Evening star., 1921-01-18
HARDING DISCUSSES
BUSINESS ON TRAIN
Revives Custom Favored by
Taft-Takes Visitors to
Cleveland.
Special Dispat tch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
MARION, Ohio. January 1S.-Prest-
dent-elect Harding's introduction OF
novelty into his best mind" confer
ences by taking two of these best
minds" and boarding a train for
Cleveland with them, may be followed
by the adoption of such practice
from time to time during his term in
the White House. On the train the
senator had an opportunity to talk
for more than three hours without In
terruption.
There were no jobseekers on the
train. and no one waiting in the ante
room. Former President William
Howard Taft frequently used to take
advantage of train trip to hold some
Of his more important conferences,
and always contended that the only
real isolation . chief executive could
have was on q speeding ''rattler."
Mr.. Taft often would take several
when he would Journey from Wash
ington to New York or Boston and ac-
cOnphshed much public business while
on the rails. On one occasion, when
age down the Mississippi river from
st. Louis to New Orleans, he carried
four members Of his cabinet with
him, and the whole state of the Union
was discussed and digeSted..
Mind About Made Up.
Mr.. Harding went to Cleveland to
attend to some personal business and
in order to catch the train had to
interrupt a particularly busy progom
Of conferences. The two men with
whom he desired to spend the great
est amount of time were Charles
Dewey Hilles. republican national
committeeman Of New York and former
national chairman. and Will H. Hays,
the present national chairman and
prospective postmaster general in the
Harding cabinet. So he took them
along. bag and baggage. The plan
proved great success and Mr.. Hard
ing had a most satisfactory time of
it. He returned from Cleveland this
morning.
Mr.. Harding, 1t would seem at this
time, temporarily has put the busi-
ness of cabinet making aside. He is
almost finally certain in his mind as
to six of the more important posi-
tions, and is content that the other
four should wait. for he will not
make any announcements until he is
ready to name the entire official fam
lily just before Inauguration. Mr..
Hays insisted yesterday that he knew
nothing of Mr.. Harding's cabinet
Cleveland. After the trip the ma
tional chairman would not discuss the
matter.
Declines Many Invitations.
Mr.. Hilles undoubtedly would be
member of the Harding cabinet If it
were not for the fact that the next
Secretary of State. Charles Evans
Hughes, comes from that state, and it
appears likely Mr.. Harding will ad-
here to the old custom. which forbids
the selection of two cabinet officers
from the same state. To defy this old
tradition, as Mr.. Wilson did at times,
would be considered in Marion as poor
politics. Mr.. Hilles helped to conduct
the Harding campaign, as member
of the executive committee of the
national committee. He Is greatly ad-
mired by the President-elect.
AS the time approaches for him to
leave Marion for the south. Mr.. Hard
ing is being deluged with invitations
all Of which he has had to decline or
will have to decline, when he gets the
time to write his regrets. Most of the
Invitations naturally come from
Florida, but the only one the Presi-
dent-elect has accepted is to spend
two weeks on the houseboat of Sen
ator Frelinghuysen of New Jersey.
After the houseboat jaunt is finished,
Mr.. Harding will settle down, proba-
bly, at hotel in st. Augustine, where
his time will be his own and where he
can catNh up with the affairs which
will accumulate during the isolation
of the voyage on the Indian river.
A great many Of the invitations
have to do with possible stops on his
way to Florida or on the way north
for the Inauguration. An invitation
he particularly regretted to decline
was to attend the southern tariff
congress in Atlanta the last few days
of the month. This invitation car
ried with it an opportunity to meet
at an informal dinner many Of the
editors Of the southern newspapers.
Still more attractive was the induce
ment of a golf game over one of the
several fine courses in Atlanta, with
Miss Alexa Sterling and Bobby"
Jones forming one-half of a fine four
some.
Miss Sterling is the youthful ma
tional woman's champion, a title she
has held for three years. and "Bobby"
Jones was a semi-fnalist in the last
amateur championship and stood Sec
ond among the amateurs in the ma
tional open championship won by Ted
Ray at Toledo last fall. Atlanta is
the particular home of golf1ng stars
and Mr.. Harding would have liked
to have played there if his plans had
permitted.
Copyright. 1921