Weekends on cspan two , American History tv documents american stories. On sunday, book tv brings the latest of books and authors. Cspan 2, comes from this and more, including, cox. Everybody looks mostly settled. So welcome again here in the afternoon. My name is . Jarod rhodes. Im the speech and debate director for the Coolidge Foundation. Our program is an exciting. We give everybody looks demostly settled. Thereby learn and develop and practice the skills of oratory and rhetoric, civil engagement, research. You have to do a lot that in writing your own speeches as well. Of course, along the way we give them a big dose of coolidge material as well. And so they learn quite a bit about our 30th president as of our program. You might be how its structured. We have tournaments across the nation. Weve in idaho this year. Weve been in dallas in december, just came back north carolina. We have tournaments all all across the country and we qualify students essentially to the coolidge cup, which is our championship tournament that we hold each july in plymouth, we have been in dallas, in december. We have tournaments all across the country and we qualify students to the coolidge cup. It is our championship tournament that we hold each july in plymouth, vermont. It has been noted that we have our 1890 society here. We have about 51 1890 Society Members who have been conducted. We have about a third of all of our inductees at this conference it appeared i want to give a hand for that representation. The 1890 society is our debate alumni society. It is something you get inducted to in your senior year if you are a standout with coolidge debate. Hopefully you had a chance to converse with them in between the breakfast and the lunches and so on and so forth. If you got into a debate with any of them, my apologies. You probably lost and we probably should have given you a little bit of a warning. They are quite good at what they do. We are really proud that they are on our team and we are able to send them into the world with great skills. Speaking of, we have one 1890 Society Member here who would do a coolidge declamation. Allow me to call up a coolidge cup champion. A native of texas. A current robinson scholar. Matthew. Come on up. In 1890, Calvin Coolidge look out at the audience at the black River Academy and delivered a speech for his high school graduation. His theme was oratory in history. 1890, set for satiety for three reasons. This is a moment he stepped into his role as a commanding order. Second, it was spoken to high school students. The same age group that compete in these tournaments. The speech was about the rich American History. With that, i would like to thank the foundation for putting together a network of the brightest principled Young Leaders i had the chance to interact with. Thank you for that. On august 10th, 1922, Calvin Coolidge and. The topic of his speech was the limitations of the law. In this excerpt, he speaks to the balance between state action and social responsibility. His work echoes in true today. The growing multiplicity of laws, often being observed. The state legislators, the courts deliver opinions with each year running into the scores of thousands. A part of this is due to the complexity of advancing civilization. As new forces come into existence, new relationships are created. The rights and obligations arise, which require establishment in definition by legislation in decisions. These are the natural and inevitable consequences of the growth of great cities for the development of scheme and electricity. The use of the corporation, is the leading factor in the transaction of business. The attended regulation and control of the powers created by these new and mighty agencies. The organize effort in assistant desire for equitable distribution of the rewards of industry, for a wider justice. For a more consistent righteousness in human affairs, is one of the most stimulating and hopeful signs of the present era. There ought to be a militant public demand for progress in this direction. The society which is satisfied is lost. In the accomplishment of these ends, there needs to be a better understanding of the province of legislation and judicial action. There is a danger of disappointment and disaster, unless there be a wider comprehension of limitation of the law. As a standard of civilization rises, there is necessity for a larger and larger outlay, to maintain the cost of isik. As the government increases, the extended field of operations, the initial tax it requires becomes manifold many times over as its paid by the ultimate consumer. And increasi of regulation and police creasi control, the brunt of it all becomes very great. Behind very many of these enlarging activities like the onion and temples theory that there are some shortcut to perfection. It is conceived that there can be a horizontal elevation of the standards of the nation. Immediate and perceptible by the simple device of new laws. This has never been the case of human existence. Progress is the result of a long and arduous process of selfdiscipline. It is not conferred upon the people, it comes from the people. In a republic, the law reflects rather than makes the standard of conduct in the state of Public Opinion. Real reform does not begin with the law. It ends with the law. The attempted to have the body when the need is to convince the soul will only end under the attempt to perform the impossible, there is a general disintegration. When legislation fails, those who look upon it as a sovereign remedy simply cry out for more legislation. A sound and wide statement ship which recognizes and attempts to abide by its limitations will find itself displaced by that type of public official, who promises much, talks much, legislative much, expends much but accomplishes little. The deliberate and sound judgment of the country is likely to find it has been superseded by a popular whim the independence of the legislator is broken