Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1921-08-06
REVERT TO POLICY
OF LAUNDERING "

animus that amounts almost
.ishness in the Harding Adm
tion seems to exist in al M
where the fire of criticism has
directed owing to the discovery
the anvil chorus. so well traine,
Will H. Hays and his cohorts,
set new words to the old music.
1t is matter of Amusement to CO
gresional leaders, to Administratit
Spokesman and to Republican COM
mittee agents that the people of the
United States should be so inconsider-
ate as to find fault with Republican
Administration in any particular. II
was expected that the proletariat
would understand, by this time, that
all the troubles of the President are
inherited from his predecessor. If
they do not know ii. they are going
very soon to find il out. President
Harding says: This Administrator
does not intend to rest under the
criticism Of inherited troubles" Fur
thelmore, he says: Eve intend TO have
the people know the truth" and he
invites the correspondents to put
that in your valuable newspapers"
He was talking about the Shipping
Board, which he permitted to operate
without head for four months, and
which Senate of which he was a
member prevented from functioning
for many months by refusing confir-
nation to former President Wilson's
appointee>. II is true he was pro-
voked al Chairman Laskers request
for some odd $300.000 900. and prop
erly incensed al the wasteful condi-
tions tina; had grown up in the war
system. but he had other things iiN
mind.
At the outset Of the Harding Adj
miniStration il was an agreed policy
that whatever else the agents Of the
Administration did they should keep
the five of criticism lcveled at Wood
row Wilson and his acts. But as time
went and and little iealou e develop
ed in the Repuhlic;n backyard which
led to internal pickering and fighting,
the Republicans forgot to throw their
dead cat over the Wilson fence.
Then it may have been that the new
Administration was led into Il false
sense of security because the Dem
Gratis laid down and played dead,
after first serving notice that they
were patriotic rather than partisan,
and wanted the Republicans. in full
power. to have fair chance to make
good.
But recently Chairman White. Of
the Democratic organization, figured
that the time had come to start the
process of party rehabilitation, for
the reason that, in his view, at least,
the Republicans had failed to do any
thing worth while He chided the
party in power gently but firmly for
monopoliStic trend ridiculed the tariff.
scolded about unemployment and pok-
ed fun at the lack Of foreign policy.
What hurt worse. White quoted from
Republican papers that have been
turning their guns on the do-nothing
Congress and the evasive Admins
tration. Then ii dawned on the
chieftains of the new regime that they
had forgotten there were any Demo-
Gratis, and that someone was respon-
sible for letting die the plan of keep
ing up criticism Of Wilson and allow
ing that criticism to be diverted to
the man now in his place.
1t is said. too that Wilson's attitude
of absolute silence has been discor-
certng to some degree. It is hard to
keep on fighting man who will not
fight back. and when that man is sick
the aggressor soon loses popular ac-
claim.
So the plan is revived, and this
time with determination. to keep
hammering Wilson" hut it has been
undertaken in way so crude that al
ready comparisons have become
odiouS. Besides. Will Hays, chief
of the hammer-throwers. now has
another job on which he is trying TO
make good
Some highly-placed Republicans
here seem to have lost sight of the
fact that ii is the new administration
which is now on trial and that the
people are tired of hearing about the
alleged faults of the old regime.
Again, the present situation is a
reflex Of the two-year intensive cam
paign of inspired criticism aimed at
the Governments administrative of
ficials. The well-traincd anvil chorus
in the country-0t-largo GEMS unaware
that it is not expected to keep up its