The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-11-03
THE RESULT.

The election is over and there is that
that much less to talk abiut as affect
ing the low price of cotton. The re-
suit was a surprise to even the re-
publicans, we imagine, because while
they claimed and expected victory
for their party, as did other well in
formed people, they did not claim
anything like the landslide which ac-
tually occurred; that is, none of them
except Col. George Harvey claimed
such an avalanche of votes for Hard
ing and Coolidge.
The result may be attributed to
several causes, three main causes, and
other minor ones. The democrats had
been in power for eight years and the
accustomed desire of Americans for
a change had its effect. The reaction
from the war had it's effect too. The
party in power is always blamed for
all ills which happen during it's tenure
of office, and the democrats were
blamed for the hard times. There
were other minor causes.
The predominant reasons for the
result however were Woodrow Will
son and his League of Nations. Mr..
Wilson had suffered in popularity
during the war on account of the in
competence of the men he had gath
cred about him as his advisers. Per-
haps no other president in the history
of the republic had gotten together
so many incompetents. The blunders
which they made, with the grating
which was inevitable, but which was
so enormous as to be a tremendous
burden on the taxpayers of the
country, was all charged to the ad-
ministration. But Mr.. Wilson had the
kind of men about him which he de-
sired. His autocratic disposition, his
inability to listen to the counsel of
other men equally as patriotic as
himself, and many of them at least
equally as well prepared to steer the
ship of state as he, made it impossible
for him to have in his cabinet men of
real experience and ability. Conse-
quently the country suffered during
the war period.
But all of this might have been for
given the democratic party, if Mr..
Wilson had not taken it upon himself
to go to Paris and undertake for
this country as sole peace-maker the
entire job of peace-making. He ignor-
ed the United States Senate without
which he knew no peace could be
made, He ignored not only the re-
publican party having in it's member
ship men free from partisanship and
Of great ability and standing like
Taft, Root, Hughes and others, but
he ignored the big men of his own
party, and evidenced Indifference,
and even contempt for the counscls
OF the men he took along with
Kim.
No thoughtful man, we take it,
doubts either the great ability or the
patriotism e the president. But a
man may believe so much in himself
IS to be dangerous man in the re-
rubiic---aHd his name is Wilson. The
League Of Nations which, at his i'm
periai dictat;on, was interviewer il
the treaty Of peace carried with it
obligations on the part Of this coun-
try which none bat Hart;sans could
accept. It's provisions SuITc-IcY2A
rights long concededtO this country
by all the powers on earth, and at the
same time these provisions carried
us away from the time-honorcd prin-
cipleS for which the country has al
ways stood. The people Of the United
States believed and will always be-
l:evc that the people Of the country,
at a given time, may be trusted to
solve problems involving questions
Of right, justice and humanity when
these questions come up, just as they
we're solved in the case of Cuba and
in the World War. They believe none
the less that it is not the part of this
generation to obligate the peoples
yet unborn to settle the boundary