Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-14
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.

Few men in public life In this coun-
| try have ever been the subject Of so
much speculation as Calvin Coolidge.
When he was In the White House he
was successful at keeping his own coun-
/ sci till 1t came time for him to speak
or act on q given subject. It was not
until after 1t had become apparent from
statements made by party leaders in all
, parts Of the country that he could have
been renominated for President in 1928
that Mr.. Coolidge finally issued his IA
nous Il do not choose to run for Presi-
dent" statement. And ever since he left
the White House, little more than year
ago, there has been great speculation
regarding the possibility of his getting
back into public life and public office
again. First 1t was the Senate for which
been touted as the probable dark-horse
candidate for the Republican presiden-
tial nomination in 1882, and not 50
dark, either.
| But Mr.. Coolidge has finally broken
silence again-silence as to his own
plans. He does this so rarely that each
breaking Of silence becomes q matter of
news. He has declared he has no inten-
ton Of becoming candidate for the
Senate nor for the presidency. He Is
| .AAOUSAb AC SaJS, Wall puUlAC OLuCcB uLl-
less some emergency should demand
that he take up the service of his coun-
try again. Now that he has spoken, and
spoken quite simply and directly, the
country will realize that his position is
entirely in keeping with the man. The
effort has frequently been to prove Mr..
Coolidge subtly indirect, to show him
past master at playing dark hand in
politics. The truth is that he has al
ways been direct, and has not sought by
indtrection to do what he has had to do.
Mr. Coolidge Is not now potential can
dioate for the presidential nomination,
as he has been pictured, nor does he In
tend to become candidate.
4 X
Men who have been successful Pres
ldents Of the United States-and Mr..
Coolidge was surely one of these no
matter what his political Opponents NAV
say about hirl-if they live after they
have left Office, are frequently regarded
with suspicion by the immediate follow
ers OF White House incumbents, partic-
| ularly If they happen to be Of the same
political faith. Like Napoleon at Elba,
there Is always the chance that the
former President may seek to regain the
highest executive Office In the Govern
ment, with all the powers 1t possesses
|
nervousness that is sometimes entirely
unwarranted. Mr.. Coolidge's most re-
cent statement is calculated to allay
any such nervousness, If 1t has existed.
X X II
When the late 1T. R." left the White
House under much the same circum-
stances that Mr. Coolidge gave up the
presidency in 1929, he went to Africa
to hunt. When he came back he found
there was more exciting game at home.
He did not, like Mr.. Coolidge, assert
! that he would not seek public Office
again. He sought it. Despite the fact
that his efforts to regain the presidency
in 1912 split the Republican party wide
open, Col. Roosevelt was again serious
ly considered by the G. o. P. leaders
for the nomination for President when
! the second Wilson term was drawing
to a close. Had he lived. there seems
no doubt whatever that he would have
had the nomination which finally went
! to the late President Harding and
would have been elected President. The
Republicans in those days did not real
iZe that the swing Of public opinion had
been so strongly against the Democratic
administration that nearly any Repub-
Roosevelt was felt to be candidate so
strong that he could win with the
party united again behind him.
x X X 4
The Democrats and Republican In
surgents, who dominate the Senate
lobby committee, have delayed the sub
mission of the committee report deal
ing with Muscle Shoals and particular
~ with the activities of Claudius H.
Huston, chairman Of the Republican
national committee, who was at one
time president of the Tennessee River
Improvement Association. Just why
this delay, no one appears to know.
Senator Walsh of Montana, member
of the committee, was requested to
draw up this report so that it could be
submitted to the Senate during the
| consideration Of the Muscle Shoals bill,
recently passed by the Senate. But
| the report failed to materialize. Now,
| it appears, Senator Walsh has not yet
even begun to draft the report. Re-
| publicans are growing suspicious. They
| are wondering what Is back Of the
| delay. The submission of the report,
| whenever 1t does come, is likely to stir
up the agitation again against Mr.. HuS-
| tons continuance as chairman of the Re-
publican national committee. The DEM
ocrats would prefer, apparently, to see
Mr.. Huston remain in office as long as
| possible. They are figuring on making
as much as possible of the testimony
| committee in regard to Mr.. Huston in
the coming congressional campaign.
X X r
Mrs. Ruth Hanna Mccormick, new
| ly nominated by the Republicans of
Illinois for the Senate, has shown her
| political and organizing abilities In her
i,pg% GVH{R ef,,Il
and also in the campaign which she
conducted throughout the State Of
Illinois in 1928 for election as Repre-
sentative at large, the place she. holds
| in the present Congress. If Mr.. Huston
has to go, could the Republicans do
better than pick the daughter Of Mark
Hanna for their national chairman?
He was a member Of the Senate and
also Republican national chairman, in
the days when the national chairman
ran the Republican party.
r X \ \
The victory of Mrs. Mccormick in
Illinois, with the World Court-or,
i more correctly, opposition to the World
Court-as her main talking point, is
| giving some of the sitting Senators cold
shivers up and down their backs when
| they think of facing a vote on the
protocol proposing American adherence
to the court with the Root formula in
place of the old Senate reservations.
Mr.. Hoover has promised to send the
protocol to the Senate for ratification
at an opportune time. There is a keen
desire on the part of some Of the
Senators who are up for denomination
and reelection that the "opportune
time" will not come until after the Mo-
vember elections. They would like to
support the President In this matter,
but they do not wish to take any
chances on this issue right now.
With the campaign coming on, some
Of the nolitical WiSeacres insist that 1t