Pueblo chieftain. (Pueblo, Colo.) 1889-current, 1921-07-24

Harding. and his responsibility as head
of the Republican party will compel
him to accept II. For that matter. his
responsibility to the country as Il
whole will compel him to accept Il. for.
unless he supplies the needed leader
ship little is to be expected from con-
Eress except delay and inaotion.
Leadership is usually an informal
and unofficial thing. II comes to those
who happen to have the personality to
live M to It, and II is conferred more
or less by the informal verdict OF
kind OF loose public opinion. In the
atmosphere OF Washington there Is
nothing more obvious than the steady
growth OF President Harding In public
favor.
Washington has seen hts judgments
and his actions turn out well. not
merely In big things but in small and
unexpected WAYS. For example. among
President Harding's appointments
there were ono or two important ones
and several small ones ns to which
Washington tended to smile indulEent-
" when they we're made. At tho time
the general thought OF Washington
was that these were purely personal
appointments and that the president
was entitled TO make them chiefly as
largress.
But the unexpected development.
highly favorable TO Harding, has been
that these eppointees in their various
offices have turned out TO be conspicu-
Gus successes. At the end Of four
months neither Harding nor these ep-
pointees need to ask any indulgence.
They stand solidly on their own feet
with proved records Of achievements.
Two appointments or entirely differ
ent kind which have contributed great
" to HBrding's success are those Of
Hughes and Hoover. Tho politicians
did not want either Of these men in
the cabinet The Republican mem hers
of the senate committee on foreign re-
lations. who had tho ambition to share
equally with the executive I'm the man
agcmont Of our foreign affairs, were
practically a unit in wanting some
other man as secretary Of state
They had other candidates definitely
in mind, and they felt II was almost
their right TO demand that Harding
state who had shared and been sym
pathetic with the senate in the long
contest over the treaty Of Versailles
To most OF the Republican senators
HardtnE's selection Of Hughes was a
surprise SO great that II could he called
without exaggeration a shock. As IT
has turned out. this appointment has
had results extremely favorable to
Harding and the. administration. The
impression that HuEhes's personality
has made on Washington, coupled with
the success OF his msnaEement of our
foreign relations. has been probably
the most conspicuous single element.
outside Of Harding himself in the ad-
ministration growth in favor.
And while Hoover by reason of the
different nature of his office. has come
less prominently into the puclic- eye
than Hughes. Washington knows what
a source Of power to the administra-'
ton he has been
But Hardinss position today is
chiefly the fruit Of his own growth
and the reaction of his conscience TO
new responsibilities. One day last
February in a little speech to a local
fraternal order at St Augustine. Hard
ing said he did not believe much in
any theory Of personal greatness and
expressed the Idea that these theories
usually arise after the event and