down. The enforcement of the law becomes uncertain. The courts fails in their function of speedy and accurate justice. The adjustments are questioned and their independent is threatened. The law changed and changeable at slight provocation. He loses its sanctity and authority. A continuation of this condition opens the road to chaos. It is time to supplement the appeal to the law, which is limited with an appeal to the spirit of the people. Which is unlimited. Some and settlements disturb they are temporary. Some factious elements exist but they are small. No assessment of the material conditions of americans cant warrant anything but the highest courage and the deepest faith. No reliance upon the National Character has ever been betrayed. No survey which goes below the surface can fail to discover a solid and substantial foundation of satisfaction but our country mess months remember that they have and can have no dependents save themselves. Our laws are there laws. It is to enforce and obey. If in this they fail, there are none who can succeed. The sanctity of duly constituted tribunals, undivided allegiance to Public Authority must be required. The citizenship was voluntarily establishes an offense these, the cause of america is secure. Without that, all else is of little avail. Thank you. [ applause ] final panel of the conference, session seven. Titled Mount Rushmore and the presidency. Our moderate this afternoon is matthew spalding. Dr. Spalding is a professor in Constitutional Government at hillsdale college. He is the dean of hillsdales graduate school of government in washington, d. C. Dr. Spalding is the author of numerous books include best selling book, we still hold these truths rediscovering our principles and reclaiming our future. Please join me in welcoming dr. Spalding and our panelist to the stage. [ applause ] afternoon. I will begin by thanking the great work of the Coolidge Foundation for what they are doing , restoring coolidges standing but also spreading and teaching his message. Our panel today is the Mount Rushmore panel. It is not just because of our good looks and granite features. As an attempt to assess coolidges larger president ial legacy. Coolidge spoke at the dedication ceremony of Mount Rushmore in the summer of 1927 when that work was just beginning to take shape. There, he spoke briefly about the four president s to be on the memorial, washington, the disciple of liberty. Not outranked by any moral greatness. Jefferson, whose wisdom ensure the government should be entrusted to the administration of the people. Lincoln, who demonstrated the permanency of our union and extends the principle of freedom to all inhabitants of the land. Then roosevelt, who saw the principles for which these three men stood might still be more firmly established. Future americans, coolidge put it will know that the figure of these president s have been placed there because by following the truths they built for eternity. The fundamental principles which they retained have been brought into the very name of our country. The question is, where does he fit in the president ial pantheon . I want to begin by suggesting we consider a higher standard. There was a bit of a coolidge revival back in the 1880s thomas silver, a colleague of mine and dr. Haywards such a reassessment of coolidge is really difficult given the critics of his time. Became a key narrative in the deal of historians. Above all, arthur schlesinger. Part of the official narrative passed down to later strains who repeat the same stories. More generally our assessment of president ial greatness is shaded today by modern political signs of success with the model of politics is the modern theory of leadership. First, they may network the progressive prototype are only professional academic to be president , Woodrow Wilson. We are ruled more by expertise and follow models that we are great at decisionmaking and live under the administration of politics rather than look to the deliberation and judgment and political is been wisdom of statesmanship. Despite the theory that strikes me just as it should strike any close reader and any student of actual history that coolidge has more in common with washington and lincoln than any other modern president. When reagan replaced Thomas Jefferson portion in the cabinet room with Calvin Coolidge , i think it was not a displacement to jefferson as much is a recognition that coolidge may be the rest representative of 20th century jeffersonian is him. Coolidge, unlike the political people of his day or our day understood deeply the purposes of the american regime. Especially as expressed in the declaration of independence. After lincoln, who was following washington and jefferson, coolidge was the most significant and subsequent interpreter of those concepts. The progressive impala get to be different by the spirit of the changing times. It is progress. And the need for progressive leadership. Coolidge but the things of the spirit would come first. That no advance or progress could be made be on the fundamental truths of the declaration. We must cling to those things, he said. For all maternal material prosperity will return to a scepter. Hence the politics of prudence. And the necessity of statesmanship. There can be no statesmanship without statesman. While circumstances are often revealed greatness, circumstances do not determine the virtue, neither do historians or political scientists. While circumstances often yield excuse me, any assessment of Calvin Coolidge requires a higher standard of statesmanship. This, despite the fact that just before speaking at Mount Rushmore, coolidge announced that he would not run for re election in 1928. Quote, it is great advantage to a present and a major source of safety to the country for him to know he is not a great man. That said, what is coolidges legacy . We have a great panel for you to assess this. I am mostly a sort of washington and lincoln and the early american