Evening star., 1923-03-23

ways been aided with the latter wing OF
the republican party, but 1t is notice
able that when Attorney General
Daugherty and others in the Harding
entourage talk about progressive
government, they do not exclude the
acts or purposes of the Harding ad-
ministration, and tend rather to con-
Strue the term progressive as mean
ing government of Righteousness
and impartiality as between classes
and interests.
There hardly a plank of import
ance, for instance, in the farm pro-
gram of the national progressive con-
ference called by the friends of SeIia-
tor La Toilette in washington 1mme-
diately after the congressional cleo
tions last fall, which has not met with
the approval of the Harding adminis-
| tration. If the fight as between pro
greSSive" and "Standpatter' is to be
staged on the agricultural voting areas
of the west, the Harding administra-
tlon stands ready to defend what 1t
has done for the farmer through the
War Finance Corporation and the new
intermediate farm credit system of
banking.
! Borah's Likely Course.
What Senator Borah however, is
more likely to do, to make things un-
comfortable between now and the next
convention is to stress the Importance
of some step on the part of the Ameri-
can government to assist i'll the world
wide economic situation.
He has been clamoring for an in
ternational economic conference on
the ground that farmers would get
higher prices for their products when
the purchasing power of Europe was
increased, and he has insisted that the
moral influence of the United States
could accomplish a great deal toward
sta tabilizing European conditions. Pres
ident Harding and Secretary Hughes
have said the time was not ripe for
such action and would not be until
the Ruhr situation was cleared up.
Mr.. Borah'S cry for action, never
thelesS, will be taken up by the demo-
Gratis, some of whose spokesmen. like
James NJ. Cox and William Jennings
Bryan, have already cut loose from
definite formulas and expressed a plea
in general terms for the greater use
of American influence in world af-
fairs.
Harding Sees Danger.
Mr.. Harding has not forgotten the
bitter feeling inside the republican
party over the league of nations con
troVerSI and is not anxious to stir up
those who feel as do Senator Hiram
Johnson of California. The latter is
fully expected to support Mr. Hard
ing for denomination unless between
now and the convention some move
is made by the President which the
Inconsistent with the pledges given
in 1920 concerning non -entanglement
in European politics.
Senator Berah and Senator Johnson
have split on this issue. the latter
insisting that d world economic con-
ference is nothing more nor less than
a league of nations type of affairs.
The California senator, while viewing
the world court proposal as harmless
in itself. has announced his opposition
to American membership simply be-
cause the court was created by the
league of nations. AS the situation
develops, the problem of President
Harding in choosing which of the
So-called progrtsSiVeS he will side
with on international affairs-Senator
Borah or Senator Johnson-Will be-
come more and more difficult, but the
President knows a good many things
can happen in Europe between now
and June. 1924, which can take the
decision out of the realm of American
choice and make necessary an undis-
puted course of action.
Copyright, 1871