Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1922-09-08

. ihc power .hcy said he had.
II .."Ipcncd also that the HCDu:,-
!lcan organization in 1920 MAS un-
tors. and the Senate BY tradition i
. Jealous Of the President. The door
keeper in the House of RcprcScn,:.-
! tlrc> who wrote to the folks back
home that he WAS Il bigger man
than old Grant expressed the feel
ing Of the arcrse Senator toward
any President. Capitalizing their
own campaign against Mr.. Wilson,
the Republican Senator's decided
that the time was ripe to dcnaturc
! the Executive and make the PrcSi-
dent a sort Of Chairman OF the
Board of Directors. MIR. Harding's
that plan.
Under this improviSed scheme of
government the President was no
longer to be leader OF the party. The
actual leadership was to be in an
association of best mindS,' a San
hcdrim of the Elder Statesmen. a
college of political Cardinals. whose
decisions when officially proclaim
ed by the President were TO be in
"Eenablc in matters of Republican
faith and morals.
The programme looked all right
On paper. and We we'll remember
the enthusiasm which cpiccnc read
rrS Of the valued New York Tribune
used to display for it in the letters
they wrote to that faithful journal.
Then something quite unforeseen
happened. The scheme would moi
work. The Republicans were in
'powcr. All the best minds were
duly assembled in Washington, but
everything went wrong and every
thing has kept on going wrong.
Either the best minds were incOm-
petent or the plan was failure.
The historian will probably accept
both hypothesis.
In any event, the country'S opin-
ion of Presidential leadership has
undergone Il revolution since 1920.
No candidate in 1924 will advertise
himself as Il figurchcad and no Ma
tional Convention will permit itself
to be dominant by United Statca
SeatorS. The American people live
and learn, although much of their
political learning is acquired by Il
needless expenditure Of effort and
energy, to say nothing of the cost
in moncy.-NeW York World.
The above from the New York
World SO we'll expresses the condi-
ton and situation that we give it
space. Mr.. Wilson was criticised
because he did his duty in time of
war. In the first instance he was
criticised because he used all hon
orable means to stay out of the war.
Finally when forebcarance ceased
TO be a virtue, he went before Con-
gress with a message in April, 1917,
which has been declared by the
worlds best and braineSt men as
the most able state paper in all his
tory. Once in the war he exercised
the great power given by the Con-
StitutiOn as a Master Leader. War
over, he cndeavorcd to carry out an
act Of Congress passed prior to our
entering the war which was to bring
about a combination Of nations to
prcvet war, this act was endorsed
and voted for by Republicans and
Democrats. The result was the
League of Nations. All this time Mr.
Wilson had been carrying out his
Constitutional duties and an act Of
of Congress- directing him to do cN-
actly what he did do. He never
once stepped beyond his bounds nor
his authority. The people of this
country in the campaign of 1920
permitted themselves to be fooled.
Mr.. Harding, no doubt good man,
but a man who was known to have
no merits of leadership was placed
in the White House. A leader was
not wantcd-a mere tool was the
desire. This is what the country has
1t has it with a vcnscncc. The pco-
pie have exactly what the inviting
ly voted into power. And that be-
cause the best minds" demanded
it. 1t is at a terrific price.