The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-19

| fendant with Congress on the ground that the executive has failed to as
 sert that leadership over Congress 1 which makes for effective party government.
 The republicans, keenly alive to the attacks to be made upon them,
 are rallying to the defense of the grand old party. Their plan Of cam paign is to blame the democrats for the condition of the country today and to declare that only by continu- Ing the republicans in power can the troubles of government be righted. Senator Lodge. republican leader in the upper branch of the national leg islature, in his speech at Boston, has
 anticipated the battle cry of the democrats-a do nothing Con
 gress-and has attempted to refute
 the charge by showing that Congress already has accomplished wonders.
 or if 1t hasn't accomplished wonders. then the democrats are to blame. be- cause of their obstructiouist tactics. Harding in Campaign
 Realizing that it is to be a great political year, Washington is won dering to what extent President Harding will permit himself to be drawn into the campaign. Vice President Coolidge already has plunged into the fray and 1t is cer- tain that he is to be a wheel horse all
 through the fight.
 Some of Mir. Harding's closest po- litical and personal friends are up for election this fall and it is only
 reasonable to suppose that he will
 do as much as he can to further their chances at the polls. One or two Of tho Presidents Senatorial friends are facing primary fights also, but in these cases 1t Is difficult to see how MT. Harding can interfere or inter-
 cede in any way.
 Senator News Campaign Take the case of Senator New of Indiana. With the possible cxcep- ton of Attorney General Daugherty, Senator New is the closest friend the President has in Washington. For more than a year it has been rumored
 that former Senator Albert J. Bever- idge would contest the nomination
 with senator New, but not until this
 week was the announcement formal ly made. The resulting primary
 campaign in Indiana promises to be
 stiff one. It was reported in Marion
 during the best minds" conferences
 preceding the inaug guration that MT.
 Harding in an attempt to clear the
 Indiana field for Senator New. had
 offered Mir. Beveridge an ambassa-
 dorial post in the diplomatic corps.
 The latter is said to have preferred
 to nal the race for his old pl co In
 the Senate. Likewise 1t is known
 that President Harding has offered Senator New a place in his cabinet,
 both prior to and since his inaugu-
 ration. Senator New, however, has likewise preferred to make the sena-
 torial race, being willing to stake
 his political future on the outcome.
 Senator New wants the indorsement
 H..
 that he may be willing to step aside.
 Friends of both Senator New and
 Ex Senator Beveridge realize the
 tense feeling between the two re-
 publican camps in Indiana and are
 fearful lest the bitterness of the primary fight lead to a situation
 which may throw the state back into
 the democratic column.
 Support of President
 The republican leaders in Congress
 are coming fast to the conclusion that they will need the active sup port of the President in the coming
 campaign, and while he may not make any wholly political speeches. | 1t is certain that he will be called upon to do great deal of letter
 writing extolling the virtues of the
 grand old party and attempting to | point out the triumphs of the Con
 gress. Already the President has
 decided to include Congress il the
 credit that may be reflected upon l the administration In connection with | the arms barley. He has fntimated
 that Congress helped inspire the 1 whole idea of the conference and has
 been regarded as a sort of partner in | it.
 ] President Harding started his ad- ministration on the theory that the | three constitutional branches of the | government should be kept scrupu- lous separate and distinct. Having
 come from the Senate himself, he
 was inclined to criticise those Presi- | dents who had asserted control over l Congress. But now he finds Con- l gress more than anxious to share l whatever it may have of sorrow or | vet been handed down. hut iS ar