The evening world., 1921-01-21
HARDING SHOWS
HE'S LIKE WILSON
IN ONE RESPECT
Inclined TO Dodge Newspaper
Correspondents During His
Trip to Florida.
By DdUid Laurence.
(s-eoiai Correspondent Of The Eve
ino WorIdl

NNQ NNNNNNal
WASHINGTON, Jan. q Copyright
ISs1)-About the last thing most peo-
ple imagined last autumn on Election
Day was that Warren Harding and
woodrow Wilson had anything in
common. but some Of the correspon-
dents who will not accompany Mr..
Harding on his trip to Florida reveal
tho interesting information that the
two mon are behaving exactly alike
toward newspaper men.
This may OF may not be character
istic of Presidents elect and II may
or may not be the result of a sudden
turn from private life 20 the burdens
Of public life, but it's the usual
struggle OF a President-elect to re-
main a private citizen as against the
0cr4bos who insist that the public has
a right TO know what a man elected
20 DO President OF the United States
does from day TO day.
Mr.. Harding told the correspond
ents that he didn't want them TO fol-
low when he boards the housoboat.
He viii return TO a port every few
days and confer with the newspaper
men. but he warned them that they
would incur mountains OF dtspleAs-
urO" u they trailed along. The other
day, too. when be set out Tor Cleve-
land. he asked the correspondents 10
say nothing about H. He wanted TO
shop In privacy. So they agreed not
to announce It IN advance, provided
two or three correspondents could go
along to report on any possible Omor-
gency.
hF. Harding isn't a bdt different
from Woodrow Wilson In all this.
Correspondents who remember wha,
hagponed tuSt AFTER the eleCtion in
November. 1919, are authority for
the statement that when Mr.. Wilson
decided 10 50 70 Bermuda for . rest
he vas very much disturbed wnen
ths Newspaper men told him that
Of course they would have 10 ac-
company ham. He finally relented
Mr.. Harding started out during
tho campaign WITH intimate talks
with tie correspondents. but since
the election no. has become taciturn
and uncommunicative. Mr.. Wilson
was the most friendly and chummy
individual IN the world with the cor.
respondents aboard his train In the
campaign Of 1914. but when he got
to the white House he changed
Mr.. Wilson rarely II ever gave any
newspaper writer private audience.
II Is probably no eXaggeratiOn TO say
that Mr.. Wilson never spent a total
Of more than ok OF seven hours in pri-
waite audiences with correspondents In
the eight years he has been II the
White House.
Mr.. Wilson hever would have been
able 10 manage the business Of con-
tact with the public at all were It
not for the shrewdness and uncanny
news instinct Of his private secretary,
Joseph p. Tumuity. who probably will
always be remembered as one Of the
best friends the Washington cores
pondents ever had.
Mr.. Harding may be counting on
doing the same thing-namely. talk
ing TO the country indirectly, but both
Mr., Roosevelt and Mr., Taft found It
more effective to talk directly to the
.press themselves.
There may be a change when Mr..
HaJding gets to Washington but the
'vehdict OF most OF the correspondents
thus far Is that the new President
elect is starting OF as did his prede-
ces$or