The Washington times., 1920-06-23

Whoever runs this year may run
IN interesting company.
The WOMEN threaten an inde-
pendent party to rebuke Demo-
Gratis and Republicans for failure
to pass the suffrage amendment
The DRYS threaten a party be-
cause Republicans and Democrats
are too wet" or neutral. The
VETS threaten a party because no
platform is wet enough.
The negroes threaten a party OF
their own, just why is not clear.
They certainly can't be tired OF
Abraham Lincoln.
La Toilette and his friends are
planning a demonstration.
And, most important, Hiram
johnson, looking down on the
Bay of California" sits within the
shadow. keeping watch above his
own.
Practical politics." seeing these
little parties bubbling, smiles COM
placently and does not worry.
Mr.. Hughes, talking to graduates
OF Harvard Law School. wonders
whether ''the constitutional gov
ernment heretofore maintained in
this Republic could survive another
great war, even victoriously
waged." Not much of a compli-
ment for the Constitution inter-
preted for the people by Mr..
Hughes as Judge of the Supreme
Court. IL the Constitution is so
weak. people ought to know 1t. and
not be told that 1t Is perfect, i'm
mortal, eternal. They should keep
their minds on improving, strength
ing and changing it for next time.
II man bought gun to shoot
rabbits, and were told "that gun
is all right for shooting one rab-
bit, but may blow up if you try to
shoot another" he would look
around for a better gun.
Another distinguished Repub-
lican, Taft, formerly President,
contributes to the thought of the
moment this definition of the
next Presidential campaign:
"Americanism against Soviet
ism and unpatriotic red radicalism
will be the chief issue Of this cam
palm, and on it Harding and
Coolidge have every prospect of
winning" Another surprising
statement.
American fathers and mothers
imagined that there were fsssaes
quite apart from "Sovietism or red
radicalism." For instance, the
price of butter, meat, gasoline,
cloth, clothing, rent.
The modern dragon "Fafner,"
lying on his Rheingold, might say:
"The chief issue is to keep any
body from getting this gold away
from me-"
To mothers and fathers the is
sue is, "How can / feed and clothe
my children and keep a roof over
their heads"
For the average worker the
problem is admirably expressed
by Sir Auckland Geddes, intelli-
gent ambassador from England:
1--WE have in Europe now mill
lions of people who are ut this
stage-millions of working people
who say to themselves: what Is
. a life worth that at the end leaves
us with nothing achieved except
having avoided being starved to
death and having produced chill.
dren who will follow In our path3"
If the American people had a
chance to express their feelings
they would tell Mr.. Taft on cleo
ton day that they considered
"sovietism and red radicalism"
secondary, unimportant issues.
But old Papa Fafner, boss of the
corporation Rheingold, chooses
both candidates, and the people
have no chance to say anything.
What makes a murder interest
ing or uninteresting to Ameri-
cans? 1t is that to which we are
supposed to be indifferent-rank,
social prestige, glamour surround
ing human parasites that spend,
and earn nothing. You know
enough and too much about the
Elwell murder in New York, with
its bridge whist, Palm Beach,
race track, society attachments.
Newspapers that ordinarily call
murders news IlOL III W pTluJ give
five columns a day and more to
the bullet that caused the "bridge
king" to- pass" for the last time.
Near to Mr.. ElwelPs residence
comes the murder Of Cabin, king
of the Spaniards. He had a
beautiful apartment, was found
with a bullet in his heart, quite as
interesting as bullet in the brain.
Twenty-Five thousand dollars had
been stolen from him, diamond
rings taken from his fingers; his
wife, twenty years old, was wiring
ing her hands. Newspapers men
ton it and pass on. The "king
of the Spaniards" was NOT, snd
the "king of bridge whist" WAS,
in society. We are curious ma
tion of democrats, dragging our
snobbishness even into murder
mysteries.
Race problems are b;d enough
without exaggerating them. A
quarrel between whites and blacks