Evening star., 1928-11-05

Calvin Coolidge waited until the
eleventh hour to clear up the mystery
of his real attitude toward Herbert
Hoover's presidential candidacy. Will
he seize some dramatic moment prior
to March a, 1929, to lift the curtain on
a mystery even more profound-namely,
the deep, underlying reason why he
chose not to run in 1928? 1t would be
like the inserutable Vermonter to keep
that secret locked in his bosom until
the hour of his departure from the
White House and then tell it to a wait
ing world. Undoubtedly no other man
or wonan-lives who knows the pre-
else impulses which moved Mr. Cool
idge to his historic 10-word pronuncia-
mento of August 2. 1897 GueSses have
been as numerous as the falling leaves
of this political Autumn, but none of
them bears the hallmark of authority.
Perhaps the President is keeping the
story up his autobiographical sleeve.
Till he reveals it, 1t remains the single
greatest unpublished piece of news in
the United States. The scribe who gets
1t will have scoop whichll thunder
down the journalistic ages.
X X Y
Now that the late unpleasantness is
over, one of the 1923 campaigns many
strange aspects was the country'S in
difference to the congressional elec-
tions Hardly anybody gave a second
(or even first) thought to the make
up Of the Seventy FIRST Congress, though
the full House of Representatives and
one-third of the Senate were up for
election. Even Mr.. Hoover and Gov.
Smith soft-pedaled that issue. What
radio listener can remember either
presidential candidate StresSing at any
length the Importance of House and
Senate majority in sympathy with his
respective political views? In various
places both Hoover and Smith pleaded
for the victory Of certain congressional
nominees, but references to them were
merely casual. Never anywhere by
either national candidate was there
vigorous fighting demand for a Congress
of administration complexion.
X X X X
Congress was fifth wheel in the
campaign for the simple reason that
the Nation by and large, was fascinated
by the clash of personalities which
Hoover and Smith presented. There
was in addition the clash of major
issues with which the popular mind
identified them-mainly, religion and
prohibition. Locally. candidates for
the House and Senate contrived to get
their constituents to think about the
congressional ticket. Nationally, Rep
resentatives and Senators this time
almost cut the figure of nonentities.
They we're hopelessly out Of the picture
even when they appeared on the same
platform with the presidential nomi-
nees. Some critical day in the near
future, when the country indulges in
it's favorite sport of abusing Congress,
it may conclude that little of the
energy wasted on the whispering CAM
paign might have been better spent on
electing the right kind of a House and
Senate.
One by one, the sphinxes of 1923
have spoken-Dawes. Coolidge and
McAdoo, TO name them in the order
of their respective, unexpected outgiv-
ings. 1t looks as If Frank o. Lowden
might go down In the campaigns his
tory as The Man Who wouldn't Say
Anything. Hoover managers hoped to
the bitter end for a word from the
former Illinois governor, which would
strengthen the Republican ticket in the
corn belt 1t was with long distance
view to that much-desired consumma-
the Illinois presidential primary race
last Spring. His position was that
Lowden was a contender Of genuinely
national stature. entitled to favorite-
son rights without interference by an
outsider. Hoover evidently did not
consider the Watson, Willis and Goff
candidates. in that light.
Many distinguished Americans have
sent greetings to Japan this week
apropos the enthronement of the
Emperor Hirohito. Among Nippon'S
well-wishers are Messrs. Hoover and
Smith, Senator Borah chairman OF the
Senate foreign relations committee)
Representative Porter chairman OF
the House foreign affairs committee),
DR.. Rowe, director-g general of the Pam
American Union, President Butter
worth of the United States Chamber
i Of Commerce, and Messrs. Thomas j..
J O'Brien, Roland S. Morris, Charles
9eechsg Warren and Cyrus E. Woods.