Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-11-11
HARDING WILL TAKE
Up BIG PROFILE MS
AFTER VACATION
Nobody in His Home Town Ex-
cept Hero Worshippers Be-
lieves He Is Genius But He
Is Looked Upon as Capable of
Surrounding Himself With
Good Men and of Getting Help
From Them
ny DAVID LAWRENCE
Copyright 1920 by Free Press

Copyright 1920 by Free PressD
Marion. Ohio. Nov. 7--President-
elect Harding left on his vacation
trip with a feeling that the big prob
lens that will face him in his admins
tration will be better tackled after a
thorough rest and complete detach-
ment from the atmosphere OF politics
in which he has for so many months
been enveloped.
The president-eiect leaves behind as
expeotant a body of townsfolk as ever
sent a man to the White House. Those
who have known Harding for years.
know his every fault and his every
strong point. are united in their express
sions Of confidence that he will make
good" They base 1t entirely on mis-
happy faculty of making friends and
keeping them. He has splendid
amount of tact and good taste. He
makes people like him.
Nobody In Marion except of course
the extreme hero worshippers. be-
lieves Warren Harding to be genius.
He is looked upon however. az capable
OF surrounding himself with good men
and getting help from him. All sum-
mer long he has had advisers galore
and while it Is useless to say he has
been influenced altogether by outside
minds for on many ccasions he has
made decisions contrary to everybody
else's advice. it liz a fact that he has
awaited himself of such advice as he
has thought good and rejected what ne
thought unwise.
Another thing: The next administra-
ton will be first name admins
tration. That means simply that there
will be scores of people who will be
able to call the new president Warren
and there will be even more folks who
will be called Harry. Diols or Tom as
the case may be. Warren Harding Is
| one Of those human persons who isn't
expected to change when he gets into
| the White House. He will not change
as so many presidents have on reach
ing the White House If Mrs Warren
Harding has much to say about things
/ and everybody seems to be agreed
| that she will have a great deal to say.
she has the happy way o. staying gen
uine and breathing spontaniety. There
| isn't a neighbor in Marion who has yet
| seen anything up-staRe about Mrs.
| Harding. She was just the same to the
| home folks after the Chicago conven-
| ton as before and she rs just the
| same after election. and it is safe
| guess that she will he the same at the
| White House.
| There Is something delightful about
| the personality of the Preeident-elect.
which impresses any newcomer. He
makes a much better impression In his
| private talks with newspaper men than
| In his public speeches. Somehow he feels
the restraint Of public speaking much
more than most men do. Among the most
interesting incidents OF the past week
have been the talks between the Presi-
| dent-elect and the newspaper men in the
little shack which has been press head
quarters throughout the campaign.
Warren Harding smokes a cigarette and
likes to chew tobacco. That's relic
really of early days In the print shop.
where the idea grew up that chewing
helped to keep the dust down. Warren
| Harding is a typical American. He
doesn't affect the statesmanlike poses
| which often in the attitude
Of public men He says "mebbe." when
others might say may be-" He talks
with the drawl OF a cOuntryman rather
than the precision of the drawing room
conversationalist. lie tells good story
and enjoys hearing one. He knows life
in its every aspect and will probably get
along better with the members Of Sem
ate and House than any president In re-
cent years because he knows how to
handle congressman.
He was Just DIT disturbed oy the
overwhelming size OF the Republican
majorities in both Houses. He wondered
If they wouldn't be too unwieldly But on
the other hand. It was suggested by
others who have been gossiping with
him that the majority in each house will
furnish exactly the challenge TO leader
ship which Is necessary. Everybody will
admit who knows what happened in the
last two years of the Republican Con-
sress that the leadership was amateur-
ish and clumsy and that will full re-
sponsibilty for all branches Of the gov
eminent in the hands of the Republicans.
the latter will be compelled TO develop
leadership. Oscar Underwood showed
what could be done whom tho Democrats
had a large majority In the House and
there will arise someone on the Repub-
l,csn side to attempt the same thing
though the legislative problems are in
finitely more complex than they ever
have been.
| The new President elect will 10 a meth
odicl worker. He takes things calmly.
lie will do one thing ar time and not
attempt everything at once. Just as he
was leaving his home. l asked him the
. other day IL he was happy.
= Happy" he said,-'Well, | should
d rather say just pleased--if one can make
, tnat DIE Jop'
n Yes" | suggested. but tho oppor-
n tunitv to do a service is there
= TRUE" said the t-elect-'"Fhat
is what really makes me happy-the
e chance to serve"
}. We chatted about the Overwhelming
: Majority and the meaning OF II. Tha
d President-elect Is pleased beyond meas
s ure that he has behind him az the start
n such great body OF opinion He will IN
g terpret it in his own way from time 10
4 time but 1t isn't amiss to state rign'
!. here that now that the campaign Is
d over none would appreciate more than
9 Warren Harding himself frank ana
q free expression by the newspapers or the
r country OF their ideas on foreign policy
n The suggestion has been made again and
II again for instance. that the league ISSUE
was confused with domestic question:
e and that Republican newspapers, which
II refused to he led into the Democratic
o camp on the league question during the
e campaign will speak their views fuIy
e now that the campaign Is over. the new
r. President-elect would appreciate tha'
- more than anything else just now