Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-06-16
TWO ISSUES NAY
DEFEAT DEMOCRATS
& NATIONAL CAMPAIGN GETTING
DOWN TO BRASS NAILS AND
CONCRETE FACTS
MEXICO AMID WOMAN
SUFFRAGE HAUNT PARTY
Illinois, Where Women vote, Might %
Deciding State in Eisction-Prssi-
dent Wilson Weak in Nsw York.
Mexico Presents Test Of Capacity
Of Democrats to Rule.

ai4t uoUI vvItoOU VIVIAN III WV - Wv"
Mexico Presents Test Of Capacity
Of Democrats to Rule.
rBy Judson C. welliver.]
st. Louis, June 1.-THE campaign is
getting down to brass nails and con.
crete issues. There are two issues on
which the astute leadership of de-
mocracy recognizes that the party is
liable to meet defeat in the coming
election. They are:
First Mexico. 2
Second, woman suffrage.
Mexico, because the administration
has pitifully failed to develop any poll
icy as to the horrible situation in that
country; because Its watchful waiting
has gone right on while Mexico STUN
bled straight on Into the abyss of ruin,
carrying American interests, lives and
prestige with it.
Woman suffrage, because the tory
ism Of democracy will not recognise
the case that has been made for WON.
alike have given their endorsement to
the demand Tor the ballot. Thee are
something near an hundred electoral
votes to the credit of states IN which
women vote. If the democrats deny
the declaration that the republicans
have made, these votes ar, altogether
likely to be cast solidly ter the repub-
licans; and that might ca silly be the d.
rect cause Of democratic defeat.
Illinois alone. whose women will vote
in November, might easily turn the
tide of the election. Illinois and Cali
fornia together could easily do it un-
der certain circumstances. Here Is q
situation that one democratic national
committeeman has been pointing out:
Wilson Weak in Now York.
Wilson might lose New York, and
yet win the election If he could carry
Illinois. He is weak in New York, and
that state must be set down as very
dubious ground for him. But Illinois
might possibly go to him; it is full Of
disguised progressives, and Is part of
the pacifstic middle belt Of the coun-
try to which the argument that ''Wfl-
son kept " out Of war; must be ex-
.pected to appeal IL Wilson is to have
chance anywhere.
SO 1t Is conceivable that Illinois
might compensate the democracy tor
the loss Of New York, and save the day
at the polls. 81
But-and It's very big but Illinois
would never do that If the women Of
Illinois were affronted by the de-
mocracys refusal TO- come along and
make It unanimous Tor woman alfs
frage.
There's the rub. The unreconstructed
tories among democrats will not listen
to woman suffrage. The dominating
south not only opposes any concession
to the idea, but is so bitterly opposed
that, even If the declaration were or
dered into the platform by Mr.. Wilson,
southern congressman and senator's
would refuse to be bound by it. The
women have seen the pledges Of the
Baltimore platform repudiated as to 80
many other things, that they have
small confidence that suffrage decla-
ration would bind the party. Moreover,
a declaration such as President Wilson
has permitted heretofore would be Of
no real use; that is, a pronouncement
in favor of suffrage whenever the
StdlGS 6AOupA dAL ~ OlAO ny WIZ 1 4ldS
is, as the suffragists view it, precisely
as good as no declaration at all; it is
simply declaration that the national
government would, in that case, not
attempt to prevent the thing that it
would have no possible power to pre-
vent.
Mexico as Test,
Mexico presents a test Of the capac-
ity to administer the big foreign issues,
presents test of it's good faith. There
is small confidence in either its capac-
ity to daminister the big foreign issues,
or its good faith in handling such a
domestic problem as suffrage, as to
which democratic prejudices are deep
seated and ingraincd.
Making platform looks today a
bigger and more difficult problem than
it ever has looked before. The demo-
Gratis admit that the republicans did
clever and skillful piece of work at
Chicago. They protest that it was
unfair, especially as to Mexico; they
insist that the Mexico situation would
have been fostering sore in the side
Of any administration that might have
been in power; but they realize that
the party in power must take the
blame, and they fear its consequences.
This is not all Of the difficulty in
making democratic platform; not
nearly all of 1t. Nobody dares guess
what may happen between the time a
platform is adopted, and the day of
election. The country may be in war,
or Europe may be out of war. Mexico.
Europe, Japan, might any one of them
engage our utmost abilities both
naval and military; or on the other
hand the end of war might come, and
with it a reversal of form, a reaction
from the stimulated war supply pros
perfty, and an economic crisis that
would make the dinner bucket the is
sue. No party in power Peace and
prosperity constitute the slogan on
which the party will appeal to the ma
ton; but peace may be broken in
day, and prosperity may go glimmering
overnight IL Europe suddenly reaches
the breaking point and determines to
quit its war.
Think Of a platform, adopted this
week, that would congratulate this
country on being out of war and in the
midst OF prosperity, while Europe is in
war and out Of prosperity; and
Imagine, then, how ridiculous that
platform would look II next October
Europe should be at peace, and we
should be at war; possibility not so
remote that it can be rejected by plat
torn makers.
News Of Ellsworth.
Special to Times Republican.
Ellsworth, June 16.-Arthur O. Peter