The Washington herald., 1920-12-08
HARDINGDENIES
CABINET POSTS
YET PROMISED
Starts for Ohio After
Leaving Card at Door Of
I White House.
SEES PARTY HEADS
johnson and Brandagee
1 Visit President-elect
| During Day.
SEES PARTY HEADS
~ FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.


President-elect Harding left his
card at the White House for Pres
ident and Mrs. Wilson yesterday
afternoon at $50 o'clock. He hand
ed them in personally on his way to
the train. for Marion, which he
boarded at Ais.
Harding made no attempt to sec
the President. When the chief usher
at the Executive Mansion, Isaac
Hoover, answered the door he asked
the President-elect. who had driven
up with Harry II. Daugherty and
VIII H. Hays, whether Mr.. Harding
desired to step in and call on wilson
personally. Replying in the mega
tive, the President-elect explained
that he had come merely to pay hts
formal respects to the President and
Mrs. Wilson in return for the invita-
tion TO tea which Mrs. Wilson ex-
tended to Mrs. Harding Monday.
Then he handed Mr.. Hoover one OF
his own and two of Mrs. Harding's
cards and the incident was closed.
Entirely Unarrsnsed.
The President-elect's visit OF cour-
tesy was made without prearrange-
ment Of an kind on either side. At
the White House there was no ad-
vance intimation that he was COM
ing. 1t was described last night
purely rs a spontaneous act "of one
gentleman toward another"
Had the President-elect been in
vited to the White House. as Mrs.
Harding was invited. there Is not
the slightest doubt that he would
have gone. The whole subject OF
going there was one he fought shy
of discussing in any form In Wash
ington. HIS friends represented that
Mr.. Harding, with his unobtrusive
, nature, was bent upon doing nothing
that night SAVIOR or thrusting HIM
self upon the President.
Just before the President elect
stepped into his train at Union Sta
| tion he impaired a final assurance
that be has left Washington hearts
| whoi9 and fancStfrfe yR the &b-
! sorbing topic OF the hour--the COM
/ position of hfs cabinet.
Harding's pledge that he still Is
open-rninded on the makeup Of the
! new administration Is corroborated
by Republican Senatorial leaders
with whom he was In closest con-
tact here. Senator Harry New, Of
Indiana. his dinner host for four
hours last evening. said that the
President-elect's two days in Wash
! tr1otnn G.1av0 %
not decision"
Senator Falf Agrees.
! Senator Albert Z. Fall. OF New
Mexico. rumor's latest candidate for
the Secretaryship Of State, who vir-
tually lived at the Mclean home
with the Hardings throughout their
! sojourn. echoed Senator News sum-
/ ming-up OF the situation. As TO
circumstantial reports associated
with his own name, Senator Fall
i declared they were without the
| slightest foundation, as far as he
Is aware.
The President-elect's last day IN
the Capital before he assumes the
Presidency was spent in incessant
conference with party leaders. Per-
haps the net noteworthy conversa-
llOii ne HtlO at tno -nCl<tap man
sion. where he made his headquar-
> ters. were with two irreconcilable
leaders-Senators Hiram W. John
son of California, and Frank L,
Brandegee, of Connecticut. Men
claiming/to quote the politician gen.
4 orally looked upon as the most like
ly individual to start something
in the Harding administration said
Johnson would not go beyond the
statement that the President-elect
and he discussed generalitjSS
Other Leaders Cali
In addition to Senators FaIl.
Brandegee and johnson. Mr.. Hard.
ing's visitors during thee day In
cluded former Senator John W
Weeks. of MASSACHUSETTS,. univer-
sally put down in Washington as 8
Cabinet fixture at either the Treas
ury or the Navy Department.; Sen.
ator Frank B. Kellogg. OF Mime,
sofa; Senator Lodge and William r
Wilcox. former chairman Of the
:, Republican National COMMITTEES.
The President-elect was also
closeted during the forenoon with
his personal political lieutenant
Harry NJ. Dougherty. Later in the
day Daugherty took possession OF
Senator Harding's Office in the Sen.
ate building and held court there
One of his callers was Carm
Thompson, the Cleveland lawyer
who was one of Hardingss most ac.
tive campaign managers in Ohio
Thompson Is honorably mentioned
for variety of posts in the forth
| coming administration.
Chrfstinn sure ~ p..t
From the endless stream Of ru.
1 mors and reports set flowing by
Harding's two-day sojeurn ir
Washington but one statement Is
/. washed up which bears evidence OF
authenticity-that his private sec
retary will be George Christian, jr.
/ of Marion, who, has served in ttha
capacity at the Senate since 1918
liver since Harding's nomination a
Chicago In Junes Christian has beer
IL.