The Washington times., 1919-12-22
Price of Bread and Meat the
One Great Issue in Next
Campaign.
PLAYING FOR WOMAN VOTE
0Id-line Leaders Furnishing
Ideas to Catch Feminine
Ballots.
By WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS,
IN. s. Staff Correspondent.

i. ~. D Sta11 correspondent
A business man for President and
ths price Of bread and meat as the
one great issue Of the 1920 cam
paign, political longheads Of both
parties here today admit, win be
the winning combination during the
coming struggle.
Speaking IN seasonable parable,
they declare, Democrats and Repub-
leans alike, that the Wise Men Of
the East-or West-who would reach
the White House and its environs
next fall must early and plainly
write across their political Star of
Bethlehem the motto: "a wasteless
administration and cheaper living
fog ALL"
b. c. l. Only Issue.
Party leaders at national headquar-
ters here do not try to conceal that
this 10 the unmistakable sign of the
times. the handwriting on the wall.
Every issue thus far suggested by
either one Of the great parties, when
stripped Of the fancy verbiage and
rtAging phrases, will prove to be but
q variation of that one, all l-absorbing.
IL homely, theme, the cost of living
and how to meet It
Scouts belonging to both sides have
reported to headquarters, after q
swing round the country, that the
great mass OF Americans is interested
in one thing to the exclusion almost
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living conditions back to normal
Privately, Republicans concede that
actual conditions are due primarily to
the war. but they declare, q reaction
from huge expenditures Is setting in
and-here the Democrats likewise pri-
v1tely agree with them-the entire
country is yearning for 'the good old
days" and the candidate who can con-
vince voters that he Is the one who
can bring them back quicker and
moro completely than any other.
might as well begin selecting his
Cabinet now.
Anyhow 80 the wiseacres Of WASH
ington are saying.
wsae. Have Csmi,x-out Pnrty.
Possibly with some such idea as this
in mind, both Republican and
Democratic national headquarters
here are making plans to capture the
feminine vote in 1920. More than
that, they are feverishly active in
preparations for what will be for the
ladies' their real Presidential cam
paign coming out party, and both
crowds desire to make the event just
AZ attractive a. possible
Warned In advance by feminine
leaders that the voting women of the
United States are not going to form
~ - hRfs k.e
cast their ballots for Republicans and
Democrats. according to the issues in
Volved. both the old-line parties are
scurrying around nightly, furhish-
ing up their ideas, old and new, SO
they VIII look good And, however
much they may be trying to conceal
the fact from each other, each knows
that the way to the heart Of q woman
10 through the home
There are now nearly $4,000, 900
women voters IN the United States.
II they voted en- bloc. they could
elect any candidate they happened
TO fancy. President Wilson in 1915
oolled but s,12s. 500 votes. and in 1908
the total vote for both candidates
vas less than the voting power of
American housewives today.
Ne Separate Labor Party.
Labor has put itself on record IN
much the same way. There will be
no separate Labor party. says Samuel
Gonpers, president of the American
Federation of Labor. and In this he
mas been backed up by his followers
This means that the labor vote will
90 to the candidate who appeals to
the working man and woman as the
ono VINO viii the quickest bring
ABOUT improved living conditions
All suggested planks in both Deno-
cratic and Republican platforms hit
AT that one thing. The square deaI'
ior labor Is based on that; so is the
aw-and-order" idea, which simply
means the big stick for agitators,
toreisn and domestic. so that the
country can get down to work maxi