Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-09
WHY THEY WENT
INTO POLITICS
Two New Senators and How They
Practice Their Own Preaching
on Participation in
Public Affirs

TWO of the most interesting men in the
l. new Senate of the United States are War
rem G.. Harding, of Ohio, and James W.
Wadsworth, Jr, of New York, both Repub-
licans and both elected by popular vote
Senator Harding numbers among his accom-
plishments the art of playing the cornet, and
it wasn't very long ago that he played in the
village band The young Knickerbocker Is
an expert at throwing the lariat. Now If the
Senate of the United States should choose
to get up vaudeville show here are two
mighty good men to put on the program
But otherwise neither one of them is likely
to be placed in the vaudevillian class. This
is negative praise, but you'll have to blame
the lariat and the cornet for that. There's
a member of Congress who gets his best fun
out of taking the part OF end man in the
local talent minstrel shows back home.
Senator Harding is a member of that nu-
merous fraternity so well represented in the
public life of America-the company Of coun-
try editors, which has included among it's
representatives at the nations capital in
recent years such men Nelson, Dingley,
Vardaman, Victor Murdoch and, let us can
didy add. Josephus Daniels. He is editor of
the Marion STAR a Republican daily in an
Ohio town of about 10000 inhabitants. After
graduating from college which is no longer
Iberia, Harding went to teaching school and
then began his journalistic career on DEM
ocratic paper in n small town. His enthu-
siasm for the "Plumed Knight" however,
was too much for the editor-in chief, or at
least it was hardly conducive to editorial
harmony and they parted Afterwards Hard
ing took his Republcansm over to the Star
when he took the paper over, Besides being
editor he is also a lawyer and director
in several Industrial enterprises.
Breaks the "One-term' Custom
In 1899 he was elected to the State Senate
and two years later was reelected, becoming
majority leader in that body Before 1901
his district had held rigidly to the zone
term" idea, but at that time Harding broke
the precedent and Il e custom of passing the
job around received a jolt In 1908 he was
the successful candidate for Lieutenant Gov
ernor on the ticket with Myron T. Herrick
but after a term at the state capital he
returned to Marion. apparently with the in
tention of calling his few years of official
life quite enough. 1t not until 1910 that
his friends persuaded him to run for office
again, this time as candidate for Governor.
but he lost the election. He is the first
United States Senator to be elected by direct
vote of the people OF Ohio.
home of the well-to-do. The house overiows
with books. An Omnivorous reader, poetry
and history are his favorite pursuits. Hard
ing as a public speaker is known to Phila-
delphia. few weeks ago he made a mem
orable speech before the Chamber of Com
merce, Somewhere in town there's a man
who used to play in the same band with
Harding back in a village called Caledonia.
In that Chamber of Commerce speech Sem
ator Harding sharply criticised the aloof-
ness of the American business man from
| politics, declaring that when the business
man declines to step into what he desig-
mates the muddy pool of politics he forgets
that its muddiness is chargeable TO his own
neglect" Popular government" he said,
declares a peoples participation. and the
term people includes the business men. big
| and little, of every community"
I Senator Wadsworths activity in poll
| ties is due in considerable part to family
tradition of public service. He has what ne
| calls an "instinctiye horror of reformers "
| but his record shows many hard-fought fights
against political bossism. A believer in or
ganization methods (and the short BALLOT he
! is uncompromising preacher and practi-
tioner of honesty in politics
Politics" said Wadsworth, in reply to a
| question. sis a very genuine thing. not TO be
oefldeo' put 10 De entered into seriously.
Contrary TO the conception existing in the
minds of many good people, participation in
| politics increases ones respect for ones
neighbors and results in the conviction that
an overwhelming majority of men are honest.
My observation has taught me that the most
dangerous element in our voting population
| is not the dishonest man; II is the Indifferent
| citizen. II one ever becomes discouraged as
| 10 the future OF this country It is due to
recognition of the fact that so many Of our
people pay no attention to politics, fail TO
| exercise their privileges as citizens and per-
nit unworthy men to manage their Affairs ("
This attitude toward politics Is not unlike