Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-01-13
PRESIDENTIAL POSSIBILITIES
OUTLINED BY HASKIN

I Jdus ~ N
looking toward the White house
with a speculative eye as to VINO
will occupy that Interesting and MS
toric ediice after March 4. $780,
the first person logically to be con-
sidered is it's present occupant
! Warren G. Harding.
1t matters not whether Mr.. Hard
ing has made up his mind to be a
| candidate for denomination and
reelection. 1t is a safe assumption
that he will be a candidate. 1t
would be altogether extraordinary
if he were not. Whatever the stress
and strain the cares and respon-
sibilities of the job it is but nat
ura. that the man who serves mis-
country and his party as President
for four years would like to have a
! verdict of popular approval of his
, administration and such a verdict
to be unquestioned, comes only
through reelection.
Moreover, a man attains the pres
idency through the devotion and &C
tive support of his personal and 90
litical friends and he calls on those
friends to assist him in making his
administration a Thereby
he assumes obligations not likely to
be disregarded, and a refusal 10
stand for a second term, save under
most unusual conditions, would be
in n small degree a reputation of
his friends. That would not be
playing the game" and it is the
sort of thing that simply isn't done.
Then there is always the untin-
ished business of the job. A presi-
dent barely gets squared away 1T
his task and sees the really big
things he may accomplish for the
good of the country before he dis
covers that the first three years CT
his term have slipped away and ne
finds himself with $50 little done, 80
much to do" He realizes that he
must have more time if he would
leave behind him a record of ser
vice commensurate with the oppor-
tunit1es of his exalted office, and
he would be a peculiar individual
if he did not seek it,
Such consideration outweigh per-
sonal reluctance to subject himself
to the ordeal of another campaign
and to the strenuous, downright
hard work Of another term. They
will even overcome the fear of de-
feat, for they inspire the feeling
that it were better to go down fight
ing than to be a gutter. They have
sufficed with other Presidents, ard
no doubt will suffice with Mr.. Hard
ing.
May Not Be Avowed Candidate
1t is not to be assumed from this,
however. that President Harding
will shortly announce that he seeks
the ~vindication of a reelection. In
deed, he may not become an avowed
candidate at all. That is not neces-
sary nor would it conform exactly
to tradition and precedent. There
is a nice distinction between ''avow-
ed and receptive" and Charles
Evans Hughes demonstrated in 1876
that a man may even be a candi-
date and be decidedly reticent if not
| positively silent upon the subject
AS to tradition and precedent, II
has been held that the dignity u
the Presidency Is such that the in-
cumbent should not make a formal
declaration of a desire to succeed
himself, but should take the at.i-
tude that If called a sense of duty
would impel him to yield.
Accordingly, Mr.. Harding may
very well the position that II
is not for him but for his friends
n MS party to say thai he Is 6
candidate. Nor will 1t be necessary
for him TO keep a radio receiver
clamped on his ears in order to DC
apprised whether a demand for hi
candidacy is being broadcastec
throughout the land. His friends
and political lieutenants will see Il
1t that there is a call and that h,
hears it.
1t Is even likely that il the Pres,
idenf were to say unequivocally tina
he did not desire and would no
seek another term he would still
be made a candidate. The poIitica
fortunes of so many men in man!
states are so closely linked with hi
thai nothing short of an absolute
veto from him could prevent the
presenting his name in primartC
and in conventions and he woul(
find his candidacy thrust upon him
In view OF all this it is rather difi
cult to understand why ther'
should have been any gossip to TIN
effect that Mr.. Harding may not %,
a candidate in 1924. OF course Their,
are men opposed to him who are in
l~terested in starting such gossip, bI
~assuredly it is not to be taken sc
lriously by those who are for hin
or against him.