Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-07
SIX MONTHS OF HARDING
AND WHAT 1T HAS DONE
Postmaster General Hays Rightly Says
the Greatest Achievement Has Been
the Laying OF the 5elIiserent
Spirit In Washington

TT WAS six mouths last Sunday since the
L present Administration in Washington
came into power The Republican cor =
respondents in the capital have summarized
the achievements Of that period, and the
Democratic correspondents have called at
tcntion to the things promised which have
not yet been done.
President Harding in letter to Senator
Mccormick has reviewed the economies
effected by Congress.
Postmaster General HAYS has handled
the situation in a different manner. for In
an address before the National Association
of Life Insurance Underwriters in Clcve-
land last night he attempted to interpret the
spirit of the present Administration. with
incidental discussion of specific plans and
purposes.
The temper Of Washington is very different
today from what It was ak months ago.
MIR Hays reminds us that when President
Harding took office 'hc found condition
in which most of our domestic politics ex-
pressed themselves in terms of anger. con
trovprsy and fnCtionalism. There were
"hittcr. cnders. " ''irrcconriables" aud bat
talons of death. -
These terms are no longer used. and it is
because the country has progressed toward
n state Of normally. The feeling in Wash
ington has been modified by the temper of
the man in the White House.
Mr.. Hays insists. and many will agree
with him. that events have brought to
the White House exactly the personality
that was needed to lead the country away
from rhe turbulent passions Of war back to
the normal human nature Of peace.
If nothing else had been accomplished
in six months this achievement. which Mr..
Hays stresses by discussing il first. is
enough to Justify those who supported Mr..
Harding last year.
The men who must solve the national
problems are now in Il mood 10 work to-
Gether toward common end. They have
stopped fighting one another.
There is reinsurance in the statement by
Mr. HAYS Of the attitude Of the Admins
tratiOn toward taxation. He does not de-
nounre the war-tax laws. but apologies
for them and explains that they were drafted
10 raise the largest sums possible in the
shortest time.
But with the disappearance of the necos
,ity Of fnanring fighting armies a better
way can be found.
The present system of internaI taxes puts
handicap on saving
"Bntwcpn III" man who consumes his
days work aS fast as he creates it, said
Mr.. Hays. 'und on the cher hand the
man who practices self denial and saves
part of his days work and puts it in savings
IN g., inu ia, ,,I,,
forms of investment -- between these two
men. say. IT is the business of wise gov
"rnmcnt 70 tax the former rather than the
latter.
+" tax the rquauderer and to ease the
burden Of thc thrifty would seem to be- the
part of prudence.
II tn" lnterna! Tax Bill can be drafted
in accordance with this principle it will pave
the way to a revival of prosperity and TO a
restoration of the capital destroyed by the
war.
Thrr" is just much sanity in the POST
master Generals discussion of the thrift
thoughtful men must hesitate 10 draft n
permanent Tariff Law at the present time.
for the reason that no one knows the con.
ditirn> abroad which this Inv will have to
meet.
III" basic r"nditiou> on whl"n tariff
law il hui't. namely. III" cost "f mnnufnr-
rur" al''oud are unstable. The vnlu" Of
'hr European currency in which wages are
lnd is furtuNrInS. and no ON" can predict
what it Will bo next month or nn&t },ur.
Under tn" circumstances therefore. it is
NOT surprising that the rhoughtful men in
Congress have r0nr,udcd that it il best To