Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-10-18

his supporters went about the country
hurting hard bricks of fact about what
they had done and what they were going
to do.
G. o. p. FOUND DEAD ON FIELD
WHEN SMOKE OF BATTLE CLEARS.
This Republican campaign was based
upon an idea which is in direct discord
with the theory of Democratic govern
ment, and has often proved to be in direct
accord with the facts of it. The theory
is that the American voter is a person
Of Independent judgment and good sense
who votes always in obedience to those
qualities. The fact has often appeared
to be that he is blinded by personal
prejudice, and votes according to his
emotion Of the moment throwing cool
Judgment to the winds.
In this case the prejudice theory did
not seem to work to perfection. Wilson
at least offered a definite statement of
aims and intentions, while Hughes Of
fered nothing but opposition to Wilson
and the pleas Of party loyalty. No one
has ever decided exactly what happened,
but it might be said that when the smoke
cleared away, the Republican party was
found PROSTATE on the field with the
tracks of the Independents voters all about
it. In California, which was the de-
efsiye State i'm the election, the voting
was so independent and the ticl 5 were
so heavily and variously scratc} u that it
took long time to count the vote and
many minor errors were made
What happened I'm California has al
ways been regarded as a mystery. Sena-
tor Hiram Johnson, running on the Re-
publican ticket and ostensibly support
ing Hughes, carried il for himself by a
colossal majority. Yet it gave a ma.
Jurity to Wilson for President. Some
hazarded the guess that the independent
and progressive element back of Johnson
was not wholly satisfied with the Hughes
campaign. That progressive vote which
Roosevelt led back to the fold did not
seem 10 be as large as ii had been when
he held II away IL 1912 The West, which
had given Roosevelt most of his votes
In 1912, was what carried the day for
Wilson in 1916. The result seemed 10
confirm what had been indicated four
years before-that there is really a body
of independent and thinking voters in
the country who will not travel in parti-
san leading strings, but win follow
leader of either party IL they think he is
offering something definite.
INDEPENDENT LABOR VOTE
HOLDS BALANCE OF POWER.
Next 10 this emergence Of an independ-
ent vote, perhaps the most interesting
thing WAS the participation OF labor in
the campaign. Ii VIII be remembered
that in 1908 the American Federation Of
Labor had for the first time taken par
tlsan stand. 1t was generally agreed
afterward that. the labor leaders had
failed to deliver the labor vote both
that year and the following one. Never
theless there was significance IN the fact
that organized labor had entered parti-
san politics without disrupting its or
ganization, as It had done at least twice
before. In 1916 labor had more induce
ments for supporting the Democratic
party than ever before. The Adamson
eight-hou law had just been put on the
books ia the midst Of a storm Of de-
nunciation from capital and OF approval
from labor
Whether labor really voted the Demo
cratic ticket in 1916 was at least moot
question. The big industrial centers Of
the East went Republican as usual thus
indicating conclusiyely that the labor
vote was at least divided there. on the
other hand. there seemed to be no doubt
but that labor In many Western States
was fairly solid for the Democrats. The
railroad men, especially in the West,
voted for Wilson in large blocks. This
was perhaps the nearest thing to a
"class vote" which had ever been cast
in the United States. No one thought
much about It at the time, but with the