The Raymer enterprise., 1920-12-30
Harding's Plan for Association
Of Nations Reaching Def
mite Form.
MORE CABINET PREDICTIONS
Dawes May Head Commission 70 Rser.
eanlxs Government ssrvles-heuss
Passes Farmsr4 Relief Tariff
Blii - Scandal In Coal
Prices uneevsrsd. q
By EDWARD W. PickARD.

PresIdent.elect HardIng's confer.
ences at Marion with the best minds"
though by no means ended, seem al.
ready to have resulted In the crystal.
iising Of certain Of his policies into
definite form. OF course the two that
arouse the greatest public interest are
those relating to foreign affairs and
the League Of Nations. and to the plan
for reorganizlng the nations business
and establishing It on more econom.
ic basis.
In discussing an association Of ma.
lions, there Is no evidence that Mr..
Harding has converted to his own
views such irreconcilables as Senators
Borah and Reed, or even Mr.. Bryan,
whose invitation to Marion aroused
the ribald laughter Of the paragraph
ers. But Mr.. Harding seems to have
brought his theories into form fit for
presentation to the world. According
to what Is said to be authoritative In.
formation, he believes the first ap.
proach to the formation Of his "asso-
citation Of nations" should be to OBJ.
tain the assent Of the five leading ma.
tions, the United States. Great Britain,
France. Italy and Japan, his theory
being that, once these nations have
Joined, the other nations will fall In
line. The basis of this association is
to. be a world court to deal with just.
ciable questions.
Mr.. Harding holds that no assocla.
ton Of nations can succeed without
the Endorsement Of the leaders Of pub.
lie thought, in America and elsewhere,
and that these leaders must reach
agreement In the essentials, leaving
details to be settled later; that all
governing features must be eliminated
from the association. each nation re-
naming free to make Its own de-
cisions; that the agreement must be
specific enough to prevent the posi-.
bility Of an offensive and defensive
military alliance Of the Eve great
powers. and the association Of na-
lions itself must place all nations on
az equal footing in the presentation
Of their views on matters Of world
policy.
Gen. Charles Gates Dawes, the chi.
cago banker. who is said 70 be the
leading probability for appointment a.
head Of q commission to reorganize
the government service, was one Of
the weeks visitors In Marion and
talked with the president-elect espe-
cially on the reduction of government.
tai expenses and its relation to taxa.
tion. After the interview General
Dawes said: b
II found that Senator Harding al
ready knew more than l did concern.
Ing this, and that the effort to reor.
ganize the government upon an eco
nomlcal basis is one Of the tasks to
which he proposes to devote himself
most energetically. From conversa-
tion with him It is evident that he has
this great and needed reform constant.
ly In his mind. Considering that here.
tofore no continued and firm effort
has been made, this determination Of
the President-elect to make this re-
form one of his first efforts, means
that 1t will be accomplished"
Senator and Mrs. Harding are 60
ing to Florida next month to spend
several weeks as the guests Of Sena.
tor Trellnghuysen Of New Jersey.
Possibly before they start announce
ment Of the selections for the cabinet
will be made. It is believed Mr..
Harding's nrst choice for secretary Of
state now is either Senator Knox or
Charles Evans Hughes, and that II
Mr.. Huges declines he with be appoint.