The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-12-08
WORLD HEARS
HARDING TALK
TO CONGRESS
Presidents Speech Bears Out.
Points of Current Gossip.
Presence of Diplomats is
Unique Feature.
SCENE is APPEALING
Rv MARk SULLIVAN


is at all times one of the most i'm
pressive ceremonies attendant upon
our constitutional system, and because
on this occasion il pointed toward i'm
portant future developments. some
thing should be said about the address
OF the president to the joint session
of the house and senate
The scene itself was full of appeal
10 the imagination. with the two bod
les gathered together on the floor of
the house of representatives and the
audience in the galleries. The CALLER
fes need not be described. They were
merely a small-town American church
on larger scale.
For that matter. the body of the
house might have been the cOngTega-
tion of a small-town church. except,
of course, for the absence of women.
In fact, the Sunday congregation of n
small-town American church is mark
edly better dressed than congress.
Congress in its appearance as a mass
is very workday and very average.
The sack coat is practically univer-
sal. rather wrinkled and worn at that,
and for the most part black.
Children Present.
Practically the only touches of col
or were at the few places where men,
bers had negotiated some elasticity
of the rules, that permitted them to
bring their little children, who sat on
their fathers knees.
The little red hair ribbons. and
brightly colored dresses with the back
ground they implied Of parents caring
enough to give their children memo
ries of a historic occasion, were the
brightest touches in the room.
One extraordinary detail in the
room was wholly unprecedented. This
was the presence Of a large number
of foreigners on the floor. They wee
not only the delegates to the arma-
ment conference. but there were also
in one corner of the room some 40
newspaper men from England. Can
ada. Japan, China, France, Holland
and Italy. All the newspaper men,
as well as the delegates, we're wholly
in the role of observers and guests.
But one wondered whether there
might be just the faintest historical
significance in the face that the very
day when the parliamentary body Of
Great Britain lost in the separation
for ireland a considerable group, who
tor a hundred years have looked II
London it happened by this odd co
incidence that a considerable portion
If the earth's surface was looking To
Washington for leadership.
II would be easy to eXaggerate or
even wholly misread this coincidence
But a person with imagination could
hardly help noting ii.
First Applause
OF many reflections that arose from
observing how Harding speech was
received, the first was the vitality OF
he league of nations. The first ap
nlause came with the first phrase
That hinted of world associations wher
he said There are growing assur
auces Of the permanence of the peace
which we so deeply cherish Agar
anne applause when Harding spoke
If our "unescapabIe relationship witt
world affairs in finance and trade
II was noticeable that this applause
-tarted on the Democratic side Mos
If the Democrats have an abiding
faith that what Wilson started to do
under the form Of the League of Ma
lions. is somehow bound to come
about in the course of time. The
Democrats believe this, and in a wa!
hey want to keep in brand of thei
party on the Wilson invention.
Again there was applause whel
Harding. speaking Of the nations o
the world, used the phrase: I'VE cal
halp and we mean to help on tn
other hand Harding's emphatic a.
surances that he would do nothing
about foreign relations which woult
lead to conflict with the senate abou
constitutional prerOgative, and hi
pledge of adherence to the accepted
l.. L. n,