Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-06
COOLIDGE PASSIVE
IN HOOvER'S RACE
President Sets New Custom
Regarding Presidential
Campaigns.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

President Coolidge has set up a new
doctrine in connection with presidential
campaigns. He chooses not to intrude
himself into the contest for his sue
| censorship. The reason ascribed for
this decision is Mr.. Coolidge's convic-
ton that the dignity of his Office pre-
cludeS any participation on his part in
the scramble for its future possession
This is the construction now being put
upon the Presidents apparent determi-
nation not to make any campaign
speeches for Herbert Hoover
Massachusetts politicians long famil-
lar with Calvin Coolidges record in
public life declare that he is running
true to form. They say ne has seldom
taken part in any contest in which
he was not directly interested. The one
notable exception was his eleventh-hour
intervention on behalf of former Ma
tional Chairman William M. Butler in
his unsuccessful fight for the United
States Senatorship in Massachusetts in
1926.
Action Causes Comment.
Mr., Coolidge's attitude toward Hoov-
er'S presidential aspirations has been
the subject of unceasing comment
among Republicans. There is nothing
on record to show that the President
ever moved on his cabinet members
behalf in pre- Kansas City days. Some
day there will be set down the amazing
circumstance that up to within the very
hour OF the Republican conventions as
sembling Hoover did not know whether
he would have to face Coolidge as a
rival for the nomination or not 1t was
generally assumed that the Presidents
moral support was at his Commerce
Secretary's disposal from the fact that
nearly the entire Coolidge cabinet was
in favor of Hoover.
To date White House Identification
with Hoover's 1923 fortunes has been
confined to the congratulatory tele-
gram which the President sent to the
nominee after the Palo Alto acceptance
speech. SticklerS for promptneSs and
cordiality thought that the President
was both tardy and conservative in his
fluctuations to the new leader of the
G. o. P.
Probably reflections like these fail to
do justice to Mr.. Coolidge's real mo-
tives. For the past year he has adhered
to the position that the Republican
party was entitled to make its own
choice of candidate to succeed him.
The President may now argue that the
Nation is equally entitled, without any
interference on his part, to make its
own selection as between the rival nomi-
nees of the two great parties.
Cites Dreams for 1882.
It may be that Calvin Coolidge in
particular has no desire to follow the
example of Theodore Roosevelt 20 years
ago in attempting to name his own sue
ceSSor, or do anything which would
SAVIOR of that There are also politi-
clans who think that Coolidge dreams
of returning to the White House some
day-perhapS as soon as 1882.
Massachusetts newspapers, since the
1928 Republican national committee or
ganization was set up, have noted the
conspicuous absence of Coolidge men"
in the machine now functioning so Wig
orously on Hoover's behalf William M.
Butler retired from the national chair
manship and as national committeeman
from Massachusetts,: the Presidents
bosom friend, Frank w. Stearns, is po-
litieally unemployed, and William v.
Hodges of Colorado was retired from the
national committee treasurerShip.
All of these things are being talked
about in G.. o. P. circles as straws which
show how the Coolidge wind is blowing
just now. But the President, who fire.
quently does the unexpected, may COM
pletely alter the picture by some act
which, after all, will SignaliZe his en-
thusiastic hope that Coolidge policies"
will be continued by Herbert Hoover
during the next four years.
tConyright. 192S.)