The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-08-03
LIFE OF NATIONS
CHIEF ENDS WITH
POLICIES UNTRIED
World Court and Domestic IS
sues Weighed Heavily on
Chief Executive.
BY RAYMOND CLAPPER
United Net0s Staff CorrespOndent


Harding died while seeking to plead
the cause Of world peace and domestic
tranquility directly among the people
who had elected him.
The breakdown which resulted in his
passing was due to overstrain at
tendant upon this campaign.
Curiously enough, President Hard
ing's strong physique faltered on the
eve of his address scheduled at San
Francisco, appealing for American
participation in a world tribunal to
preserve the peace of the world. 1t
was just four years ago next month
that Woodrow Wilson broke down
under the strain of a similar campaign
and passed out of the White House an
invalid.
Burdens Weighed Heavily.
Death came to the President at
time when the burdens of his office
were beginning to weigh heavily
upon him He found himself in the
midst of a bitter battle over his for
eign policy, the latest development of
which was his determination to have
America enter the world court. He
also was confronted with assurance
of party irregularity and strife on do
nestle issues.
Many Of his intimate friends, who
knew Harding as the man, rather
than as the President, expressed the
view today that after all death may
have come to him as a welcome re-
lief.
I've got the worst job that was
ever wished on a man." Harding told
a middle Western Senator in a bit
ter moment of establishment few
days before he left the White House
on the tour that has just ended so
tragically.
Schemers Worried Him
He had grown up, on Main st. and
he never quite got to feel at home
on Pennsylvania Ave. The atmos-
phere Of intrigue, self-seeking and
scheming ambition that possesses
many Of the satellites who gather
around every President worried him.
He often commented to his friend he
had never really known human nature
in it's ugly aspects until he became
President. Little petty trickeries that
other Presidents passed over as part
Of the game irritated him and made.
him unhappy. Elemental honesty wasa
one of the conspicuous things about
Harding.
Three days after he received the
presidential nomination in 1920 news
papers throughout the country printed
a dispatch saying he had been born
in a log cabin. He called in the news
paper correspondents that morning,
holding the clipping in his hand.
I'm sorry, boys, wish 1 had been
born in a log cabin" he said. But
the honest truth is that 1 wasn't. 1t
was a small house, but it wasn't log
cabin"
Incident Is Typical.
This rejection of sure-f1re political
hotukum was typical Of him both as
candidate and as President. Like
many other busy public men, Hard
ing found it necessary to employ as
sistants in preparing data for many
Va Ills cltlO1 CooCS 11C 41e1Q 41OfSI ISCQ
historical illusions in his speeches.
But one of his able assistants worked
out an apt reference to Oliver Crom
well for the peroration of one ad
dress. Harding scowled through his
glasses as he came to it in inspect
ing the manuscript.
THAT goes out" he remarked. at
sounds fine, but it doesn't sound like
me. am not enough of a scholar to
use much history, so We'll have to
get along without Cromwell
During the front porch campaign
some one ransacking a Marion attic
found a picture of the old Caledonia
Silver Cornet Band in which Harding
played the tuba when a young man.
But when the newspaper syndicate,
which intended to print 1t throughout
the country went to him to identify
one person in the picture who looked
as Harding probably did thirty years
before. Harding said: mo, 1 couldn't
have been in that picture because we
didn't have any uniforms when 1
played in the band
Another good bit of campaign ma
terial squandered on the alter Of his
Main ST. code.