The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-09-17
Br nANID LAWRENCE.

Especial Despatch to The Retormer
Copyright 1920
PORTLAND, Oregon, Sept. l7.-Gov-
crnor Cox has been and gone and has
left in his wake trail of admirers, but
not enough to carry the state of Oregon.
For this state viii go Republican by a
mach larger majority than it did four
years ago when President Wilson lost
the state by about 5000 votes, That
wasta close election. This year it is not
even good contest. Democrats pri-
yately admit the situation is hopeless
unless by scmc eleventh hour miracle or
development the whole aspect of the
campaign shall be changed nationally.
Estimates as to the size of the ma
iority which Harding will get are varied,
some ventTing the opinion that it will
be as h'g as Mainc's. But conservative
observers who know the state and are
not swaycd by hopes or partisan desires
look for at least 10000 majority. Ore
gon is a rock-ribbcd Republican state on
presidential matters
1t even went Republican in 1896 when
the western wave Of Organism was
sweeping the land. 1t stood staunchly
in the Republican column when the cry
of he kept us out of war won the cleo
Idaho on the cast, and Washington on
the north Governor Cox was warmly
received Unquestionably he cut down
what might otherwise have been an
overwhelming majority Indeed he won
back many of those Democrats who had
strayed from the field. On the other
hand he failed to satisfy either vets or
drys by his statement that the liquor
issue Is dead Most everybody in the
cities knows it is not dead and that at
tempts TO weaken the enforcement laws
win be constantly made and will be pre-
scented to the next president OF the
United States for consideration. And
the folks in the country know it is not
dead chiefly because the prohibition agi
tators will not let them believe it dead.
Then there's another straw that
shows the way the wind blows. The
western Democrats didn't bring about the
nomination of Governor Cox. They We're
for McAdoo because he was dry and said
so openly and unequivocally. Perhaps
McAdoo win some day be active in the
presidential game, perhaps not. Any
way, the little statement he issued on
the eve of his departure on a stumping
tention. In that statement he came out
fatty against any modification of the
dry laws.
It has occurred to many observers that
Brother MeAdoe didn't set out on a cam
paign trip for the Democratic candidate
without making it very clear that he
himself was not to be misunderstood as
favoring a wet candidate. The West
understands such straight-forwardness of
statement back East. 1t will be noted,
moreover, that McAdoo's friends are not
| contributing very much money to the
Cox campaign fund and the reason for
their reluctance is said to be their I'M
certainty about his attitude on prohibit
ton.
| OF course it was the wet states that
nominated Cox. Messrs Brennan of Illi-
nois, Murphy of New York, and Nugent
of New Jersey, thought the Ohio GOV
ernor would sweep those big states by his
wetness. But the Democratic presiden-
| tial nominee has evaded the prohibition
issue and declines to say whether he
would favor or oppose modification of
the Volstead law. There is still time
for him to express himself definitely.
The western dry states are filled with