Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-04
HARDING LOSES
PATIENCE WITH
NOTE WRITER'S
President Exasperated
as kilograms Flood
Executive Offices.
Deluge of Letters Is
Marked by Criticism
as Well as Praise.
By ROBERT T. SMALL.
spselsi Correspondent Of Great Fai's Iribuns
Copyright. 1922, BY The Great Falls Tribune

NQDyrlZlL. b<ks % Ii
Washington, Sept. 3.-Presldent
Harding is ~exasperated. For inc last
six weeks he has been withstanding a
b~ombardment more intense perhaps
than was ever before leveled at an
occupant of the White House. He has
had to face a barrage of letters, tele-
grams and radio messages which nave
been all but overwhelming.
Virtually all of the letters and tele-
| rams have been extremely earnest
end sincere. Not a few, however, have
been ~petuIent and faultflndlng. II
ever there was a patient, perserverlng
president in the executive mansion It
is Mr.. Harding. The first few letters
and the first few wires he received
were read with the greatest care, ana
if the truth be told, with a great zeal
of concern. Then the communications
began to multiply. 1t seemed as
though someone had started an end
less chain to the White House, each
writer pledging himself to get three
more writer's to join the chorus OF
| praise or protest as TO TINS or that
| phase Of the administration policy or
lack of policy.
Operators Stampede
The regular telegraph room and op-
orators in the executive offices or the
White House long ago were swamped
and kilograms for the president began
to come by way of the main offlces OF
the two telegraph companies. ORA
rarily a president never sees the DlacR
and yellow or white and blue blanks OF
the common or garden variety teie-
gram. The messages which reach MIN
ordinarily are copied Cd linen bond
with white House" printed at the
top of the sheet. On some mornings il
is declared that a pile of kilograms
more than a foot high have been place.
before the president. For a while Mr.
Harding looked at them and attempt.
ed to answer more in sorrow than II
anguish. AS time has gone on, how
ever, the messages have become more
and more imperious in tone and at last
the president has become resentful. Il
is perfectly apparent that some of the
communications are sent with 4 desire
rather to embarrass than to help.
Most of the authors of the letters
| and kilograms seem to have taken i
for granted that the president coult
settle the strikes at any time, if h
only would.
Mr.. Harding had been conscious o
this state of mind on the part of 81
many people and that consciousness
accounts for the fact that on so man.
occasions recently he has made it plail
to callers that the executive really ha,
no power at all TO compel the striking
shopmen and railroad executives t.
get together. He has let it be know
rather plainly that he resents the idej
that he could long ago have settle
the strikes if he had exercised tn
various powers inherent in the execu
tive.
Want Powers Exercised
The letters and kilograms receive
at the White House. particularly tn
letters, reflect the fact that tn
. American people, despite their love
democracy as a principle. are comm
more and more to look to the pres
dent to exercise a virtual autocrat'
power in dealing with all matters a.
fecting the public welfare as well as
the direction of government and publ
affairs. The people as a whole Al
showing reluctance TO 90 back to
normally which means divided respol
sibility between the executive and lei
"islatiye branches of the government
The letters received at the Whit
House bluntly have demonstrated tht
the president and congress should hay
put the warning factions in their n
spective places and kept them there.
The president has discussed tt