The Washington herald., 1920-08-27
w. H. TAFT CHARGES
DEMOCRATS SEEK
TO ROUSE CLASSES
CONTINUED FRoM PAGE ONE

NON4lNlEb fhtM BA1t ONE
sound principles of government.
The governor. in those days, was
quite radical and Senator Harding
was conservative. and in the judg-
ment of a great body OF Republi-
cans Of this country and of a con-
siderable part Of the Democratic
party as at present constituted, SEN
ator Harding was right and Gov.
Cox was wrong.
Socialist swas in Control
II was, Gov. Cox says. in the days
when il was proposed to provide
for the recall of judges and the re-
call of judicial decisions. II was
when a Socialist and extreme paci-
fis: was the president OF ne Con-
stitutional Convention Of Ohio, put
there by a Democratic majority in
the convention. In those days Mr..
Cox stood on one side and Mr.. Hard
ing on the other.
Certainly Mr. Harding has no rea-
son to be ashamed OF his then posi-
tion, or to retreat from il. II was a
period when the general primary
and the referendum and recall were
supposed 10 be the sure cure for the
evils of machine rule and the GER
tain means OF giving control TO real
public opinion.
Our experience with the general
primary and the referendum and
the recall has convinced most peo-
pie that they are simply instru-
menthlities fitting into the hands
Of designing politicians and enab-
ling them TO manipulate issues and
secure candidates and bring about
results less representative Of real
pubic opinion than even under the
abuses OF the old system.
Opinion Has Changed.
The people are returning from
these extremes. They do not now
believe that the voice Of the people
is correctly interpreted through
the casual vote OF much less than a
majority OF the total electorate on
! a complicated statute or the merits
4 Of a judicial decision, or the char
acter Of a judicial officer. They be-
4 lieve that the referendum is the
( refuge Of cowardly legislators who
J DELAY needed action by shifting re-
/ sponsibility which should be theirs
and that il destroys their inde-
/ pendcnce.
NCr do they think that the gen
eraI primary system secured as n
candidates for office as would re-
| sponsible party convention OF intel
| ligent delegates elected under safe
! guards entirely practicable. The!
/ have noted too many instances il
| which al a sparsely attended pri
mary the party machine Completell
! controls the result. They know tha
in such a general primary no op
! ponenJ OF the machine can win un
less he or his friends are rich an,
spend the large sums necessary L
create machine OF his own.
Excludes All But Rich.
They note that the general pri
mary makes fer the exclusion Of tn
man Of little or moderate mean
from hope Of Office and that tn
average fitness of party candidate
under its influences has been dis
tinctly lowered.
Gov. Cox is only indicating nov
what many thought they coul,
foresee. that while the issue OF tn
league will be kept by him nominal
ly as the chief issue. the Democrati
committee Will gradually shift tn
real discussion to the domestic is
sues Of radicalisr, against conservs
tism-inclUdinE the theories Of Nj
Gompers as against those OF Nj
Harding and Mr.. Coolidge, the ar
:aying Of labor against capital an
the stirring Of class feeling.
Thus the SoCialistic proClivities O
Mr.. Wilson will find expression il
GOV. CoN's campaign. Those VIII
are now favorinE him as the cham
Tion OF the league OF nations vii
find themselves supporting a fulfil
issue as to the league. while the
will at th- same time be backinl
up radical propaganda against thos
principles of Republican govern
mert and constitutional limitatio
which it is of great importance tha
we maintain in these critical time
lCf militant socialism.