THE PRESIDENCY: Stability

The size of a Presidential vocabulary is strictly limited by the public imagination. History will probably record that Washington’s word was “independence”; that Lincoln’s word was “union”; that Roosevelt’s words were “strenuous life”; that Wilson’s words (his vocabulary was the largest) were ” make the world safe for democracy”; that Harding’s word was “normalcy.” The press has already come to the conclusion that Mr. Coolidge’s word is “stability.”

If this word “sticks” it is likely to prove no small factor in Mr. Coolidge’s political fortunes. In one interview with press representatives Mr. Coolidge said in effect that his aim was to secure stability in business by stability in the tariff, stability in Government economy, stability in Government policies generally.

Public thinking is made easy by catch words. It may well be that the Presidential lips will utter some other word more appealing to the public imagination, but if “stability ” is to stand it is a landmark in the history of the Administration.