Coolidge Faces Acid Test Until Convention
Confidence
of Public
r
Best Asset
Country Reserves Judgment
of President Until He Re
veals Policies in Mes
. sage to Congress.
Wants Sound Remedies
By MARK SULLIVAN.
As tilings stand today, it would not
be too much to say that Coolidge is
as good as nominated. But most de
cidedly the reader should understand
the emphasis of the first part of the
preceding sentence. Coolidge today is
as good as nominated, but it does not
follow with certainty that he will be
nominated next June. If the conven
tion should be held next week Cool
idge would get the nomination on
the first ballot. It mgy be that
things will go along as they now
are and that when June comes it
will still be true that Coolidge(is to
Us nominated on file first ballot.
At the same time, Coolidge must
bear and cannot escape the hazard
of everything that may happen be
tween now and June. It is sometimes
said that the only thing Coolidge
needs to do is avoid mistakes. If this
were true the nomination would be
almost assured to him, for the most
characteristic thing about Coolidge's
career is his cautious steering clear
of mistake*.
But Coolidge's hazards are by no
means limited to the mistakes he
may make. Coolidge may be injured
—and may be injured to such an ex
tent as to make his nomination in
expedient—by things wholly beyond
his control. He is at the mercy of
everything that comes up between
low and next June. For example,
only last week the administration
came to a fixed date on which it
was compelled to decide whether to
»ell all of Muscle Shoal* to Henry
Pord or to sell a portion of it to the
Alabama Power company. Under the
aw and under the conditions of the
contract made six years ago Coolidge
and the secretary of war felt they
had no choice except £p let Henry
Ford's rival have the Gorgas plant.
That was an act which, under the
law- and the terms of the contract
as Coolidge and Weeks saw it, they
could not avoid. But by the same
token It is an act which will make
tor unpopularity for the administra
tion. It is the aort of thing which,
added to enough other things—if
enough other things should arise—
would make Coolidge's nomination
Inexpedient.
Want Guaranteed Remedy.
There is another condition Coolidge
cannot avoid and which may make
■ his nomination seem inexpedient to
the party leaders. That is the dis
tress among the farmers. N'ohody
tenies the existence of this condition.
Vobody denies that it Is deplorable
tnd ought to be prevented. But with
■qual certainty nobody knows how it
an tie prevented. Some of the ablest
men In the administration—and Cool
dge himself—are putting their best
thought on this problem of the farm
er. Up to date they are willing to
■onfess that they do not see the cure,
ioolldge Is too honest to pretend to
•iee a cure when he does not. He is
too honest to propose any kind of
quack cure. He and his cabinet are
sure-footed men who will not depart
from sound principles of government
tnd economies, and so they will re
Yaln from proposing nny remedy they
hlnk is not economically sopnd.
If this condition should continue. If
he farmers' distress should continue
ir be accelerated and if tiie adminis
tration should continue to be unable
o find a remedy, then In that event
ioolldgo’s nomination will be deemed
nexpedient next June. This distress
.f the farmer is certain to be the one
tubject most talked about when con
grew comes into session In December,
and by the time the convention Is
here in June It and conditions asso
ciated with it will be looked upon as
the most important (actor in the
campaign.
Coolldge's present favor with the
bulk of the republican politicians
rests almost wholly on the logic of
the situation, a situation which
arises out of th$ extraordinary vicis
situdes of destiny more than any
thing else. Specifically It rests on
the fact that Coolldge is in the White
House. And that fact rests on the
whim of destiny that struck Hard
ing down. Coolldge Is no better and
no worse a man for president than
he was the day Harding died. If
Harding had not died, If Coolldge
stood merely on his own bottom, on
a parity with all the other candidates,
there are a score of potential candi
dates who would have been put for
ward more strongly than Coolldge.
