New-York tribune., 1920-10-14
President Is Declared to
Have Come Dangerously
Near Overturning U. S.
Theory of Government
Democratic Senate
Made Mere Echo
Republican Tariff Is Held
Equally Beneficial to
the Southern Producers
From a staff Correspondent


CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, Oct. 10
Senator Warren G. Harding, in a
speech here tonight, denounced the at
tempted dictatorship of Woodrow Will
son and declared that under Mr.. Will
sons administration the United States
came dangerously near overturning the
constitutional theory of government
and replacing it with the theory of a
master.
After day spent touring the battle
fields of 1868, Missionary Ridge,
Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Sig
nal Mountain and Orchard Knob, Sena
tor Harding told his audience in the
Billy Sunday Tabernacle that the Will
son League of Nations covenant con-
tanned a score of antiquities as likely
to throw this country into war as the
ambiguity in the Constitution that
hastened the Civil War
Ten thousand persons were seated
and standing in the f1at-roofed, woode en-,
sawdust foorcd tabernacle when Sena-
tor Harding appeared on the platform
After the gathering had sung "Ameri-
ca" the candidate was introduced by
Joseph Brown, Republican candidate
for Representative from the Chatta-
nooga district.
Boys and men were perched in the
angles formed by timbels supporting
the roof and braces Even the roof held
its quota of the audience, and heads
looked down at the candidate through
ventilating apcrtures in the ceiling
The real soul of the gathering was
touched when Senator Harding said: 81
insist that America shall never accept
the martial part of the League of Ver-
sailles." There was prolonged cheer-
ing, and as it died away a cry Down
with the league!" was taken up by
many in the audience.
"The trouble is that instead of
breaking the heart of the world we
(the Senate) were breaking the heart
of the greatest ambition in the world
said the candidate, and was cheered
again.
Acclaining the new America, in
which there was no South or North,
the candidate appealed to Southern
Democrats to give earnest considera-
ton to the policies of the Republican
party Tariff protection was as bene-
fetal to the Southern grower of cot
ton and peanuts, he said, as it was to
the Northern grower of wheat and
potatoes 1t was as true, he said, of
Southern factory products as of North
ern factory products.
Calls Wilson a Usurper
Senator Harding declared that time
and time again President Wilson had
usurped the constitutional prerogatives
of Congress. that he had forced a
Democratic Congress to do his bidding,
even to the violation of platform
pledges. In that connection the SEN
ator said:
"Congress, while under Democratic
control, was, with rare exceptions, mere
echo of the Executive. He did not
inform them from time to time re-
spectng the state of the Union. as the
Constitution contemplates. He told
them what to do. The Democratic
platform of 1912, for example, declared
for a single term, and bill was act
ually introduced, and l think reported
to the Senate, to carry this platform
declaration into effect. rut the Presi-
dent not only compelled its abandon
ment, but accepted denomination.
The same platform declared in IA
vor of exemptng American ships pass
ing through the Panama Canal from
the payment of tolls-and the present
Executive in specific terms during his
first campaign accepted and approved
the declaration-bu a Democratic
Congress was compelled by the Presi-
dent to violate the pledge.
81 do not need to particularize fur
ther 1t is notorious that Congress
so long as it was controlled by Dem
ocratic majority exercised no will Of
its cwn When the President said
Co. it went, and when he said Come,
it came Under his hand Congress
ceased to function as a co-equal branch
of the government.
Policy Rebuked by People
"But two years ago there was a
change The people, taking the Ad-
ministration at its word, passed judg-
ment upon its acts and emphatically
condemned it by electing an opposi-
ton ongress-something which has
never happened before in our history
in the midst of war"
Going into q discussion of the Presi.
dents conduct abroad after the armi
stice. Senator Harding said:
"The President, to the astonishmen'
Continued on pag. ,nroe)
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