Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-14
THE L OF HARDING.

PRESIDENT HARDING has
1 made public a plea that the
American people elect a congress
in harmony with his administration
politically so that he can carry out
his policies during the next two
years. To do that he says he y is
a republican majority in both
houses of congress. We have no
fault to find with that action on
the part of the president in itself.
1t is only natural that a president
of the United States should wish
to have a congress containing a
party majority in sympathy with his
ideas. It smooths his way consid-
erably and often the president has
a hard road to travel, especially in
conducting the foreign relations OF
the nation when congress is not in
sympathy with him, and he has to
go to the senate for confirmation OF
all treaties and international agree
ments. We have nc fault to find
with President Harding for want
ing to preserve his party majority
in the house of representatives
and the United States senate, and
making a public appeal to that end
Yet it brings out in a strong light
the inconsistency of human nature.
! When President Wilson made a
similar public appeal to the voters.
our president now was a member
of the United States senate, and
he Indignantly denounced President
Wilson for making such party ap-
peal. He said it was not only un-
dignified but improper, and the
whole of the republican press join
ed in the claim of denunciation OF
President Wilson for presuming to
let his wishes for a democratic con-
eress be known. We have not not
ed any like outburst against Pres
ident Harding for doing the same
thing they denounced Woodrow
Wilson for on the part of the repub-
lican press. Of course the mouth
of the democratic press is closed
from criticism because they defend
ed Woodrow Wilson when he did
the same thing. About all the dem
ocrats can say in the premises is
that it makes all the difference IN
the world to their republican con-
temporaries who owns the animal
that is gored by the presidential
appeal for party support in a con-
gressional election. Considering
the enormous majority the repub'
licans now have in the lower house
of congress n would think that
thew would have no fear of losing
control of the house. They admit
that their present majority is un,
wieldy and that they would be bet
ter off from a party standpoint II
the November election would re
duce its size. But the appeal from
the White House for a party ma
tjority next November would indi'
cate that they are in fact appre'
hensive Of a democratic landslide
Eof such enormous proportions as
to wipe out their party majority II
the lower house, tremendous though
il is. IF this were not so they
would scarcely have asked Presi
dent Harding to stultify himself
by making a public appeal for
party majority in the two houses OF
congress after violently criticisinf
his predecessor for having done
the same thing. The president alse
must think the situation is pressing
or he would never have consented
to do it
From the strictly party stand
point it is not SO important to the
democrats as it is to the repub
licans to win the next house. 1t:
chief importance to the democrats
lies in the fact that it would be tn,
first step toward winning the pres
idency two years from now. A rad
ical and impressive reduction in th'
republican majority in the two
houses of congress would be near
ly as s~erviceable in that respect al
a majority for the party, though
not quite 30 effective. The ORA
matte force of a complete overturl
in the majority in the lower house
would Of course be more effective
A democratic majority in the lowe
house would also enable the demo
Gratis to stop some raids on thu