The New York herald., 1922-12-14
White Sulphur Conference
Is Admittedly Facing a
'Treading on Eggs
WILL WAIT ON PRESIDENT
Executives Prefer to See What
Win Come of the Meeting
i'm January.

Special Dispatch to THE NEw YoRK HERALD.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. w, Va.
Dec. 13.--Faced with issues upon which
some action, or at least a form OF
definite expression IS expected the
national conference of Governors
which will meet here tomorrow is
threading on eggs"
Strong minded men among the
twenty-five or more Governors who
will sit in, have declared themselves
and have come to hght:
First, on the Ku Klux Khan.
Second. on the prohibition issue as
projected by the President.
Third, upon the issue Of State
taxes as involved with Fede rsltaxes
and,
Fourth, upon the cement trust. be-
cause OF the necessity of cheap ma
terialS for roads.
Gov. John M. Parker of Louisiana
and others have come here with the
determination to force consideration
and if possible, action on the subjects
and then upon the general question OF
farm relief and other measures H.
respective of their sponsorship In Wash
ington. which are deemed necessary tc
meet the demand Of the rural com,
munities.
Parker and Allen Ready.
Gov. Parker was on the ground early
to exchange views and to sound his
colleagues He has much support. Be-
cause he must return to Louisiana he
has been moved up on the program, and
an effort is being made to move Gov,
Allen OF Kansas forward. Gov. Allen
Is scheduled to talk on the Klan. Gov,
Parker is scheduled to talk on Citizen
ship He. will tell the Governors he
cannot conceive Of a Kiansnan az a
good citizen, because the Khan under
the guise of Americanism, presumes 10
take the law into its own hands and
disregard the rights of citizenship.
With some support Gov. Parker will
urge Federal action to provide for regis
tration with the Department of Justice
on all Klansmen, for Federal law 10
prohibit making by any organization
and for Federal law to make officers
and members OF any Klan organization
responsible In law for any outrage.
The Louisiana Governor who favors
light wines and beer, will say also that
he believes the present prohibition law
cannot be enforced
Gov. McCray of Indiana will fight
against the cement trust in teh name
Of States rights to cheaper cement and
az tvx,v. t,<t g. II
duty. Gov. j. A. G, Preus of Mime
sofa will demand action on the St Law
renee waterway which has been bitterly
opposed by New York.
No Action Likely.
A canvass OF the situation indicates
clearly that action will not be taken on
any of these issues. AS O. unit the Gov
ernors are prepared to back away from
them. They will he turned over TO COM
mittees or otherwles disposed of. This
is particularly true of prohibition and
the Ku klux Klan. As body the Gov
ernors for individual reasons highly i'm
portant> TO themselves are not prepared
to 20 on record.
There will be twenty-five or thirty
Governors here. A majority of them is
prepared to pass over any action on
prohibition to the Conference of Gov
ernors to be called by President Har-
ding in January. Frankly. they do not
expect any action from the January
meeting either. They arc not willing
to be quoted. but there is q strong
opinion that the meeting will not be
well attended and that it cannot func-
ton TO any definite end.
There Is only one question upon which
united action from the conference Is
regarded as likcly. That is the taxa
tion and road issue. Practically every
State is affected. Most of them are
struggling to raise revenues to meet ex.
penses. The people are dissatisfied
with tax burdens and an effort is tc
be made to discover new means of Sc,
curing revenue, and frankly II possible
OF sequestering some OF the revenue,