The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-10-19
President May Appeal to
People to Back Up Party
in Coming Election.
POLITICAL TRUCE
WILL END TONIGHT

Probable move III coming Denl0cratlC
Campaign May be Argument That
Democratic Defeat Would be Pleasing
to neutrality-suspicious. Confident.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1s-The CON
viction is growing here that with the
termination of the political truce this
way of making it plain to the country
that he desires the election of Dem
ocratic congress this fall. The Pres
ident is being urged by some of his
closest friends TO adopt such course,
and it is likewise no secret here that the
hopes of those who are managing the
Democratic campaign are conferred very
largely in the President himself coming
to their assistance.
Of course it would be hard to find a
Democratic leader or congressman who
did not sincerely believe that once the
President spoke on the subject there
would be nothing left TO the Republican
campaign. Their reason for this IS
plain. With his prestige increased by
world developments and the leader of
| the nation in its greatest crisis, they be-
lieve that he has but to ask the country
for the support of a Democratic con
gresS 10 have it granted.
| Publicly, of course, the Democratic
leaders profess to feel confident that
they viii retain the house by an in
creased majority. Privately, however,
some of them express great concern
over the situation. Reports reaching
here from many states have resulted in
the Democratic leaders revising their
early expectations.
In midsummer it was the universal
belief among the Democratic managers
that the favorable turn in the war was
TO insure them the house by large
majority. In fact, predictions Were
made that the Republican party would
be left a wreck on the political shores
this fall Their first awakening came
with the Maine election. Now it is sig
nifcant that they are talking about the
big Republican campaign fund, while
!, their own campaign fund is said to bt
! coming along little slow.
This anxiety has been growing visi
blv in the last week when reports hav,
come in showing that districts they
have been counting upon as certain ar,
decidedly in the doubtful class. Repuh
hean predictions of gaining at leas
: twenty seats in the house and turnin:
the balance of power in their favo
which are said to be based on extreme
: " careful surveys, apparently haN
alarmed the Democrats.
! This situation is known to have beel
: presented to the President in severa
conferences which he has had in tn
last two weeks with political leader
of his party. President Wilson does no
!. want to see the Republicans in contro
9 of congress or of either house. Mem
: bers of his cabinet are insisting tina
this would be calamity
The truce will end tonight an
there is every indication here of a ne,
4 move coming in the Democratic can
paign with the idea emphasized that
n Democratic defeat would be pleasing t
the kaiser in that il would he apparent
Y " a reputation of the President TIL
: Republican reply to this argument wi
be the party records since the war b,
7. gan, showing that far greater pc
centagc of the Republican party tina
of the Democratic party in congre.
has consistently supported W.
measures and that some of them-no
ably the selective draft act-wcre mao
possible only when the Republican
took it upon themselves to pass then
II They will stress the fact that Repr
sentative Kitchin IN CO., the Dem
cratic leader in the house, and Repr
sentative Dent (Ala.), chairman of Il
military committee, while they ha'
II been in positions of the greatest respo
II sibility have not by any means su
II ported the President.
H The Republicans feel that for Il
II president to write letter or take son
1 other means of showing he desires
II Democratic congress would be an abs
II lutte reputation of his statement tn
II politics is adjourned This stateme
II was made in the Presidents address
II congress on May q when he urged t
II passage of revenue bill.
II On the other hand the Democrats a
- preparing to insist that this remark
=. the President has been entirely m
II construed and that it referred mere
II 10 the revenue measure under discr
II sion They will insist that the Pre-
II ident as the leader of his party h
II every right to expect and even ask til
II the people show this support of h
III by returning his party to power.