The daily times., 1921-07-21
HARD|NG'S ADVICE
AGAIN NEEDED IN
SENATE SITUATION
SHOULD APPLY BRAKES
The President Pleaded With
tiis Former Colleagues to
Concentrate on Tariff and
Taxation, But Senate Would
Spend All the Government
10 About to Save.
(By David Lawrence.)

NSupyTiSnI, 1871, Dy Daily TimeS)
Washington, July 20.-President
Harding may have to take another
trip to the Capitol or in some other
way apply the brakes to the tend
ency of Congress to appropriate for
new purposes all the money that has
been saved by the careful pruning
of the budget.
The Senate is in a snarl again.
Although Mr.. Harding pleaded with
his former colleagues to sidet,ack
mot only the bonus but other legisla-
Ition excepting the tariff and taxa
tion, the bill providing $1Ga,OOO,OOO
to finance farm exports now is up for
consideration. 1t means, if passed, a
spending of exactly the amount
which G. c. Dawes, director of the
budget, announces has been saved. In
other words just as fast as q saving
is accomplished at one end of the
national capital means of spending
an equivalent amount are fouud at
the other end. And on top of it all
the new Shipping Board finds it nee
essary to ask for $300,0OO,000 to sal
wage the wreck on it's hands. Thus
the President finds himself in the
awkward situation of appealing to
Congress directly or indirectly to
concentrate on the tax program and
let alone other matters.
The agricultural bloc in the Sen
with the same vigor that the bonus
was pressed. The President himself
has not said anything for or against
the farm bill and there is no doubt
that he would like to see agricul-
ture aided in just such a practical
way but the question of establishing
a precedent and giving 100000
to one class is a perilous one. Other
Industries may come forward with re-
quests for aid. Furthermore the farm
bill gives authority for a possible ap-
preparation of a billion dollars event
ually as it is a progressive thing
with s10O,ooO,0OO to start with.
Mr.. Harding has asserted his lead
ership somewhat to the discontinue
of some elements in the Senate but
to the qualification of others. His
closest friends would welcome anoth-
er trip to the Capitol. They insist that
the Senate has no leaders powerful
enough to override the wishes of any
bloc or group. The demands of diff
ferent sections of the country have
upset the traditional influence of
the party leader. The call to party is
not as strong as it used to be. Mr..
Harding is being told he is TIE only
man who can lead the Senate out OF
the wilderness of it's variegated in
terests and force action on the big
questions of taxation and revenue.
AS it looks now about all that has
been accomplished in a general way
by government economy has been the
prevention of higher taxes than last
year. Were it not for the efforts at
economy made through the budget
committee and the appeals of Presi-
dent Harding to his Cabinet the gov
ernment would be faced with the ne
cessity of increasing rather than de-
creasing the tax rate for the calendar
year of 1921. Unless some drastic
cuts are made in government ex-
penses on the one hand accomplished
by a few vetoes of congressional de-
sire to spend more money, the tax
rate will remain unchanged. This, the
political advisers of the Administra-
tion, fear will react against them.
They promised to reduce taxes and
unless a gradual reduction can be
put into effect so that convincing
demonstration is made of the Repub-
lican purpose to keep it's pledge, Re-
publicans themselves admit htey will
enter the congressional elections with
a gloomy prospect. President Hard
ing's Intervention in the Senate sit