The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1922-03-18


with the high aims Of the administra
ton, and for that reason l think it is
a god thing to stop and look back. Let
us go bacy to March 4. 1921. only a
little over a year ago. No President
faced harder problem than did VAR
rem G. Harding on that day. Our coun-
try was torn from one end to the other
by the aftermath of war and Wilson
ism. All normal ways and means were
upside down and he faced the problem
Of getting back to peace ways-a no
small job, can tell you. Right from
the Capitol, after taking his aoath of
office. he drvoe to the White House
with Mrs. Harding, and the first thing
he did was to throw wide the gates to
the White House grounds, gates that
had been closed so long. That act
small in a way, was significant Of
everything that was to come. 1t meant
that the new tenants Of the White
House were anxious to be in close
touch with the hundreds Of thousands
who had voted to place Mr.. Harding at
the head Of this government. Thai
same day our President went to work
at his desk. His policy has been one
Of open heartedness and open-minded-
| ness. He has desired to meet and
greet all those making their way to
the White House, whether simply to
meet the Chief Executive or to come
as statesmen.to confer. He has listen
ed to advice, he has studied our do
nestle prnblems from every angle,
and so far as has been humanity pos
sible within one years time he has
kept. the pledges made by the Repub-
l!can party to the people in the fall
Of 1920.
His first important act was to call
Congress into special session, about
one month after he entered the White
House. When addressing that session
he outlined a program that was most
comprehensive In an effort 70 solve
the questions that naturally followed
after the war. He pleaded that ex-
penses be reduced as quickly and eff
fectively as possible and asked for
budget system 10 put the government
on real business basis. This has
been accomplished, as have told you
before. New revenue act was passed
taking about sSOO,O 100000 from the
taxpayers burden, and other taxes
known as the nuisance taxes. were,
reepaled. When the year started vari-
GUS departments had asked for s4,550.-
mo 900 with which to run the govern
ment for the year ending next June
81. Through the budget and the untir-
ing efforts Of the President, that
amount was cut to s3,9cS.0o0.0OO
Great saving was also made by CO
ordlnating the work Of purchasing
materials for thte departments.
1--WE all remember that one of Mr..
Harding's promises as a Republican
nominee was that he would bring
about an effective peace just so soon
as Congress could pass declaration
for him to sign. On July he signed
such a declaration, bringing the war
to an end after delay of many
months. But he did not stop there
He knew that the time had come for
the great nations of the world to get
together and think seriously OF prac-
teal way to make war more difficult.
This thought eventually found express
sion in the Conference on the Limitat-
ton of Armament, that has been her
aided throughout the world as the
greatest achievement ever accomplish
eed by the head Of any nation.
There are so many things l want