Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-06-16
HARDING TOUR
PART Of BATTLE
To WIN THE WEST
Advisers Seek to Avoid Blum
der Like Taft Made in
Winona Talk Just Before
His Defeat
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Ieased Wire Service to The JournRl.)
Downright, 1921 Is

(LeaSed Wire Service TO The Journal.J
Copyright, 1929
WASHINGTON, June 15.-Presi.
dent Harding is preparing in adj
vance many of the speeches he is
to deliver on his western trip, and
there is plenty Of advice being vol
unteered as TO what he should say
and how he ought to say it.
All of the presidential contingent
hereabouts, which includes not only
persons in official life, but the politi-
cal advisers high in the councils OF
the Republican party, look upon the
western trip as an affair of para :
mount political Importance. The
president himself has tried to soft
pedal the political side and keep his
trip and speeches on a non-partisan
basis, but the talk in Washington
constantly is Of the effects Of the
journey on the possible denomination
and reelection of Mr.. Harding.
Right now the feeling inside the
presidential circle is one Of conf
dence. A few days ago one or two
men in the group of a betting dis
position wagered $4,000 that Harding
would be renominated and reelected.
Somebody in New York took the
other end of the bet at even money.
It is a small incident, but 1t does
illustrate how some Of the presl"
dents friends feel about the out
come.
Expect Democratic Blunder
Strangely enough, much Of the con-
fidence about the ultimate success
of President Harding is based on
the belief that opposition to him Will
not be effective. Republicans Watcn
Democrats and make their own
analysis and while the wish may Do
father to the thought, the truth IS
the Republicans think the Democrat
ic party will not be harmonius al
fair in the next campaign and that
the candidate chosen will not have
the united support of the party.
Whether this is that no one man
seems to be in the lead forthe Dem"
ocratic nomination or whether the
split over the yet and dry issue Will
prevent the nomination OF a strong
enough candidate is hard to say, but
the Republicans do expect the Demo.
Gratis to do the worst thing instead
of the best thing.
Such an expectation is logical,
coming from Republican sources, but
at present it is a fact that the Demo"
Gratis are disorganiZed and that lot
of work will have to be done before
a crusading candidate able to make
a popular appeal not only to Demo-
Gratis but TO Republicans will catch
the imagination of the voters and de-
tract from the Harding strength.
The other fundamental on which
Republican confidence just now is
based is the prosperous condition
of the country and the high wages
being paid. Change, it is argued, is
not made when things are going we'll
West Now COntented
The west was the hot bed Of dis
content last year but reports reach
ing the White House would seem to
indicate u steady improvement from
that direction for Harding. These
reports are hard to verify at this
distance and even President Harding,
who has something of political in
tuition, is not inclined to accept them
at face value.
He hopes to see and hear for
himself on the western journey.
But if the west is intact, if the
Republican party is gaining west Of
the Mississippi instead of losing, the
assumption among Mr.. Harding's
friends is that he will have a safe
margin of electoral votes in 1924.
So it's battle for the west
which indeed MIR. Harding is set
ting out next week to conquer and
preserve for 1929, --Wan though he
may publicly and otherwise give the
impression that he is not tant on
political errands. Rumors that Mr..
Harding may withdraw from the
race if he finds sentiment adverse
and not subject his party to a. de-
feat, permitting some one else 10
make the race, are traceable in part
to those who would like to have
some one else nominated, but War.
rem Harding is that kind of a party
man who would willingly accept the
verdict of convention on that
point. He has always felt that the
party to which he belonged was
bigger than any individual.
Political Reasoning
There is, on the other hand, a
good political reason for re-nominat.
ing the president, no matter what
his own beliefs may be about sue
cess in the final election. 1t is that
any candidate would have to make
the fight on the record Of the Har.
ding administration and no one can
speak about that record as authori-
tatively as Mr.. Harding himself.
The political map of the country
can undergo many changes 'twixt
now and the national conventions,
which are to be held just a year
from this month, but alignments
frequently can be dlscerned and the
trend of events traced even as
early as this Political soothsayerS
predicted the fall Of the Taft regina.
Immediately after the Winona
speech, made on western trip long
before the election. Will the west,
ern trip yield any Winona speeches?
Mr.. Harding is carefully preparing
efery word in advance and going
over it all with en- eye to the 20.
1itical past as well as the feature.
HoL:L