The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1910-08-12
HARDING FIGHTS
Ohio Editor Shaped Career
With Statehouse st CO.
lumbus as Ultimate Des-
tination-Curious Combi-
nation of Erstwhile Po-
litical Foes Name Him.
' JAMES A. EDCERTON.


Of the warmest fights in the
history Of Buckeye politics. which has
not been entirely devoid of warm
fights, but also holds out a welcome
promise that in some rare instances
the newspaper man may come into his
own.
Harding has been newspaper man
ever since he was nineteen years old,
or all Of the time at least when not
engaged in holding Office or stumping
the state. He took paper when
everybody said it was going to die
and had to borrow money to raise. the
purchase price. That called for
large combination of faith and grit, and
the same qualities were required for
some years afterward to keep the thing
going.
Go it did, however, which was fortu-
nate from several standpoints. Fol
one thing it gave tn Republicans of
Ohio candidate for governor when
they needed one very much, and for
another it prevented Hardings cheer
full friends, who had predicted the
papers early demise, from coming
around and saying, 81 told you So"
Circumstances Favor Harding.
Harding's nomination came as the
result Of peculiar combination. 1t
was practically the field against George
B. Cox of Cincinnati and his candidate,
Judge o. B. Brown of Dayton. James
r. Garfield had announced that if he
did not get his platform his name
would not 60 before the convention.
and when the progressive" tariff
plank, the recall and certain other of
the Garfield planks were rejected by
the resolution committee he made
good his word. Carmi A. Thompson,
one of the three leading candidates
before the convention and regarded in
some quarters as favorite Of Senator
Dick, also withdrew.
This narrowed the fight practically
to Brown and Harding, although there
were scattering votes for other candi-
dates, Garfield and Nicholas Longworth
receiving the bulk of these.
One of the most stirring features of
the balloting was the attempt of Guy
ahOga county to start a stampede for
Longworth. Mrs. Longworth, who
was seated in the gallery, was OBJ
served to frown at this and vigorously
shake her head. looking the while in
tently at her husband on the platform,
who had a frown ON his own face.
Both, however, joined in the applause
when the advance of the Harding
wave submerged all other candidates
Old Enemies In Alliance.
Politics never made stranger bed
fellows than in the joining of forces
that led to Harding's nomination. Gar
field was there with the progressive"
strength and, although he had aroused
the hostility Of the administration by
his attitude in the BallingerPinchot
controversy, he readily Joined hands
with the Taft forces to prevent the
nomination Of the Cox candidate.
Harding had been referred to as
Foraker candidate, yet, despite the old
Foraker-Taft feud, the administration
was forced to accept him. The result
was practically a Taft-Garfield-F Fora
ker-Burton combination. 1t is long
lived political animosity which sur.
wives the year Of its birth. The po-
litical, enmities of yesterday become
the friendship Of today and are again
the enmities OF tomorrow.
Harding has long been known as the
best A'stump speaker in Ohio" Any
body who is acquainted with Ohio
stump speakers realizes the transcend
ent quality of that praise. Originally
Blaine man, he later became wor-
he is a leader in his own right. For
some years state senator. he was
afterward offered the nomination for
congress, but declined, one reason CIV
en- by his friends being that he already
had the .guberna torial bee in his bon
net. 1t was case of hope deferr' |,
however, for the nearest he could get
to the governors chair was his cleo
tion as lieutenant governor, which
gave him the title even though it did
not carry the power to shake the off,
cial plum tree.
Editor of College Paper.
Harding was born in 1866. the son Of
a physician who served in the civil
war. He had the journalistic bug
even in college, where he was one of
the editors of the campus paper. No
sooner was he graduated than he
started on his newspaper career ON the
old family mule, riding 1t into Marion,
the county seat. 1t may be that that
particular mule will become as famous
as those driven by James A. Garfield
on the towpath. 1t may be that the
particular load of ambition 1t carried
was then started on his journey to
the goyefnQrship Of q great state. and