The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1921-08-14
VOICE OF THE
PEOPLE
President Harding Was Invited,

Editor Columbus Dispatch:
The question has been asked through
the press, "Why doesn't the Cen
tcnnial Committee invite President
Harding to our celebration when he
comes to Birmingham in Qctober?"
1t may interest the public to know
tina tone of the first steps we took in
planning for our celebration was to
try to induce President Harding to
lhonor us with his presence. The
Chairman did not advertise this fact,
however. On the contrary, it was
kept out of the local and out-of-
town press upon his urgent request
and you will testify to this, Mr.. Edi-
tor. The Chairman took the position
that simply inviting the President was
not of sufficient Importance to make
newspaper "story'-any little old
town could do that and we believe
our Centennial is too big thing to
justify cheap notorety. AS we were
doubtful of our success, we did not
care to advertise what might turn out
tc be a failure.
The asking Of the question above
referred to has smoked us out" and
for fear the public may think we
have overlooked our hand it is due
them 20 snow that on April 23rd cor
respondenc was begun with Senator
John Sharp Williams with view Of
inducing the President to come to
Columbus during our Centennial Upon |
cur sugee stion Senator Williams cor
ferred with Senator Underwood, who
was representing the Birmingham
Semi Centennial and both of these
gentlemen assured us they would do
everything in their power to persuade
the President to come. At that time
the details of the trip were too in
definite for the President to make
decision. We have a letter from him
to Senator Williams, dated April 10th,
in which he says:
81 sincerely appreciate the suggest
ion from the people of Columbus and
hope may have the pleasure of visit
ing that city, If find it possible to
make a trip through the South next
Fall the feasibility of including Co
umbus in the itinerary will be care
fully considered.
There the matter rested until the
first part of July, when it was an
bounced that the President would
probably be in Birmingham the lat
Ter part of October We immediate
' sent to Senator Williams the of
';cial invitation to the President, ask
ne the Senator to present it in per-
son, accompanied by Congressman
rom Mississippi, and saying that
alter on we would send personal
if the Senator thought
,est. In reply to this invitation the
'residcnt wrote as follows: &
81 have read your letter with
,reat deal of interest. am most &
nj reciative of the invitation extend &
d to me tc visit Columbus on my
southern trip, but | regret that z
wing to the exceptional pressure OF
public duties / am unable at present to @
make any additional engagements
hat would take me away from Wash {
ngtcn. feel sure that you will UNI \
erstand the conditions confronting
ne just now a
We then wrote Senator Williams v
O assure the President that while we I
egretted he could not visit us at this il
ime we hoped that at some later date j
Ne would thus honor us, and assured t
Inn of the same generous welcome
hat was accorded President Taft in G
oil. t
put President or no President. we v
ire going to have "a hot time in TIE 7
"a town" that week, with many Of a
he "old timers" present and account b
d fer.
Yours Centennially, G