sterling quality of our
crew and the heroism Of Admiral
George Dewey"
Among the Nations business lead
ers attending the United States Cham.
ber of Commences annual meeting III
Washington is John Silsbee Lawrence
of Boston, New England aristocrat and
textile manufacturer. Lawrence is
chairman of the New England Council,
the organization brought into being
year and a half ago for the purpose
Of keeping Maine, Vermont, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut
and Massachusetts on the map. The
latest activity of the council, under
Lawrence's enterprising leadership,
consists of a thoroughgoing economic
survey of New England with a view
to ascertaining just why it has suf-
fered an industrial slump in recent
years. One Of the great national life
insurance companies has been COM
missioned to conduct the necessary
researches. The latter will be con-
cerned chiefly with the textile trade
and particularly with the charge that
it is antiquated mechanical methods
that enabled Dixie to steal an indus
trial march upon the ancient seat of
the American cloth industry. Law
renee Is a Harvard man. a native of
Nahant, Mass, home of the late Henry
Cabot Lodge. and scion of one of
New England's ruling houses.
X ~