Evening star., 1923-05-06
by MARK SULLIVAN.


~ a somewhat different figure in
the world from what he now
is. an American newspaper man. Fred
eric William Vile. wrote a book enti-
tied Men Around the Kaiser" good
book. which remains today one of the
best sources of information about the
men through whom the kaiser diffused
his influence on German business.
German art. German education and
German culture generally.
If some one were to write a book
entitled Men Around the President"
1t would be very different sort Of
book, for Harding, let US say with
gratitude, does not have the kaiser's
imperialistic temperament and has no
superman wish to press his Will, or
his taste. or his judgment. on Ameri-
can business. American art, American
education, or American anything else.
Harding's philosophy of his function
is to let these things work out their
own salvation with the minimum Of
interference from the top.
Lasker First ON List.
And SO any book that might be
written under the title Men Around
Harding" would deal exclusively with
two groupS-one group being his for
NAL cabinet and the other his infor-
NAL friends. In any book about the
latter. any book dealing with Hard
ing's informal friends, one of the first
who would be sure to be mentioned
by any writer who should search the
current gossip of Washington for his
material would be Albert D. Lasker,
chairman Of the Shipping Board. Las
ker is easily first of the "men around
the President" To such an extent is
this true that there is school OF
criticism in Washington which says
that Lasker is rather too much around
the President. which complains that
on occasion Lasker seems to be wholly
around the President, to compose a
complete circle in himself.
AS it happens, the present writer
does not share this criticism or give
much weight to it, but any accurate
historian of present-day Washington
would be compelled to record the
prevalence of this sort Of talk. The
other day. for example. a dispatch
from Washington to the New York
Times contained the following para
graph, which has bearing on the pres
ent article and also has bearing, as
the reader will perceive. upon one as
pect of Harding's difficulties with the
Senate:
Criticized by Senators.
Senators are disposed to criticize
Mr.. Harding for the close relation
Lasker Of the Shipping Board and
some others not of the Senate. Mr..
Lasker was one of Senator Johnson's
chief financial. hackers in his pre-
convention contest for the republican
presidential nomination in 1920. The
impression prevailed at the time of
Mr.. Harding's nomination that, as re-
publican senators had the larger part
in bringing about his selection, he
would be more influenced by them
than by any other individuals or
groups. This appears to have been
disSipatcd, at least from a senatorial
viewpoint"
lThe implication in these lines to
the effect that Harding is influenced"
by Lasker in public matters is a cor
rect reflection of the common gossip
and opinion of Washington. The
present writer happens to think,
however, that in this particular re-
spect gossip rather oyerstates the
case. I shall allude to this later.)
Something of the same sort as this
New York times allusion was printed
some time ago in the Baltimore Sun,
which at the time the ship subsidy act
was in It's acute stages, said the fol-
lowing: Another feature Of the sit
from the subsidy issue in itself is the
peculiar status in Washington Of
Chairman Lasker OF the Shipping
Board, who Is the real motive power
behind the administration's subsidy
policy. Mr.. Lasker is one of those
men whom everybody meets with a
smile and whom half the town wants
little while one of the Presidents
cronies and is commonly counted moro
powerful at tho White House than
most members OF the cabinet. That
fact serves to bring him many smiles
of welcome and to cause many re-
marks behind the door that he is a
menace"