The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-03-27

been in particularly amiabls frame OF
mind the past two years, and with lead
ership unchanged. It will be interesting
to see how the shift from obstruction
to construction will be worked out. A
great deal of the favorable atmosphere
about the White House has been due to
the open-door policy Immediately adopted
by President Harding and the complete
reversal of the policies of inaccessibiity
and aloofness of Woodrow Wilson The
republican Congress will have to create
a favorable atmosphere at the capitol by
reversing some of it's own ways of trans
acting business.
CHANGE ABOUT DUE
Congress during the last two years has
gone on the theory that anything favor
able it might do would be credited to the
Wilson administration and that by the
same token its failure would just as
readily be set down by the people as a
part and parcel of the same regime The
weight of influence therefore was in IA
vor OF the word fail. All of this is
about to be changed, however. Congress
now becomes an integral part of the
Harding administration and SO long as
the Presidents own party controls the
legislative branch the President will have
to stand or fall by the records made on
Capitol Hill.
The indications are that Congress in the
near future will work as hard to please
Mr.. Harding as it labored to displease
Mr.. Wilson and to draw the fire of his
frequent vetoes. Already the new drift
is noted. Leaders of the House and Sem
ate have been in constant consultation
with the President and have shown that
they will look to him for final decision
in all matters affecting the Legislative
programme. -
HARDING IS SUPREME
One of the lessons of his first three
weeks in the White House has left Mr.
Harding with the knowledge that he is as
supreme in the legislative branch of the
government as in the executive. 1t is
always so when the White House and
capitol are in the control of the same
political party. 1t is all very well tc
talk of letting Congress go its own way
but it is never done until an upset al
the polls throws the entire congressional
machinery out of gear with the White
House.
The real tests of the administration a.
a whole are still to. come. Thus far Mr.
Harding has encountered no opposition
and very little criticism. The talk OF
Col George Harvey as ambassador tc
London has not been taken kindly in
scme quarters but otherwise it may be
said no poisoned darts have been directed
at the White House. Mr.. Harding has
made few appointments other thar
personal ones and he has been liked fol-
his loyalty to old friends. He has dis
cussed policies only in general way
and his inaugural address was SO brief
as to be considered little more than a
step in the direction of the favorable
atmosphere which now exists.
1t was inevitable, however, that the
open door policy at the White House
as it has been practiced since Inaugural
ton day, should come to an end. There
was no surprise in the Presidents an
nouncement that hereafter he would have
to confine "open-house" days to Mon
days. Wednesdays and Fridays, so that
he might devote Tuesdays. Thursdays
and Saturdays to work. The President
literally has seen thousands of visitors
during the three weeks in office and II
has almost made a wreck of him. He
has come to wear the tired look which
marked the close Of his best mind con-
ferences at Marion.