The Washington times., 1922-03-04
HARDING SF|RST
YEAR FRUITFUL
|NCONFERENCES
Group Idea" Of Running Job
Features Administration of
White House.
BY GEORGE r. HOLMES.
International News Reyxtce. e

cut OF the Presidency today at the
end of his first year in the White
House he undoubtedly would go
down In history as 'The Conference
President." Pc -:..
ces-international. agri.
cultural. Industrial and Legislative
have been the outstanding features
Of the first year Of President Hard
ings term. There have been few
weeks in Washington since March
( last when there was not a confer.
ence of some sort actually In session
or In the making. In the back.
ground of them all stood the figure
Of the President.
President Harding once described
himself as a ''devout disciple of the
conference idea" in the settlement of
controversies and disputes-whether
they be international, national,
municipal or domestic.
Once during the campaign Mr..
Harding was speaking to a group of
confidants about his chances for
election and the prospects of four
years in the White House. The pas.
sage of time has removed the mantle
Of confidence that was thrown about
what he said that day.
Don't Kid Myself"
''You know" he remarked,
thoughtfully, II don't kid myself
that IL elected will make the best
President we ever had. But I pride
myself that there is one thing l do
rs well II not better than most m -
Il have the faculty of bringing men
together: l can reconcile minds that
are widely divergent, minds that are
narha xNo haitian IL
seems to me that is what we need
today-somebody who can bring men
together instead OF keep them apart"
Not only in international affairs
has the President pursued the con-
ference idea. In two national
"crises" in the past year he has sum.
moned to Washington leading fig
ures in the nations financial and
industrial life to try to work out
programs of betterment. These
were the Unemployment crisis" and
the more recent agricultural crisis
which Is still with US.
The first legislative conference.
called q few weeks after the Hard
tngs took up their residence in Penn
sylvania avenue, created some
what Of a stir In Washington. Per-
haps there was a precedent for It,
but II so 1t was so old that everyone
had forgotten 1t, and reporters flock
ed to the Executive offices in droves
that night, staying on duty till long
President himself came, bareheaded,
to the big. broad portico and inform.
cd the newspaper men what had
been: discussed and accomplished.
Since that first conference of the
legislative heads of the Government
almost a year ago there has been a
steady succession Of such meetings.
Some Of them have accomplished
much; some Of them little, but they
continue regardless.
Washington was surprised and in
terested when they started. The
White Housee had been virtually
closed for three years-the Wilson's
had few dinner guests and did little
entertaining except for intimate per-
sonal friends. Now the Capital has
become used to seeing white.shiTted
members of the two houses stroll up
to the White House for dinner and
. chat. 1t has been one of the great
est steps in the process Of getting
back to normally"
Department Heads Confer.
Then there was the inter-depart.
mental conference, in which all the
departmental heads and bureau
chiefs in Washington took part. 1t
was inaugurated by President Hard
picturesque profanity of Hell n
Maria" Dawes, director OF the
budget. II still meets at stated IN
tervals to listen to the explosive ad-
vice Of General Dawes on matters Of
economy and cooperation.
The bureau chiefs had seldom met
each other before the initial confer.
ence. For years they had pursued
their individual ways, each bent on
getting all he could for his own
bureau In the way Of money, per-
sonnet and supplies. II a bureau
needed 1000 brooms the purchas-
ing agent went out and bought
them, regardless Of the fact that
some other department might have
10000 surplus brooms.
The outstanding feature Of Presi.
dent Harding's first year, from an
international standpoint, has been.
OF course, the Armament Confer
ence. Seven treaties and twelve
resolutions grew out Of that epoch-
making event, and in them is incor.
porated nearly all the Administra.
tons foreign policy that has thus
far been disclosed.
These treaties adjust many of the
international question left pending
when tn democrats retired a year
ago. The far-famed zap dispute is
settled, likewise Shantung. The ma
tons Of the world have repledged
their adherence TO the open door In
the far East, and they have like.
wise pledged themselves to act as
moral trustees" for the interests of
PROSTATE Russia. The United States
has secured rights in inundated ter
ritories denied by the League Of Ma
tions: the navies Of the world have
been cut In half, and the expensive
business Of building fifty million
dollar battleships has been stopped.
Next In importance internationally
is the conclusion Of peace with Ger
many through the agency Of a
separate treaty.
Oponions vary as to the outstand.
ing achievement from the domestic
standpoint, but probably the con-
sensus Of opinion would point to
tho establishment of a Budget Sys-
tenn. The first budget has been
launched.
Domestic Record.
In matters Of domestic legislation
not q great deal has been accom-.