The broad ax., 1917-11-10

might say Of the country, have put to
some disadvantage the common, ordi-
nary, everyday American. The cry
by the press that the election for judges
in this city and mayor in New York
was a fight between loyal and dislOyal
Americans was not warranted by the
facts, and since the election these pa
pers must feel q blush of shame, for if
their statements are true, this cit has
a surprisingly large disloyal vote in it.
So large that it would have beaten
either the Republicans or Democrats,
had these two parties not combined, for
the Socialist vote, branded "disloyal"
by the press, was s2,64s and the indie
pendent vote about 1884, making total
"disloyal" vote of 1926, and conced-
ing that the Democrats and Republicans
would have split even on their 154,els
votes, it would have left a plurality in
favor Of the Socialists, or "disloyal-
lists" of 1857 votes over either of
them.
The writer eanot bring himself to be-
ieve loyalty or disloyalty had anything
to do with the election of the judges in
Chicago or with the mayor in New
York. 1t was a cheap attempt to com
mercialize patriotism, and make of it
a political asset, which the press sold
to every gullible party leader, and in
doing so injured the cause of the Re
publicans and Democrats and of the
American people in branding those who
opposed their program as "disloyal."
Such men as A. d. Cash, Will B.
Moak, VIM. Friedman, Seymour Sted-
man, Leopold saltiel and VIM. A. Cum
nea should not be branded as eds
loyal" citizens solely because they had
ambition and sought TO become judges.
A splendid ticket has been elected.
Good men have won retention on the
bench. But their defeat would not have
been disastrous by any means, for OPP
posing them were men Who could have
and would have made good.
As to the election in New York, Tam
many swept stakes with Judge John F.
Hylan of Kings county, by a plurality
of 145,OO0 over the ''loyal candidate,
Mitchell" as the newspapers have
termed him. r is, think, is what beat
him. Had they put up fight between
Tammany and the decent people, the de-
cent people would have won, but when
they branded every man who voted
for Hyian as "disloyal" and "traitor
to the country" the people who would
have voted for Mitchell, voted against
him to resent the insult; hence, Hylan,
by $4,000 and the Socialists polling
an unheard of vote and eleeting ten city
aldermen and about FIVE members Of the
legislature.
The press will have itself to blame
If these Socialists elected throughout
the country prove disastrous to the gov
scheme, for their election
would have been impossible had the
press kept silent as to them, instead of
boosting them and having 1t appear
that a vote for them was a protest |
against the war conditions. In this
,ity the Socialists accepted the gaunt- |
Iet as thus thrown down and polled q
greater vote than the Democrats or
The press should now be-
come sane and present men and meas
1res to the county upon their merit and
not upon the theory Of loyalty or dis
oyalty. There are no disloyal Amer
cans. There cannot be, but men may
iiffer as how best to serve their eoun-
~, and this difference should not be
,rsnded as disloyal, if the purpose is to
,a,a6t opd mt IN IN inra