Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-22
NONE BUT DEMOCRATS CAN
SEE A REPUBLICAN SPLIT
But the Evidence Addueed Is Proof That
the Party Is More HarmoniousIy In.
tent on a Common Purpose Than
II Has Been for Years

L Democrats are putting into the effort
to prove that there is split In the Repub-
lcan Party might better be devoted to de-
vcloping u spirit of harmony in their own
party.
The New York World has been especially
active in this attempt to find evidence of
Republican discord. 1t rarely has decent
word to say of President Harding. usually
speaking of him as an incompetent and
stupid blunderer who is tied up with the
reactionary wing of his party.
when Beveridgc was nominated to the
Senate by the Indiana Republicans the
World called it a direct rebuke to the Presi.
dent. The only justification for any such
inference lay in the fact that Senator New.
who was defeated for the nomination, is
friend of Mr.. Harding.
But Mr.. Bevcrdgc is also friend of
Harding. More Indiana Republicans wished
to have Beveridgc represent them in their
dealings with the President than to have
New continue to represent them.
The Indiana primary resulted in a de-
feat for New and it left the President just
where he was. He did not interfere in the
Indiana campaign. and he has announced
that he will interfere in no State primary
election. As official head OF the Republican
Party and as the head OF the Government
which is working through the Republican
Party he knows that II its representatives
in Washington are to work effectively they
must be strong enough to carry their own
States without outside interference. A
man who can win his nomination in the
primaries is strong on his own account.
han bo tall bo hnt hn
ment of the voters Of his State is he speaks
with authority.
Likewise there has h,en an attempt to
make it appear that the nomination of
Pinchot for the sovernorship in this State
is slap in the face for Mr.. Harding. The
World went so far as to say that the Presi-
dent indorsed the candidacy of Mr.. Alter,
| when It is notorious that soon as Mr..
| Alter left the White House Mr.. Harding
| issued n statement announcing that he was
| not interfering in any primary elections and
that he wanted that understood once for all.
The attempt TO make It appear that Alter
had the support of Harding was deliberately
frustrated by Harding himself He knew
the ways of the politicians well enough to
be aware that If he received Alter at the
White House and said nothing about it,
Alters friends would straightway begin to
| boast that he was the man favored in Wash
ington.
| The World knew this. but it deliberately
ignored it in order that it might make out
| q case OF rebuke for the President in the
Pennsylvania primaries. 1t has been saying
| that Pinchot would contest the nomination
| 70 shp wi ar1i in
in pursuit of its efforts to bring about a
split in the party. Mr.. Pinchot nailed this
Misrepresentation in short order, for he
said that he was a supporter of the Prcsi-
dent now and would be a supporter OF him
in 1924. and that he was not candidate
for the presidency in any event
Pennsylvania Democrats are hunting for
evidence of Republican discord here for the
reason that the nomination of Pinchot has
settled every issue on which they had in.
tended to fight the campaign. Mr.. Pinchot
| will make the very housekeeping in Harris
burg that Mr.. McSparran has been saying
he would make. 1t was because the Re-
publican voters wanted this housekeeping
made that they nominated Pinchot.
The Democrats would have had a fighting
chance for the governorship if Alter had
won, because their issue would have still
been alive. No wonder that they are sore
They will continue 10 be sore and to talk
about Republican discord when the news
every day shows that the party is har-
monious. with the leaders who worked for
the nomination Of Alter pledging their sup.
port to Pinchot one at time and in groups.
They will all soon be In line.
What the Indiana and Pennsylvania mi .
marics prove Is not that there is n split in
the Republican Party, but that the party is
alive and progressive with the same kind
of progressiveness that inspired the mass of
Republican voters in 1912. 1t Is the re-
vival of this spirit and its apparent domi =
nance in Republican councils that is disturb.
ing the Democrats. They know that when
any party is so alert TO the great issues
confronting the country that the voters take
the control OF the party machinery into
their own bands and make their own nomi
nations the opposition party might as vel
60 out Of business.
Even assuming that Mr., Harding wa.
originally a stand patter and rcactionary
in the worst meaning Of those terms he Is
too good a politician and too Shrewd mar
to msread the signs Of the times and 10 Ii,
himself up with the group Of leaders or
whom the Republican voters are turnins
their backs. He will welcome Mr. Reverdg,
warmly to Washington and will show sucl
genuine interest in his Humanitarian pro
gram that the Indianian will soon discovc
that his own presidential ambitions will hav
to remain in Gbeyance until Mr.. Hardin,
has served second term.
And when Mr. pinchot is elected tn
, President will congratulate him so hearth
that he will leave no doubt in the mind O
any one of his sympathy with purposes o
l the voters who nominated and elected him.
There is no split in the Republican Party
and no signs Of it. All shades of Rcpub