Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-01-19
Harding to Hide
in Florida Till
Time to Take Oath

Marion, o.. Jan. 1S.--President-elect
Harding has completed his conferences
here on the policies of his .administra-
ton and will leave Marion late Thurs
day night for st. Augustine. Fla.
where he will arrive Saturday to spend
most of the time remaining before his
Inauguration.
A two weeks houseboat trip along
the shores of Florida is to follow i'm
mediately his arrival in the south and
to give him q period of isolation both
from the cares of his new response
bilities and from civilization itself.
Virtually all of February lie Will live
at st. Augustine hotel, mixing golf
and relaxation with the serious work
of final preparations for the presiden-
cy." >
During the houseboat expedition,
which is to be devoted mostly to fish
ing in the stretch Of water known as
Indian river. the president-elect will
be the guest of Senator Frelinghny-
sen of.New Jersey. Several other SEN
ators and close friends OF Mr.. Hard
ing are to be in the party. ,....-.,
The trip will carry the president
elect as far as Palm Beach or Miami,
Fla, with several stops along the way
to try the golf links at Daytona and
other coast resorts. The trips ashore
will be brief and far between. howev-
er, and during most Of the voyage Mr..
Harding expects to cut himself off as
completely as possible from the ordi-
nary routine of national life.
At st. Augustine he will receive
some callers but will give the bulk
of his working hours to consideration
of the first acts of his administration.
| Selection of a cabinet is enc of the
problems that must be solved in this
period and he also must write his in
augural address and formulate the
recommendations for tax reforms that
he is to make to special session of
Congress. In addition It is likely
that he will determine finally the form
of his initial diplomatic approaches to
,the great powers on the subject, Of an
association of nations.
Whether he will return to Marion
has not been definitely indicated. Here
tofore he had intended to go direct
from St Augustine to Washington To
take the oath as president but the
people of his home town want to send
him away to the capital with fare
we'll tion and ii is known
| that their desires in that regard are q
matter of serious consideration with
him.
Mrs. Harding will not accompany
her husband to Florida but will go to
| st. Augustine later, probably after
the nous eboat trip is finished. She is
| to leave here Friday or Saturday for
Washington, where she will spend sew
eral days arranging personal matters
including disposition of the Harding
residence. Then she will make a brief
shopping trip to New York City.
With their departure they will give
up possession of their house in Marion
1t has been leased to a Marion citizen
and the house in Washington is to be
sold il it is not rented to Vice Presi-
dent Coolidge.
Indications are accommodating that
Mr.. Harding viii make nearly all OF his
cabine. selections in Florida. Those
close to him believe that of the 10
cabinet position sto be filled the only
one on which there has been anything
approaching definite decision is that
Of secretary of state. This place, it
is generally conceded here will go to
Charles Evans Hughes of New York.