Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-26
HARDING DEFENDS
FAILURE To DRIVE
UNRULY CONGRESS
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Ueased Wire Service to The Journal.)
(CoDYriCht. 1929


tense Of his type of president of the i
United States, amazing for it's bold
attack on those critics whs "have !
deplored that some strong man is |
not in the White House to make !
congress do his bidding"
Devoting most of his speech to the
already famous arguments in favor
Of American adherence to the world |
court, the president turned abruptly /
at the close of his address to the |
annual meeting of members Of the
Associated Press and struck a blow |
at the people who have been insist |
ing that president should drive |
either as Wilson or Roose-
welt were wont to do.
Faulty System Seen
"You have been saying" he said !
"a lot about the failure of congress, |
and the lack Of team work between |
the executive and congress-, and |
many Of you have deplored that |
some strong man is not in the White |
House to make congress do his bid |
ding. But a great change has taken
place, vitality influencing the work
Of administrative and legislative full
fillment. This effectiveness is no
longer influenced by war stress or
presidential personality. The great
change has come about unawares.
and as n1olders of public opinion you
have ignored the fundamental rea-
son. 1t is the change in our polit-
ical system, the rule of the primary,
the drift toward pure democracy and
the growing impotence of political
parties. We have gotten away from
the representative system; we have
reached a point where the lack Of
party loyalty has made party spon-
sorship in government less effective
than it was. We have come to the
time when party platform is re.
garded by too many men in public
life as even less important than a
scrap Of paper, and groups Or blocs
are turned to serve group interests,
and many individuals serve their
own, while contempt for party con.
ference or caucus has sent party 10y
atty pretty much into the discard"
This is not new idea with Mr..
II y r6incr a has ciN
the primary just as hard but his
words didn't carry the same signifi-
canoe a year or so ago as they do
today when he stands before the
country a prospective candidate for
in 1924. He himself
will encounter such opposition as
does crop up against his nomination
through the medium of presidential
preference primaries. Senator La
Toilette. of Wisconsin, is certain to
enter the primaries and perhaps one
or two others.
Scores Lack of Loyalty
Mr.. Harding says it can't be done
now. that times nave changed and
that the effectiveness of "administra-
tive and legislative fulfllment" no
longer is influenced "by war stress
or presidential personality" And he
blames the primary and party IRE.
sponsibility which have led to the
formation of blocs and groups with
out party loyalty.
The president seemed @enSa
that he was straying into unusual
paths, for he prefaced his state
ment about party loyalty with this
sentence: zone more thought, little
expected on this occasion, I am
sure, but particularly appropriate
before q highly representative body
Of the American press" He then
developed an aidea which he ban
teringly has given the correspond
ents at Washington from time to
time, namely, that it is one thing
to write newspaper editorials tell
ing the government how to run
things and it is quite another to try
as an editor in the White House to
put editorial thoughts into actual
practice. He reminiscently told his
perience how a newspaper man con-
f1dently prints opinions on public
has marked advantage
because he is seldom called upon to
make good, unless he happens to
be elected president and apparent
ly no newspaper was ever put to
the test heretofore"
With this sen1i-humorous introduce
ton, Mr.. Harding threw off restraint
and tackled the main theme of his
critics.
Mr.. Harding serves warning long
in advance that the present form of
primary selection is inconclusive and
instead of progressive.
He reiterates his faith in political
parties and makes it clear that he
is mot advocating the abandonment
Of the primary which gives every
voter a voice in nominating for Of
Zee and determining party policy.
But the press carefully preserve and
safeguard it against the old time
abuse which impelled its adoption
and I would make it an agent of
party expression rather
than means of party confusion or
destruction
Likes Convention Plan
The movement is in full swing in
several states to amend the primary
laws and supplement the primary
with a party convention. Mr.. Har-
ding likes that method. He points
out that nowadays in many states
party adherence is flouted, loyalty
is held to be contemplate, nomina-
tons for office are often influenced
by voters enrolled in an opposing
party banner, and platforms are
the insincere utterances of exped
iency, Influenced by nominees rather
than by advocates Of principle"