The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-03-15

Special Despatch to Inc heIOEIDeE.J /
Copyrighted 1921.
WASHINGTON, March 15.-Protests
against the appointment of Col George |
Harvey as American ambassador to
Great Britain have been pouring into |
the White House as well as to folks in |
congress who are presumed to have infiu- |
ence with President Harding. These |
protests seemed to be based upon the |
idea that without rejecting in the slight |
est upon Col. Harvey, some distinguished
American whose Republicanism was
based on service to the party other than
mere criticisms of the Wilson admins
tration, might be given the place. While
there is appreciation of the fact that the
brilliant pen of Col. Harvey did more,
perhaps. than anything else to discredit
President Wilson before the eyes of the
world. the protesting Republicans in
sist that there are other men in the Re
publican party much more closely iden-
titled with Republican tradition and for
eign policy who ought to be considered.
Strangely enough. after all that Col.
Harvey has written to remove any faint
of wisconsin from his makeup, It is
still remembered that he was the original
Wilson man and that exGspt for George
Harvey's writings. Mr.. Wilson might
have remained a college president. In
50 far as the Republicans are revertlng
to Republicanism, they cannot forgive
| Col Harvey's original Sin-the crea-
tion of Wilsoh--much as he has done in
| the last few years to atone for the same.
| Broadly speaking. the opposition to
! Col. HarveyS appointment IS the most
sensational incident of the Harding adj
ministration thus far. Whether or not
| he is oppoiHted. the true story of why
| he was selected viii ever be a source of
| curiosity. 1t is known that the leaders
| in the senate have not asked for the APP
pointment 1t is known that some of
! them. while admitting Col. Harvey bril-
| lance. question whether he is temporal
mentally fit for the post. Politics en-
ters into it somewhat. too. for the writer
| has it on reliable authority that Col.
| Harvey Is not considered by President
| Harding as one responsible for the nomi-
nation at Chicago last June.
1t will be recalled that many published
reports said that Col. Harvey helped
nominate Warren Harding. There Is
| good reason to believe that President
Harding held a contrary view as to how
he was nominated and that he still be-
| IievcS Col. Harvey was much more in
! tercSted in the candidacy of Will Hays
than anybody else at Chicago. Col.
| Harvey and William BOvce Thompson
are intimate friends. Mr.. Thompson
has been largely concerned with ways
and means of making up the campaign
deficit and he is u power in Republican
circles Just now. But the point is that
Col. Harvey comes from wing of the
Republican party which has not always
been considered the original Harding
wing Nevertheless this bit of friction
has been to 4 large extent patched up
and the fact that Col. Harvey has been
virtually decided upon for the ambasSa-
dorship to Great Britain Is taken as
proof positive that Warren Harding has
forgiven such activity as Col. Harvey
| manifested against him at Chicago.
/ There is another question involved in
4 the Harvey appointment. 1t Is the fu-
ture of Harvey's Weekly. which has been
so bitterly critical of the Wilson admin
istration that unless it We're to adopt a
i similar role toward the Harding admin
iStration ii would have to proceed on an
altogether new line of tactics-a defens-
i've and apologize role. Some of my
| British friends who are curious to know
the reasons for the appointment say
they have been told Mr.. Harding is as
| eager to have Harvey'S Weekly discOn-
tinued as others in the Republican party
are anxious that it should be continued.
These latter folks think Col. Harvey
ought to be on the job to answer Demo
cratic criticisms.
If these were normal times. the Brit
Sh government would decline to accept
Col Harvey because of his anti-BritiSh
writings. but every bit of information
available indicates that Great Britain
win not make an issue over the appoint
ment. but will accept the distinguished
author without protest. Col Harvey be-
came very close to Mr. Harding during
the latter part of the summer at Marion.
He is credited with the authorship of
large part of the famous speech where
i'm Mr.. Harding turned his back on the
league of nations. 1t was just prior to
that speech that Elihu Root cabled from
London, urging Alr. Harding not to say
that tire present league ''is dead" That
cabIegram, it can be disclosed, was adj