Apart from the accident that he Is
actually In the White House, Cool
ldge would have cut no greater fig
ure In the convention of 1924 than
he did In the convention of 1920. But
the nierd^ccident that Coolldge is
president makes all ths difference In
the world as respects the convention
of 1924.
Has No Mark Hanna.
Coolldge has no Mark Hanna, no
Harry Daugherty. Thera Is no one In
politics who has to Coolldge the rela
tion Daugherty had to Harding or
Hanna to McKinley. There Is no sup
erpolltlolan who Is giving all his time
and thought to getting the next re
publican nomination for Coolldge.
Coolldge has no such personal rela
tionships as this whatever. The one
man Identified with Coolldge, Frank
lin Stearns, Is not a politician, but
an altruistic retired Roston merchant,
with a benevolent, almost paternal, in
terest in Coolidge—an Interest which
began yeai*s ago with the fact that one
was an old Amherst graduate and the
other a young one, and which grew
on strong personal regard, almost ln
timeate affection. Stearns’ relation to
Coolldge Is one of personal helpful
ness. Stearns Is not a politician. If
Stearns knows any politics at all it
is what he has happened to learn
from Coolldge. Stearns can't go out
and gather In delegates. He wouldn't
know how to go out and gather In
delegates and would make a mess of
it. If he didn’t have what he has,
namely, the good sense not to try It.
Coolldge never had but one political
mentor of the Hanna sort. That was
the late Senator Murray Crane of
Massachusetts. With Crane's death
Coolldge had no one to rely on fer
paternal political guidance and no one
to whom he owes any political debts.
Not only has Coolldge no Individual
Mark Hanna to take his political for
tunes In hand, neither has he any
group who will fight and sweat and
pull wires for him on the basis of
personal devotion. Of course the
Massachusetts men In the government
are for him, but not much more so
than many others. Their fraternity
with the president is no more than a
mere geographical affinity and that
sort of thing Is always pretty tenuous.
Neither among the Massachusetts
politicians nor outside of them does
Coolidge have any political "pals.”
During hla vice presidency, when he
presided day after day for more than
two years over the deliberations of
96 senators, there was no group of
theseyienatnrs, and no one of them,
who could be *.ald to have a relation
of greater Intimacy with Coolldge
than any other one. There are many
republican senators who favor nomin
ating Coolidge—some strongly, In the
belief that it is sound policy, and
some tepidly, merely because there is
no one more available In sight. But
no senator and no other politician Is
out beating the bushes or burning up
the grass for Coolldge on the basis o(
personal relations jr oa tl\e basis of
favors, past or hoped for.
Racked by Hardlngites.
Ooolldge will have the help of vvhat
politicians call “the Hardin* crowd "
He will not have It In the devotedly
loyal sense that Hardin* had it, but
he will have it in such a way as to
nial;e it the backbone of his organized
aid. The moment Cooltdge assumed
the presidency he made it a point to
emphasize the continuity both of
Harding's policies and of the per
sonnel of Harding's administration.
On this Coolidge was insistent and
meticulous. When various members
of the Hardin* administration ten
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October is the Premier
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and we are participat
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coast, in presenting
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Come in today—now—to see and hear this thor
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Our terms are as attractive as the prices them
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as part payment.
dered their resignations as a matter
of form, Coolidge rejected them. He
made it clear that he wanted all the
mrmbera of the Harding administra
tion, high and iow, to remain with
him. There were cases in which he
went to great pains and exercised
personal pressure to persuade sub
ordinate members of the Harding ad
ministration to continue In office.
Those who are cynical will say that
Coolldge's motive was political. Un
doubtedly It was wise politics, and the
only kind of politics Coolidge could
practice. But those who are not
cynical can assume that it had, In
addition, a higher motive.
