The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-05-13
PRESS COMMENT
"DisioyaIty to Harding IS
Disobedience to- God

\ Disobedience to God"
II Notwithstanding the embarrassment
H given to President Wilson and the
4 stumbling blocks thrown into every
4 foot of his pathway by Senator Lodge
and his party, we are now told-for
1 example by the Christian Statesman
that .DisIoyalty to Harding is Disobe-
/ dience to God"
1 So far as we have observed, there is
i a. very general disposition among dem
| ocrats inside and outside OF the con-
gress to give Mr.. Harding's admins
tration a very cordial and even gener-
Gus support.
/ Indeed, two very influential demo-
! cratic. newspapers Of this state are
giving him a much more magnanimous
support than was accorded to Presf-
dent Wilson.
/ One OF those publications, In most
Iaudatory editorial, said that as the
campaign of 1920 had nothing to do
with the historic issues dividing the
parties, therefore Mr.. Harding has
wide latitude to do what he thinks to
be right and it is believed that he will
do the right thing.
/ In a very frank utterance in his
place in the United States senate Hon.
John Sharp Williams, of Mississippi
said:
Democratic government is a gov
eminent of the people,. It is a govern
ment which allows the will Of the peo-
pie to be heard by majorities and by
minorities. 1t is fair representation
! of what the last election meant. We
went down. You went up. You have
a right to govern the country, and r.
for one, do not profess any right to
hamper you while you are doing it.
Your president has a right to have
under him men who are personally and
politically loyal to him. and I am go
ing to do all can to see that he gets
men of that sort. I am not going to
object to anybody that he wants to put
put into office unless 1T is clearly con-
veyed to me that the man in que9tion
Is either incompetent or dishonest
That is seldom conveyed to, me, be-
cause in great country like this most
people who aspire to office are both
competent and honest"
In patriotic and loyal language SEN
ator Pat Harrison, of Mississippi and
Senator Tom Helf1in, of Alabama, re-
peated in substance the words spoken
by John Sharp Williams.
We think it can be said that these
distinguished officials give utterance
to the sentiment pervading in the
south.
Up to this very hour the people of
this section have looked upon the acts.
and doings Of President Harding, if
not with approval. at least with COM
placency and silence.
All of which is we'll and good-but
xr~1,, u. $al-
anyone suppose that the picture would
be the same?
Not in the spirit of captious criti-
cism, but for serving what we believe
! to be good and patriotic purpose, per-
NIT us to paint a picture in words.
Suppose that when Mr.. Wilson was
first elected he had felt it his duty
to call to his aid the master minds of
/ the country" and had only called in
consultation those from the south
that he had totally overlooked all of
that vast section lying on the oppo-
site side of the Mason and Dixon line;
| Suppose that in the formation of Ifs
| cabinet he had purposely or uninten-
| tionally overlook the same section and
I had made his selections entirely from
! the south;
secretaries to the members Of his cab
met he had pursued the same policy;
That In the appointment of our am
| bassa doris to foreign courts he had Sc
lected only statesmen from the south;
That throughout his conduct of tha
government he had totally overlooked
or purposely ignored all that extensive
| territory lying north of that famous
sectional and geographical line;
! Would Senator Lodge and his COL
leagues have given utterance to the
same sentiments as those we have
quoted from our southern senator's?
Would our northern newspapers
who are always ready to read us lee
lures on loyalty, patriotism and good
manners, have been as complacent and
silent as the south has been through
| the acts and doings of President Har-
! ding along the lines that we have pic
! tured?
| Internationally or purpose1y fgnor-
| ing the scope of territory south of the
Mason and Dixon line, as forming an
| integral part of the Federal Union, we
are complacently told that President
Harding's heart is set on bringing
about an "era of good feeling."-Ocala
Banner.