The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-07-15
SEEN
HEARD
around the
NATIONAL
CAPITAL
By Carter Field ~
By Carter Field i

Washington.-There is no DISPOSE
ton to laugh off Governor George
H. Earle's opening gun in the fight
to nominate Franklin D. Roosevelt
for a third term among shrewd
Washington politicians. Very pri-
vately nine out of ten men on Capt.
toll Hill will tell friends that they
think the probability is Roosevelt
will break this precedent, as he has
broken so many others.
There are plenty of people who
knew Calvin Coolidge fairly well
who believe that he wanted to break
that precedent. like" Hoover IN
his memoirs leaves no doubt as to
his own judgment on that point, and
made a very interesting case to
prove it.
Coolidge, according to IKE"
Hoover's theory, expected too much.
He wanted to keep on declining,
in more and more forceful lam
guage, but to have the nomination
forced on him. Roosevelt, observ-
ers think now, is not going to make
any such mistake.
The two situations are interesting
chiefly by contrast rather than by
similarity. Right up to that day in
the Black Hills of South Dakota
when Coolidge said he did not
CHOOSE" to run, every one assumed
he would be the candidate. There
was not hint OF opposition. There
was no prospect of fight against
his nomination. There was not even
much discussion OF the third term
idea. Coolidge was popular, the
country was prosperous. When the
topic did come up in conversation
most folks said the less than two
years of President Harding's term
which Coolidge had served before
becoming President in his own right
would not count as making another
election a third term.
AS matter of fact, Coolidge
never mentioned any prejudice
against the third term idea. He
just made it partially clear that he
did not want to run again. And the
Republican convention took him al
his word. Whereas In the present
case Governor Earle and some OF
the union leaders have come out
fatty for a third term for Roose-
welt, more than two years earlier,
comparably, than Coolidge an.
nounced he would not be a candi.
date Coolidge's announcement was
more than seven months after the
1926 election had returned MAORI
ties in both houses of congress tc
uphold his hands. Everybody knew
the Democratic party was split sc
wide open by the religious battle
which had come to its climax
at Madison Square Garden, thai
there was virtually no hope of It's
being really formidable at the fol
lowing election. The national con
ventions were barely year off.
Time lnopportune
The opening gun OF the Roosevelt
third term campaign is fired more
than year before the mid-tern
congressional election. 1t resound.
when there is a revolt against the
President on the part of conserva
| tive Democrats SO pronounced tina
harmony conference between thu
President and the national legisla
tors was to begin two days latel
at the Jefferson Island club.
1t came at a time when nobod,
really knew whether the revolt OF
Capitol Hill had much popular back
ing or not. One point about it
however, was rather obvious. Gov
ernor Earle, whose declaration at
tracted the most attention, was ii
rather a hot spot. 1t was obvious
that no matter what might happier
later, the Pennsylvania governo
had made plenty Of enemies by hi
action in declaring martial law a
Johnstown. He had acted openl,
when the President was aiding tn
same side without any such franl
avoWal. So lots of important folk
figured they could shoot at Earle il
safety. whereas they might not dar
shoot at the President.
Earle's action tended to make tn
President the target for all sue
shots at him, and for this reaso
his timing did not make such hi
at the White House as his subjec
matter might have on some othe
occasion.
Tariff Hearings
The same group Of interests /
this country which SO successful
obtained the independence act fo
the Philippines, long after tn
armed insurrection Of Aguinaldt
the moral appeal Of William Jer
nings Bryan and the shreWd lobb,
| ing of Manuel Quezon had failee
is now on the job to prevent bein
deprived of the fruits of their viz
ADry.
What has happened Is that join
committee, consisting of experts al
pointed by both the United State
and the Philippines governments,
conducting hearings with view
determining the tariff policy whic
shall exist between the two coul
tries after independence is actual