When Harding’s sudden and tragic
death struck the country into a mood
of seriousness the best means of
avoiding any apprehension, the most
immediate device for maintaining
confidence, was to give the public
the picture of the HArdlng adminis
tration in ail its details continuing
to carry on the business of the coun
try, with no change whatever ex
cept the Inevitable one at the top,
and with that one change Coolidge
himself giving the spectacle of hav
ing it as his first principle to main
tain the continuity of the Harding
administration. The motive wus to
maintain confidence and to avoid a
break In the public business; the
political effect is to give to Coolidge
the entire Harding strength.
An example of this la illustrated
In the case of Ohio. Within the last
few weeks one of the two republican
senators from Ohio. Senator Willis,
has announced that he Is for the
nomination of Coolidge. In connec
tion with the fact that Daugherty
remains In the cabinet, Ohio Is more
or less assured to Coolidge. If
Daugherty had left the cabinet the
inference and the possibility would
have been that Ohio might have an
other candidate for the nomination,
(.'mild Swing Easily.
If things should go along as they
now are there would be an obvious
sequence of results In somewhat the
following order: It would be taken
'for granted that Coolidge it to be
nominated: that being so, there
would be no tense fights In the di
rect primary states; there would be
very little Interest In these primaries
and comparatively few of the voters
would come out. The result would
be that the great majority of the
delegates would go to the convention
for Coolidge, but yet rather tepidly
for him. They would be prepared to
vote for Coolidge's nomination, but
they would have no strong personal
attachment for him. Neither would
they have any strong personal at
tachment for any other candidate.
All this being so, the next repub
lican convention would be one in
which ties are loose. It would be
more like the old conventions of the
past before the direct primary was
invented. It would be a convention
in which a majority of the delegates
would be without instructions and
in which the Instructed delegates
would feel their obligations loosely.
The most probable outcome of
such a convention would be to go
on with the taken-for-granted pro
gram and to nominate Coolidge. At
the same time, this would be the
kind of convention In which if any
obstacle to Coolidge's nomination
should develop It would be easy for
the leaders to mold the somewhat
indifferent delegates to the nomina
tion of another man. In fact, if this
present mood of taking Coolidge's
nomination for granted should con
tinue, the next convention would be
largely a professional one. In such
a convention the leaders might go
on with the program of naming Cool
Idge, but It would be very easy for
them to make a switch if they should
deem it desirable to do so.
Probably Coolidge's greatest asset Is
the attitude of the public toward him.
lip to the present this attitude Is a
friendly and "human feeling that Cool
ldge must have his chance to make
good. Any other republican leader
who should today announce that he is
a candidate for the nomination against
Coolldge would thereby incur public
disfavor. Such an action would be
looked upon as an ungenerous hin
drance to Coolldge’s chance to make
good. This friendly human attitude of
the general public mind is probably
Cooltdge's greatest protection gainst
other aggressive candidates. This Is
the thing that so far prevents other
men from formally throwing their hate
into the ring. So long as the public
continues to have this "glve-hlm-a
chance" attitude about Coolldge no
other candidate will want to announce
himself. To do so would violate public
sentiment. It would run counter to
the common man's sense of fair play.
It would give the people the Idea that
the contender was overcharged with
personal ambition. The very act of too
early an announcement of candidacy
against Coolldge would be almost cer
tainly a serious handicap.
The question then arises: How long
will this public attitude toward Cool
ldge last? How long will it continue
to bo impossible for any one to an
nounce himself against Coolldge with
out Incurring the displeasure of the
public?
It Coolldge should have extraordi
nary good luck It might last right up
to the convention. But this public
mood Is subject, .on the one hand, to
violent change and, on the other hand,
to gradual ebbing. The politicians have
a phrase for thi£ period of public
frlendlness that accrues to every new
president. They call It “the honey
moon." And It Is subject to all the
various kinds of endings, sudden or
gradual, that honeymoons have.
Must Show Self Dec. 8.
There Is one fixed date that Is full
of menace for Coolldge. That Is Mon
day, December 3. On that date con
gress meets and Coolldge must deliver
his regular message.
