Life — September 21, 1922 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ASHINGTON, Sept. 19.— : There is no denying that my progressive tendencies have caused a noticeable coolness between myself and my party leaders. Henry Cabot Lodge has even stopped bowing to me when I meet him in the Senate corridor. But I can’t help it. I am built that way, fearless, forward-look- ing, and no icy glances from Na- hant can stop me in my fight to in- troduce modern business methods into government. The Standpatters, of course, who have fought with their backs to the wall against any- thing resembling businesslike con- duct of the affairs of Congress, re- gard my proposal with nothing short of horror. For I feel that the time has come for politics to follow the lead of baseball, the movies and other great business enterprises and appoint its dictator, spiritual adviser, umpire or whatever you choose to call him, Baseball has its Landis, the movies their Hays, and the theatre its Augustus Thomas; and if Senate resolution No. 281, of my authorship, is adopted, politics will have its Coolidge. As far as I can make out, one of the chief duties of the “czar” of any industry is to talk. I am not saying, of course, that there is any wide- spread feeling that the work of the present Congress has not been up to par, or that there is any general dis- satisfaction with politics, though I do recall seeing a little newspaper com- ment to that effect. But, in any case, it will be Mr. Coolidge’s duty to talk the people out of any such delusion. And I Am Confident that he will do it very well. In my mind’s eye I can already see the headlines : POLITICAL OVERLORD WARNS MANAGERS Tetts THEM To Keep Powitics CLEAN Wasu.—In a letter to campaign LIFE Sounder Names Political Overlord In Move for Cleaner, Better Politics managers, C. Coolidge, supreme ar- biter of politics, told them plainly that politics must be kept clean. Al- though he suggested toothbrush drills, neck and ear inspection, and healthy exercise in the open, he em- phasized that he had no jurisdiction over the means employed. The pub- lic, he added, was increasingly in- Meeting of the Czar of politics and Michael’ J. (“Knuckles”) O’Conners boss of the 16th Ward sistent in its demand for clean poli- tics. Or again: Wasu.—On returning yesterday from a tour of campaign headquar- ters, Calvin Coolidge, supreme czar of politics, expressed himself as greatly pleased with the fine, manly qualities of the boys. As Michael J. (“Knuckles”) O’Conners, boss of the 16th ward, told him, “we are all striving earnestly to support you, chief, in your aim to introduce noble, pure, unselfish and patrio- tic motives into poli- tics.” Undeniably, that sort of thing will do for politics just what Mr. Hays’ utterances are doing for the movies. The ways in which such an official could make himself use- ful are innumerable. _& When the party had got itself into a pret- ty snarl over the bonus question it could untangle itself in a min- ute by shifting the blame to him. Any such statement as “No Bonus Now—Political Arbiter Rules” would serve. The President couldn’t say it, the party couldn't. But Coolidge could. It Took the Party Leaders months of fussing and wrangling to find a way of seating Newberry without losing face. With Coolidge on the job, one short newspaper statement would have attained the same end: POLITICAL PONTIFF DISCIPLINES NEWBERRY SEVERELY ARRAIGNS CANDIDATE Wuo Spent Fortune IN PRIMARIES And Gives Him the Seat. There would be countless other op- portunities for him to exercise his authority. Indeed, with men like Blanton and Tom Watson and others running around the Capitol, he would have to be constantly alert. On the Other Hand anyone who fears that he would ex- tend his influence for reform too far, need only look at the other industries that move under the direction of a “dictator.” Baseball is still baseball, the movies are the same old movies, and politics will always be politics Sounder. The standpatters have no use for Sounder’s plan comicbooks.com