The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-08-07
Senator Is Determir ii to
Stick to Front Pore.
.s Despite Committee
SOME DISSENSION
SHOWN OVER PLANS
Senator Will Not ALLOW Campaign
Committee to Lay Out Plan - Feels
Dissatisfied Because More Delega
tons Are Not Planned.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Special Despatch to The Reformer Copy
right 1920.
MARION, O., Aug. THE issue here
is still front porch or back platform. The
party politicians and managers want Sen
ator Harding to tour the country from
coast to coast Senator Harding wants
to stay here. And he has said NO very
emphatically with respect to the period
between now and Oct. /, anyway. After
that, there may be visits to various cities.
But the usual early campaign dissen-
sions are in evidence. No presidential
contest would be complete without them.
Parties change their national managers
so often that with each new chairman
comes a new perspective. Murmurs are
heard here about the apathy of the Re
publican national committee on the sub
ject of pilgrimages to Marion. 1t is rep.
national committee hasn't arranged for
enough delegations or handled properly
some of those already scheduled. One
delegation cancelled its arrangements the
other day, because it couldn't get ex
cursion rates.
1t is quite customary for the national
committee, be it Republican of Demo
cratic, to be raked over the Goals for sins
of omission as well as commission but
this time the criticism Seems to be ac
companied by the notion that the ma
tional managers aren't as enthusiastic
about front porch campaigning as the
candidate himself.
Senator Harding has been importuned
from. every side to go out on the stump
First, VIII Hays is reported to have urged
a change and then Harry NJ. Daugherty
Harding's personal manager, is represen
ted as being anxious to have the candi
date take an active part in the cam,
paign outside of Marion ta Rsste
Entirely apart from the merits of the
controversy, the thing that impresses the
| average observer Is that Senator Harding
isn't allowing the campaign committee tc
run roughshod over him az is often The
case if a candidate let's the said commit
| tee 90 it. 1t is this decisiveness on hi,
part and his determination to follow the
course that seems best to him as veteran
campaigner which is really important. In
| many a post norton after the Hughes
iasco in 1916, the statement was made
again and again by persons who knew
| Hughes intimately that he would have
| Jared far better if he had managed his
| own campaign.
Senator Harding takes advice literally
| and absorbs many a suggestion, but the
| front porch idea is a conviction will
| him He saw it work in 1896 with Me
Kinley and he may remember that Pres
| dent Wilson worked it fairly well from
| Shadow Lawn, Long Branch, in 1916.
But it will take considerable courage
to withstand the tactics Of the politica
managers who will soon be coming t
Marion with pessimistic stories about til,
| activity of the rival candidate. Politicians
are really timid people and possessed O
a good deal of an initiative impulse Be
cause Cox announces a big speaking tour
many Republicans want Harding to d.
likewise.
The viewpoint here, however, is thai
| Senator Harding can conserve his energy
| and give the issues Of the campaign NOR,
| Of peace and quiet than he could on a
moving train with crowds at every cross
| ing and cheers at all hours of the night
with Misunderstanding and baby kissing anC
all the other obligations of campaigning
which a candidate fulflls lest he Offend
| his prospective supporters.
Senator Harding has put his foot down
| hard on the whole business. But campaig+
| managers in conference in New York anC
| Chicago are talking of speaking trips. Thu
| Harding headuuarters answered a gooc
deal of the talk by issuing today a list
Of engagements for front porch addresser
for the remainder of August and part
Of Sentember. Certainly there will be Nc
evtensie tour until Oct l, definite plans
for the period thereafter viii not be made