Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1922-03-16
MORE FIGHT, MIR. PRESIDENT


Mr.. Harding's view of the Senate
is not what it was year ago. We
have his own testimony to that ef-
feet Speaking to the National
Press club in Washington Saturday
night, he said of his first year as
chief magistrate
1t seems as though l had been
President for 20 years. Life has
been so full that there's scarcely
any impression of life outstanding
before | came to Washington except
one, my viewpoint OF the Senate
compared with what it is today.
The Senate is "functloning"
again. A reservation to the four
power treaty has already been ap-
proved by the foreign relations COM
nlittee, with the President amiably
consenting, and that was only the
beginning. Reservations are now
filling the senatorial sky like a
March snow squall. Every other
senator has "his'n."
The integrity of the four-power
treaty, it is now generally admit
ted, is gravely menaced. In agree
ing so readily to the modified
Brandegee reservation the Presi-
dent prepared the way for a barrage
of reservations that are in effect
amendments. Secretary Hughes is
still out Of the country and no one
in high place has yet toed the
scratch as an out-andout supporter
of the four-power treaty as he ne
gotiated it. Presumably it has mer-
it's as it was signed and sealed.
When the secretary reaches his
desk again he will find that his
chief has already made fight for
the original treaty difficult. Sena-
tors Lodge and Underwood in Sem
ate speeches have loaded upon Mr.
Hughes the chief responsibility for
the negotiations, in which they did
not participate and Of which no
record was kept. What chance will
Mr.. Hughes now have to place his
case for the treaty, the whole treaty
and nothing but the treaty, before
the Senate or the country?
Mr.. Harding's view of the Sen
ate has changed during his first
year in the White House, but the
Senate's view of Mr.. Harding has
not changed. The Senate sized him
up when he was a colleague" The
Senate scrappers believe that the
President has no punch. And the
President is largely responsible if
the Senate scrappers hold that be-
lief. For he has played up the role
of harmonizer and lubricator above
everything else. He is a President
who is always tempted to split the
difference This tendency has led
him. before Mr. Hughes could re-
turn from Bermuda. to prefer a
treaty with reservations to nc
treaty at all, regardless of the fact
that no treaty at all might be better
than a treaty changed beyond
recognition by reservations.
Mr.. Harding's first anniversary as
President has inspired much jour
nalistic writing in praise Of him, q
part, if not all, Of which is deserved
But things are not going so we'll as
they should go in Washington and
Mr.. Harding as President and lead
er of the administration party can
not escape a large degree of re-
sponsbility because things are not
going better. With tremendous Re
publican majorities in both branches
Of Congress, Republican presi-
dent cannot be dissociated from the
failures of Congress any more than
he can be fairly denied share OF
tKE~ credit to it's successes. If Con-
e1ess fails, the administration fails
that is always the final sum
Mlng up
The President should show more
I .Deht s<'ff he wants a new tariff,
. let .him~turn the screws in way