The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-05

 ways be his calling of the disurma- ment conference to meet in this city in November. when it is possible that a new relationship may be estab- lished among the nations that con trol the destinies of the world. Oth CTS will always hold Mir. Harding 8 initial success to have been his abil- ity to bring to his own service and to that of the nation. so many of the ablest men Of the country.
 In the selection of these men, the President was affected by no mar row prejudices. This is shown by the fact that with the single express sion of Senator Hiram Johnson of california, the President sought the services of every man prominent in the race against him at Chicago last year for the republican nomination.
 Might Have Been Hughes
 There is Charles Evans Hughes as Secretary of State until the very close of the Chicago convention; there was the possibility of sudden switch to Hughes.
 There is Herbert Hoover. as Secrs- tary of Commerce, given as wide a latitude for public service and per sonal achievement as even bestowed upon any man.
 JneT6 IS GeHeTdl lSeONdFu " oOu ds forthcoming governor general of the Philippines.
 There is Will Hayes as Postmaster General. Powerful factors were work ing always at Chicago for the nomi- nation of Mir. Hayes.
 To complete the list, Governor Frank O. LoNden of Illinois was of fered portfolio in the Harding cab met but declined.
 Someone rather flippantly. but in a sense none the less appropriately ~e- ferred recently. to Mir. Harding as a Babe Ruth" in the White House, be- cause 1t was said he had poled out so many political home runs. There was also the comment that while oc casionally Babe" Ruth might strike out, his average for the season was high As "home runs" this com mentator referred to the appoint ment of Hughes and Hoover to the cabinet, of General Wood to the Philippines, of Wm. Howard Taft to be chief justice. of Charley Dawes to head the budget commission and to bring about stoppage of govern mental waste. He referred to the bravery of the President in going boldly before Congress and stopping at this time the soldier bonus bill which \Secretary Mellon declared would disrupt the national finance, and also referred, of course, to the calling of the disarmsment confer ence.
 President Satisfied
 While the applause which has greeted his home runs" naturally has been gratifying to the President he has devoted the greater part of his time to less spectacular but none the less important tasks. The Pres ident has spent long and earnest hours In consultation over the busi- ness situation in the country, striv- ing to bring about solution of the manifold problems which confront the administration and the nation. He summoned to Washington in a series of conferences, the leading bankers of the east and the west, not hesitating to call to the White House some of the "orgies of the Wall street district. In further disregard of the political traditions of Keep ing clear of big business, President Harding offered the chairmanship Of the shipping board to the head of the Standard Oil company of New Jersey Such an act on the part of a chiet executive a few years ago would have been regarded as political hari- kari of the surest and swiftest sort. But Mir. Hardin Is almost naive in his frankness and abence of guilt He has reached out for big men wherever they might be found
 One of the distinct surprises of the first six months of the administra- tion has been the close cooperation one might say, the intimacy between President Harding and Secretary Hughes, MT. Hughes is credited with having greater influence at the White House today than almost any other man In Washington. Frequent ly 1t was predicted that the foreign relations committee of the Senate might guide the Presidents foreign policy, bur Mir. Hughes has been su- preme in that field.
 Presidents Policy
 All of which is in keeping with the