Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-12
PLANS FOR WESTERN TRIP
CONSIDERED BY PRESIDENT
Reported He Will Not Decide
Until He Sounds Senti-
ment-WiIF Await Daugh-
erty'S Return From AShe-
vile
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Leased Wire Service to The Journal.)
Copyright, 1921

Copyright, 1921
| WASHINGTON, April 10.-Presi-
dent Harding found on his return
to Washington that his cabinet had
saved up a number of problems for
solution which they had not felt it
necessary to intrude on his vacation
all of them important but not very
pressing.
+ Secretary Hughes told The presi-
dent the progress of the nego:ia.
tons for the collection from the al
! lies of the expenses OK the Ameri-
can army of occupation. Secretary
Hoover had some phases of the sugar
question to lay before the. president.
Western senators. interested in the
appointment of a successor to the
late Milo D. Campbell, of the fed,
eral reserve board. had candidates
to suggest. But on the whole the
| question of whether or not the
president should take the much talk
| ed of western trip, together with
the natural elements OF the political
situation overshadoWed IN import.
ance the routine questions.
Will Mr.. Harding go west as con.
| templated? One report is that un
less Mrs. Harding is able to go, the
president will not go either. An
other is that until he has sounded
sentiment, especially among his az
visers, he will make no official an
nouncement of hi splans. The OBJ
| jections being raised to the trip are
| mostly from that group Of the presi-
| dents advisers which believes it
would be a mistake for him to cam
| paign for himself at so early a date,
! and that he could not escape giving
the impression of campaigner in
| his own behalf in view of the an
rouncement of Attorney General
Daugherty that Mr.. Harding would
be renominated by the next cOnven-
ton.
Time for Discussion
Between now and June there will
be plenty of time for all around dis
cussion. The attorney general him
self will be here in a week or So.
and it is safe to predict that no final
position win be taken by Mr.. Har-
ding on the: subject of the western
trip till he consults with his closest
friends and political mentor, who
now is recuperating in Asheville,
| North Carolina.
Apart from the interest in the
presidents return to the White
House after an absence of five
weeks, the statement issued by Sec
rotary of the Treasury Mellon at
tracted most attention today. Mr..
Melons announcement that the gov
eminent had just collected for the
year 1922 a fourth of that years
taxes, indicating that $70,000.000
more had been turned in than in the
preceding year when higher sur
taxes prevailed, was variously inter-
preted. Mr.. Mellon himself said he
believed this was convincing evil
dence of the necessity of revising the
surfaces even further down, but
with the record votes already made
in congress in the last year on this
phase of taxation, it seemed improb-
able that any such step would be
taken. The reduction which now is
in effect was obtained only after a
hard struggle in congress and ever
since then there has been talk Of
putting the surtaX rates back to the
1921 schedule. This has proceeded
mostly from members of the farm
bloc, Republicans and Democrats.
Mellon on Offensive
Generally speaking, the tendency
of the radicals will be to put the
surfaces where they were and it is
believed Mr.. Mellon has begun de-
fensive campaign against such a
move by arguing for further reduc'
ton. He isn't waiting for congress
to reconvene but is giving publicity
to his side of the case so that he
will be on the offensive instead Of
defensive when the next congress
meets.
Based on all the elements of the
situation, especially the predomi-
nance of radicals in the next con-
gress, it is improbable that Mr.. Mel
Ions recommendation for lower sur
taxes will be adopted, and it is I'M
safe to conduct business on any
premise of lower rates so long as
congress is made up of such a large
number of radicals. 1t is true that
among the Democrats are many who
believe in the wisdom of Secretary
Melons recommendation. A num-
Der of Democrats including Senator
| Underwood. of Alabama, helped the
Republicans with the last reduction
! of surtaXes but in any agitation in