The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-08-04
By DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Reformer Copy
right 1920

could spend very much time on this, the
battle-ground of the presidential campaign
without gathering some impressions OF the
way the battle is going.
1t may not be pleasant news for the
White house and it may not be palatablc
for Governor Cox but the truth of the
matter is that leaving the league of ma
tions issue aside, the people are eager to
know how far the Democratic nominee
is obliged to maintain in office incompe-
tent Democrats. Some voters impa-
| tiently brush aside what Governor Cox
| pledged to perpetuate Wisconsin but
this is most evident in localities where
the newspapers have assiduously spread
such an impression.
There is a large body of voters, how
ever, who want house cleaning in Wash
ington and they don't much care who
does it, Some feel that Senator Harding
and new party will remove the incom
petents from office but on the other
hand, one strikes a conservative business
things might not be turned upside down
and competent men driven from office.
Ia other words, there is an element
which is not SO enthusiastic about change
Tor mere change sake.
And it is this element as well as the
people who are Democrats anyway but
sick and tired of the Burlesons and the
Creels and not altogether happy over
Attorney General Palmer's policies who
can be reached bv Governor Cox if he
makes it very plain that he, too, viii do
a thorough job OF house, cleaning if cleo
ted. la-4.he IS 4-tE te
Unquestionably there is great deal OF
interest in Governor Cox's speech of ac-
Iceptance. 1t will be carefully examined
but the thing the people in Ohio would
like to hear Governor Cox say either III
his forthcoming address or in subsequent
speeches is something like this:
If elected to office, / shall not re
tain single person in the government
service who deserves to be removed and
am under no obligations to retain any
Wilson appointees. In fact, / promise
an entirely new cabinet, cabinet OF
business men and not cabinet of poll
ticians.'
. The foregoing thought is expressed in
side 1t isn't simply bitterness against
President Wilson engendered> during
party strife, but it is a deep-rooted feel
ing that the Wilson cabinet should have
been long ago renovated and in substi
tuting new members for old there should
have been appointed persons who com
manded public confidence.
Senator Harding and the. workers in
his behalf are making excellent Roadway
by pointing to the errors of domestic
administration They do not need to talk
much about foreign policies but simply
start comparing the relative merits oil
the Democrats who have held executive
positions and the kind Of men the Repub
hean party can assemble There has been
SO much discontent-a good deal of it was
inevitable as a result of the chaos of wal
that where the league of nations has
really made inroads as an issue, the
friends of the league are being persuaded
that Senator Harding will be all right on
that issue anyway and that they had bet
ter not take any chances on domestic adj
ministration
ten to work yet. Their campaign is lag
ging and they will have interesting things
to say concerning the record that the Re
publicans have made in congress il
the last two years but he would
be a prejudieed observer who did
not admit that the Wilson load
entirely apart from the league issue is
very heavy one and that Governor
Coxs opportunity lies in making it very
clear that he means to draw away from
the lncompetency of the past and give
the country new deal. The more ht
shows his independence of White houst
rule the more people in these parts, al
least, like it. They aren't happy over his
visit to Mr.. Wilson few weeks ago
They would have preferred to gee hin
confirm the impression which went out
OF San Francisco of a triumph over vii
son democracy. Probably Governor Co,
knew that but on ther 6ther. hand he j.
shrewd enough politician to keep II
mind that the West elected Wilson II
1916 and that the league is a vital ques
ton west of the Mississippi river Some
observers think he might just as wei
forget about the East anyway with Tho
exception of Ohio and endeayer ito VIII
the election by. a combination of thu
West and Solid South But in the Yves
as well as in Ohio, the resentment against
the Wilson administration on domestic
affairs runs high and at this stage of the
game overshadows everything else. Gov
ernor Cox is a resourceful candidate ano
he knows from contact with his homt
folks in Ohio that aside from the ele
ments who will never be reconciled t
any league of nations, he can satisfy tht
demand of the people for reservations
that safeguard American freedom of ac
ton but that at this point the agreement
happily cease without offending any con
siderable part of the electorate. That
the way it looks with the campaign onl,
! a month old The White house may not