National Affairs: The New Front Porch

In the nine weeks of his vacation, President Coolidge has not made a single public utterance. It was once thought that to carry on a successful “front porch” campaign, it was necessary to have Rotary Clubs, Elks, Boy Scouts, Better Voters’ Leagues, come and sit on the lawn. Then the officeholder or office-seeker would make a speech to them which would be broadcast through the land. But this summer, Mr. Coolidge has hit upon a new method of influencing the public—and a clever one too. His scheme has two essentials:

1) Once or twice every week, he makes believe that he is not President Coolidge, but Spokesman Coolidge. By this ingenious system, he can educate the citizenry through the press, explain the Administration policies, and never be committed to anything. President Coolidge is purported to be a silent man; but Spokesman Coolidge (with the aid of plentiful padding by newspaper correspondents) has become a garrulous soul. In fact, press despatches concerning him and his views have totalled 1,209,739 words in 62 days of his vacation.

2) The President invites friendly political bigwigs, industrial potentates, labor chiefs, farmers’ friends to White Pine Camp. They all go away, give out interviews, make speeches, whoop it up for “Coolidge and Prosperity.” Last week came Howard Elliott (railroads), Earle P. Charlton (Woolworth, 5 & 10), Representative Bertrand H. Snell of New York (on his second prosperity loud-speaking this summer).

Besides Cabinet members, Senators, Representatives, many a businessman has answered the call to the Coolidge Camp during the summer. Among them: Edsel Ford (autos, airplanes), Harvey Firestone Jr. (tires), Patrick E. Crowley (railroads), Julius Rosenwald (mail orders), A. J. Brosseau (trucks). The statements of these and other magnates concerning the undeniable prosperity of the country have received wide publicity because made in connection with a visit to White Pine Camp. Long after the magnates have returned to their less conspicuous affairs, the impression lingers that somehow President Coolidge is Prosperity. Last week, Mr. Coolidge announced that he would not take active part in the November Congressional campaigns, that prosperity was still the main issue. Political observers tend to agree that the President has executed a masterly summer campaign.