The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-09-04
HARDING MARTYR TO
SERVICE OF COUNTRY
DEVOTION TO DUTY AS PRES
IDENT WORE HIM TO THE
POINT OF EXHAUSTION.

Washington has at last awakened
to the fact that the job Of being pres
ident of the United States is too
much for one man to shoulder. Wash
ington alone knows how hard the
martyr president, Warren G. Hard
ing, worked.
Washington knows, even though
the country does not know, that
Harding, as Woodrow Wilson, is to
be listed in the ranks of martyr pres
dents" Mckinley, Garfield, Lincoln.
were killed by the weapons of assas-
sins. Wilson was rendered an invalid
by overwork. Harding was killed by
overwork.
Didn't Look Fit.
Before President Harding left
Washington for his trip to Alaska
those who knew him best remar ked
that she didn't seem fit" He had lost
the buoyancy and alertness which
characterized him when he entered
the white house.
When the president was taken i'll in
San Francisco the physicians diagnos-
ed his illness as resulting from pto-
maine poisoning and strain of travel.
When the president died DIR. Boone,
one of the attending physicians, said:
Something snapped-that's all. /"
But Washington knows that it was
the daily grind of being president Of
the United States that killed Warren
c. Harding; that made an invalid of
Woodrow Wilson
Job Followed Him.
Harding's personal physician, Brig.
Gen. Sawyer, demanded that the pres
ident take up outdoor exercise. Twice
a week Harding would go to the golf
links for recreation but it was no
use His official duties followed him
there and some important conferences
were held and important decisions
were made in the club house at the
golf links.
Four bags of mail arrived at Seat
tie, Wash, when the presidential par
ty arrived there The mail was for the
president 1t was white house busi-
ness He discovered that the job of
being president bounded him WHEREBY
er he went.
Some of the Detail.
Harding, like Cleveland, Roosevelt,
TAFT and Wilson, worked night after
night after all Washington had put
business aside and was bent on rest
and recreation Cleveland. Taft and
Roosevelt had rugged constitutions
and somehow survived the ordeal.
Wilson and Harding were conquered
by it.
The president of the United States
signs on an average of $4,000 papers
year. Indian wills, Indian deeds,
commissions for postmasters and an
infinite variety OF official papers are
presented to him each day for sigma
ture. In each case he must know what
sort of document he is giving his ap-
prevail
During the last session of congress
President Harding signed 800 bills.
He was not only supposed to sign
them, but to know what they contain
ed. On an average of 40 letters a day
demanded his personal attention. He
dictated on an average of 20 a day.
Then there were the cabinet meet
ings, conferences, attention to what
congress was doing, placating those
not in accord with his policies, receiv-
ing delegations from here, there and
everywhere in the land, and last but
not least there was the handshaking
The Handshaking.
When Harding went into office he
was genial and affable. The strain of
the job told on him and he lost some
of his easy-going characteristics. But
he never let upon the handshaling.
When Woodrow Wilson was presi-
dent he refused to set apart certain
hours Of the day and week to meet
the common people. The common
people didn't like him for it.
When Harding went into the white
house he set aside Mondays and
Wednesdays as reception days to meet
the people. 1t wasn't long before he
was meeting the people every day in
the week. 1t seemed as if everybody
in the country wanted to shake hands
with him.