Evening star., 1922-10-24
Presidents Commendation of Con.
gress Was Only Natural.

President Harding's letter to Rep
resentative Mondell, in which he
summed up what he considered the
achievements of the Sixty seventh
Congress. is accepted almost every
where as very proper contribution
to the closing days Of the campaign.
Editors naturally deal with the presi-
Dental opinion from their own po-
litical viewpoint. but there is
strong undercurrent of criticism for
the personnel of the last Congress
vidual caliber of the membership will
be improved at the coming election.
The praise of the President was to
be expected, the Ohio State Journal
(republican). says. and really means
little inasmuch as the unwieldy char
acter of Congress makes il almost
hopeless" to expect efficiency at its
hands and only the development OF
strong. one might say ruthless. leader
ship, from among its own members.
or systematic and determined dicta-
ton from the White House. which
may be wrong in theory. but which
often has proved extremely effective
and useful in practice, holds out about
suucllve record by Congress IN ,h-Se
days" The letter is wise" the Chi
cago News independently asserts, be-
cause 1t does not even mention the
congressional elections: says not a
word or syllable in favor of regular
ity. and. moreover, his praise of the
present Congress is guarded and quail
ified. The President has written a
detached. philosophical letter which
democrats and Independents might
read on the stump with as much rel
evance and point as republican cam
paigners. Presidential appeals in be-
half of partisan candidates and me-
chanical regularity are out of date.
They were never proper or fair" The
Akron Beacon-Journal (republican)
contrasts the letter with that of for
mer President Wilson under similar
circumstances and points out that
from beginning to end the Preside MT
imparts no thought into the document
that the nation will essentially go to
the dogs if its citizenship fails to take
his advice" 1t is the opinion. how
ever, of the New York Times Gnde-
pendent democratic) that while 'in
IT there is nothing extensively partisan
1t is evidently a composition of a re-
publican. addressed to republicans and
for republicans" and the New York
President lis more than courteous in
valuing the work of this Congress
Where he might have been critical
he has been magnanimous.'
will be as IAN executive o. X" the
Richmond Times-Dispatch demo
cratic) says, while the New Orleans
Times-Picayune (democratic) argues
''he has made as good a job as was
possible, circumstances considered.
but his defense OF Congress will not
stand under severe analysis. but it
testifies anew as TO his kindness of
heart and his readiness as a politi-
cal partisan to come to the aid Of his
party" On the other hand, the New
London Day (republican) believes
President and it remains for the
people of the country to show their
appreciation of what has been done
by supporting the party candidates
at the polls" The letter also shows
the Milwaukee Sentinel (republican
is task requiring patience and com
mon sense in steering middle course
between extremes. 1t has fallen to
the lot of President Harding and
Congress to endure. not legitimate
criticism which they may justly ex-
tion and fault-finding from various
quarters" The Memphis CONNER
ciai Appeal tdemocratic) reads an
entirely opposite meaning into the
letter., which 1t terms "an apology
for Congress-" and asserts that any
how we are glad to know from Pres
ident Harding that the Congress just
adjourned is no worse than the Con-
Kresses that followed the civil war
while the Decatur Herald (repub-
lican). In turn, suggests that "the
President saved Congress from max
ing a fool Of itself and now has to-
thank it."
The Philadelphia Public Ledger
Nndepcndent) feels that what the
nation has been criticizing 10 the
present human material Of Congress.
tt 10 not the plan that 10 At fault, but