Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-06
THE DISCRETION THAT DOTH
HEDGE OUR PRESIDENTS
Mr.. Harding Kept Within It's Bounds
In His Marion Speech, While He
Made Significant Allusions to
Present Controversies

| AVA are restrictions on the freedom OF ex
preston of the President of the United
States which do not hamper a private
| citizen.
He cannot escape from his official posi-
| tion when he speaks in public, and 1t fire.
| quently happens that significance is given
| to n casual remark intended to mean no
more than appeared on the surface.
lie evidently chafed under the bonds on
his freedom while he was addressing his old
friends and neighbors in Marion, and at the
same time he assumed the responsibilities Of
his exalted position and spoke with dis
creton.
If he had been Il private citizen he doubt =
less would have referred in detail to some
of the controversies now engaging attention.
But as the President, charged with the duty
of taking sides in the controversies at some
time in the near or remote future. he con
tented himself with the enunciation of gen
eral principles
Take. for example. the labor contro-
Tersies. lie mentioned neither the coal
strike nor the railroad strike. but he did
say that "a free American has the right
to labor without any other mans leave"
No one dare dispute the soundness of this
proposition by any formal argument. Yet
it is disputed by overt act in nearly every
strike. Strikers throw up their jobs and
assume that they still hold them and can
prevent any other man from taking them.
Virtually all disorder in n strike arises from
the attempt of the strikers or their sympa-
thizers to prevent other men from accepting
work under the conditions of pay and hours
against which the strike has been ordered.
Mr.. Harding also said that any nbridg-
ment of the right of men to bargain COL
lectively-that is through labor unions--is
as objectionable as interference with the
freedom Of an individual to work for who-
ever will hire him. Here he was insisting
on the rights of the unions 10 represent
their members in negotiations with their
employers.
But il is worthy of note that he did not
enter into n discussion of how the repre-
sentatives should be chosen. whether by the
members of the unions in the shops affected
or whether the general officers of the union
should represent the workers. There is acute
controversy over this matter.
He paid his respects to the agitators when
he remarked that ''the greatest traitor is he
who appeals to prejudice and intiames pas
sion when sober Judgment and honest speech
are so necessary to firmly establish tran
quillity and security And he announced
that the Government has sought to give aid
with patience. with tolerance and with
sympathy"
Here is the keynote of Mr.. Harding's
policy as thus far disclosed. He has sought
TO be sympathetic tolerant and patient not
only with the men engaged in industrial
disputes. but with the trouble makers in
his own party. His hope evidently Is that
by manifesting disposition to he fair and
just he can communicate the same disposi-
ton to others. Such hope is not always
justified however, for men nflamed by
passion have turned their backs on reason
and cannot be dealt with by peaceful meas
ureS.
The successful executive always has pre-.
pared in advance for the possibilities Of n
breakdown of reason, but he postpones the
demonstration Of his infexible purpose to
enforce the laws. to protect the rights of all
the people and 10 preserve order until all
other methods have failed. But the weapon
Of authority always lies ready to his hand
Those interested in the matter can read
between the lines Of Mr.. Harding Marion
address and find there the formulation Of
the belief OF the average American citizen.
Indeed the great strength of Mr. Harding
lies in the fact that he Is an average Ameri.
can. He has been called a typical citizen
of Main Street. a characterization which he
would regard as the highest praise
We have had other Presidents and other
men in public Office whose public addresses
have been constructed on more subtle plan
than those of Mr.. Harding. But they have
not spoken In the language of Main Street.
All that Mr.. Harding needs to do when
he wishes to know what the level headed
average citizen is thinking Is to examine
his own thoughts on any subject. He spent
his adult life IN community which con-
tained no very rich men and no very poor
men. He went in and out among them and
uncon sciously absorbed their point of view
The problems Of Marion were the problems
of every other community on a larger or n
smaller scale, because they were the prob-
lens arising out Of the efforts of men and
women TO live together in an orderly com.
munity.
Every successful political executive has
been man who perceived that the problems
OF government are at bottom problems of
human relations. Thomas Jefferson touched
the fundamentals when he said the art of
government was merely the art of being
honest Of course. mere honesty is not
enough 1t must be an informed honesty,
capable of understanding the facts in
case. All the obtainable evidence points to
the conclusion that Mr.. Harding has that
kind of honesty.