Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-03-10
HARDING CAREFULLY
AVOIDING CROWDS
AVID SET PROGRAM
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
(Leased Wire Service to The Journal)
(CopyriCht 1921

(Leased Wire Service to The JOurnal)
Copyright, 1921
NEW SMYRNA, Fla, March s.
President Harding has drawn a new
map of Florida. 1t consists of
250-mile stretch of shallow water
otherwise known as Indian River
Inlet" and eleven green areas on
shore labeled Golf" in capital let
tiers of red.
No cities, towns, villages, people,
brass bands, reception committees,
official keys to the city, In fact, no
inhabitants at all have any place in
the Harding sun. The Florida news
papers, Democratic by tradition, but
happy over the presence of their
distinguished visitor, eXhOrt the pop
ulace to let the president absolutely
alone and have a real vacation, so
twiXt golf and shore and the drift
ing houseboat, Mr.. Harding has be-
gun under very favorable weather
conditions vacation of seclusion.
The program, if there is such
thing, can be varied but slightly;
thirty or forty miles down stream
On the houseboat, thirty-siX holes of
golf and back to the houseboat
again.
When and where the party will
be each day depends upon the wealth
err and the presidents inclination.
He dislikes cut and dried programs.
He has enough of that in the White
House. Everything there is scheduled
by the minute and hour Mr.. Har-
ding welcomes the opportunity here
to do what. he pleases and when he
pleases. It's a little different for
secret service men and the newspa-
per men who are obliged to keep in
sight of the president all the time
if they can.
Reporters Trail Ashore
The reporters trail along on shore
in automobiles and wait at each dock
ing place for the presidential house
boat to arrive with the daily golf
party. The secret service men have
small yacht and a speed boat as
we'll as a high-poWered automoblle'
and they manage to keep the presl'
dent free from intrusion.
Speaking of the absence of a. sched.
ule for the ten days this is typical
of Mr.. Harding on vacations. lie
is a believer in the theory that
there's more fun in spontaneous eX-
cursions than carefully planned
trips. Many years ago, before he
was in politics, he is said to have
suggested at breakfast to Mrs. Har-
ding that they go to Europe and they
left at noon. On another occasion
the Hardings went to Hawaii on
much less notice than that.
The arrival Of the presidential
party at Ormond, the first golf stop,
was attended by considerable rear
ranging of plans at the last minute.
Senator Hale, of Maine, and former
Senator Frelinghuysen, of New Jer-
sey, and John Barton Payne, who
was secretary of the interior in the
Wilson administration, but who is
now chairman Of The American Red
Cross, all were planning to say good
bye to the president at OrmOnd and
continue on to Miami by rail to
pick up the good ship Victoria,
which conveyed the president from
one end .of Florida to the other last
winter. Mr.. Harding asked them to
pause and make a fOursome.
Daugnerty Resting
Attorney General Daugherty, who
was to have been a guest of the
presidents boat, decided to go on to
Miami and rest in a hotel there and
so did Secretary of Labor Davis,
another member of the cabinet. Sec.
rotary Weeks and Mrs. Weeks left
the president at st. Augustine. SO
for the next few days at least, Mr..
Harding will be left with Mrs. Har-
ding, Private Secretary George
Christian, DIR. Sawyer, Chairman
Lasller, of the shipping board, Gen
eral Dawes, of budget fame, and the
hosts, Mr.. and Mrs. Edward B. Nc
Lean.
The attorney general would have
liked to stay with the president and
the others, but his physicians
thought it best to detach him COM
pletely from his friends so he would
not be tempted to talk politics and
public affairs. Mr.. Daugherty was
in bed most of the time on the
train, but just before the President
and Mrs. Harding went aboard the
houseboat he walked back to the
private car. 1t was the first time
in many weeks that he had seen
Mrs. Harding and they joked about
the reunion of the inyalids.
The first lady of the land was
beaming with happiness. Ever since ,
last August she has been confined
to the upper apartment of the
White House. She has not been
away from Washington since last
summer. She has seen hardly any
body in the interim as she had to
have absolute rest.
Looks Remarkably Well
She looks remarkably we'll con-
sidering the long siege of illness.
She and Mrs. Mclean will be alone
on the houseboat practically all the
time as the men in the party will
be ashore golfing a good many
hours each day. She is so improv-
ed in health that a trained nurse
wasn't taken along.
The Mclean houseboat is a pic
ture of comfort inside and out. Big
palms and flowers adorn' the can
opted decks. The Pioneer" as the
boat is called, draws very few feet
of water and is almost as wide as
the presidential yacht, Mayflower,
and about 100 feet long. 1t isn't
equipped for radio communication,
but the inlet is very narrow and
the secret service motor boat can
get back and forth to shore with
messages for the president day or
night. There is such complete
contrast between the busy atmos-
phere of Washington and the quiet
leisurely life of house boating and
golf, however, that the national cap
ital already seems in another world.