Evening star., 1923-04-11
PRESIDENT TURNS
>.BACK ON POLITICS
Threatens to Cancel Western
Trip Unless Newspapers
Quit Campaign Talk.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

termined effort to get back before
the American people in the role OF
their chief executive, instead of pro-
|spective candidate for denomination in
1924. He places the blame for the
Halter impression on the newspapers.
hnd not on Attorney General Daush-
frty's announcement at Miami, to
which the press attached so much
Significance.
The President took advantage OF
the first opportunity to address the
corps of Washington correspondents
| NEARLY $50 of them went to the
White House to hear his remarks
and while nothing that he said can
he quoted directly, he left the news
paper men with definite Thoughts
which he was not averse to their
making plain to the country.
AS per custom, the correspondents
| had handed in written questions. as
they filed into the room. ana II was
apparent when the President plckeu
ND the first query on the subject Oh
politics that he had made up MS npnu
TO say something to offset the stores
which had been circulated durihS
his vacation trip.
The question asked of Mr.. Harding
was whether he intended to nave
Chairman Lasker of the United states
Shipping Board, who is TO resign the
middle of June. become manager OIL
the 1924 campaign. This was the cue.
1t was provoked by a recent news
paper story to that effect. The con-
Versation which followed cannot un-
der the rules be given, but the cor
respondents went away with these
impressions:
Lasker Not Approached
First that the President has the
highest regard for Chairman Lasker
and believes he has done most un-
selfish work which will stand out In
history. but the question of Mr. Lask-
er's relationship to the next campaign
had not been discussed with him or
anybody else.
Second, the President wanted ever
so much to go to Alaska, as he be-
lieved the conflict of opinion between
the Department of Interior ana pe.
partment of Agriculture was such tnat
administrative processes IN Alaska
were impeded and the development or
the region itself retarded; that his ex,
perience in visiting the Panama Canal
Zone Just before inauguration was or
immense value and had indirectly re-
suited in an economy to the govern
lnent of hundreds of thousands OF dol
lars; that he believed in direct con-
tact by administrative officials and be-
lieved it was his real duty TO go. 10
Alaska.
Third, that any trip to Alaska nee
essarily involved a transcontinental
journey, and any journey OF that Kind
, inevitably required the making of a
few remarks en- route-speeches un-
der those circumstances are unavoid-
able, but that he would not go to
Alaska or across the continent II the
newspapers insisted on making OF him
Il candidate for office; that he had a
big work to do and that he felt COM
mitted to his presidential tasks and
ought not to be thrust into the role
OF a candidate, and that President
should have at least three years un-
=, that now was not the time to talk
politics, so if he could go to Alaska
without political embarrassments
along the way he would make a few
speeches and discuss in non-partisan
way some of the important problems
before the country, such as, for eX-
ample, the railroad question.
Daugherty Affair Ignored.
Not a word was said ar implied
concerning the announcement made
at Miami Beach by Attorney General
Daugherty, who. on the occasion OF
the Presidents visit there, called the
newspapermen and told them he be-
lieved Mr. Harding would be renomi-
mated and reelected 1t was this
announcement which led the news
papermen to revive the subject OF
presidential politics at this early
date, but there again one is not justi-
fed in interpreting the Presidents
observations as a rebuke to his At
torney General, for the latter insists
now that he did not intend so much
Significance to be attached to his ut
terance. He did tell the scribes at
Miami that he was not talking for
the President, and he went further
a day or SO later and said he hadn
even discussed the question or a
newspaper statement with the CHIEF
|executiye His whole object was to
suuelch boomlets of would-be noml-
| noes in opposition to Mr.. Harding.
Other Booms squelched.
The practical result has been to
notify republicans everywhere that
Mr.. Harding is in the lists and that
mo opposition need be drummed up
on the theory that he will volun-
arily retire because of fatigue and
hll tHdt SOTl VI llllilS hos oSSi
lhe ostensible justification for some
pf the booms. But when Mr.. Hard
ng contemplated the effect of the
Newspaper discussion which was to
make Of him an active candidate
thirteen months before the repub-
lean national convention Is sched-
led to meet, he determined in some
way to offset that impression and
do it on the first occasion that
resented itself. Some of his advisers
nd some of the editorials in the
ress have presented the view that,
Irrespective of Mr.. Daugherty's in
ent. the effect of his action has been
plunge Mr.. Harding into his cam
align for denomination at once. The
resident is publicly taking the
osition that the newspapers have
ade of the Miami incident too much
nd that they are embarrassing him
nth talk of politics while he is
nxious to complete his presidential
asks. Wise old politicians will say
respective Of the merits of the case
nat both Mr.. Harding and Mr..
augherty are proceeding strategi-
ally, the one sQuelching the op-
osing candidates and the other mod
silly thrusting the crown aside till