The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1920-08-17
HARDING AND
COX AND OHIO

N0 Oa1
Cox IA chosen because he comes
from the same state as Harding; ant
Roosevelt was named as his running
mate because he bears the name o.
a distinguished American. 1t was
hoped that Cox could carry Ohio fol
the Democratic ticket and Roosevelt
swing New York. There is no likeli-
hood. however, that the voters of New
York will be misled by the use of the
name of the greatest American OF
recent years, nor is there anything to
justify the hope that Cox may be able
to carry Ohio against Harding.
Study of election returns shows
Harding to be stronger in Ohio than
is Cox, and, moreover, under ordinary
circumstances, Ohio is a pretty de-
pendable Republican state. Begin
ming with the election which placed
Abraham Lincoln in the Whit House
and recorded the first victory for the
Republican party, there have been
fifteen national elections, and Ohio
has gone Republican in thirteen of
these. The only occasions on which
Ohio went Democratic were in 1917
when the Republican party was di-
vided, and in 1916, when the country
was deceived by the "kept-us-out-of-
war" propaganda. In 1912, although
the Democrats led, the combined vote
of the Republicans and the Progress
sives exceeded that of the Democrats,
showing that the defeat of the Re-
publicans was due to division ant
not to preference for Democratic poll
cies. Out of twenty-five members Oh
congress from Ohio, fourteen are Re-
publicans.
In 1912, when Cox was first elected
governor, there was a progressive
candidate in the field. = Cox received
$4,000 less votes than the Republi-
can and the Progressive candidates
combined. In 1914, although there
was still a Progressive candidate for
the governorship, Willis defeated Cox
by 1000. If he had received the Pro-
gressive vote also, his majority would
have been more than 10000. In 1916
Cox was carried through by the Will
son deception and in 1918 he won
through a local issue which turned
to the Democratic column a county
normally Republican. His majority
in 1918 was only 10000.
Contrasted with this record, the
Harding vote makes al exceedingly
good showing. Harding was elected
senator in 1914, with a Progressive
candidate in the field to divide his
vote. Nevertheless, Harding was
elected by a plurality of more than
100000 at the same time that Cox
was defeated by $4,000 in his race
for the governorship. Harding re-
ceived a total of 526,115 votes for the
senatorship. The vote for Cox in the
same year was 493 1867, or about 49,
900 less than the Harding vote. That
was the highest vote Ctx ever re-
ceived; his vote in 1918 being only
8 5000 or $4,000 less .nap the Hard
ing vote in 1914.
Cox has never won an election that
could be called a personal victory.
Harding won the senatorship even
with he disadvantage of a divided
party. Cox has been known as a cum
ming politician who could take adj
vantage Of special conditions. Hard
ing has been a statesman who
brought strength to his party ticket
and received more than his normal
party vote. When Cox won by the
narrow margin of 5199 in 1916, he
polled nearly 10000 fewer votes than
did Wilson, who dragged Cox through.
When Cox won by a little more than
5000, Pomerene carried the senator
ship by $4,000 and Wilson carried
Ohio by nearly 10000.
1t is manifest that from the figures,
that the effort to play up Cox rs a
vote-getter is pure fake. Cox has
been clever at getting in at the right
time to profit politically by favorable
circumstances not of his creation.