Mr. Harding's Hat

Shortly after conferring with the President at Miami, Attorney General Daugherty announced to reporters that Mr. Harding would be a candidate for renomination in 1924. Others had made the statement before, but this declaration, coming from the man who managed Mr. Harding's pre-convention campaign in 1920, carries weight.

Though it came as a surprise to politicians that President Harding's hat should be thrown into the ring so soon, there were several reasons why the announcement should have been made at this time. In the first place there have been rumors steadily gathering force and cogency in Washington to the effect that Mr. Harding was tired of his job, that his own health and that of his wife precluded another long and strenuous campaign, that harassed by the extremists of the Old Guard on the one hand and the insurgent LaFollette group on the other, he preferred to have the Republican Party ship steered by other hands. These rumors are automatically put at rest by the explicit announcement that he will follow tradition and run again.

Naturally, the appearance of Mr. Harding's hat in the ring was the signal for the Democrats to put a disparaging interpretation upon it. The Democratic National Committee began at once to cast about for the weakest and most plausible spot through which to thrust an opening campaign wedge. They found it in the remarks of Senator George H. Moses of New Hampshire, considered by political experts to be the spokesman of the Eastern Republicans, and certainly one of the three highest figures in the Republican party organization.

They proceeded to project Senator Moses as the leader of the irreconcilable group which despaired of re-electing President Harding and wanted, therefore, to nominate Senator Johnson of California in his stead. "Both Johnson and Moses are going to Europe," says a statement issued by the National Democratic Committee, "in quest of ammunition to fire at Mr. Harding and his proposition with respect to American participation in the International Court. Confident that only an irreconcilable and a confirmed isolationist can win the next election, Senator Moses and his associates wish to settle the issue within the party before the nomination is made, so as to present a united party attitude to the people at the next election." So runs the Democratic propaganda. Experts in political strategy point out that this is a skilful move to drive the Republicans back into the extreme isolationist position and keep them from stealing League of Nations thunder from the Democrats by advocating the World Court.