Evening star., 1923-07-08

IL.
ing at Atchison. Reed afYirmed that
consolidation is the first step in the
direction of government ownership.
He charged that consolidation would
rear a monopolistic giant more pow
erful, more ruthless and more men
acing than any the oppressed con-
suming community had ever met be-
fore.
GrOOmed for Governor.
Mr.. Reed, who is being groomed to
be a. republican Governor Of Kansas,
said, without directly referring to
the Presidents Kansas City speech,
but indubitably having 1t concretely
in mind:
"It Is proposed to consolidate the
mileage of the country into nineteen
systems. This would result in the
control Of transportation, with all Of
the influence 1t has upon business, in
dustry. markets and marketing dis
tribution points development Of cities.
sections and towns. into this number
of corporations, with an average cap
lars each: 1t would be the longest
step we have taken toward concen-
tration of wealth and power and
industry in the history of the
tee against the possibility OF even
tual government ownership Of rail-
roads, l believe that consolidation, la
case Of failure, would be certain to
force government ownership"
Although 1t is manifest that Kansas
City is thoroughly aroused over the
consolidation peril, and irrevocably
determined to circumvent it, the
Presidents speech only mildly ruffied
the waters of popular opinion here
icled. in all faithfulness. that the
midwest, as far as this writer already
has explored II, has apparently not
been deeply stirred by Mr.. Harding's
eNpoSittonS and eXpostulattons. One
day this week was spent at Columbia.
Mo. the attractive little state uni
versity town, lying almost midway
between st. Louis in the northeast
and Kansas City in the southwest.
The worlds first school of journalism,
founded and still ably conducted by
Walter Williams. Is there. It's sum-
mer classes of young men and wom-
en- studying to. become professional
molders of public opinion are hard at
work. One of their tasks, under Dean
Williams supervision, is to observe,
thought and views Is exempllfied in
the newspapers of the surrounding
countryside, near and far.
Comment OF Press.
Special attention has been bestowed
upon the columns of the country pa
pers since Mr.. Harding crossed Mis-
souri,. One is assured that they have
taken only superficial note of the
presidential expedition. Dean Will
liams ventures the view that, COM
pared TO the popular emotions that
used to be aroused when Teddy"
Roosevelt swung across this virile
country, the Harding trip attracted
only minor attention.
1t may be as Senator "Jim" Reed
found it when he came back to Mis-
souri, after the adjournment of the
Sixty-seventh Congress. four months
ago. He was breakfasting in Kan
sas City with washington news
PAPER correspondent from the state.
Bill, he said, looks as If we had
the wrong steer on the Hill. The
folks out here aren't much concerned
with what were doing in Washing
Ton. They.re chiefly interested in the
scoreboards.' That may explain the
FAILURE of the midwest populace here
ABOUT TO get even approximately ex-
clted over such unthrilling themes as
world courts and railroad consolida-
tions. 1t is evident that statesmen
must step forth with livelier stuff
II they aspire to arouse genuine en-
thusiasm.
Cnme at Harvest Time,
mere and there an opinion is en-
countered that Mr.. Harding came into
the agricultural west at an inopnor-
tune time The wheat harvest was in
i,l..! tuii past. The farmers were laying
ny thelr corn. A dozen vital activi-
ties are at their zenith Throughout
the broad acres a-blossom with
tne produce OF this richly blessed re.
glon: Ordinarily these Missourfans
aHP TbeX hansans sans are voracious readers
Ihey read everything-metrop
tan dailies. Capper farm papers fic-
tion magazines. the monthly reviews
put when the harvest moon Is smiling
uown upon them the other issues of
inundane existence take back seat
- %nen raised by the President
OF the United States} they have am.
Guilty in getting hearing. Yet at
hutchinson, Kan, on June % 40 oOo
1arm folk fivvered to the scene from
q, Inc -FOUR points of the rural COMPASS
10 ~nat extent they We're fired by
IN what Mr.. Harding had to say-that
ot course, is an indeterminate thing
1t is pleasant to record that. In
comparison with his welcome at St.
Louis the day before, the Presidents
reception In Kansas City seems to
town broiled. The heat baked the
PRESIDENTS lips cruelty and reouired
MIN to cancel two or three popuIar
engagements. Yet, when he turned
up at, Convention Hall to speak at
night, an immense audience inside
and an overflow throng outside for
got the equatorial weather and show.
cred Mr.. Harding with acclaim a
conquering hero would have enyied
Inc crowd. when he began TO talk
Iailroad consolidation, found itself
oelng dosed with unpalatable medi-
cine, but did not Vince. There was
no trace, in the volume of its an
pIause, that 1t bore the President any
any ilI-Will: Perhaps the Kansas City
FOLK a little admired his COURAGE In
eneering g the lions den with a keynote
speech advocating their pet aversion.
AT any rate, the Hardines were
Jo!Iuliy received here. The Presi-
aent prestige, personally at least,
IS higher than before he came. AS
70 what 1t will turn out to be no.
ntlcally-well, from Kansas City's
Standpoint, that depends on how far
ne really goes in conniving at meas
@ ures designed to spell the city's
En Leonom'c C., doom, as she sees it.
70 warren G.. Harding When he
Same mere as pre-conventton cam
oldate, In 1920, in quest of a Mis-
sourl delegate or two, the town
turned him the cold shoulder. II
even declined to invite him, a dis
tinsuished senator from a great re-
puphcan state, to address the G. O. p
et ny convention. then in progress
q the county seat, then in progress
jackson county was "sewed up" tight
Ior leonard Wood lin those days and
Harolng left Kansas CITY disan-
pointed and rejected.
AS resident, the people here found
Mr. Hardlng an unqualified -suceess
ne mas had a reputation for being
JUST Main street plain fellow-a de-
serlption OF himself the President