The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1921-05-05
HARDINGs CARRY WASHINGTON
Editorial CorrespOndence)
WASHINGTON. ID c Anril D.

IL
Everybody will remember the we'll
worn catch joke of the political cam
palgn: There's a city in the United
states where Harding will not get a
vote" After an indignant denial of
the statement and perhaps an offer TO
bet nickle that it would not be true,
he answer was: Washington. D. c.
The people there can't vote on presi-
dent" And so it was that Harding
did not carry Washington when he
was sweeping all the rest of the coun-
try
But since the 4th of March the
Hardings have carried Washington.
And when l say "the Hardings' | do
SO advisedly because Mrs. Harding
Is really the head of the ticket in the
District OF Columbia. They are the
hrst popular family which has occu-
pied the White House since the DAYS
OF Mckinley, whom everybody loved.
Roosevelt was too dominant to be a
favorite close up. The Wilson's were
not personally liked even by their
partsans and We're almost hated by
the Republicans. In came the Hard
ings and everybody l have met, re-
CARELESS of party, sex, race or color,
IS enthusiastic over the first lady and
the first gent of the land.
This does not. come about because
of the League of Nations or the tariff
or any other issue or principle. 1t
5 because of the human, neighborly
friendly folks who moved from Ma
rion, Ohio, and did not act any differ
emily than they did when they were
running a newspaper not as good as
the News in a town not as good as
Hutchinson
1t is the so-called little things on
which people are judged by their
neighbors. You like a man not be-
cause he is against the League or in
favor of an income tax, but because
ne smiles and says, good morning"
as if he really wanted the day to be
good for you. You may be impressed
but you are not fond of the woman
next door if she wears stylish clothes
and has a chauffeur. You like her if
she comes out in the back yard and
says: Aren't your lialcs just lovely"
One of the first things the Hard
ings did was to have the gates of the
White House yard unlocked For
years people had peeped through the
fence and admired the lawn. Hard
ing left the entrance opened and the
public understood the invitation.
Washington folks and visitors tramp
ed around the lawn. Children played
in the grass. 1t has been little hard
on the lawn, not very, and the chill
dren have not been as helpful to the
vegetation as were the sheep which
pastured there under the last admin
istration. But the joy of anybody
being able to go into the White House
grounds and up on the porch if they
wanted to do so, made glad not only
the half million people who are count
ed as citizens of the Capitol but every
tourist and traveller who accepted the
unspOken invitation.
And Mrs. Harding, whenever she
comes out of the house, has cheer
full greeting for the old man or the
little children or the tired tourist,
just as she used to have for the folks
back in Marion. She acts as if she
were glad to see you and "enjoy your
self" The President comes out with
a departing visitor and ne is very apt
to stop a minute to ask a stranger
where he is from and how crops are
out in Kansas. Everybody finds that
he is their President but they get the
further reaction of his desire for their
society. And that this is their White
House.
A newspaper correspondent told
me how Harding treated their bunch
When he finishes the formal inter
views which is customary he does not
turn stiffly and retire to the office but
goes out onto the porch with them
and spends a couple of minutes jok-
ing and visiting with them. He is a
tall, fine looking man, but he does not
pose. He is more apt to lean against
one of the porch pillars and talk
about the fishing or the ball game
No wonder they go away simply
''drooling" with their appreciation OF
his man-to-man sociability.
a lot of Marion people came to the
Inauguration and the next day one
old man who had known Harding
from his boyhood, came to the White
House. Harding saw him and went
right to him. The old man, a little
abashed by the thought of what had
happened to the neighbor boy, said
''Mr. President" "Cut out that Mr.