Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-26
HARDING TOCARRY
OHIO DEC|S|VELY,
SAYSLAWRENCE
But Governor May Be Demo-
crat; Sentiment Anti-WiI-
son, Not Anti-Cox.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

CLEVELAND, Ohio, October 26.-
Senator Harding will carry Ohio by
decisive majority. but it looks as
If the state will elect democratic
governor.
If James NJ Cox were running for
governor again. he probably would
carry Ohio.
AS a presidential candidate. Cox
still has a host of friends. but the
is unpopular.
The vote is not so much for Hard
ing, but against the Wilson admins
tration. 1t is not against Wilson the
man, but the Wilson cabinet and acts
of the Wilson administration.
Cox Tide Surface Drift.
No other conclusion seems possible
after careful survey of this state.
Indeed, there's a swing on toward Cox
at the present moment Senator
Harding has been steadily losing
ground since his Des Moines speech
and his unfortunate encounter with
President Wilson on the difference
between a Representative" of France
and Spokesman" But the drift
toward Cox, while noticeable, hasn't
approached the sweeping proportions
of tide or even wave. It's sur
face drift.
Northern Ohio is for Harding. This
city, which is normally democratic and
which helped Wilson materially when
he carried Ohio. is doubtful. The county
also is doubtful. The word doubtful
in these instances is the difference be-
tween a narrow majority for Cox or
Harding and an overwhelming majority
for Harding. Most people expect the
latter.
The reader who is not familiar with
Ohio politics can Judge for himself what
the situation is when he discovers that
in democratic centers like Toledo and
Cleveland, the two principal northern
Ohio cities. the advantage lies with
Harding. Moreover, Cox cannot expect
anything in Hamilton county. which in
cludes Cincinnati. district that helped
him win the governorship in 1918.
1t seems to be case OF Wilson
and not anti-Cox SO far as this section
of Ohio is concerned. The expectation
of a change is scarcely less strong than
the desire for change in government
personnel at Washington.
Foresees 100000 G. 0. p. Majority.
Some of my democratic friends here
whose judgment in the past has been
accurate. whose viewpoint is dispas-
sionate and whose acquaintance is
large insist that the whole thing is
a reaction from the war.
Il am more partisan than I have
ever been" said one prominent demo-
crat. Il am more anxious for Cox to
win than l was for Wilson to win in
1916-and you know how hard I
worked for that-but l can see no
chance for the democratic national
ticket in Ohio this year. l am afraid
the majority will not be less than
100, 900 for Harding"
From every source, republican and
democratic. the writer obtains infor-
nation that Vic Donahey. the demo-
cratic candidate for governor, is
much stronger than former Mayor
Davis of Cleveland, the republican
nominee. This merely proves the
point that it isn't a vote this time
against Cox so much as against his
party in Washington.
One can hardly say that Senator
Harding is any more popular in Ohio
than he was when he was nominated
He has never held an executive posi-
| tion in the state. and the folks know
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