The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-24

merely replaced less efficient men with more efficient men. A crowd of workmen looking for employment is to be seen all the time about the Ford
 plant and at another plant too, Cor he Dodge Brothers have been pursuing the same policy of replacing those who
 have been laid off.
 When prices begin to be cut and there is talk of wage reductions, it is
 a time for some business anxiety Man ufacturers are prudent and take their politics rather seriously.
 A REPUBLICAN STORY Here is a little story which throws Hess men toward the two parties. It waa told by republican business man here who has been collecting campaign funds for Treasurer Upham of the re- publican committed This collector had 100 men prospects"
 These prospects were men of some wealth. generally speaking. <. business men. Among the 100 names. the col lector found those of sixteen demo- lcrats. Of the sixteen. only two were going to vote for Cox Several of the sixteen contributed to the republican
 campaign fund; some of them anony-
 mously Of the republicans on, this list,
 all were for Harding
 You ask what Detroit business men
 are chiefly interested in in this ,am- lpaign and you are told that it is the federal taxes, especially the excess prof tax They sssnt u reform of the
 taxes To find out how much informa- ftion business men have and how much
 they really thought about this issue, you say: Governor Cox favors the abolition of the excess profits tax and jCox himself is very good business
 man. In Ohio, where he is known, he ! is recognized as an unusually able
 business man. Doesn't he appeal to
 the business men, especially the demo-
 cratic business men of Detroit?" LOOK AT YOU BLANKLY | The business men you question thus
 look at you blankly. They know little
 apout Governor Cox and apparently they
 care little. The campaign somehow has
 not been enlightening, or they have not | been sufficiently interested to learn any
 thing from it. You press to know why
 pusiaess wants republican administra- | ticn.. They reply they would rather trust the republican party than the democratic
 party to revise the taxes, especially the l excess profit tax, and to pass the business | legislation that will come in the next few months of readjustment. No one he:e expects this readjustment to be severe
 At least everyone speaks enthusiastically whether he thinks as enthusiastically as he
 speaks or not. But everyone says that
 the election of Senator Harding will have
 a steadying effect This may De on.y the l old prejudice on the part of business in
 favor of the republican party, but it is 1 what every one says At any rate all
 e;hC the common cry. They want a change at Washington.
 ] ycu have to go down beneath the sur ] feve to find out what the pontical orin- 1 ions of people here arc. Mlcnrgan is quite in contrast to Indiana. In Indiana \ everybody talks and thinsj politics. You would suppose down there that this was to te one of the largest campaigns in
 the history of the country. but Michigan with it's normally overwhelming repub- liean majority. and with no sign of any 1 grea, disturbance in the groups which n.isbt swing the election the other way | is apathetic.
 l PUBLISH LITTLE
 The newspapers here print little polit>
 ical news, and make no special effort to
 Rep in touch with the candidates You keep in touch with the candidates. You ld.lar1y upon the front pages. Editors say that the people in Michigan are not interested. Governor Coxs attack upon | the California papers for not giving 1 enough space to his speeches out there shows that he is encounterng the same 1 editorial notion on the Pacific coast. The prh,ic generally has either made up its m.nd how it is going to vote or else it is not paying any attention to politics be- cause nothing yet has been said that chai- lenged it's interest.
 ! IE states where there are clean local l fights, as in Indiana and Illinois, there IS
 the usual political activity. But in states 1 like Michigan. hardly doubtful unde,
 | dinary circumstances, there is not much i sign of campaign. And state politics in Michigan are once more calm. The New
 berry issue has died out. Two or three l Newberry defendants who were acquitted 1 have sought to get on the republican , state ticket here for vindication. but Mir Grosbeck the republican candidate Tor governor has vetoed their ambition. 1 Conditions like these in Michigan have caused an unusual situation at repub- llican headquarters in Chicago. The re- publican party was organized to the
 ute when the campaign was opened. 1t was prepared for big light. It is like a man who has provided a banquet for
 many guests when few arrive.
 It is hard to make an effective cam x.a;.,r xvhsn inc other side does not offer