The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-12-14

ers Believe Recent Disaster to Par
ty Has It's Benefits Desertion in Mo-
vember Election Temporary.
WASHINGTON, D. CA fter
their overwhelming defeat November
2 the democratic leaders are now be-
ginning to take stock of the situation,
and are already starting plans to try
to come back" in the 1924 presiden-
tial election. 1t would be a mistake to
believe that the democratic leaders are
absolutely crushed by the unprecedent-
ed landslide in the last election. Far
from that. The most astute leaders
believe the disaster has its benefits,
for from it can be learned many politl-
cal lessons that will be of benefit to
the party in the future.
Cox as Leader.
The first thing on the program, ac--
cording to democratic leaders here and
those in congress, is to recognize the
party from top to bottom. Discussions
are now being held among the leaders
as to Just what shall be done with this
angle of the problem. Some are in ia
vor of letting Governor Cox remain
as titular head of the party. Others
point out that Mr.. Cox will leave the
Ohio gubernatorial chair in January
and will retire to private life. They
argue that as Cox was defeated IN the
presidential race by the largest major
ity ever known in national election
and will soon be out of the chief po-
sition of state authority at Columbus,
Ohio, he will then, after next jan
uary, be as dead politically as any
former office holder and defeated can
didate between the Atlantic and the
Pacific. From the opposition to the
proposed leadership of Governor Cox
it may be stated, in all probability, he
will not be chosen to head the reor-
ganized democratic party.
Next on the list of possible chiefs
is William J. Bryan. Mr.. Bryan suits
many of the leaders and IS hated by
others. The wet" wing Of the party
wants nothing to do with the erstwhile
peerless Leader" Others are sore"
at Mr.. Bryan for his non-participatlon
in the last campaign. They claim that
the Nebraskan deliberately laid
down" on the party and not only sulk-
ed in his tent like Achilles, but actual
| " threw cold waters on the Cox cam
paign wherevere the opportunity OF
fered. For these reasons and because
of this hostility it is considered here by
| the best observers that he will not be
chosen to take up the banner OF dem
ocracy, and is slated to be relegated
to a back seat like Mr.. Cox.
Search For Big Chief.
In lieu of Governor Cox and Mr..
| BRYAN who then can the democrats
choose as a new Moses to lead them
out of the republican wilderness!
Truth is, that is a difficult question
to answer. Beside Mr.. Cox and Mr..
BRYAN there seems to be no man now
in the whole democratic party who
| looms large enough to- take the field
marshal's baton and assume the robe
of authority over the rank and file.
But democrats need have no uneasi-
ness on this score, say congressman
here. There are plenty potential chiefs
in the rank and file of the party and
some of these will develop into COM
handing figures, every whit as able
and enterprising as ever was Mr.. Bry-
an or Governor Cox. AS soon as a
head of several commanding chiefs
show themselves and are seated in the
saddle the plans for revival OF the
party will develop rapidly. Until the
| leader or leaders are picked naturally
reorganization plans must remain IN
nebulous state. But both leaders and
plans will be Forthcoming soon. Dem
ocracy is not by any means dead and
| its proponents will make tremendous
| and perhaps successful efforts to res
urrect the corpse.
Meanwhile the democrats are mere
" sitting back, and during the search
| for leaders and the discussion of plans
are hoping that the victorious republic
cans, now running at large, will tall
out among themselves and split will
eventually occur in that party that will
! conduce largely to a democratic sue
cess later. "Watchful waiting" is the
game just at present in the democratic
camp. 1t is a good game, for many
times ere this in American politics
| Fabian policy turned out to be the
| forerunner of victorious campaigns.
For the present, therefore, the DEM
ocratic leaders are apparently quies-
| cent. but they are doing lot OF hard
thinking, and meanwhile the search for
real and big chief goes on. The
democratic thinking is mainly directed
at an analysis of the causes of the
democratic defeat November 2, and
| from that anlysis the leading men in
the party hope to draw lessons that
will aid the party in the next cam
paign.
Temporary Detection.
One thing the democrats are agreed
upon in regard, to the November cleo
ton, and that is the vast desertion OF
democratic voters to the republican
ranks was merely temporary, and most
of these democrats will in good time
return to the fold of their fathers.
The democrats, particularly in con-
gress, point to the fact that the party
has survived defeats in the past al
most as bad as that suffered Novem-
Der 2, and that it will be able to over
come the blow and take on new life
much sooner than most people believe.