The Washington herald., 1921-04-12
Message to New Congress
Gives National Affairs
Leading Place.
FOREIGN QUESTIONS
PUT IN BACKGROUND
President Ready to State
Position on Many VII
tai Problems.
by ARTHUR SEARS HEssISG.


Appearing before Congress at
p. m. today, President Harding viii
outline his views upon the great
Domestic and foreign problems with
which the Legislative and executive
branches Of the government are
called upon to deal.
The major portion Of the meg
sage final revision 9f which Mr..
Harding completed last night. Is de-
voted to tax and tarin revision.
labor, soldiers relief. government
reorganization, and economic. rail-
road merchant marine. foreign
trade and other domestic question:.
Reversal OF Policy.
sounding a reversal Of policy
from the pursuit Of information
alism. which characterized the Will
son administration. to the deyelop-
ment OF vigorous. seIf-reliant
nationaiism, the President. in con-
eentrating attention upon domestic
problems, will accentuate his view
that the most pressing need OF the
hour is reconstruction Of the foup-
dations Of national prosperity dis
located by the war
The Presidents program for .g-
iecting peace with Germany and for
participation Of the United states
IN the stablization Of world nasce
is founded on the principle of non
enlargement in the political AFFAIR."
Of Europe. The message will mai.
IL clear that the United States pur-
poses to choose the OBLIGATION, a.
Is ready 10 discharge and nnr 20
accept obligations which il cannot
pledge itself 10 tuIfH in good faith.
International Position.
Tho President will declare tb.,
the United States socks no selfish
isolation hut stands ready 10 co-op-
crate appropriately with other ns-
tons Tor the stsbiliEation Of world
p"a"e- To what extent this Co-oDer-
alton viii be possible depends in
large measure upon the attitude Of
the great powers. II they should
scrap tho present league the wav
would be paved for tho creation Of
the association OF nations for CON
ference on world peace questions as
proposed by Harding. In any cvcrt.
the President stands ready 10 -pon-
sor declaration of tho purroSr ur
the United States to co-opcrat.
with the European powers TO
stabilize peace
In such matters as tho PrcSidrni
does not commit himself specifically
TO a course Of action he will fndf-
cate the aTGfru T.F
with caution and with further d.
liberation in tho light Of c"udi-
tions which arc StiIl in the makiug
The message. for this reason. Will
not undertake to chart in full detail
the course the Executive cout,m-
plates pursuing in developing the
nations peace program.
Cautious steps Made.
The program. as Mr. Harding
stated last week. must hc establish
I'd cautiously and probably piece
meal. Some Of its tentative fca-
lures may be materially changed by
International developments in the
next few weeks.
The President has stated in tho
past few days that he is opposed
to any precipitate adoption of the
Knox resolution. He wishes-to have
a free hand in the next few weeks
in developing peace policy WHICH
may be affected materially by tho
progress of international negotia-
tions Of great moment which SeCre-
tsry Of State Hughes is conducting.
Whether any features of the Ncr-
ssillcs peace treaty can lie accept
cd by the United States and IN
what manner the United States can
carry out the declared purpose to
stand with the allies" in holding
Germany to accountability for the
war are questions on which these