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Show I Sketch of President j Warren G Harding's Life J Warren Gamaliel Harding, twenty-ninth twenty-ninth president of the United States, was born November 2, 18C5, on his grandfather's farm just outside the i village of Blooming Grove, in Morrow county, Ohio. He was descended from two pioneer American families, hardy Holland Dutch on the one side and liberty-loving Scotch on the other. His father, Dr. George T. Harding, is still a practicing physician In Marlon, 0 despite his advanced age of seventy-cine years. His mother was Phoebe Elizabeth Dickerson Harding. Mr. Harding was a self-made man In the best sense of the phrase. He worked on his grandfather's farm and attended the village school until he was fourteen years old, and then he entered the Ohio Central college at Iberia. He worked his way through that institution by cutting corn, painting paint-ing his neighbors' barns and helping on the grading of the roadbed of the T. A O. G. railroad. He also played in the village band and was editor of the college paper. When he graduated from the college, col-lege, Warren went to work in the village vil-lage printing office. At the time he was nineteen years old, his father moved to Marion with the family and there aided Warren financially In gaining gain-ing control of the Marlon Star, of which he was publisher until after he assumtd the office of president of the United States. Already he knew how to set type and to do all the other duties of a printer, and when the linotype lino-type was Introduced he learned to operate op-erate that machine. Always he carried car-ried as a pocket piece the printer's rule he used In those days. The Star was his idol and he was very proud of it and of the more than friendly relations that existed between be-tween him and his employees. There was never a strike on the paper, and Classed, when in the senate, as a conservative, President Harding did not depart markedly from conservative conserva-tive Hues when In the White House, though his supporters always said he was as progressive as the good of the country warranted and as conditions permitted. He, like President Roosevelt, Roose-velt, had a great coal miners' strike on his hands, and lubored hard and with a measure of success to bring It to a peaceful and Just end. Arms Limitation Conference. The outstanding accomplishment of his administration was the great international inter-national conference for the limitation of armament held in Washington, opening open-ing on Armistice day, November 11, 1921. At his Instigation the conference confer-ence was authorized by congress and after feeling out the big powers and finding them agreeable he issued invitations invi-tations to Great Britain, France, Belgium, Bel-gium, Italy, Japan, China, the Netherlands Neth-erlands and Portugal. Each country sent some of its most eminent statesmen states-men as delegates, those of the United States being Secretary of State Hughes, chairman of the conference; Senators Lodge bf Massachusetts and Underwood of Alabama, and ex-Secretary of State Elihu Root. The conference adjourned February 6, 1922, after negotiating these treaties : A covenant of limitation to naval armament between the United States, Great Britain, France, Japan and Italy. A treatv between the same powers as to the use of submarines and noxious1 nox-ious1 gases in warfare. A treaty between the United States, Great Britain, France and Japan relating re-lating to their Insular possessions and their Insular dominions in the Pacific, with a declaration reserving American rights In mandated territory. trontv between the nine powers in aboui ye..... ,.go he Instituted a profit-sharing plan whereby the employees em-ployees received dividends that were paid them in the form of stock in the paper. Mr. Harding was identified also with the industries that sprang up In Marlon as it grew from a town of 4.9OO to a city of more than 30,000. He was a director in a bank and in several manufacturing companies, and was a trustee of Trinity Baptist church. ' His Rise in Politics. As editor and publisher of a lively Republican paper it was inevitable that Mr. Harding should take an active ac-tive Interest In politics, and his attainments attain-ments brought him to the front in the state. He was a member of the Ohio senate from 1900 to 1904, and then served as lieutenant governor of the state. In 1910 he was the Republican nominee for governor, but was defeated. defeat-ed. In 1915 he was sent to the United States senate, serving until 1920. when he resigned to make the campaign for the presidency. In the preconventlon campaign that year he had been looked on as one of the possible nominees nomi-nees for the high office, but his defeat In the primaries for election of delegates dele-gates from Ohio seemed to spoil his chances. However, the conservative leaders of the Republican party prevailed pre-vailed in the gathering In the Chicago Coliseum, and Mr. Harding was nominated. nomi-nated. His campaign was based largely large-ly on opposition to American participation partici-pation in the League of Nations, and was so successful that In the election of November 4 he received 404 electoral elec-toral votes to 127 for James M. Cox. the Democratic nominee. He was inaugurated in-augurated March 4, 1921, with a degree de-gree of simplicity In the ceremonies that pleased the American people. tne coiiteienee relating 10 principles and policies to be followed in matters concerning China. A treaty between the nine powers relating to Chinese customs tariff. Because Be-cause France refused to consider the limitation of land armament at the present