Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-14
PRESIDENT ANXIOUS
To SILENCE TALK
OF 1924 CANT A|GN
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
(Leased Wire Service to The Journal)
(COpyright, 1929

WASHINGTON, April 12.-Presi-
dent Harding has made a deter
mined effort to get back before the
American people in the role OF
their chief executive instead of
prospective candidate for re-nomi-
nation in 1924. He places the blame
for the latter impression on the
| newspapers and not on Attorney
General Daugherty's announce
ment at Miami to which the press
attached so much significance.
The president took advantage of
the first opportunity to address the
corps of Washington correspondents
nearly $50 of them went to the
White House to hear his remarks
and while nothing that he said can
be quoted directly, he left the
newspaper men with definite
thoughts which he was not averse
to their making plain to the coun-
try.
AS per custom, the correspondents
had handed in written questions as
they filed into the room and it was
apparent when the president picked
up the first query on the politics
schedule that he had made up his
mind to say something to offset the
stories which had been circulated
during his vacation trip.
Lasker Report Blasted
The question asked of Mr.. Har-
ding was whether he intended to
have Chairman Lasker, of the
United States shipping board, who is
to resign the middle of June, be-
come manager Of the 1924 cam
paign. This was the cue. 1t was
provoked by a recent newspaper
story to that effect. The conversa-
ton which followed cannot, under
the rules, be given, but the cor
respondents went away with these
Impressions:
First, that the president has the
highest regard for Chairman Las
ker and believes he has done a
most Unselfish work which will
stand out in history, but the Ques-
ton of Mr.. Lasker's relationship to
the next campaign had not been
discussed with him or anybody else.
Second, that the president wanted
ever SO much to go to Alaska as
between the department of interior
and apartment of agriculture was
such that administrative processes
in Alaska were impeded and the de-
VelOpment of the region itself re-
tarded; that his experience in Wis
iting the Panama Canal Zone Just
before inauguration was of immense
value and had Indirectly resulted
To he. rrNy
of hundreds of thousands of dol
lars; that he believed in direct con-
tact by administrative officials and
believed it was his real duty to 20
to Alaska.
Bars "Stumping' Tour
Third, that any trip to Alaska
necessarily involved a trans-conti-
mental journey and any journey of
that kind inevitably required the
making of a few remarks en- route
speeches under those circumstances
are unavoidable-but that he
wouldn't go to Alaska or across
the continent if the newspapers in.
sisted on making of him q candi
date for office; that he had a big
work to do and that he felt COM
olitted to his presidential tasks and
of a candidate and that a president
should have at least three years
uninterrupted by %that sort Of thing
and that now was not the time to
talk politics, so if he could go to
Alaska without political embarrass-
ment along the way, he would make
a few speeches and discuss in a
comparison way some OF the i'm
portant problems before the coun-
try, such as, for example, the rail
road question.
Not word was said or implied
concerning the announcement made
at Miami Beach by Attorney Gen
eral Daugherty who, on the occa-
sion of the presidents visit there,
called the newspaper men and
told them he believed Mr.. Harding
would be renominated and reelected.
1t was this announcement which led
the newspaper men to revive the
subject Of presidential politics at
this early date, but there again
one is not justified in Interpreting
the presidents observations as q
rebuke to his attorney general, for
the latter insists now that he didn't
intend so much significance to Je
attached to his utter&nce He did
tell the scribes at Miami that he
wasn't talking for the president and
he went further q day or so later
and said he hadn't even discussed
the question Of a newspaper state
ment with the chief executive. His
whole. object was to squeIch boom
let's of WOuld-be nominees in oppO.
sition to Mr.. Harding.
Strategic Move Is Seen
The practical result has been to
notify Republicans everywhere that
Mr.. Harding is in the lists and that
no opposition need be drummed up
on the theory that he will voluntari-
ly retire because of fatigue and all
that sort of thing, which has been
the ostensible justification for some
of the bOoms. But when Mr.. Har-
ding contemplated the effect of the
newspaper discussion which was to
make of him an active candidate
thirteen months before the Republic
an national convention is scheduled
to meet. he determined in some way
to offset that impression and to do
it on the first occasion that present
ed itself
Some of his advisers and some of
the editorials in the press have pre-
scented the view that irrespective of
Mr.. Daugherty's intent the effect of
his action has been to plunge Mr..
Harding into his campaign for re-
nomination at once. The president
is publicly taking the position that
the newspapers have made of the
Miami incident too much and that
they are embarrassing him with talk
of politics while he is anxious to
complete his presidential tasks.
Wise old politicians will say, fr-
respective of the merits of the case,
that Mr.. Harding and Mr.. Daugh-
ertV ire rrncnndir1c. stratnoical1u thn