The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-03-14
FIRST
WEEK STRENUOUS
New President Shows De-
sire to Take Counsel and
to Cooperate
SHES
AT SIMPLE QUESTION
Vice President Suspicious When Report
err Asks Him Where He Sat at Cabinet
Table, Forgetting That Photographs
Would Show 1t.

Table, Forgetting That Photographs
Would Show 1t.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.l
Copyright 1921,
WASHINGTON, March I4.-PresidentI
Harding's first week in the White House,
has been a struggle against the limita-
tions of a twenty-four day and the If
repressible energy of an army of office
seekers. Mr.. Harding has made a pleas-l
ing impression upon everybody who hasl
called on him-an impression of earn
~estness, and conscientious application
to duty. The cabinet officers nave in-l
terfered to some extent with the orderlvi
processes of the White house by break
ing. in on regular engagement hours to-
seek the confidence and guidance of the
chief executive. This will not continue
however, as the heads of the deDart-
mentS will gradually become accus-
toned 10 their surroundings and will
blllty. Indeed, the cabinet secretaries
nave been retlcent to express them
SlEes not so much because of timiditv.|
as untamllIarlty with the business they
found or had when they took office.
There has been of course. the usual.
amount of stage fright as hundreds of
newspaper reporters have bombarded
the new officials with a thousand ana
one questions, the great majority of
which couldn't be answered as vet even
II the cabinet secretaries had wished to
do so themselves. No mOreramu&ng in
lcIdent OF the caution which the new of
hclaI sometimes affects could be men
toned, perhaps, than when a CORES
pondent representing a Boston newspa-
per caught Vice President Coolidge off
his guard and asked him Il question so
simple that Mr.. Coolidge imagined that
it was loaded
The vice president was leaving the
cabinet meeting, to which he has been
invited by Mr.. Harding. Vice pTesi,
dents do not attend cabinet meetings
every day n the novelty of the occa-
sion stirred the curiosity of the Boston
reporter who stepped up To Mr.. Coolidge
and inquired as follows: Mr.. Vice
President, would you mind telling me
llust where you sat at the cabinet meet
ling"
There was a pause. The former gov
%iernor OF MASSACHUSETTS, pOndered a mo-
ment, turned his gaze thoughtfully
backward toward the cabinet room and
without change of expression tnallv
said: Il am afraid YOU will have to ask
the President about that The vice
president momentarily forgot that
about ten minutes before the photogra,
pliers were admitted in the presence OF
the cabinet where their cameras took
away many records Of the vice presl
dents placid cOuntenance at the end OF
the table opposite the president, that is
between the secretary of and
the secretary of labor.
While very little was said about the
part the vice president played i'm the
cabinet meeting, it was later officially
ANNOUNCED that his advice had beer
sought in exactly the same way as if he
were the head of a government depart.
ment. Vice President Sherman sat witt
y the Taft cabinet for a while, but the
n practice was soon discontinued because
of the relation of the vice president tC
= the senate. over which he sits as 6
presiding officer and in which body ht
Is privileged to cast a vote in the event
Of a tie. There always has been con
siderable jealousy between the executive
and legislative branches of the govern
ment and it is not altogether certain
that the vice president Will find it tt
his liking to he a part of the admins
~tratiye machinery of the government OF
the one hand and a presiding Officer
and member of the legislative brancl
of the government on the other. The
theory back of the admission of the
vice president to the cabinet meeting i,
that he shall be well Informed in case
of an emergency and be ready to take
over the rein of government The op
p%ortunity to get such a training, how
ever, is not to be found in cabinet meet
ings. where the discussion centers pri
nature instead of general policies. In
deed, it is suggested that Mr.. Coolidge
may feel obliged to withdraw from sucl
discussion as relate to legislation OF
which he might be compelled to cast q
deeiding vote
President Harding has succeeded al
the outset. however. in conveying the
Idea that he wants to take counsel. He
is by no means set in his opinions anC
he has revealed already a passion fol
harmonious agreement both in his cab