time, that part of the conference confer-ence fell through. But what it did achieve was considered a great step toward the attainment of world peace. The treaties were soon ratified by the United States senate and the British parliament, and the other nations followed fol-lowed suit, though for a long time it was feared France would not accept the pacts. However, President Harding Hard-ing lived to see them ratified by the French chamber and senate. Favored Entering World Court. Mr. Harding had not been long in the White House before it appeared that he did not favor entire Isolation of the United States from European affairs, but believed this country would have to do its part in the restoration res-toration of Europe to peace and stability. sta-bility. This feeling became more evident evi-dent early in 1923 when he proposed that America should accept membership member-ship in the International Court of Justice Jus-tice which had been founded under the auspices of the League of Nations. The President was as Insistent as ever that this country should keep out of the league, but believed the court was or would he Independent of the greater organization. Against the advice of some leaders of ids party, he reiterated tills advice on several occasions, and his plan formed the subject of some of his addresses on bis last and fatal trip through the West. He did not think it would split his party, and boldly continued to advocate It. Notwithstanding Not-withstanding this, It was assumed to be almost a certainty that President Harding would be renominated in thej Republican national convention of 1024. Mr. Harding's home life was ideal save that he had no children. He and Mrs. Harding, who was Miss Florence-Kllng Florence-Kllng of Marlon, were devoted to each other and she was always his true helpmate, both In Ohio and In Washington. Wash-ington. In the national capital Mrs. Harding quickly made herself loved by all with whom she came In contact, and during the Western trip she was more eager even than the President to meet and mix with all kinds of people. His Western Trip. President Harding's Alaska trip was originally planned for the summer of 1922. He Inherited the so-callei Shi M v -&T i .. Mrs. Warren G. Harding. "Alaska problem." Alaska seemed to be on the down grade, with decrease In population and mining output, threatened threat-ened extinction of the fishing industry and numerous other unfavorable symptoms. The situation apparently called for the establishment of a definite defi-nite Alaskan policy. Various plans were discussed, including a transfer of control to the Interior department from the score or more of governing bureaus. President Harding's plans for 1922 came to naught, but this year he determined to get first-hand information. infor-mation. He was accompanied by Secretary Sec-retary Work of the Interior department, depart-ment, Secretary Wallace of the Agricultural Agri-cultural department and Secretary Hoover of the Department of Commerce, Com-merce, all of whom are immediately concerned in the Alaskan situation. The President left Washington at the end of June and journeyed leisurely leisure-ly to the Pacific Northwest by special train, making speeches at St. Louis, Denver, Helena, Spokane and other cities. Incidentally he visited two of the national parks. First he went to Zion in Utah, the newest of our national na-tional parks, which is a many-colored gorge cut by the Rio Virgin. Next he visited Yellowstone in Wyoming, created cre-ated in 1872, the first national park in history and largest and most famous of the nineteen parks of our system. Here he motored, boated, fished, fed the bears and had a good time. His plans also iivluded a visit to Yosemite upon his return trip, but that was abandoned. Saw Much of Alaska. The President celebrated the Fourth of July in the United States and then started for Alaska on the U. S. transport trans-port Henderson. His Alaskan trip was extensive. He went the length of the new government railroad and visited the capital, Juneau, and the principal cities. 1 On his return trip Mr. Harding stopped off at Vancouver, creating precedent in that he was the first American President to step on Canadian Cana-dian soil. The President arrived at Seattle July 27 and reviewed from the bridge of the Henderson a fleet of a dozen or so battleships under command of Admiral Ad-miral H. P. Jones, each of which gave him the national salute of twenty-one guns. Even then he was suffering from the ailment that resulted in his death, and soon after that the rest of his trip, which was to include a return to the East via the Panama canal, was cancelled. President Harding made a public address ad-dress at Seattle, setting forth his views on the Alaskan situation. Some of his points were these: "Alaska for Alaskans." "There Is no need of government-managed, government-managed, federally-paid-for hothouse development . . . there must be no reckless sacrificing of resources." "Alaska Is destined for statehood In a few years." "Where there Is possibility of betterment better-ment In federal machinery of administration, admin-istration, improvement should and will be effected." Other conclusions presented by President Pres-ident Harding were : That generous appropriation should be made for road building. That the. federal government should be more liberal In encouraging the technical, scientific and demonstration work In agriculture. That restrictions should be laid on the fisheries and on the forests. That the development of the coal mines must await time and economic conditions. That the government should retain ownership and operation of he Alas-1 Alas-1 kan railroad. |