It Is commonly understood In Wash
ington that Coolldge la waiting for
this occasion to reveal himself, reveal
his policies and reveal his attitude
toward congress—the precise degree of
aggressive or unaggreaslve leadership
he intends to assert toward congress.
It Is commonly understood that Cool
ldge Is refraining from making Im
portant speeches and from making Im
portant public appearances until this
December meeting of congress. By
the speech he must make then the
country will Judge him and his
policies. In that speech he must re
veal perhaps all, certainly the bulk, of
his policies.
And It Is when Coolldge makes this
revelation of his policies that hia po
tential opponents for the nomination
will try to find their opportunity.
Hiram Johnson, for example, will give
a devoted and meticulous attention fo
that address. Hs will be alert to find
In it anything with which he disagrees
or with which he can set up disagree
ment, anything that will Justify him In
announcing to the world that his prln
clples demand that he oppose Coolldge
for the nomination. For example, if
Coolldge In that address should aeem
to endorse the International court i<
can be taken for granted that Johneo?
will have his hat In the ring ss quick
ly as he can write a statement setting
forth Ills contrary views on that Issue
The best Jugment Is that Johnson
will find this or some other Justifies
tion for being a candidate. Every ob
server agrees that Johnson wants t<
be a candidate. He has eald so him
self In private communications. John
son's friends urge him to be a cand
flats and aome of these friends havi
relations with Johnson auch that It U
difficult for him to resist thgir urging
Although It cannot be put aa a cer
talnty, decidedly the best Judgment Is
that sooner or later Johnson will be
In the rare formally. He may not even
wall until December. Some of his
friends and backers are urging him to
act In the near future.
And, once Johnson breaks the lea,
others will follow. One reasonable cer
tainty Is Lowden. Indeed, Lowden'a
friends are already so active In various
parts of the country that It seems far
fetched to continue to speak of him as
merely a potential candidate. Lowden
will not initiate any aggressive coun
try-wide fight against Coolidge. He
will not try to break up the adminis
tration organization. But In case any
other opposition to Coolidge develops
Lowden will he a candidate and will be
a beneficiary of the changed situation.
Lowden Is looked upon by some who
are quietly putting him forward as the
one man who can hold together the
two great elements of the republican
party, the farming west and the busi
ness east.
(Copyright. IMS.)
Franklin County Fair
Association Elects Officers
Franklin, Neb.. Oct. «.—At the an
nual meeting of the Franklin County
Fair association, the following offi
cers were elected for the year:
President, L. B. Roblnett, Frank
lin; vice president, Ed Vanear, Hil
dreth; secretary, A. T. Roady, Frank
lin; treasurer. James Grout; superin
tendent of grounds, S. N. Braden;
superintendent of the hall. R. M.
Trumball; marshal, C. G. Garrett.
All these officers were re-elected
except C. G. Garrett, who succeeds
Henry Stlenkruger.
The reportB show that the receipts
will probably exceed the fixed ex
penses by a small margin.
Christian Association to
Dedicate New Quarters
The Negro Women's Christian as
sociation has purchased the property
at 933 North Twenty-fifth street, for
permanent headquarters. The new
quarters will be dedicated Sunday
afternoon at 4. Martha Taylor
Smith Is president of the organiza
tion.
NEW YORK, THE MODERN
Rabylon, the most fascinating city in
the world today. Visit It through
tho eyes of O. O. McIntyre, who
knows New York as no other man
does. His column, "New York Day
by Day,” is a regular feature of The
Evening Bee.
Your Credit
IS GOOD HERE!
GOOD CLOTHES—
Men, Women, Children.
QUALITY DIAMONDS—
Elfin Watches, 1847 Rad Com
munity Silverware.
Advance Styles In EVERY Dept.
Si* Bis Store* nan Urjer volume, lower
price* and may term*. Dm* wcU without
miaains th* money. Open your account
Tomorrow, or amt* (at Fr«* Catalos.
