The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-12-13
THOSE MARION CONFERENCES.

I i1OoE WAHlON SONT GHENSEos
Mr.. Harding has already conferred with
Mr.. Hughes, and II IL announced that
| he soon will hear the views of Mr..
Root, Mr.. Knox, Mr.. Reed and Mr..
John X. Shields. Senator Sutherland
has whispered in the presidential ear,
and so will many more. Correspond
ents are hotfootng II to Marion, and
from there win come the mystery sto-
ries of the next three months.
For so we are told, In Marion will
be framed the republican policy and
the republican cabinet; in the first the
whole world is vitality interested; tho
league assemblymen. meeting gravely
from day to day { Geneva, are look
ing with wstful eyes upon Uncle Sans
vacant chair and asking, a little visit
fully why It all is. In this country, In
addition to the tremendous INTERNAL
tional problems toward which Mr..
Harding must shape our ends, there are
perplexing and mystIfying domestic
difficulties,
The Marion conferences are a good
thing, no doubt II Is the act OF wis
dom for Mr. Harding to call to his aid
the big men Of his own party and GER
tain disgruntled democrats From the
list Of proleague republicans who
worked ardenty for him he can surely
find some advisers Of sagacity and
merit Mr. Taft Mr.. Root Mr. Hoo
yer. Mr. Wickersham and Mr., Lowell
could in truth give him some illuminat-
ing details about the plan and nodus
operand Of the league. The elImina-
ton of Article X, w ich seems to be
forecast by the last weeks debates at
Geneva, will come as an aid to Mr..
Harding, II he is honestly striving TO
bring America into harmony with It's
world responsibilities. 1t is sure to come
as a bitter blow to the "irreconcila-
bles." who have fled successfully TO
Shantung, the British six votes, the
Constitution, and Article as the main
cause for their opposition to the league
of nations.
Mr.. Harding has sung his swan song
in the senate; he has made his fare
well address there, and now he will be
In Marion TO think out his course in
the first few months OF his term. He
cannot possibly foresee farther ahead
than that But why Reed, and why
Shields to confer with him?
There was In Cha lnooga some
weeks ago curious letter said to be
from Senator Shields to local federal
otIicehoIder. saying for him 10 sit
steady in the boat; he would be taken
care of; there was no need to worry
over the coming of the republican ad-
mlnlstration. Not long after this came
the announcement that Senator Shields
would be one of the few democrats
called to the holy Of holes at Marion
to talk with the high priest of repub-
licanism over the state of the nation.
Can It be that Mr.. Harding, when
president, will take care of the friends
that his democratic friend and irrecon-
cilable, John X, Shields, wants taken
care Of? II so. several good repub-
leans In this district are doomed to
the bltterest disappointment of the
careers
But be that ms 1t may, the calling of
the Tennessee senator to Marion means
not one whit weakening In any no.
league stand on the part of the presi-
dent elect There has been no more
consistent and no more potent, oppo-
nent of the league than the democratic
senator John X. Shields: almost his
equal In strength of opposition was his
Missouri colleague, Jim Reed, And be-
tween them they Just about killed the
league when It was before the senate
last, These are the democrats who viii
confer with Mr., Harding. We sincerely
trust that those good republicans,
Messrs, Taft Hoover, Root, Wicker
sham and Lowell, can counteract what
ever advice those bad democrats,
Messrs, Shields and Reed, can give to
our next president.