presidency. Our first speaker today is craig furman, who has studied many president s as writers and the author where he writes as coolidge as one of the the best president s. Greg. Thank you, matthew. Thank you for coming out. Theres a lot of things you could do this afternoon but it is nice you are spending it with us. Today i want to celebrate coolidges talent and legacy as a president ial rider. Both have been overlooked. Coolidge built his career not by being quiet but by being loud. As you with the covers of two hugely important books, books that capitalize on his new forms of celebrity and commerce. There are two main categories. The campaign book, which helps you get to the white house and the legacy book would helps you reflect or cash in on the time there. He had an alltime example. He collected many of his things as governor. Coolidge took each speech seriously. His wife, who was a superb and underrated writer heard him writing the speeches in pencil so he could revise them again and again none of them was ever wholly satisfactory at the time, grace recalled. Afterward he would relent and say, it was a gritty good speech after all. This produced at this ugly simple style, short sentences and an another nathan writer, benjamin lincoln, would have liked. Prose is only part of a success. It also needs marketing, distribution, bus. Behind the scenes have expert help. The famous editor chose the title, a book called baystate oration print that was another option lifting him to the white house. A businessman uses industry contacts to assure the paper for a repent just before the 1920 republican convention. This saw the rise of advertising shops and public firms and experts from both professions push coolidges book and the National Media and on the complexion convention four. They nominated coolidge for the vice presidency. I knew the man who wrote the speeches was a patriot, a delegate told reporters. Coolidges book was his campaign and his campaign was his book. Once he became president he became a true celebrity. This era also saw the rise of a new kind of national star, thanks to radio and magazines and movie theaters. One newspaper introduce coolidge to the National Audience like this, quote, the governor was like a typical yankee. Consumers want to glimpse the personalities and personalize the celebrities. To know not just what they would a commish but which brand of cigarettes they smoke. One reason coolidge was so popular as a politician as he could appeal to both forms of celebrity at the same time. He came from authentic farmer stock but he was also happy to pose on the farm for photographers. Coolidge was also a writer, though he had less time with being present written consent from the New York Times declared him the most liberated man who occupied the white house since 1865. When coachella article he wrote a letter to the reported that wrote it because it meant so much to him but it meant someone cared a lot about his work. Lines like that created these expectations that were huge for coolidges memoirs which appeared in 1921 indiana sears and soa series of essays. Mr. Coolidges own story and the first essay gave readers the personal insights they crave for their celebrities. Especially the account of his teenage son, calvin jr. Who died of a blister when the family lived in the white house. Coolidges accounts remain brutally honest. Im going to read some lines here. In his suffering coolidge road, my son was asking me to make him well. I could not. The most powerful man in the world admitted that in this moment he felt powerless. Even years later he remained lacerated and unsure. If i had not been present, he would not have gotten the blister. I do not know why such a price was executive occupying the white house. It cost a great deal to be president. On the morning that issue went on sale, grace went out early to bite on a new stamper by the end of the day the issue had disappeared nationwide. Even though cosmetology had printed hundreds of thousands of extra copies. Scalpers were selling copies for one dollar apiece. They have a request for additional inventory for 2000 cities. Calvin coolidge noted Publishers Weekly has received more publicity in one day than the offered George Bernard shaw receives in three years. His autobiography became a best seller it is also remarkably brief and remarkably honest. Perhaps some of the conferences other might benefit from his example. Taken together coolidges books prove that he was a wonderful writer and savvy celebrity. Today it is easy to miss each of those qualities in him but is also worth asking what qualities matter the most then and now . In washington we have plenty of celebrities. Do we have any writers and readers . [ applause ] thank you, craig. Her neck speaks her is dr. Steven hayward. Resident scholar at Uc Berkeley Institute of government studies program. He is an authority on many president s. He is the author of what i consider to be the best biography of Ronald Reagan and the general title of the age of reagan. I think completes with such injures age of roosevelt, a very important present. Dr. Hayward. That was the idea that, thanks. Leavitt to them to come over some as outrageous and preposterous as proposing Calvin Coolidge for Mount Rushmore. Exactly. Im going to try to get him there. If you go back as is mentioned, Ronald Reagan put coolidges picture up in the calvin room cabinet room. The average in the media was deafening. The next thing should be to put him on rushmore. More fun times to be had. I think he is halfway there. Im going to try to get him the rest of the way. It does require a different standard for evaluating our statesman. There has been a rise in his reputation. Matt manion a couple figures like tom silver. Of course, culminating in a biography and this foundation, of course. When i was in college back around the time of the cold war, i think. My contemporary history professor going through the depression set up Calvin Cooli