New-York tribune., 1921-03-04
Inauguration Day

0ael q tihPAlSAsy bCAAeeAAS CAO SSA~-
monials of a republic, Warren Ga
maliel Harding, citizen, will to-day
take the oath of Office as the twenty
eighth President of the United
States. He will swear, to the best Of
his ability, to preserve, protect and
defend the Constitution of the United
States"
No President ever came to Office
with greater good will toward him
among his fellow citizens. They
believe in his sincere desire to serve
the country. The outfiowing of SYM
pathy to him, except with a neg
ligible minority, is universal. In
view Of this it is no i'll thing that he
is not the custodian and champion of
any ninutely defined contentious
policy, and hence that he has great
likssty Of action.
he multiplicity and complexity
q his tasks arouse compassion. His
problems do not press on him singly,
but in battalions. On him, in the
last instance, rests momentous
leadership. And as he is too honest
and modest to claim to be a miracle
worker, and too sound in character
to turn to quackery and demagogy,
no wonder his face is grave and his
demeanor serious.
But though his burdens are heavy,
their very weight holds out to him
the best promise of assistance. Mar
row and restricted is the person
whose heart does not go out to him;
mean and pitiful the soul not led to
resolve to avoid haste and uncharity
Of judgment. The friendship of a
great people sustains him, and in his
closet we may be sure he will rev.
erently seek the guidance which Lin
coin solicited and obtained.
The unsolved international prob
lem left on his doorstep insistently
calls for immediate attention. The
wars objects have not yet been at
tanned. Mankind's calamities are
the consequence of conditions which
still exist. There is yet no adequate
assurance against the recurrence Of
another horror.
AS Lincoln said q divided house
could not stand, that slavery must
be put in process of extinction or of
triumph, SO it must be decided what
forces are to control the future
might, with blood as it's argument,
or power linked with righteousness.
A great power, 81 prey to the lust
OF domination, having appeared amid
community of nations i'll prepared
for defense, the pacific peoples
barely escaped conquest. To secure
durable peace it became necessary
for the aggressive spirit to fall into
disrepute among the peoples who
were victims Of it, or, failing that, to
have concert Of the pacific peoples
to guard against future attacks.
Alasl neither end has been reached
the aggressors Of 1914, with Rus
sia added to their company, have no
regrets, and wait for an opportunity
to strike again, while discord has
been lamentably introduced among
the nations whose harmony is essen
tial to peace.
The first great work Of the new
Administration is to leave nothing
undone to restore the spirit of the
alliance Of 1918. What machinery
is set up does not much matter-the
less Of it, probably, the better. But
we must be friends with our friends.
Let US not be ashamed to declare
that our self-interest, as we'll as our
interest in the worlds welfare, re-
quires US to draw near again to Great
Britain. France, Italy, Belgium and
all others who joined loyalty on our
side in the great military struggle.
Looking within the country, the
new Administration may properly
adopt as it's motto the letter Of the
oath to-day taken by it's chief. To
preserve, protect and defend the
Constitution Of the United States
this is enough. All great duties are
implicit in the oath. The Constitu-
tion distributes governmental pow
ers; it recognizes no class distinc-
tion; its purpose Is to secure liberty
under law-not any new-fangled
kind Of liberty, but the old-fashioned
kind which the men of Concord, of
Valley Forge and Yorktown be-
Neved in. Keep this living flame
in the hearts Of our magistrates and
our people, and common sense can be
relied on to settle domestic issues.
The day is one Of hope and Of
thanksgiving. 1t opens up many
agreeable vistas. Lifted up to the
worlds most powerful place and
generously supported by people
who can say without boasting that