The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-09-02
THE INDEPENDENT VOTE.

THE INDEPENDENT VOTE.
Up to this stage of the political
campaign there has developed little to
influence the independent voter in one
direction or the other.
II he be interested in the League of
Nations he can find little of a positive
nature. in the attitude of either cam
didate for the presidency and besides.
he knows that the matter is in the
hands of the senate and must remain
there regardless of whether the next
president be Harding or Cox.
The presidents lack of power to put
the country into league or keep it out
was illustrated in the failure of Pres
the Versailles treaty. Tho the country
vote overwhelmingly for one party or
the other in November it is improb-
able that tie result will be accepted
by the senate as a ma9date from the
people on the question OF the league
and the senate would be justified
The nonpartisan' voter cannot be
ject of prohibition. Those who are
thoughtful know that the liquor ques-
ton has been settled. Prohibition rs
in the constitution, to stay and the
wettest president that might be elect
ed could not remove it. Attempts may
be made to modify the enforcement
laws, but that is a matter that rests
with congress. and any course. of ac-
ton by that body not. satisfactory to
the majority soon would be remedied.
The smoke that is being raised re-
garding campaign funds will have lit
tie. If any influence with the independ-
ent voter. He will regard it as cam
paign stuff He knows that both
parties get all the money they can and
usually spend more than they get in
an effort to get his vote because it is
that vote that turns the elections
Standpat members of both parties vote
the ticket year in and year out regard
less of platform or candidates. If re-
suits depended on them there would be
no necessity for campaign funds.
Platform promises also have little
weight with the thoughtful voter hav-
ing his own interests and those of the
the political history of the country he
finds the record of both parties filled
with broken promises. But these
broken promises are-not an evidence
Of bad faith. They result from the
party's undertaking to do things that
it finds later it cannot do, in its eff
forts to obtain the suffrage of the in
dependent voter.
1t is the great unpledged vote that
the campaign managers are after and
something may develop before election
day to swing it in one direction or the
other, but up to this time nothing is
in evidence calculated to win it to one
side or the other. The strongest In
fluence in existence at this time is dis
satisfaction with the administration
and that is no greater than it~Yas be-
fore the conventions were held.
II the people shall call the Repub-
lican party to the administration of the
government it will not be because of
its attitude on the League of Nations.
nor on account of any alarm over the
future of the prohibitory law; neither
will it be due to its being found guilt
less of an attempt to buy the presi-
dency."
When not confronted with any ques-
ton of serious import to the whole
country, the voter who is not firmly
welded to party usually casts his ballot
for what he conceives to be the inter-
est of his pocketbook The cry of ''he
kept US out of war" would not have
elected Mr.. Wilson in 1916 if It had
not been aided by 50 wheat. The peo-
pie of New York. Now Jersey. Connec-
ticut and Indiana, states which usual
~ determine the choice of a president.
probably were as averse to war as were
those of the wheat producing states
but they voted against the president.
AT this stage of the campaign the
result appears to rest on whether or
not the Independent voters decide that
they want change