Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-01-13
HARDING DELIVERS
HIS LAST MESSAGE
TAKES INDIRECT SLAP AT THE
IN-GOING ADMINISTRATION
IN CLOSING HOUSE.


IDENTIFY doesn't look with favor on the
Harding administration, as noticed
by the following:
Gov. Harding gave his final mes
sage to the legislature Tuesday. On
Thursday he will turn the executive
KEYS over to his successor.
This final message was typical of
the man who gave it. Water does
not rise above a common level. Mr..
Harding said in his message that he
had been continuously in state office
for fourteen years. He expressed tho
hope that the state had profited in
some degree as a result of his eff
forts. 1t has. And the chief lesson
is the revelation to the people of the
fact that they should exercise greater
care in future in the selection of peo-
pie to serve in legislative and exec
utive places.
The character, temper, tone, pur-
pose and breadth of vision of Mr..
Harding are all revealed in a para
graph In the fore part of HIS message.
Here 1t is:
1.-THE state does not need more gov
eminent. Rather, it can get along
with much less government at the
top. 1t is quite apparent that there
is need for both state and federal
powers to realize that localized gov
eminent is most wholesome, and that
the machinery, as first constructed,
should be utilized and co-ordinated
to present day conditions and needs"
II this state and this country were
firmly established on this principle
we should have saloons operating in
many Of the cities OF the country as
they have been operating at Hurley,
Wis. II this principle had been in
effect in Iowa, Attorney Gen. Hav-
ner would never have been called
into that Ida Grove case and the gov
ernor would have escaped great big
bunch of trouble.
The Harding idea of government
seems to be to let the people alone
while they govern themselves. AS
governor of the state he has disliked
the policy Of the state which enabled
the attorney general to poke his
nose" into the business which should
in his judgment, belong exclusively
to county and local officials. IL Mr..
Harding were mayor of a municipal
ity in Iowa he would be of the same
opinion. He would not want the state
to infringe upon his prerogatives I'M
less he called for help And he
would not want his police officials to
do too much spying around for quiet
poker games and the like.
In day and an age when the
whole world has been moving for
ward toward better government and
better ideals Gov. Harding has serv-
ed as a brake on the wheels of pro-
gress. He has held office for four
teen years in a state thoroughly COM
mitted to progress. And all this
time of office holding this man has
been swept along under protest. His
final message is just one more pro-
test against the policy of the state
which does not permit any commu-
nifty in the state to become a law
unto itself.
Il should be said in this connection
that Mr.. Harding means well. But,
as a well known politician once re-
marked, 'the road to hades is paved
with good intentions" Repeal the
federal and state statutes under
which these governments are able to
secure respect for themselves In all
parts of their respective jurisdictions
and you will have inaugurated proc
esses which will ultimately effect
final dissolution of all governments.
The need of America today is citi-
zenship which in every nook and cor
ner of all the states and in all the
territory under the Jurisdiction of the
common flag will have respect for
the laws of both federal and state
governments. 1t is today the priv
ilege of every city, town, village and
hamlet to locally enforce observance
of its local laws as we'll as those of
the federal and state governments.
1t has become the policy of both state
and federal governments, however.
to step in and enforce respect for
their statutes where the local Off
Gals fail. In other words, the laws OF
Iowa must be respected in Davenport
and Dubuque as they are in other
parts of the state. II local officials
fail in any case the state will step In
and do the work ITSELF Harding
wants the state to stay out.
When Mr.. Harding says we have
too much government, he touches a
broad field. He also defines his own
position and gives the people an ac-
curate idea as to where he himself
stands on subjects of this kind. His
troubles as governor of the state are
due to his inclination in this direc-
tion.
The feature of Mr.. Harding's ad-
ministration which deserves COM
mendation is his support of war
workers during the war. He did all
he could to put Iowa over the top
in all drives for war support. Other
wise his administration has been
largely a negative quantity"