Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1919-12-05
THE HANDWRITING ON THE
WALL

Senator Gore of Oklahoma is one
of the Democratic Senators who, re-
fusing to obey the word of command
from the White House, voted against
the English-framed Covenant of the
League of Nations. In a letter ad-
dressed to the Democrats of his State,
issued few days after the defeat of
the Covenant in the Senate, he pleads
for "more Democratic liberality and
less autocratic intolerance" He
warns his fellow Democrats that their
party will face certain defeat in the
Presidential election of next year if
it continues to be dominated by the
spirit that rules it at present. He
sees in it's recent losses at the polls
the handwriting on the wall and in
vites other Democrats to pay heed to
it. He reminds Oklahoma Democrats
of the startling defeat of the Demo-
cratic candidate for Congress in the
Fifth Oklahoma Congressional Dis
trict. He calls their attention to the
fact that one year ago this Congress
sional district was carried by the
Democrats by majority of 5000 and
adds: "On the fourth day of Nov.
the district gave a Republican ma
jority of 1000"
Senator Gore points out that the
loss of the Fifth Oklahoma Congress
sional District was only one of similar
losses. He thus enumerates the latter:
"The pity of it is the Fifth District
is not an exception. Democratic de-
feat unfortunately is coming to be
the rule. The same causes which lost
US the Fifth District reduced the
normal Democratic majority in Mary
land of $4,000 down to 100. These
causes lost US the Bourbon State of
Kentucky by 10000. They helped to
increase a Republican majority in
Massachusetts, of only $1,000 in No
vember last up to 125,000 this No
vember. These causes carried New
York City Republican, notwithstand-
ing the city gave a Democratic ma
jority only year ago of 261 1,0O0."
Such is the penalty the Democratic
tarty has paid for its accepting the
teachings of Woodrow Wilson in place
of those of Thomas Jefferson. Sen
ator Gore justly places upon Presi-
dent Wilson the responsibility for the
recent Democratic reverses. The
President insisted upon making the
Covenant of the League of Nations a
party measure The Administration
made it known that Democratic Sen
ators who refused to take this view
would be punished for so doing. Sen
ator Walsh of Massachusetts has told
how all Federal patronage in his State
was denied to him when he refused
to enact the role of a rubber stamper
by voting for the Covenant of the
League of Nations as it came to the
Senate from the White House.
Senator Walsh of Massachusetts
was especially opposed to Article x
of the Covenant, which pledged the
United States to go to the defense of
the British Empire and of the ter
ritorial possessions of other members
of the League of Nations. Of this
article Senator Gore says in his open
letter:
"The Irish en- masse are opposed to
Article X. The Democracy cannot
lose the Irish vote and cling to doubt
full States. East of the Mississippi
New Jersey is the only oasis in the
desert, and it went wet rather than
Democratic"
All who are acquainted with the
views of Democrats of Irish blood
know that the Senator from Oklahoma
aptly desribes the political situation
when he asserts that "the Democracy
cannot lose the Irish vote and cling
to doubtful States" 1t was Senator
Williams of Mississippi who recently
said that the Democratic Party could
get along without Irish-American
votes. The results of the election of
November gives the lie direct to this
statement. They foreshadow what
will take place in next years Presi-
Dental election if Wilsonian pro-
Britishism continues to supplant
Jeffersonian Americanism.