Show urn STATESMEN DO SAY SAX THINGS GS WHEN THEY TilEY ARENT AREN'T ACE r TALKING ross FOR PUBLICATION By fly RODNEY RO EY DUTCHER BUTCHER NEA NtA vice Set Writer WASHINGTON Nov 25 When a statesman makes a speech or talks for the newspapers he is apt to be something of ot a bore But when he talks not for publication tion he is likely to have something interesting to say tay The reason for that is that the statesman statesman statesman-or or politician if you prefer knows full well that if he speaks his mind he is Ia likely to offend someone or express what may be deemed a aha half half- baked Idea He always has one eye ee on the voters or the bosses or finan finan- financial cial ciol backers on whom hom his career may depend and when he says something any of them are likely to hear or read he chooses his words very Cry carefully The situation causes some of them to become apparent victims of sion aion Your correspondent who originally origInally arrived In the capital weighted down by great awe somehow became be hep to the fact that most moot of the Im Im- Important Important im- im important gentlemen he interviewed for foe publication were often mouthing mere platitudes or bunk or else repeating parts of their previous speeches He consequently adopted the habit of or assuring all interviewers that they mustn't m tnt say anything for tor publication Those tactics seem to put some of them at ease Others who ho feel that their views view seldom receive proper newspaper attention att are disappointed Still others perhaps the most moat im Im- important Important im- im portent ones seem glad to take the opportunity to get something off oU their chests Thus one is able to paw pass along ideas and facts of interest with with- without without out quoting anyone the only draw draw- drawback drawback drawback back being that if It they were wee attrib attrib- attributed attributed attributed to the actual source they would often be good for eight-column eight head head- headlines headlines headlines lines on Page One For instance an outstanding leader eader of the Democratic party who often orton has been suggested for the presidency un un- unburdened unburdened unburdened burdened himself the other evening of certain beliefs which publicly ex expressed ex- ex expressed pressed would cause him to be bc cussed and damned by Democrats wherever they are to be found Our political up set-up said he Is la based on silly artificial lines linea established by the Civil war We have men menon menon menon on our side of the senate who ore are no nomore nomore nomore more Democrats than Coolidge and Republicans on on the other side aIde who are arc no more Republicans than I am The only thing that keeps the Re Re- Republican publican party dominant is the fact that we have ha a solid lId south The north has been warned against putting the south in the saddle and enough of oC f it is votes volts that way w y to elect Hardings and nd The only solution I see is Isto to break breakup breakup up lip the solid soUd south and the best b st way to do that is to nominate Al AI Smith I admire Smith but he would take tte a terrible licking Smith wouldn't carry one single southern state except Louisiana The Themore Themore Themore more states he carried elsewhere the better for tor the party but he couldn't win Then with the south an nn open field we would have base a national party There wouldn't be many more of these fear fear- fearful fist ful landslides and there would be real contests in every state I dont don't see se any other way out for us w because ex except ex cx- in case of a terrific terrie depression were we're already licked in 1928 Ins The speaker incidentally was a a. southerner One may agree with him about the meaningless nature of the present political lineup but his views regarding Smiths Smith's acceptability in the south are extreme e There are sr ar many other southern leaders here Aho ho ho In Indorse In- In Indorse indorse dorse Smith privately as the best available aval ble candidate but who dont don't dare say Eay so publicly Heres Here's another unpublished opinion from from an equally prominent nt Republican Republican lican politician who offers what Iut is at least a unique explanation of Cool- Cool COOlIdge's lOges lOge's non-choose non announcement announcement- I The fact seems to be bo that Cal Cat fig fig- figured figured his popularity would stretch over the next four years Always hating a fight he realized that trouble was brewing in the agricultural states that the third term turn issue would be pushed against him that Al Smith would give gl him a hard fight and that there might be some same sort of oC a business depression I by next November So Cal Just decided I Ithen ed that he would step out now note and I then take the nomination again in 1932 Of OC course he ho was mistaken in assuming that he could be nominated I again after four years ears out of office but Im I'm convinced that was what he I had in mind The quoted paragraphs are arc samples of the bizarre beliefs of two of otis oui our best political oracles and typical of what such persons sometimes have to say off oft the record If they had been uttered publicly they would have been given tremendous publicity and many m ny would have hae called them absurd As for the confidential information and predictions that sound a little littlemore littlemore more reasonable or more important the correspondent often takes ad ad- advantage advantage vantage of the peculiar situation dresses them up in his own OTO words anc and puts put them out as his very own OVoD |