Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-10-23
LEONARD G. nlEHk
Business Manager

next four years. All these desire to be Identified
with the winning side in party politics Il posi-
BILE. These factors explain the propaganda OF
certain success put forth by both parties. The
Republican party organization has dollars to
| spend where the Democrats have dimes, and SO
they naturally are able to put forth the most
propaganda stuff along these lines.
The wise voter will disregard all this stuff and
not let his vote be influenced by it. There are
really only two great and paramount issues in
this election that should influence the voter next
month They are the national policies the two
candidates stand for and the character of the
two men. We say the two men because it is as
certain as anything in the realm of the future
can well be that either Gov. Cox or Senator Hard.
ing will be president Of the United States after
March a next. A vote for any other candidate
is very much the same as blank vote as far
as it's effect on the result is concerned. This
article is specially designed as review of the
character Of the two men, Cox and Harding, as
revealed by their records.
Gov. Cox is by far the most virile and dyna-
mic character of the two Gov. Cox started in
the world as poor boy. He had the advantage
Of being compelled to earn his own living at an
early age. He did it. Farmer boy, neWsboy,
printers devil, printer, school teacher, newspa-
per reporter, secretary to a congressman, pub
Usher, congressman, three times governor of
Ohio candidate for president Of the United
States. These are the steps in the story Of his
life. They speak for themselves. What need to
add that he always made good at the job before
him. The brief record above quoted tells that
story more powerfully than words 1t also ex-
of his mind. In his speech accepting the nomi-
nation of the Democratic party for president he
gave US evidence of that trend of mind. He said:
"The leaders opposed to Democracy promise to
put the country back to normal This can only
mean the so-called normal of former reactonary
administrations, the outstanding feature Of
which was a pittance for farm produce and a
small wage for long day of labor My vision
does not turn backward to the normal desired
by the senatorial oligarchy, but to future in
which all shall have a normal opportunity to
cultivate higher stature amidst better environ
ment than that of the past. Our view is toward
the sunrise Of tomorrow with its progress and
eternal promise Of better things. The opposition
stands in the skyline of the setting sun, looking
backward, to the old days of reaction Gov
Cox is progressive in his type Of mind He
remembers the hard days of his youth and has
no mind to move the hands of the clock back
ward but rather to go forward to new achieve
ments
Senator Harding is in most respects the exact
opposite Of Gov. Cox in his mental makeup. He
is extremely conservative. He is always preach
ing return to the old times-to "normalcy" as
he expresses it. He is man who makes many
friends. He is popular in his own home town.
He was popular in the senate with its leaders
In fact he owes his nomination largely to that
fact. He was deemed by Penrose and Smoot and
Lodge and Moses to be "a safe man. By that
they meant man who would be guided and
controlled by them. His nomination was made
in hotel room in Chicago after telephone con-
nection with Boise Penrose who was sick. but
not too sick to issue his instructions to the Penn
sylvanla delegates to throw their solid force to
Harding Harding was not the choice of the
Republicans of the country. He got only hand
ful OF votes in the primaries of the Republican
party. Our recollection is that only 1T Repub-
llcan voters in the Republican primaries of the
state of Montana named him as their choice for
president. It was about the same elsewhere He
was not even the choice Of the Republican dele
gates to the Chicago convention. He was the
choice Of few reactionary bosses of the party
who chose him in George Harvey's room at
hotel, and put him over at the psychological hour
when the convention was tired with conflict and
confusion and wanted to 60 home They chose
well from their standpoint for Mr.. Harding has
repeatedly declared that if he is elected president
he will do nothing of his own motion, but be
guided by the greater wisdom of the men who