Gilpin observer., 1920-06-17
NOMINATION OF HARDING
The New York Times Introduces
the Republican Candidate to
the American People.


Chicago convention presents a
candidate whose nomination will
be received with astonishment and
dismay by the party whose suf-
frages he invites. Warren G..
Harding is a very respectable
Ohio politician of the second
class. He has never been leader
OF men or a director of policies.
For years a protege of Foraker,
he rose to subordinate office by
favor of Boss" Cox of Cincinnati.
Beaten by Judson Harmon in the
contest for the governorship in
1910, he has never shown inde-
pendent strength in his own state
save when he was named for SEN
ator in 1914, having a majority of
little more than 100000 over his
Democratic competitor; and out
side of Ohio he has only such
strength as he now derives from
his place at the head of the Re-
publican ticket. Senator Hard
lng's record at Washington has
been faint and colorless. He was
an undistinguished and indistin-
guishable unit in the ruck of Re-
publican senators who obediently
followed Mr.. Lodge in the twist
ings and turnings of that states
mans foray upon the treaty and
covenant.
The nomination of Harding, for
whose counterpart we must go
back to Franklin Pearce if we
would seek president who meas
ures down to his political stature,
is the fine and perfect flower of
cowardice and imbecility of the
senatorial cabal that charged it.
self with the management of the
Republican convention, against
whose control Governor Beckman
so vehemently protested. Reject
ing Leonard Wood, probably the
strongest candidate with the peo-
pie the party could have chosen,
because they knew he would never
be dictated to by them, they fav-
ored Governor Lowden until Bor-
ah served upon them his notice
of veto of that nomination. Bor-
ah was commanding and truccu-
lent because he knew that he had
to deal with group of white-liv-
cred and incompetent politicians.
If Republican leadership had not
fallen into the hands of pigmies
the chief men at Chicago would
have told Borah to bolt and be
hanged, just as upon the issue of
the league they would have defied
Johnson to do his worst. But they
ran like frightened flock, sur
rendered everything, Mr.. Lodge
finally throwing off all disguises
and standing out as the open foe
of the covenant of the league of
nations, even with his own reser-
vations.
What has befallen the Republi-
can party of the early days, the
party of sixty years ago, when it
was possessed of moral purposes,
or of forty and thirty years ago,
when it could still profess to have
them and find believers?
Where are it's leaders that can
be compared to Morrill,, Seward,
Hale, Platt of Connecticut, Oliver
P. Morton, Sumner, Blaine, Conk-
ling and a dozen others who rose
to high places in the party coun-
ellis? And, if the question be not
too unfeeling, where and what are
its principles, if any it have?
Party control, exercised by a
group of senators, is divided be-
tween Lodge on the one hand and
Borah and Johnson on the other
None of them, none of their ac-
completes in party degradation,
would have come within hailing
distance of the foremost rank of
party chiefs in the brilliant days
of Republicanism. And for prin-
ciples, they have only hatred of
Mr.. Wilson and ravening hunger
for the offices.
Governor Coolidge for vice
president really shines by compar-
ison with the head of the ticket.
He at least is man of achieve
ment, he is known to the party
and to the nation. When the pol
ice force of Boston went on strike
he showed himself to be a man.
He met that menace to the public
safety with courage and determ-
ination, and the nation rang with
praise of him. 1t is fortunate that