The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1920-11-05

life long democrats in Tennessee vot.
ID for Harding because they accept
ID his slogan that America was too
zig to be administered by one man.
The republicans would have won
Without the business depression that
began few months ago as the re.
suit OF declining values, but a rapid
y approaching dollar materially help
I'd their cause. The democratic ad-
ninistration being in power, natural.
suffered from financial depression.
The farmers have long had It in" for
he administration. President vii.
sons effort over year ago to reduce
he cost of living" by legislative fiat
while his numerous boards and COM
missions were increasing cost of pro-
luction through higher wages and
shorter hours of labor. resulted in
nothing but depression in the prices
of farm products without any result
ant benefit to any one. With uner-
ring prescience and with the eye OF
prophet The Herald in August Of last
year forecasted the results of the
Presidents unwise and uneconomic
policies. These were later embodied
in resolution of protest that was
adopted by convention OF Maury
county farmers. For two years the
farmers of the nation, whose products
were fixed in value at an arbitrary
price during the war, and who were
thus deprived the privilege of selling
under the law of supply and demand,
have borne an unequal share of the
economic burden.
The farmers were patriotic to the
core during the war, but after the
close OF hostilities their human nature
asserted itself and they naturally re-
scented policies that made them the
Escape goat" in the Administrators
war for lower cost Of living, conduct
ed at the behest of special interests
more cohesive and more powerfully
organized than the tillers Of the soil.
The league of nations was not and
never can be a popular campaign is
sue. There is nothing in it to touch
the masses of the voters. The aver
age fellow at the head of the hollow
knows nothing about the league and
cares less. Somehow he believes in
America; he asks no favors of other
nations and he is certain that he does
not want his country to be embroiled
in all the quarrels between the mon
grel races of Europe. An issue made
three thousand miles from home pales
into insignificance as compared with
one that the voter thinks touches his
pocket book or affects his business In
terests. This was proven Tuesday in
Maury county. There were. not hun
dred voters in the county who really
cared a rap about the fate of the league
of nations or the future. peace of the
world but they knew that they want
ca good roads over which they and
their families could get about.
THE league of nations is beauti-
full and ideal conception for bringing
about perpetual peace on earth and
good will between men but as cam
paign issue 1t can appeal only to the
altruists and there are not great
many Of them among the bulk of the
voters. AS The Herald repeatedly
stated it was a grave mistake on the
part of the democrats to make 1t the
paramount, issue of, the campaign.
Again the suspicion, probably not
altogether without basis in fact, pre-
vailed that Cox was infected with
some of the presidents sympathy for
socialistic reforms and this alienated
from his standard thousands of con.
servative democrats. America is con.
servative, loyal to the core to its ira
ditional institutions and 1t will not
embrace any program that smacks of
radicalism.