The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-05-03
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY L. HOUSE
Washington.

washington.
I did have a chance to meet Presi-
dent Harding after all. Yesterday as
sat writing my daily communique to
the Public Ledger one of the regular
Washington correspondents came
along.
President Harding is going to re-
celve the newspaper men at l O'clock"
he said, Would you like to come
along with me?"
I told him I didn't care to go. "Tn
the first place. 1 said, II would have
to step out of character to do so. 1
have just made the point that it is ex-
ceedingly difficult for a reporter to see
the president. To go over now prac-
tically would kill the story It's a
good story and 1 intend to stick to it.
In the second place, when do see the
president, if I ever see him, L shall
| not do so in company with lot of cor
respondents. 1 have gone many times
| in company with other reporters to be
received by great men and nothing
] ever comes of it. The only way one
| can get anything out of a great man
| is to catch him when he isn't on ex-
nlpllon- Nobody, not even the presi-
| dent of the United States, can get my
consent to express a platitude to me
! IN oracular terms" And after thank
ing the correspondent for his courtesy,
1 went on with my writings.
J
wait until o'clock a week from next
| Friday to see the president He can
see him twice a week on Tuesdays at
O'Clock and on Fridays at o'clock,
but it isn't worth while. 1 hear they
are pretty sad affairs, and 1 get my
information from those who have at
tended them. The correspondents
gather around the president, after they
| have been presented and have shaken
hands, and there is an embarrassing
| pause, with everybody ill at ease and
| wishing they could think of something
TO say which would be entirely proper
| in the circumstances. Pretty soon
| some bird forgets decorum and asks
1 the president pointed question con-
corning some matter of national i'm
portance, and the president spreads
ms hands palms up and says: you
mustn't ask me that question" BY
the time everybody is uncomfortable
again some other bird asks the presi-
| Gent pointed question about another
matter of national importance, and
the president again spreads his hands
palms up, and says: You mustn't
ask me about that" After that has
happened four or five times the meet.
ing adjourns and the correspondents
go back to their various typewriters
wondering what they are going to SEND
TO their papers.
The ''buzzing" from ear to car is No,
very good in Washington at the pres
ent time. The Harding administration
mas noS been long enough in power t.
create many reactions. The "buzzing'
VIII get much better as the extra SEES
sion of congress stretches into lat,
summer and early fall. Such "buzz
ing as goes on is about the presiden
hlmsen and the little group Of Short
grass and Alkali senator's who kicke,
over the traces on the Colombian
treaty. Some of the talk about tn,
president is couched in terms of crit
clsm, but it is all friendly criticism
Usually three or four months mus
eiapse before anybody begins fiercel,
TO hate a president. The most seriouI
criticism heard of President Hardin.
came by way of social Washington. 7
seems that on a recent Sunday tn,
president went out to the Mclean
country place and passed the after
noon visiting the McLeans and othe
friends. 1t seems that presiden
must not go visiting, it being consid
cred an attraction of the dignity of tn
offlce to do so. 1t is not done Hay
ing done it. the president is beinJ
gently "panned" for it. 1t is such in
fractions of the social code as upse
official Washington, but they are no
particularly disturbing to Paw Paw
Mich, and Bisbee, Ariz And it is il
Paw Paw and Bisbee that the perma
nent record of president is written
The elder statesmen think the pres
ident trifle too impulsive. They sa,
he is amenable to argument and +
reason, but that impulse occasional,
leads him to do something withou
the formality of discussing it witt
those accredited to the ship of state
He put the elder statesmen UP agains
it pretty hard on the Colombian
treaty. They think the treaty is al