The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-12-08
FRIENDL|NESS
IS INSPIRED
BY HARDING
President-Elect Meets Many
Persons in Washington =
Does More Listening Than
Talking-Plans Policy.
SEES SOLEMN DUTIES
BY MARK SULLIVAN


WASHINGTON, d. c., Dec. S-When
Tuesday afternoon, he had spent al
most exactly 40 hours in the capitol,
he saw good many persons, and they
told him a good many things. Hard
ing himself did more listening than
talking. About the only thing that he
himself initiated was movement
looking to as early action as is rea-
sonable on what is conveniently called
the League of Nations question, but is,
in fact, the whole problem of our for
eign relations. He brought this up
with several members Of the senate
committee Of foreign relations, and
with other senators, and urged action
on their part looking to arriving at
common ground for action. Senator
Harding has been himself a member
OF the foreign affairs committee and
sat with it during all the sessions
that dealt with the League of Nations.
He knows the various points of view
held by individual members, and he
tried on Monday and Tuesday to make
a beginning toward finding common
ground on which all these differing
views can meet.
This is about the only affirmative
thing that Harding did, about the only
thing in which he took the initiative
But he listened to lot of other things.
Among the suggestions laid before
him by one or another of those who
called were the following:
Urged to Appoint
Hp nrund n hic 70 W
of state and his secretary of the treas
ury Immediately, without waiting until
he has made up his mind about the
cabinet as a whole. The idea Of those
who urged this course was that the
names Of these two officials would
carry a certain amount cf weight with
the public and would give business
men and others interested n basis
upon which to make their calhulation
for the future. 1t was urged, also,
that these two officials should have
a good deal of time before the 4th of
March in which to study thir prob
lens and prepare themselves for
prompt action after they take office.
To this suggestion Senator Harding
gave no sign or assent or dissent
He was urged to ask the committee
on finance of the senate to begin to
hold meetings Immediately, for the
purpose of preparing a tentative pro-
gram for revising the taxes. About
this suggestion Senator Harding did
nothing except to express a whole
hearted conviction that the taxes
should be revised as early as practic-
able.
Eond Plan Urged.
Incidental to this plan for revision
of taxes, Senator Harding was urged
to give his endorsement to a plan for
lefunding the government debt, a plan
which would extend all the Liberty
Bonds for 60 years and would divide
the refunding issue into three classes
Of bonds. One class free Of income
taxes on large incomes. another free of
income taxes on medium incomes, and
Il third free of income taxes on small
incomes. The purpose of this division
is. Of course, to make the new issue as
attractive as possible to different
groups of investors.
Senator Harding was urged to assert
leadership OF the Republicans in the
present Congress, without waiting
until March 4. He was urged to act
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