The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-05-02
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

plunged into the work which was
awaiting him, and Is once more con-
sultlng with his cabinet officers CON
corning matters of immediate m
in governmental activities. The Pres
ident cut one week from his vacation.
His outing seems to have rested him,
and the outdoor life has removed the
pallor induced by confinement to his
office, and has given him the bronze
complexion which is generally ac-
counted as showing sturdy health.
The President found his desk
weighted with matters requiring i'm
mediate attention. There are not
lacking politicians here who think,
and whose thoughts seemingly are
based upon information, that the Pres
ident soon will say something to the
effect that he wishes to have the
people look upon him for the next
year and a half not merely as a can
didate for denomination, but as a
President of the United States trying
to do his work as 1t ought to be done.
He will resume his receptions to the
newspaper correspondents and a hint
of the kind outlined naturally will be
given publicity.
The merchant marine problem yet
Is unsolved. Just at present there are
varying views as to what shall be
done. Advice has come from the own
ers Of private shipping lines, advice
that may be selfish, more or less, but
nevertheless has certain weight.
Chairman Lasker of the shipping board
has outlined a policy for the coming
fiscal year. Just before the President
went away he dlsapproved a plan of
immediate disposal of government
owned ships. For a month the ship
ping board has been working on a
new merchant marine plan which will
be submitted to the President for ap-
proyal or dlsapproval.
Navy and War Department Problems.
One of the problems growing out of
the agreement made at the conference
on limitation of ornaments will be
presented to the President for solu-
ton. The naval appropriation bill
carried a paragraph providing $780,
600 for specific warship improvements,
including one for a change in the
elevation of the guns on battleships.
This gun elevation Is a matter of con-
~troversy between the United States
and Great Britain. The President
must decide whether the changes can
be made without violating the naval
part of the disarmament agreement.
The War department also has a
problem which must be given to Pres
ident Harding for solution, or at least
for approval of the solution at which
the secretary of war has arrived.
Congress put into the appropriation
bill an item of S30,000,0O0 for rivers
and harbors work. This was In eX-
cess of the recommendation of the
officials of the bureau of the budget.
1t is understood that Secretary Weeks
desires either to save this money by
the simple process of not using it, or
to use it so that 1t will be expended
In places where improvements are
absolutely needed and not in the
places where the perhaps selfish de-
sires of congressman would have 1t
expended. If the President agrees
with the secretary of val he prob
ably will offend some senators and
some representatives who knew what
they wanted when hat appropriation
was passed.
1t is known here hat some of the
political advisers of the President
have been urging him to abandon his
plan for official American member
ship In the international court of
justice. He has been told that the
proposal has created ~dissension in the
ranks of the Republican party, and
that there will be difficulty in secur-
ing the senate's sanction for the
project. The President also has been
told that if sanction ii will
only be after a prolonged controversy
which will hurt the party. There is
no present belief here that the Presi-
dent will be moved from his position
by these arguments.
sugar ana the iariH.
Sugar will continue to give the adj
ministration anxiety. Several in
v~estigations into this matter are in
progress, but comparatively few in
vestigations ever have resulted In
satisfactory findings. The admlnistra-
ton doubtless knows well enough that
the public has no confidence in their
efficacy.
The President will probably have to
wait a while before he can find out
definitely from the tariff commission
whether the sugar ate is In n way
responsible for the advance in price
of the commodity. If he eventually
shall exercise the authority under the
provisions of the tariff bill to reduce
the sugar rate, he will invite trouble,
because some of the strongest leaders
in the Republican party declare that
the tariff has nothing to do with the
-..1-+l1, md thnf ahz -4H A. 49,