The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1921-04-23
HARDING HAS
PROVED THAT
HE IS LEADER
Succeeds in First Act of Ad-
ministration by Colombian
Treaty Passage-Even Crit
les Speak Generously.
PUTS SENATE IN PLACE
BY MARK SULLIVAN

WIN tue SOlOmDldu treaty out OIL tuo
way. the ground is cleared for tho
great new measures of the present
session, and as the administration
takes up the business of making it's
constructive record it is interesting
10 make a survey Of the held as it
lies before US.
The wish of President Harding,
which he expressed in asking the SEN
ate to take up the Colombian treaty
as the first act of his administration,
was based on two motives, both of
which were in the nature of a clear
ing of the ground. He wanted the
Colombian treaty out of the way in
the first place, as a prelude, a sign
Of amity and act of justice combined,
which should be the opening move in
his policy toward all Latin-America.
His idea was that before asking Mex
leo to meet the obligations toward
our citizens and our nation arising out
OF revolution, we should first prove
to Mexico and to all Latin-America
our own disposition to live up to
every possible demand of justice to-
ward them.
President Harding's second motive
was one of fhouse-cleaning, so to speak
This particular treaty has been hang
ing fire for eight years and the contro-
versy with Colombia which it is sup
posed to close Is IS years old.
Creates Good Will.
The first and most important aspect
of the field is the goodwill with which
President Harding starts In to make
the record of his administration. You
can go up and down Washington, in
the frcnnont with
iety of man that we all have, without
finding. even among the most jealous
iy partisan opponents, any who fail to
speak generously of the start Presi.
dent Harding has made so far For
the most part this is just the natural
impression made by the increase of
ACQUAINTANCE with his personality
Even the most suspicious critics
have been moved to make generous
concessions based on President Hard
ings bearing in public: on his patience
in the tremendous strain of an open
ing administration: On the f1rmness
which has been difficult for a man of
his kindly temperament but which he
nevertheless achieves under the spur
OF determination to do the right thing
on the pains that every one observes
he has taken to get good men for his
appointments. This is an effort which
in the nature Of things cannot always
be successful. and which. therefore, is
more apparent to those who watch the
White House closely than it can be
to the public at large. Finally his
critics have been impressed with the
simple qualities of truthfuIness and di-
rectrcss which shine vividly out of
his transparent personality
Harding is Leader.
From this ascendency of President
Harding in the judgment of Washing
ton flows the first important fact in
any survey Of the field. That fact is
that President Harding is the leader
No other individual and no group ser
iously contends with him for this
prestige. At the time of President
Harding's nomination the theory was
widely held that in the Republican
management Of affairs President Hard
ing would fill. so to speak, the role OF
general manager. and that the board
Of directors in the same picture would
be the Republican leaders in the
senate.
This theory it may be added, was
shared by several Of those same Re.
publican senate leaders themselvs. In
the campaign this theory became one
of the two or three major issues in
the shape of the slogan that Harding
was going to he "The creature of a
senatorial oligarchy."
This theory is now utterly disproved
AS it has turned out. President Hard
ing has made just two addresses tC
the senate, and in both he has. if you
choose to express it collonuial'v. put
the senate in its place" 1t is doubtful
if there is any parallel in our history
for this twice repeated declara ton OF
a president to the senate and in the
presence of the senate that there must
he LL its part no expectation of any
surrender Of executive prerogative.
Use Free Hand.
The foreign affairs which President
Harding referred to will be one of four
fields in which. roughly, the important
business of the present session will
divide itself In this field of foreign
affairs President Harding and his
secretary of state are now functionine
with free hand uncmbarassed by anv
such jealous insistence on the part OF
the senate as created the deadlock Of
the past two years.
The second field in which the work
Of the present session will express it
salf is that OF governmental house
clearing Here, too. 'here has been q
contest for leadership between the
White House and the capitol. The re-
organization of the gov eminent which
is lust now in process of beginning is
primarily function o. congress. Nc
bureau can be lifted out of one depart
ment into another except by act oi
congress.
Moreover, ordinarily congress is ex
ceptionallv unwilling to make such
CHANCES. They always involve person
al consequences to government en-
r'oyees ard wher they are propose cd
the employees affected hurry will
alarmed comnlaint to the members OF
congress or tn the senators from their
states. For this ard for broader rea
sons CONGRESS- started out bv taking
The ior cf government reorganization
into their hands.
A degree Of tenseness arose and
President Harding has made an extra