Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-01
HARDING Is FOR WHAT is
SOUND IN PROCRESSlviSM
In Vain In Sight Of the Roose.
velt Following

CENATOR HARDING'S excursion from
~ the front porch has been successful. 1t
has demonstrated his ability to get close to
the people on the platform and to convince
them Of his fitness for the presidency. All
of the rcOorts indicate that his audiences
were gratifed to learn that the next Presi-
dent is to be such a man as he. The people
liked the temper Of his speeches no less than
the dignity of his bearing.
The effect of the excursion on the senator
himself was as gratifying as It's effect on the
people who saw and heard him. 1t has
given him new enthusiasm which those
about him could not help noting. It has
enabled him to get direct impression of the
things the people are thinking about. and
his future speeches are likely to BE- colored
by what he has learned while absent from
Marion. Indeed. the speech which he de-
lvCrod today on his return home shows
the influence of his contact with the people
who are expecting to vote for him in No
vembcr.
His theme was social justice and the way
to secure il. The speech might be- called ar
answer to the recent announcement that a
group Of former Bull Mooscrs were sup
porting Cox. The Democrats have been
doing their best to attract the support Of the
men who followed Roosevelt in the campaign
Of 1912. President Wilson began it long
time ago. The discovery that there were
millions of Republicans who had ideals and
would follow them oven to the extent of
bolting the regular party ticket encouraged
the Democrats to believe that these same
Republicans might be coaxed into the Demo
cratic party. But the events have not JUS
titled this hope. Instead. they have proved
that the Democrats are as incapable of read
ING the signs Of the times as they are of the
efficient conduct of the national government.
The men who bolted with Roosevelt were
Republicans and they have remained Rcpub-
Leans. They are acting with their party
this wear. They know that the aspirations
Of 1912 are more likely to be realized under
Republican administration in Washington
than under any other leadership.
And tho Democrats ought to know that the
ancient Oriental was wise in his day and
generation when he said that "surcly in
vain the net is spread in the sight Of any
bird
But they don't know it. and they are
spreading their net and batting it with such
succulent morsclS as they think will attract
the unwary The deCoys set M in front of
the net in the person of the group of former
Bull MoONors will deceive no one. They
never had any following and most OF them
were originally Democrats anyway.
Such a practical program for the estab
lishment of social justice as the country is
looking for must come from Senator Hard
ingS party. The senator is not content
with uttcring a pious aspiration. IIc told
the crowds that pressed upon him at Marion
today that "there can he no more efficient
way of advancing humanitarian program
than by adapting the machinery Of our fed
| era government to the purposes we desire
to attain
Then h" announced that when the time
! comes for us to r"Organizc the administrative
government in Washington I'VE must all
stand together for the creation Of a depart
| mpnt of public welfare" His program looks
| to the concentration in this new department
of the bureau of child welfare and all other
| similar bureaus SO that they may work in
harmony instead Of in conflict as Mt present.
The Democrats have had nearly eight
| years in which to do something like this,
but they were so busy trying to attract the
votes Of the former Republican boilers that
they forgot to do those things which the
boilers thought the government should do.
The senator not only announced his pur-
! pose to bring about the creation Of the new
| governmental department of public welfare
| but he aligned himself with those who are
| demanding an eight hour day for women
workers and equal pay for equal work re-
gardless Of sex. And he promised to dc
| what was possible under the constitution tc
secure justice for women and children.
lie seeks justice also between employers
and all employees, aud ho remarked that h'
regarded ii las one of the humane func
tions of which our government is capable
to saturate the industrial life of our country
L..
ties Of disCOrd,' and that spirit he indicated
is the spirit Of fair play and human brother
hood
But no matter what humane laws may b
passed. they are useless. as the senate
pointed out unless they are enforced. II
said that it was not tn" business of tn
| President TO decide whether he would exc
cute law. lie must execute all the law
whether he likes them or not,
This is commonplace. but il has its per
tinence at the present time when one Of tn
most far. reaching social laws passed In tn
history Of the country is laughed at by thos
against whose occupation II is directed A
TO this the senator said: "Wc must all con
denim without qualification the failure of tn
enforcement Of prohibition, just as we a
condemn the failure Of established authorit
70 prevent Outrages of violence such a
lynching,
The soundncss Of the senator's thinkin
is indicated by the announcement of his dc
termination to avoid ''the fearful result
Of bureaucracy. We have seen what bu
reaucracy can do in neddliug with the al
fairs OF the people in the last three YEAR
and we have seen the reluctance of tn
Democratic administration to abolish ii
bureaus which il established during the wa
; As between a military bureaucracy such
, Russia used to suffer from and a bureau
= cracy of social rules and regulations. Il
= senator would prefer the military system 1
y the less oppressive, but he would avoid botl
y The social legislation he favors and II
y method he would employ to execute it won
= be such as to bring about the removal
abuses rather than the loading on the peop
=, of abuses worse than those under which tn,
now labor.