Omaha’s OrMlasI CndN Clare
HARRISGQARS
5070 Stl SOUTH I6B ST
A Hat for
Every
Woman’
Mims Orkra
1512-Dou^las St.
“A Hat for
Every
Occasion"
Tomorrow—A
Remarkable Sale,
We offer your choice
WHILE
THEY
LAST!—
250 SMART FALL HATS
That Were Formerly
Priced $10 and $15
Sacrificed at.
•
IN order to make room for the new Hats that are
coming in, we make this sweeping reduction on 250
smart new models for the matron, the miss and the
young girl! Velvets, pannes, felts and clever combina
tions fashion Hats of much distinction.
The color range permits the matching of every costume
No Returns! No Exchanges!
I
Millinery Section—Third Floor
Kitvanis Clubs of Nebraska-louia 1
x District to Meet at Lincoln
Will T. Graham of Omaha Is
• Chairman of Program
Commttee.
Will T. Graham, vice president of
the First Trust company of Omaha, Is
chairman of the program committee
for the fourth annual convention of
Nehraskaz-lowa district of Klwanis
clubs which wyi be held in Lincoln
October 12 ana 13.
Mr. Graham has been an active
member of the Omaha Klwanis club
ever since 1918, when it was organized.
He Is a director of the Omaha club
and one of the chief workers for
Father and Son week observed by
Omaha Kiwanis each year.
Other members of the committee
making arrangements to entertain
more than 3,000 Kiwanians are:
George L. Towne, Lincoln; Lloyd
Hansen, Hastings, Neb.; Ossian H.
Brainerd, Iowa City, la.; Edward
Evans, Council Bluffti; Raymond M.
Crossman, Omaha, district governor;
Sam C. 'Waugh, president of the Lin
coln Klwanis club; Will C. Beachly,
Lincoln, and C. W. Watson, Lincoln.
Three International officers of
Klwanis will address the convention.
Delegrates from more than 40 Kl
" 11- ■ ■■ .i— —I
Will T. Graham.
wanls clubs will attend. Headquarters
for the convention will be at the
Lincoln hotel.
Zionists to Give Ball to
Remove Treasury Deficit
Omaha Zionist* will give a ball at
the Auditorium today, the proceeds to
be used to clear a deficit In the treas
ury of the local district organization.
Annette Riklln, dancer, will dance
a solo number. Johnn Feldman Is
chairman of the affair. A piano will
be given away during the evening.
The piano was sold at cost to the
Zionists by Burgess-Nash company.
Convention of Baptists
in Omaha October 10 to 14
Baptist ministers from all over Ne
braska, will meet here October 10
to rl for the state Baptist conven
tion. The sessions are to be held
In the Calvary Baptist church. Speak
ers from New York and Chicago will
address the convention. Women's ses
sions will be held at the same time
as the conference.
Wymore to Have New School
Building to Cost $200,000
Wymore, Neb.. Oct. 6.—A new
school building for Wymore Is ss
sured. At a meeting of the school
hoard and taxpayer* the matter was
definitely settled and sealed bids will
be received by the board until No
vember 5. The building is to be of
face brick and modern in every re
spect.
There are over 800 pupils in the
schools of Wymore and some grades
are crowded, with three ward and
auxiliary buildings in use. The new
building will be 90 by 160 feet and is
expected to cost approximately
$200,000.
Omaha Bank Clearings.
Bank clearings for this week were
$38,703,193.81; last week, $35,476.
773.82, and corresponding week a year
ago, 845,080,124.84.
^omjBon^Mien&Ca
Phone AT lantic 0600
v " —
Fall Frocks
In the Three Smartest
Materials
In Satin
Fine pleating, brilliant em
broideries, flounces and
bustles are among the styles
reproduced in frocks of nich
black satin.
