Evening star., 1932-06-12
COOLIDGE REFUSAL
FAILS TO DIM HOPE
Nomination Seems Unlikely;
Opposition to Curtis Is
Growing.
BY MARK SULLIVAN,

BY MARK SULLIVAN.
The movement to name ex-Presi-
dent Calvin Coolidge as candidate for
Vice President on the Republican ticket
is very real in the sense that many lead
ing Republicans earnestly desire 1t and
still cling to it. 1t is not real in the
sense that there Is any probability in
1t. Mr.. Coolidge has known about it
for weeks and has at all times rejected
it. Repeated refusal by him to con-
slider the idea has not completely dis
couraged all those who have the notion
IN mind Within "a hours messengers
from high-placed Republicans at Chi
cago have been pursuing Mr.. Coolidge
from Northampton, Mass, to Plymouth,
vt.
Mr.. Coolidges state of mind is such
that nomination of him is impracti-
cable. The state Of mind Of leaders
and delegates at Chicago. however. Is
such that there Is certain to be some
outcome Of the agitation In the shape
Of an effort to name some one other
that the present Vice President. Charles
W. Curtis. The one point raised against
j.
Curtis is his age
Mr.. Curtis was born on January 25,
1860 Therefore. If renominated and
reelected he would be over 73 when in
augurated Vice President on March 4,
1888. II President Hoover should be
reelected. and II he should die in office,
which is the only eventuality for which
a Vice President is named at all: and
If, let us say, the Presidents death
should occur in the middle Of his term,
Curtis would be over IS on the date
Of becoming President. Many Of the
convention delegates and leaders In
Chicago think that Is too old. They
think it is the duty of a properly man
aged political party to present to the
country a candidate for Vice President
who, as respects age as well as every
thing else, is just as competent to be
President as the candidate for President
himself. They say that II the party fails
trust to the people.
Need Is Imperative.
Carrying farther the line Of thought
based ON Curtis age. the Republicans
want to name for Vice President a man
who, II he should become President
through the incumbent's death. could
then be nominated for President at the
end of his partial term. From the party
point of view this Is almost imperative.
From the point Of view OF the country
it is extremely desirable in order to
achieve continuity and stability. This
is what was done in the case of Hard
ing and Coolidge. When Harding died
Coolidge became President, and then
was nominated to succeed himself.
Co wi, Hro nf To re
in Curtis case. he would be 81 years
old while still in the presidential ofice.
1t is this set of facts that has in
fected a large number Of the delegates
and leaders at Chicago with the notion
Of naming younger man than Curtis.
In the light Of the certainty that Cool
idge declines to entertain the idea. 1t
is problematical what may develop.
The convention, at the point Of nom
mating the candidate for Vice Presi-
dent, may run wild and nominate Cool
idge anyhow.
In that case. Coolidge. after being
nominated, would be obliged to refuse
to serve That is what happened in
1924. when the convention took the bit
in its teeth and nominated for Vice
President ex-Gov. Lowden Of Illinois.
Lowden teleeraphed a declination to
accept and the convention named
Charles G. Dawes.
Coolidge Knows Facts.
Coolidge knows all about this expert
ence. for he was President at the time.
Coolidge, indeed, knows better than
anybody else the unguessable character
Of what a convention may do at the
point nearing the end when it nomi-
mates the vice presidential candidate.
Coolidge was himself the beneficiary Of
that impulsiveness in 1920. His own
nomination for Vice President came to
him during the last half hour Of tired
convention when a delegate from Ore
gon, Judge Wallace McCamant, pro-
posed his name to convention in
which many did not fully understand
whom they were voting for. but all were
eager to get away and 60 home.
In the present convention, counting
out Coolidge as he must be counted
out, there will almost certainly be call
for Charles G. Dawes, who was Vice
President from 1925-1929. Everybody
agrees Dawes would be a strong can
didate. Other than Dawes, there is
much talk of Theodore Roosevelt, now
Governor General of the Philippines
Discussion of Theodore Roosevelt takes
account OF the PROBABILITY. generally
accepted in Chicago, that the Demo-
cratic candidate for President is likely
to be his sixth cousin. with the same
last name. Gov. Franklin Roosevelt of
New York. This identity of name
works, on the whole, against Theodore
Roosevelt. The theory is that the Re-
publicans should take no step having
any possibility Of confusing the voters
about the personnel of the two tickets,
as printed on the ballots.
Real Uncertainty Rules.
The vice presidential situation gives
concern to the Republican leaders be-
cause of the fact, already mentioned.
that conventions frequently relax and
act without carefully weighed consid-
Grafton by the time they reach the
stage OF nominating the vice presi-
dental candidate. There is in this
vice presidential situation at Chicago
real uncertainty, and real possibility of
the unexpected happening.
Three Held in Relief Riot.
MILWAUKEE, Wis. June IL (P).-A