Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-03-06

of Mr.. Harding's first term is a mat
ter of history, but inseparably asso-
ctated with those two years Is the con-
cluSion that the second half of the adj
ministrat.on will really decide whether
President Harding will have an oppor-
tunity of reelection.
The President has no illusions about
eyes of the public. His many years In
politics have taught him self-appraisal.
He knows even better than the critics
who have just finished microscopic
analysis of all the water that has gone
over the dam since inauguration day
what impression each act of his ad-
mlnlstration has made. His newspaper
experience, with its perennial diagnosis
or public Ills, has enabled him to look
somewhat impersonally at the whole
political situation as 1T concerns him.
Congress Ii Blamed.
The President would chart the curve
of his administration abruptly down
ward for the autumn months follow
ing, of course, the simultaneous out
break of a rail and coal strike with
| the many effects of each on industry
and the household. Since then the
struggle has been to bend the curve
upward again. The political fortunes
i or the President were to large ex-
| tent intrusted to Congress. which
body had the chance TO increase or
diminish the prestige of the republi
can party's chieftain.
Probably the last man in the world
/ TO blame anybody else or shift RESPONSE
/ billty for his own political mishaps is
Warren G.. Harding, But he doesn't
/ need TO point to the ill-effect which
/ Congress has produced by its lack Of
teamwork with the executive. Mem
! him
Ship Bill Bitter Pill.
Hardly man of the SO called adj
ministration group in the Senate and
; House will contend that Congress
| has increased the political prestige
OF the President. Rather do they dis
| cuss among themselves how much
damage has been done by the lack
| of cooperation.
The defeat of the ship subsidy bill
was bitter pill to swallow. Not
because of the merits Of the pro
! that republican President. with a
Dig majority in both houses, could
not secure the passage OF a bill
! sponsored as an administration
measure If America had a parlia-
mentary form Of government and Mr..
Harding were prime minister he
would be joining Mr. Lloyd George
in that "wilderness' where premiers
go when they cannot get vote of
Mr.. Harding feels. however. that
his party had the votes but that the
democrats. by virtue of the Senate
rules permitting unlimited debate.
| Killed the shipping bill.
| This will be his defense It will
serve TO answer attacks on the stump
ana so feed fuel to the flame OF cam
palgn oratory when the record of the
administration is under fire in 1924
But there is another session Of Con
| sreSs coming when the margin Will
! be smaller in the republican ranks
! ana tne same set of causes will be
operative. unless Mr.. Harding and
way Of dealing with revolt inside
| the party.
Whatever reflection one NAV in
dulge on the events of the last two
be made by the individuals who dis,
like to look at adverse facts, the
| truth is the much dreaded insur-
gency which destroyed party soli-
darity in Mr.. Taft's administration
has raised its menacing head again.
Powers of Lenders Curtailed.
Congress has gone from Washing
ton for nine months. but In its wake
Is left a trail of experiences which
tempts at leadership have not been
lacking. What, for instance, was the
purpose Of naming Senator'S Lenroot
of Wisconsin and Wadsworth of New
! 1OTh 10 De moor leaders II not 10 SUD-
stitute the vigor of youth for the vet
eran membership of a steering COM
mittee which found itself failing to
function at critical moments?
Senator Lodge has been through a
severe trial in the last four years
His efforts to reconcile conflicting
factions have been unavailing. No
leaders have risen to his aid through
individual achievement. In the old
days men won their places as leaders
in Of l.
leagues. But today it is different
Powers of leadership are curtailed
Senators who have to GO through pri
mary elections are less interested in
what leaders tell them.
"Ah, but you don't vote in my pri-
maries. Mr.. President, is the way
more than one senator has answered
an argument for party solidarity or
an administration proposal. In the
era Of Aldrich and Cannon leaders
didn't have to worry about that kline
of retort. They merely sent word &c
a republican convention and a re-
calcitrant member of Congress had q
hard time getting renominated. Fed
eraI office holders had much to dc
| with those local conventions. This
ma clinery of party government was
effective.
Today there are almost as man.
conceptions of what the republican
party should stand for as there are
individuals in it. Party solidarit,
means relatively little to men lik,
Senator Brookhart of Iowa, Senator
La Toilette of Wisconsin. Senator
Norris of Nebraska, Senator Laid Of
North Dakota and others. who have
gained their ideas of republication
in their own primaries.
The nub Of the whole matter is tina
group of men who were elected al
republicans have failed to stand will
their fellow republicans in parliament
tary tactics and have formed make
shift coalitions with the democrats
Mr.. Harding has not yet found a way
to beat that combination of crcum
stances And Congress-. therefore
has not done the things he asked 4
to do. In the next nine months thu
executive will have a chance to max.
a record unembarrassed by Congress
Florida is a place for rest and recre
alton. but there will be plenty of time
for reflection and soliloquy and man,
a thought applied to the big tasl
ahead of turning the delicate curv,
of popularity upward gain.
Copyright, 1929