The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-06-17

Munsey is reprinted from Tues
days Sun and N. Y. Herald.
This is a trying moment for some of
you who had confidently expected to
see your favorite, among the long list
of candidates, carry off the prize at
the Chicago Convention. With your
heart fixed on his getting the nomina-
ton, it is only human that you should
be disappointed, bitterly disappointed,
perhaps, that some other man was Sc
lected as the standard bearer of the
party instead of your man. In the
hour of so keen a disappointment it
is not possible for you to form Just
and fair estimate of the genuine
worth of the triumphant candidate.
l wonder if in this situation | can
help you in visualizing Senator Hard
ing? First, let me say that the Re-
publican nominee neither is personal
friend of mine nor was favorite of
mine for the nomination. | am in a
position, therefore, to speak without
prejudice for or against him. Briefly,
! like Senator Harding, like him very
much, and am exceedingly happy that
the Republican party selected him as
its candidate for the Presidency. He
is not the only man of the group of
aspirants for the nomination that has
in him first rate Presidential timber.
There was half a dozen of them, per-
haps more, who are inner ntly well
fitted for the job.
FRANKLY, if had permitted myself
and my newspapers to have a candi-
date it would not have been Senator
Harding, not that l had anything
against him, but rather because had
never looked very closely into his
qualifications. He has always been
and still is a modest, dignifed man
who has never employed press agents
to megaphone his doings from one
end of the land to the other News
paper man that he is, he should, per-
haps, have shown greater appreciation
of the value of publicity.
Be this as it may, it is clear that
the picture | had of Senator Harding a
week ago is not the picture / have of
him now that l have come to know
him better
Following him all the way up from
the farm, through childhood young
manhood; seeing him as a printer at
the case after he had finished his ed
ucation; seeing him as a venturesome
young editor-owner of a small country
newspaper-daring to put himself to
the test in one of the most difficult
of all fields of endeavor and winning
success; seeing that small country
newspaper grow under his wise and
vigorous handling into a prosperous
and influential journal that has made
him financially independents; seeing
him as Senator in the Legislature
Of Ohio; seeing him as Lieutenant
Governor of his State and then as
United States Senator from Ohio, and
now as the candidate of the Repuoli-
can party for the Presidency-the
highest honor party can bestow on a
man-all that spells something, means
something. Men do not pick up rec
ords of this sort in the street. They
do not come by accident. There is
merit in the man who achieves as
Senator Harding has achieved.
Senator Harding is not a genius. If
he were genius he wouldn't be level
headed. Geniuses are never level
headed. He is, however, better than
a genius for an administrative job
because he is practical man of COM
mon sense.
So far Senator Harding has not
startled the world by anything he has
done or said in the United States Sem
ate. He has made fine record in that
body as a sound, safe man, who thinks
well, talks we'll and has the courage OF
his convictions. AS matter of fact
Senator Harding has taken quite as
CONSPICUOUS place in the United
Seates Senate as any man well car
take in his first term in that body. The
Senator who projects himself into tbs