Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-14
HARDING RITES DUE
AFTER LONG DELAY
Hoover to Dedicate Memorial
at Marion, Ohio, in Tribute
Awaited for 8 Years.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

After the lapse of nearly eight years
the memory of Warren c. Harding of
Ohio. twenty-ninth President of the
United States. is to be honored suitably
Herbert Hoover now President, who sat
in the Harding cabinet as Secretary Of
Commerce. and Calvin Coolidge, who
succeeded to the presidency after Hard
ing'S death in 1923, will be the central
figures in the dedication at Marion on
Tuesday of the magnificent marble tenn
pie memorial erected by popular sub
scripticn to the memory Of the great
hearted Chief Executive whose admins
tration passed into history under SO
many clouds.
Through the medium of the radios
coast-to-c coast networks the entire Ma
ton will be able to participate in the
Marion ceremonies. These will be fea-
tured by the addresses of President Hoo
yer, former President Coolidge. Gov.
George White of Ohio and former Sena-
tor Joseph T. Frelinghuysen of New Jer-
sey, president of the Harding Memorial
Association and one of President Hard
ing'S closest comrades in Washington.
Public interest in the Marion event
is bound to revolve largely around the
part in it. The long delay in holding
the dedication under presidential
auspices caused President Harding's
fellow townsmen in Marion and
OhioanS generally to describe Wash
ingtons hesitation in the matter as
"a national scandal They demanded
action in order as soon as possible 20
clear the Harding name of stigmas
which they held we're wrongly attached
to it,
Coolidge Refused to Dedicate.
President Coolidge was approached
on more than one occasion with a view
to dedicating the memorial while he
was stall in Office. AS. Mr.. Harding's
Vice President and immediate success
Sor in the White House, it was felt
that Coolidge was the natural one to
play the stellar role in the dedication.
He did not choose to do so, and the
affair was one of the inheritanceS
which the Hoover administration was
bequeathed by its predecessor. At the
end of 1880, in consequence of more
or less inceSsant pressure by interested
parties, President Hoover announced
that he would go to the dedication at
some suitable future date. 1t was I'M
derstood that he laid down as con-
dition, however, that former President
Coolidge should be at Marion with
him.
Outside of Messrs Hoover and Cool
idge. there will be only. handful of
President Harding's official family in
his old home town this week. The
Harding cabinet, for various reasons,
has been steadily breaking up" Three
of its members. Secretary of War John
w. Weeks, Secretary of the Navy
Edwin DENLY. and Secretary of Agri-
culture Henry C. Wallace, have passed
on. Secretary Of State Charles Evans
Hughes, now Chief Justice of the
United States, has a speaking engage
ment at his alma mater. Brown Uni
versity, which will require his presence
in the East. Secretary of the Treas
ury Andrew w. Mellon, the sole Survi-
vor, as a cabinet. officer, of the original
Harding household, sailed for Europe
a few days ago.
Will H. Hays, Harding's first Post
master General and 1920 Republican
national chairman, must attend on the
dedication day New York quarterly
meeting of the board of directors of the