The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-06-14

paper on its feet. It is ssased that in
all the time of his ownership 20. there
has never been a strike or a threat of
a strike on the paper which is now
prosperous and powerful.
Political Success.
In 1900 Harding decided to accept
the nomination for state senator. He
was elected and served four years. In
1901 he was named for lieutenant
governor but was defeated because
of split in the party. His popular
ity in the state increased rapidly and
he was talked of for the presidency
and when he ran for the senate in
1914 he was elected by majority of
100000 running 5000 votes ahead
of the nearest man on the ticket.
In the senate he has made a nota-
BILE record. He became a member of
the important committee on foreign
relations and during the war was a
warm supporter of the Wilson ad-
ministration. Later however, he crit
icized the president severey.
His Opinion of Roosevelt.
Before the United States entered
the war the senator was asked what
he thought would have happened to
the country if Roosevelt had been
president when the war began.
"If Theodore Roosevelt had been
president" he replied, "the Lusitania
never would have been sunk and we
should today be living under the
guarantee of peace rather than trem-
bling on the verge of war"
He introduced in the senate an
amendment to bill which, if it had
been adopted, would have permitted
the former Colonel of the rough rid
ers to organize a division of volun-
teers and lead it to France.
Wanted Reservations
At the end of the war Senator
Harding was an earnest advocate of
prompt making and of legitimate
cooperation among the nations of
the world to avert danger of future
wars, but he was strongly opposed
to adoption of the league of nations
covenant without effective reserva-
tions. Justifving his position on this
question, the senator said in a
speech in the senate last Septem-
ber:
ut may be very old fashioned; it
may be reactionary; it may be
shocking to .pacifists and dreamers
alike, but choose for our own peo-
pie, hundred million or more, the
right to search the American con-
science and prescribe our own obli-
cations to ourselves and the worlds
civilization"
Need Honesty in Politics
The senator believes honesty to
to be a panacea for all the Ills of
the political system. "And we don't
need honesty in politics any more
than we need it in business, in So
cial life or religion" he added, in
speaking on this line recently. 1t
will drive out cheats and swindlers,
high and low. There is no end to the
reformation it will work. 1t exalts
men and commands confidence. The
belief in Colonel Roose-
welt is founded on the popular be-
lief in his absolute honesty"
The. Hardings live I'm a comfort
able home the most CONSPICUOUS
feature Of which is the number of
books scattered about the rooms.
The senator is very fond of dogs
and likes to drive an automobile or
run motor boat, being an expert at
both.
Married in 1891
On July 8, 1891, Warren Harding
married Miss Florence King,
daughter of Amos H. King, a lead
ing business man of Marion. 1t is
related that when she was born her
father was disappointed she was not
a boy and consoled himself by
bringing her up more as boy than |
ac orirl Che ,uoc fond of horcoc' |