The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-09-18
Is Enthusiastically Received
But Does Not Stem Tide
of RepuhIicanism
.SLUSH FUND CHARGE
is UNIDENTIFIED
Ieopie Want More Proof That Hard
i'm Is Reactionary- Like to
Sc Republican Candidate But Heck
lers Might Embarrass Him.
Bv DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial L-spatch to The Reformer,
Copyright 1920
/ EN- ROUTE TO SAN FRANCISCO
Cal, Sept. 1S.-Leaving the Pacific
nofthwest where Governor Cox has just
finished an intensive campaign, one 5
I el1cughts keep recurring to the wisdom
FOE Warren G. Harding in staying on
his front porch, or at least, the wisdom
Ct making few prepared addresses in
. few selected places.
II the Harding managers are wor
ried about taking their candidate from
tha- porch, they viii find their worries
dissipatcd by a trip through the North
west. Only one thing about the front
porch campaign has taken hold of the
imagination out here. Before Senator
Harding went to Minnesota, people did
think there was something in Cox IS
statement that he was quite ready to
60 out to the people, while Harding
ma icsticallv asked the people to come
| to him. ilc plan of the Republican.
| managers to havei Mr.. Harding make
few speeches away from Marion is
| fully expected to answer that criticism.
| The Northwest would like to see
| Senator Harding but it win not fail
| TO vote for him just because he didn I
come out to see the western folks 1t
| is the people who are already convinced
and want to vote for Harding who
/ want to see him. If he came West and
had, to submit to hecklers and discuss
! vital questions of interest TO the west
/ ern country, Senator Harding, being hui
/ man. like Charles Evans Hughes, or
/ Governor Cox, might be caught in the
maelstrom of western policies, too, and
! hurt his cause.
Governor Cox has made a good i'm
preston on his audiences. He has been
well applauded, and the western peo-
pie have been fair in their compliment
ary references to his pleasing person
/ alitv! *. b at, IN nssboa Ea who. really wants
/ to measure the effect of trip like that
made by Governor Cox must travel in
i the wake of the candidate and get the
i Impressions two and three days after
/ the shouts and the bands have sub
1 sided and the street decorations have
been taken down.
In a nutshell, Governor Cox had an
uphill fight. The West didn't know
II him and he would have had to present
some heroic and extraordinary qualities
to revise the people from their antip-
athies.
President Wilson and Theodore
Roosevelt have in their time aroused
the West. Mr.. Wilson did carry his
crowds well on the trip he made just
wear ago for the league of nations.
Governoa. Cox hash t,tget such reeep-
!. ton. He has been enthusiastically re-
ceived and cheered but he hash t
stemmed the steady tide of Republi-
canism in this section.
Even in Montana it is questionable
| whether Governor Cox is stronger OF
weaker as a result of his visit He has
chance to carry that state and, it is
the only one of the Pacific Northwest
that shows an inclination toward Cox
If he carries Montana it win not be by
the same majority that Wilson got
10000 It win be much less. Mime
sofa. North Dakota, Washington and
Oregon are set for Harding
/ Now as to the charges of a big slush
fund. Democrats will tell you pri
vately that they don't think it digni
! fed for a presidential candidate to en-
gage in that sort of tactics. They
think Cox has proved his charges
what s more, Republicans will tell you
! that Cox was right in respect to the
! quotas he gave about the Northwest
a But that kind of charges would have
! fallen with better grace from a cam
J paign manager and would have deyel
4 oped more spontaneously through the
j senatorial investigating committee thar
J TO have been made the principal topic
4 of the addresses By Governor Cox il
q | this region. Much of it the people al
N L I
4 wanted new stuff from Governor Cox
Much of his talk of progressivisn
Il was sound doctrine, but in reality, i
is old stuff to the West. They passed
4 their workmen S compensation law.
II years ago 1t is incredible to them tina
i anybody should argue progressivism.
II That is the line of thought in the
II Northwest and when confronted will
the Cox charge that Harding Isl reae
Il tionary, the significant thing IS that tn,
i people out here want concrete proof OF
i Harding, reaetionarism and they don !
| like to see one candidate knocking the
i other, - a@F >.'i,t i@iiet 3g4I
/ IT. made some votes tolbe sure, but al
| didn't make enough 1.-THE West might
have been aroused on a moral issue II
| Cox had one to present; if he had al.
/ lowed his campaign managers to dis
i [cnss Mr.. Harding and if he had con-
| fined himself TO clear-eut statements
about what he would do that the Will
son administration hash t done.
a1fe sstill has a chance in other parts
lof the country TO develop a construc-
tive series of proposals and to abandon
Ifhis destructive campaign and denunci-
alton.
His efforts in the Pacific Northwest
were in response to advice given him
i by the local politicians. 1t may be
ernor Cox to, read this pessimistic ac-
count of the Democratic nominees
n NTh1t hnrest cdn,r,ai Inn ahAaf.it is the 90 q