The public ledger., 1920-10-30
DEMOCRATIC LIE IS
NAILED TO WALL

editorial this, afternoon:
Fifty years ago personal scandal
and whispered lies against the candi-
dates played considerable part in
American politics.
"Until this year it seemed that we
had been getting away from that sort |
OF thing. The Presidential campaigns |
of the present century have been
fought out chiefly in the open, with |
arguments about principles and the
characters and intentions Of candi-
dates holding the center of the stage.
"This year the Democrats have
tried to turn the clock back fifty
years They have attempted to revive
that snirit of underhannded PARTISAN
ship which was quite usual in Amer
ice in the day wien blackguards at
tackled the ancestry of the mother of
Abraham Lincoln and said that Lin
coin himself was illegitimate.
Most of the energy of the under
ground section of the Democratic
campaign has been devoted to the,cir-
culation of lie about Harding's an
cestry, No responsible Democrat has
dared to repeat it in the open, but
many Democrats have passed 1t
around, hand to hand. There are few
voters in Hamilton county who have
not run up against this sneaking prop
aganda in one form or another aud
who have not had somebody whisper
in their ears in strict confidence, that
there is really something in that story
about Harding.
"The story is to the effect that
Warren G. Harding's grandfather
was Amos Harding and that he mar
ried Mary Ann Dixon, negress.
"The story is false in every respect.
1t even has the wrong names for
1 Hardings grandparents. The Sepa-
tors grandfather was Charles Alex
ander Harding. Charles Alexander
Hardings wife, and the grandmother
of Warren G. Harding on the paternal
side. was Mary Ann Crawford. She
was the daughter Of Joshua Crawford
of Baltimore and Sophia Stevens,
whose family lived in Albemarle
county, Va. The Crawfords were of
Scotch-Trish descent the family orig
mating in Lanarkshire. Scotland. The
first Of the family came to America in
the Seveteenth Century The Craw-
fords appear all through the genoa
ologies of Virginia and are related tc
most Of the prominent families of CO.
lonial days in that state.
"There was an Amos Harding
among Warren G. Harding's ances.
tors. He was not the Senator's grand
father, however, but his great-great'
, grandfather. The name of his wife
was not Mary Ann Dixon, but Phoebe
Trip who belonged to well-knowr
colonial family of Pennsylvania an(
was cousin of Frances Slocum, 'th'
lost sister of Wyoming Amos Hard
ing lived in the Wyoming Valley
Pennsylvania, from 1777 to 1900 HI
came to Richlapd county, Ohio, earl.
in the ninetee1 1(h century, and die
, there in 1889.
"As a rule Americans object to lie
and particularly to that type of Ii
. which flourishes only in the dark. I'm
less the character of our people ha
changed, they will show on Electio
Day exactly what they think of tn
subterranean campaign the Demo
Gratis have waged during the pas
three weeks.
"a political campaign that can nc
be run in the open, free press {
America, is not to the credit of an
party or candidate.
eve give below Harding's famil
tree. 1t Is an ancestry of which an
American might we'll be proud "
shall be glad to answer question
a about any of the men or women who's
names are given and are prepared
} prove that there's was not drop ,
\ negro blood in any one Of them.
CHARLES p TAFT, Publisher,
=, "HULBERT TAFT, Editor"