I haven't."
A mind accepting authority favors certain general policies. It is
not sufficiently inquiring to trouble itself with the details. Mr.
Harding is for all sorts of things but is content to be merely for
them. A curious illustration developed in Marion, during the visits
of the best minds. He said to the newspaper men there one day, "I
am for voluntary military training."
"What would you train, Mr. President," asked one of the
journalists, "officers or men?"
The President hesitated. At last he said, "I haven't thought of
that."
"But," said one of his interlocutors, "the colleges are training a
lot of officers now."
This brought no response.
Another who had experience in the Great War remarked, "In the last
war we were lacking in trained non-coms; it would be a good idea to
train a lot of them."
"Yes," rejoined Mr. Harding eagerly, "That would be a good idea."
A more inquiring mind would have gone further than to be "for
voluntary military training." A quicker, less cautious, if no more
thorough mind would have answered the first question, "What would
you train, officers or men?" by answering instantly "Both."
In that colloquy you have revealed all the mental habits of Mr.
Harding. He was asked once, after he had had several conferences
with Senator McCumber, Senator Smoot, Representative Fordney, and
others who would be responsible for financial legislation, "Have
you worked out the larger details of your taxation policy?"
"Naturally not!" was his reply.
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