The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-10-23

it. Tt is naturally resentfuI that.
Wilson didn't keep America from fight
ing Germany.
Third. the Irish vote isn't going to
leave the Democratic party in such large
proportions as was believed at the out
set of this campaign but the Irish have
been the backbone of the party and the
Democrats never can afford OBJECTIONS
in Indiana as the strength of the two
parties is normally about equal.
Fourth, the desire for a change in adj
ministration in Washington is an effec-
tive influence where the league of ma
tons as an issue has not penetrated the
electorate.
On the surface, Indiana ought to go
Democratic this year, The bulk of the
press is staunchly fighting for the pres
ent league of nations. The indianapolis
News, as influential as any newspaper
in the state and a Republican newspa-
per besides, a strong advocate of the
nomination of Leonard Wood, a sup
porter of Hughes in 1916, is fighting
Harding on the league issue and saying
very little about the rest of his cam
paign 1t so happens that the majority
of stock in the News is owned by sons
of the late Charles w. Fairbanks. Re
publican vice president And the Fair
banks boys are campaigning for Hard
ing. But under the laws of the state
and clauses of the will, the surviving
partnerS-even though minority stock
holders-cOntrol the property. SO Del
evan Smith. editor and minority stock
holder. who has been for the league
from the start, is continuing to wage
fight for the covenant, advocating as it
always has proper reservations.
Now, the Shaffer newspapers-the
Indianapolis Star, Muncie Star and
Terre Haute Star-have similarly been
for the league although Republican on
the other questions All these newspa-
pers look at the league issue as hardly
an ephemeral thing and they are Just
as likely to be using their influence after
election to persuade Harding to go into
the league with reservations, as firmly
as they have urged him to favor such
proposal in the past
State issues have helped the Demo
Gratis. too. The state Republican admin
istration is not excessively popular.
Senator Jim Watson is opposed to I'M
ion labor and has managed to pile up
plenty of other enmities. If everybody
voted as he or she talks, Watson would
lose his seat to Thomas Taggart the
be the case if this were an off year and
it would surely be true if the Demo-
cratic nominee were somewhat more in
spring than Taggart, though the latter
is fairly popular and has a good organ
iZation behind him. Watson may creep
INTO once DN pare HldJOflIA out IL VIII
take a Harding landslide to carry him
in. He is at least $4,000 votes weaker
than the top of the ticket. If the pres
idential ticket wins by 10000 to 10000
Jim Watson will resume his place in the
United States senate.
Indiana hasn't been in the habit of
scratching tickets with a $4,000 diYerg-
ence between the two parties. More
over, the Republicans are making quite
a drive for a straight ticket, using the
age-old argument that Democrats and
Republicans have so often employed,
namely that there is danger of losing
one vote for president if ticket is
scratched. OF course. this applies to
the ignorant voter and Is frequently an
effective argument.
The Democrats. by the way, will get a
big labor vote. McAdoos visit has
helped to bring many railroad workers
into line 1t is of course a useless com
parison. but many people in the Demo
cratic camp insist that McAdoO would
have been a stronger candidate in In
diana than Cox This would seem, to
square with the wagering which Tag
CART himself exhibited in throwing the
Indiana delegation at San Francisco,
first to Cox, then to McAdoo, and finally
to Cox.
Indiana was by no means n hopeless
proposition for the Democrats at the
opening of the campaign. The press
was voluntarily or Involuntary helpful
to the Democratic cause, but the desire
to elect Tagart senator filled the minds
of party workers and the Cox campaign
itself has with the exception of the
league issue done little to win votes on
domestic issues. Indiana will so Re
publican on the presidential ticket