Evening star., 1923-06-30
PRESIDENTS TREND
TOWARD LIBERALS
SEENBy OBSERVERS.
Utterances in West Give Rise
to View He Seeks Moral
Leadership of U. S.
COMES OUT FOR UNIONS
IN MONTANA CAPITAL TALK
Says Higher Wage Scales Have
Corrected Faults in Economic
System.
nv DAVID LAWRENCE.

Harding is aspiring to the role of moral
leadership which gave Woodrow Will
son and Theodore Roosevelt their hold
on that great body Of independent vot-
srs, sometimes called "progressives'
who swing the balance OF power III the
American electorate today.
Tinging his speeches in Idaho ana
Montana with a little of what might
IN other days have been called raol-
calism," the President made these Sig
tificant declarations:
First, recognizing that his Hutchin-
son, Kan, speech didn't go TO the root
of the farm problem. he came out four
square for the principle of co-opera-
tive marketing by the producer. with
hint of cooperative buying by the
consumer If the middleman didn't take
warning. Definite plans have not been
worked out, but will be submitted 10
Congress next fall.
Hits Conservatives.
Second, he struck boldly at those re-
publicans of the conservative variety
who, since the campaign of 1920. have
sought to convey the impression that
union labor would be fought with the
influence of the federal administration,
and that the open shop" would be
made the rule rather than the eXcep-
tion.
Third, the President preached a
sermon on the proper relation Oh
woman to the home, but pointed ous
that social justice demanded living
wages for the rather, lest the mother,
too, be compelled to work to support
the family. Mr. Harding's statement
in his speech here that the high scale
of wages brought by the war had
done Il great ue4L to correct IheHu4-
ties In Americas economic system
was coupled with remarks that ne
didn't sympathize WITH those VINO
shout for "defation of labor or VINO
advance the argument that wages
must come down and union LABOR
crushed" This will have an i'm
portant bearing on the next campaign.
Borah's View Changing.
Fourth, preaching the outlawry OF
war. the President took a leaf out
of Senator Borah's book of ideals in
the senator's own state. lncldentaiiy'
the eagerness of Senator Borah to be
seen with the President in Idaho, ana
the interview given by him approving
MIR. Hard.ngs $ world court scneine, as
amended in the St Louis speech,
means nothing more nor less than a
recognition on the part OF MI. ooia. ,t.t
that in the campaign of 1924 ne must
he a regular republican In 1dano IL
he wants to be reelected.
Mr.. Borah has slowly but surely
been disavowing connection with
L,
Idaho republicans say Borah must
come in line and be regular II he
wants to be renominated. They have
successfully amended the primary Ia"
so that Mr.. Borah must cater 10 the
regular organization IN the state'
which is pro-Hardlng.
1t will be noted. by the way, that
Mr.. Borah doesn't think the World
Court program will be finally acted
upon by the Senate in the next ses-
sion OF Congress, which hts In win
the prediction made by the writer
speech last week. namely, that the
world Court controversy had been
shelved until after the 1924 election,
for If it isn't acted upon at the next
session, as Mr.. Borah prophesles..
there will not be another meeting of
Congress until December, 1924. This
also will give plenty OF time to ne
rotate with foreign governments the
suggested changes in the World
Courts constitution.
Speech Pro-LabOr.
The Helena speech was distinctly
nro-labor. 1t was utterly unlike any
previous addresses, in which Mr..
Harding was wont to balance what
nice things he said about labor with
some equally weighted phrases about
the rights of capital. The President
felt this was an opportune occasion,
however, to rid his administration, If
possible, of the taint of employer
influence which Samuel Gompers and
others have been persistently at
since Mr.. Harding didn't recognize
heir candidates for Secretary OF La
bor at the outset and since Charles
e. Dawes of Chicago. intimate friend
of Mr.. Harding, started his minute
men" organization to help the cause
Of the open shop" In American In
dustrial warfare.
"I am quite aware" said the Presi
dent, in his prepared speech at
Helena, that there were some who
fstration was voted into responsible
ity, that 1t was going at least to
acquiesce, IL not definitely sympa-
thize, with projects fof the deflation
OF labor ana the overthrow or LABOR
organizations Before this time these
have come to realize their error
Nothing has been farther from the
Purpose OF the present administra-
tIon than any thought of destroying
the right of either labor or capital
to organize and each to deal in it's
organized capacity"
Answers Samuel Ren.
Mr.. Harding in one part of his
sepeech made answer to the contention
Of Samuel Rea, president of the Penn
sylvania railroad. who insists that the
United States Railroad Labor Board
is wrong in rebuking the Pennsyl-
vania for failing to recognize the
elected spokesmen of shop craft and
clerical unions not affiliated with the
labor organizations created and man
aged by the Pennsylvania itself.
.The right of organization and Of
cooperative dealings" said the Presi-
dent in this connection, "is not any
longer the special prerogative of
management and of capital. The
Nght of men, and brains, and skill
and Drawn to organize. to bargain
through organizations, to select their
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