The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-29
CAMPAIGN DEBTS
 ARE BOTHERING
 PRES|DENT-ELEC7
Senator Harding Is Anxious to Have Huge Deficit Wiped Out-It Embarrasses In
 Making Appointments
Fly ROBERT T. SMALL


 Palm Beach, Fla, January 2s.-ts2e- -President-elect Harding feels no little concern as to the existence of the big fight in the campaign fund and drive may be made to clean up the out standing debts of the national committee before he goes into the White House. As matters stand, only S24O.oO0 has been raised by sl,000 contributions since the election. The deficit amounted to $1,500,- o00 at the close of the campaingn. so it can be seen that something like the sum of million and quarter dollars still is owed by those responsible for the conduct of the campaign.
 There is no question but that it will relieve Mr. Harding of a number of em- barrassments if all these debts were wiped off the slate There is an inti- nation even that in the selection of cer- tain members of the cabinet the ex istence of this deficit has had to be con sidered and there is a possibility that one or two staunch friends of the party and of Senator Harding may lose the chance to occupy seat in the cabinet table because of the fact that they were among the responsible creditors of the national committee.
 METHOD THAT BOTHERS
 Senator Harding has been told from
 
 away in few days. This possibility is true. but it is the manner of the sweep ing that concerns MT. Harding and he wants the books to stand clear when the final accounting is made.
 Col William Boyce Thompson of New York, chairman of the ways and means committee of the republican national committee, and responsible for the rais- ing of the campaign funds, met Senator Harding here in Palm Beach and the taking care of the deficit was frankly discussed. Colonel Thompson is one of the closest friends of National Chairman Will H. Hays, and owes his position in the party councils to the national chair man.
 Tn the circumstances there has beea little or no argument as to whether MT. Thompson failed to raise the requisite amount of the campaign, or whether MT. Hays, in charge of the spending end ot the organization, overstepped the limits in the outlay. The fact remains that the deficit exists and it exists in the form of number of large loans from na- tional banks.
 LEADERS MENTIONED
 Connected with virtually all of those banks is some prominent leader of the republican party. Some of these leaders have been mentioned for cabinet places, but they probably would be reluctant to accept high office under Mir. Harding unless some plan is arranged to relieve them of contributing to the national com mittee the entire sum for which they X stand responsible, but that is not the X method of wiping out the indebtedness which Senator Harding desires. as ne feels that the campaign itself was waged by popular subscribtion, and he wants the deficit cleaned up in the same man ner.
 At Miami. Mir Harding win see Fred w. Upham of Chicago the national treasurer. He has talked previously. 10th with Mir. Upham and Colonel Thompson. and also with Chairman < Hays, but apparently he feels the time has come for definite action.
 Senator Harding and his friends aboard the houseboat Victoria encountered here the outer currents of the storm which has been sweeping the southeast and east. A cold north wind made chilly work of it on the golf links of the Palm Beach Country club yesterday afternoon and the large fleet of house. boats anchored in Lake Worth bobbed about like corks on the choppy sea. Everything was ship-shape aboard the Victoria however, when the party set sail carly today for Miami, the southern terminus of the cruise.
 SOME FISH TALES
 X number of rather tall fishing yarns preceded tho Victoria into Palm Beach, but when they were exposed to pitiless publicity. it developed that the catch amounted to three or four salt water ~cats'' hooked by George Christian. the senator's secretary, who seems to be able In every other direction except the casting of wicked fishing line. As 70 the activities of Senator Harding in this respect. ono of the party related the story of an old negro who looked like Uncle Remus and lived on the shores Df the Chattahoochee river, near Att lanta. He was met one day by a party Of city fo1ks and this conversation en- aued:
 -Bssa catching any nsh lately. Uncle Benr'
 sNo. si.. ain.t been catching no fish"
 -Isnst the water good for fishing"
 A-Yea sir, it's good.''
 ~WNn aren't the fish bitting?'
 'sYea, sir, they biting pretty good"
 Then, Uncle Ben, why haven't you bean catching any fish?'
 well, sir. ain't fishing none"