Evening star., 1923-08-03

By the Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO, Calf. August 8.
Warren q. Harding made the su-
the government closer to the people
and the people closer to the govern
ment." The effort was not futile.
On the long and strenuous journey
which he began June 90. TO achieve
that purpose by personally visiting
the remote sections Of the country.
meeting the people and learning
their problems first. including even
those of Alaska, and ultimately
Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands. he
had those with him who still remain
on duty in Washington and will
carry on as though their chief still
stood at the helm. guiding and di-
recting the future course OF the
nation.
Barred All Politics.
From the inception of his idea Mr..
Harding preserved the objective and
steadfastly refused to permit those
who would want to inject any ele-
ment Of POLITICS into his visit TO the
country or the declared purposes for
which ne set out from Washington.
At one time. when the plans for the
then proposed Journey were under
consideration at the White House. he
definitely ANNOUNCED that If the trip
were to be made political in any de-
greo he would give up his idea and
stay in Washington.
To serve his fixed intention to bring
the government and people into closer
contact. Mr.. Harding invited those of
his cabinet officials whose depart
ments were most concerned with the
problems of the country to be his
guests. Secretaries Hoover of Com
merce. Work of Interior and Wallace
of Agriculture accepted the invita-
tion. Then to still further extend
the knowledge of Washington. he
drafted Frederick H. Gillett, Speaker
of the House of Representatives
is enacted for the nation and money
for its needs is appropriated.
Objective Kept to Fore.
The cabinet officers. Speaker Gillett
and the President worked as they
travelled. Information was sought
and obtained as the journey proceed
ed. The objective-to secure knowl-
edge beneficial to the nation as a
whole and for the guidance of the
Washington government in admins
tering its affairs-was always kept in
the front.
In Alaska, as we'll as the states
traversed by the party during it's
travel across the continent, confer
ences with local Representatives were
held almost at every stop.
Community interests became familiar
to the Washington executives. No
problem was insignificant. No ques-
tion was considered too local for the
attention of the President and his
aides.
Sought Out Minor Problems.
A woman in a small Alaskan viii
lage told Mr.. Harding through his
cabinet officers that there was need
in that section of the northland for
President said the government would
station a medical officer within reach
of the inhabitants there. Other in
stances of his anxiety over local
problems-never before revealed so
directly by the President to those of
the Alaskan citizenships affected-won
for Mr. Harding an affectionate place
in the hearts of the people he visited
and for whose welfare he labored
Almost as a secondary relationship
to the journey he was making, did
Mr.. Harding treat his more important
addresses and the subjects they dealt
with. with the possible exception of
his Denver speech on national pro-
hibition, that at ST. Louis on the
Permanent Court of International
Justice, and that at Seattle, when he
reported to the American people on
his studies of conditions in Alaska,
the President was more concerned
with the peoples problems than with
his own.
The visit to Vancouver. B. c.. had