The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-03

lustration. tonight wires his paper in
 part as follows:
 Reports of dissatisfaction witt the
 management of the Harding campaign
 are reaching Washington coincident
 with the arrival of men having oppor-
 tunity to study conditions in the vari-
 ous states.
 There is said to be disappointment
 that republican managers should permit
 Governor Cox to take the offensive.
 The old-line leaders were confident
 that eight years of democratic control, led by Woodrow Wilson, had given
 them the real issue of the campaign. Instead, it is argued, Will Hays and his associates were sadly inactive until Cox put them on the defensive by his campaign fund charges. It is stated that republican managers have thus far permitted the campaign to draw away from the issue of democratic ad- ministration and Wilsonian policies | That Hays is now spending his time , replying to campaign charges is caus- I ing on little disappointment in several quarters.
 The impression has spread that much apathy has been due to the ab sence of truly aggressive policy on l the part. of the national campaign managers and that much of the defi- niteness lacking in some of Senator | Harding's addresses has been due to a l timidity on the part of Hays and others"
 There is no doubt entertained Tn Washington but that the dispatch tn the Public Ledger accurately reflects the dissatisfaction on the part of re- publican leaders of a secondary rank In the beginning, the republican or ganization figured that 1t could gc abroad telling the country that Wilson was trying to sell the United States tc Great Britain, and score signal vic | tory on that score. They might have | succeeded, but for the adroitness or the part of Governor Cox in carrying the battle into their territory. He pre- ferred charges, and for some reason l they found it necessary to defend them l selves and make other charges. IT consequence, Woodrow Wilson, as ar I issue, has been eliminated, and the re- 1 publicans have no other issue on which l they could attain the aggressive. l The republican complaint regarding ] the lack of definiteness in Senator | Hardings speeches, seemingly carries out the democratic contention that the ! republican candidate is very much o1 l a Marion cite" or an actor speaking l the lines other men have put in his
 mouth. The admission that his timidity I was contracted from contact with the very timid Hays, is regarded as possi- l bly, accurate. Butit is thought more probable that the fear that he might 1 displease some one of his many mas | ters, no two of which seem to be agreed on any definite proposition, has had l even more to do with his obvious de l sire to evade and equivocate.
 l As to the real merit in the conten- l tion of Cox regarding the republican campaign funds. there is doubt, cer. l tainly no unanimity. The merit of his 1 tactics however, consists in the fact | that he has forced the republican party on the defensive. He promises to keep it there. If he succeeds his 1 chance of winning the presidency vii
 be ansformed irto certainty. Ever | his enemies do not strenuously deny i that statement.
 1 It is predicted that there will be l seen a demand for the scalp of Hays