The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-02-08


portant directions.
This column Is not political. 1t
deals with politics only insofar as
politics affects business.
Therefore. what is here set down
is intended, not as criticism, but as
an unbiased outline Of what seems
to be taking place. since it very
directly affects business cons ,dera-
tons and calculations.
Frankly, when President Harding
won the Presidency there was a
widespread feeling that his Admin.
istration would be altogether too
favorable to business interests to
satisfy a very large section OF our
population. A common comment
was. THE Old Guard IS aga to
enter the saddle"
Now. as matter of fact, the
Administration has disappointed not
q few business men.
Taxation evils were not grasped
and pulled up by the roots, many
business men complain. Nothing
like the measure of relief hoped for
has been forthcoming.
The Administrators handling Of
the tariff has apparently failed TO
create any general satisfaction.
The conduct Of Congress in re-
gard to soldier bonus legislation is
exciting bitter comment in financial
and business circles, and, OF course,
the former service men and many
others favoring the bonus, have
been equally dissatisfied.
Then, too, the unexplained delay
in reaching a friendly basis with
Mexico has proved CALLING to the
business world. s.nce ii had been
| confidently hoped that by now a
fun measure of business would be
passing between this country and
our southern neighbor. now evident
ly on the mend at a reasonably
satisfactory pace.
Our vast farming population has
felt very bitterly over what has
overtaken them and. not unnatur.
ally, the disposition has been TO
regard the Government as partly to
blame. The formation of the agri-
| cultural bloc and the success OF its
activities have been, in a sense. an
| outcome OF the farmers dissatis-
| faction with the way things were
being handled by Washington. Our
! farmers-not wholly logically-held
the Administration responsible for
| the deflation movement inaugurated
| by the Federal Reserve Board. Then,
| more recently, President Harding's
/ of hn SrrfN In
| jected into his speech at the OPEN
ing OF the recent agricultural con-
ference. has not tended to mollify
the vast constituency championed
by the bloc.
Then. at no stage has labor looked
| upon the present Administration as
! friendly TO II. The stand taken by
| the Administration when the rail-
way strike was threatened embit-
tered a large section OF the labor
class. Rulings made by the Rail.
road Labor Board in regard both to
wages and working agreements have
been interpreted as being in line
with the Administrations general
| policy. That the Government had
no more to do with debating the
Railroad Labor Boards decision
| than Samuel Gompers had. did not
prevent this feeling becoming wide
spread in labor circles.
President Hardings course in con.
| nection with international "entan.
| clements" has drawn forth criticism
alike from out.and-out converts to
the League OF Nations and those
who are uncompromisingly opposed
TO our having anything whatsoever
to do with alliances or treaties of
any kind with foreign powers.
! OF course, the basic cause of much
OF the dissatisfaction which has
arisen is the hard times which prac.
| tically every class in the country
has been expert encing. 1t is pro.
! verbal that the Administration is
railways blamed when acute depres-
sion occurs no matter whether the
actions OF the Administration haze
anything whatsoever to do with
causing the depression or not. Dur.
ing the last Presidential campaign
not few Republican spokesman
held out hopes. not TO say promises
that the election or Harding would
mean the prompt return Of pros
perity.
Even had Solomon been elected &c
the White House last March. the
country could not have been saved
from undergoing most OF what /,
has undergone. But men out of work
men whose wages have been re
duced. men whose business has Taller
off. men whose balance sheets show
not profit but loss. are not dis
posed to reason philosophicany anc
TO judge calmly and accurately as tc
how far or how little the Admins
tration is responsible for their hard
ships.
Significant elections will soon h.
/ coming along. Their results wi.
merit the closest scrutiny of ey>r,
responsible citizen.
This is not an attempt TO asses.
the wisdom or the lack of wisdom
exercised by the present Admins
tration. nor an attempt to recon
mend to the Administration what /,
ought to do or not TO do. to meet tn,