$49.50 to $98.50
In Charmcen
The suave beauty of this new
twi.i fabric is highly effec
tive in tailored tier And
flounce models in navy, cor
dovan brown and the new
rosewood shade.
$69.50
In Velvet
Russian models, fur trimmed
and straight of silhouette;
peasant neck and bishop
sleeves outlined in brilliant
embroideries;cascades faced
in color. These are some of
the novel treatment found
in frocks of black chiffon
velvet.
$69.50 to $125.00
Fall Coats
To Wear With
Your Own Furs
Smart lines and tai
lored stitching are the
source of good looks in
a handsome coat of
black lustro lined
throughout with crepe
silk.
This model is typical of
a group of dress coats
we are showing for the
woman who prefers a
coat without fur trim
ming.
*49.50
Third Floor
GROUND
The new wrap-around corset is particularly
adapted to the woman of slender form. The
firm elastic insets grip the figure snugly, yet
give absolute freedom of movement.
They also give the flat back and graceful hip
line so desirable for the present-day gown.
Medium and long in the skirt, in lovely mer
cerized brocade,
| )
TGMOPPnW
/It Jhompso/i'Bu /dens
On Looking in a Book
Now this is the way every
mother wants her little
dears to look, I decided in
glancing at the delightful
children that stroll through
the enchanting pages of
the new “Children’s Royal”
in such well-bred fashion.
What wouldn’t she give to x
have them dressed in such
out-of-the-ordinary clothes
that each small person
would appear the extra
ordinary child each mother
knows it really is. Immedi
ately the meager twenty
one inches of this column
seem all too short in which
to tell mothers of all the
adorable things of this sort
I spy in going about this
pleasant store.
Small Laundry Bills for
Jack and Jill
—when mother
puts them in
wool Jersey.
Appliqued on
Jill’s tan frock
are saucy
scarlet flowers that match
her roll collar and the
bands of the wee bloomers
that peep out at the bot
'tom. Jack becomes a model
of tailored perfection in an
Oliver Twist suit of the
same soft shade. To men
tion but two of the clever
wool models for cool days
or traveling emergencies
that make laundry a prob
lem. Sizes 2 to 6 years
are $5.95.
Pony Hose for 'N-’ ,
Rough Riders
The charge of
San Juan Hill
was a mild
assault c o m
pared with
those on the :-3
knees of a lively young
have knitted them three
times as strong. This is
ster’s stockings. So the*
m a ’• e r s of Pony hose
but one of the special
points of construction that
make Pony hose the best
wearing kind for boys and
girls. Several good styles
at 50c a pair.
Puss in Boots JTould
Specify Sorosis
—when ask
ing his master
for a new pair
of boots, I'm
sure had he
■I..-—I...,__i seen our new
fall models for boys and
girls. For Puss was a
clever fellow and would
appreciate the perfectly
corking pair I saw in brown
calf with tan suede uppers.
Oh. boy! but they’re good
looking! $5 or $5.50, ac
cording to sizes. x
It's a Good Trick—Any
IT onion Can Do It
Just two un
derarm seams
and three but
tons to sew
on—p r e sto!
vou have
made an exquisite baby
dress. The material for
this sleight-of-hand per
formance comes from the
Embroidery Section in the
form of little nainsook
dresses hand embroidered
w ith wee sprays of flowers
and sci.Uoped edges. Even
the placket is scalloped and
the buttonholes made!
Sizes G months to 3 years
are $2.75.
.f .\eteromer
Now about the Children’s
Royal that started the
whole story—you know it is
issued every two months by
Condo Nast, publisher of
Vogue. It contains pat
terns of most out-of-the
ordinary clothes for boys
and girls that may be pur
chased in-our Pattern De
partment for 50c. The
“Early Winter Fashions"
number is so fascinating
I’m afraid they think I've( ,
mistaken the pattern
counter for the reading
room! Why don’t you *
look it over tomorrow?
G. P. S. 1
%