Evening star., 1923-05-06
LASKER AND HIS CLOSE
TOUCH WITH PRESIDENT
Basis and Lack of Basis for Gossip
Which Centers Around Chairman
of the Shipping Board.

that Lasker was "the real motive
power behind the Administrations 8
ship subsidy policy" but only in the
long after Harding himself had in
vented the idea Perhaps this Is the
appropriate place to express doubt
about the quantity Of power fire.
quently ascribed to Mr.. Lasker, and
to give what the writer believes to be
a more accurate picture Of the rela-
tions between him and Harding, re-
lations which are unquestionably
close, but rather more entirely nat
ural than Washington gossip gener-
ally pictures them
1t is only In narrow sense that
Lasker can be said to have been "the
real motive power behind the admin
tration's subsidy policy" 1t Is true
that after Harding launched his sub
sidy policy LAasker became very active
about the details of 1t. and was the
chief agent of the administration in
trying to persuade senator's and con-
gressmen to vote favorably on it. Un-
cidentally, Lasker did this rather less
we'll than some others might have
But 1t Is an indisputable fact that
the real motive power behind the
administration subsidy policy" was
not Lasker, and not anybody else ex-
cept Harding himself. It was Hard
ing who invented the subsidy policy.
He invented it long time aeo-lone
before he was President Of the United
States. 1t was one OF those repubIi-
can doctrines which seeped in upon
Harding as long as twenty years ago.
when he used to write republican edi-
torials for his Marion Star, and used
to get his inspiration from the old
time republican leaders and the old
time metropolitan republican news
papers OF that day.
Harding'a Own Policy.
In those long ago years Harding, by
some accident or other, became pe.
cuI1arly devoted to the idea OF Ameri-
ca having great merchant marine.
He wrote editorials about it. and
thought about 1t, and arrived at con-
ciusions about it. long before he was
president and long before he met Mr..
Lasker. Harding was evolving his
ship subsidy ideas in his sanctum at
marion. Ohio, at time when Lasker
was still In private life, in the role
or owner of the advertising agency
of Lord & Thomas of Chicago, and be-
fore Lasker had given any thought tn
snip subsidy or anything else, mari.
time or marine. which did not happen
to be In the line of his business.
The ship subsidy policy, in short,
was Hardings own. 1t developed
while he was still an Ohio editor, It
grew upon him when he was a sena-
tor, and about the time he was elect
ed President, 1t came forward in his
mind as policy with which he would
like to identify his administration.
He though it would be a fine thing.
sentfmentally, commercially and pa
trfotically, IL his period in the White
House could be marked by the rebirth
OF such an American mercantile ma
rine as this country used to have in
its early days Lasker became asso-
ciated with it only after Harding had
appointed him chairman of the Ship
ping Board.
A Target for Gossip.
In the broader sense Lasker has
never had, nor pretended to have. the
influence in public affairs which is
commonly ascribed to him in Wash
tngton gossip and which Is reflected
in the dispatches quoted above. It is
quite true that Lasker has been, in
the common phrase, "close to the
White House." He has been. in fact,
that which is often implied in Europe
and In European history by the
phrase "the palace pet" And 1t is be-
cause "the palace pet" Is always the
target for all sorts Of cynicisn, envy
and gossip that Lasker has been the
subject Of so much Washington talk.
1t is all a part Of the nature. of the
situation.
But Lasker has been chiefly and
merely ono Of Harding's playmates.
And Harding appears to be g. man
who makes a distinction between his
the companions of his lei
sure, and, on the other hand. his off,
cial advisers. All of us who have fol-
lowed things in Washington since
Harding came to the front can name
a dozen playmates Harding has had
and still has. But all Of us learned
long ago that these playmates have
not seemed to have any particular in
influence In determining Hardings
public policies. Again and again We
have observed that men who were
and are Harding's frequent compan-
CONTINUED on Third PaSeJ