Evening star., 1920-09-15
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Denections May Hurt Cox.
1t isn't that the radicals like Hard
ing more than they like Cox. Many
of them probably will not vote the
republican ticket-but then they will
not vote for the democratic nominee
either.
The labor vote is normally demo-
cratic. A large part of it will go for
Debs or Christensen. This detection
will hurt Cox. Much of the resentment
vote will be given to Harding, though
the labor papers maintain friendly
attitude toward the democratic candi-
date for the presidency.
The fact that Samuel Gompers in
dorses Gov. Cox doesn't mean any
thing to the labor leaders here. who
tive.
The Ohio governor is unknown in
this part of the country, also is Sena-
tor Harding. If there were any quail
ity to. distinguish Cox from his OPP
ponent. or any issue to make~him
stand higher in public esteem than his
adversary. the people in this section
of Washington would forget their re-
publican traditions and do what they
have frequently done in the past in
Cox seem to represent about the same
thing. And when things are equal
Washington is republican. OF course.
when one says there are no issues of
lTdHSCcHucHI Importance ln6 SIaIc-
ment should be qualified for the issues
are negative.
Papers Largely Republiean.
There is a resentment against every
thing democratic and even the league
of nations has suffered from exposure
to the republican elements and their.
incessant showers of criticism. Take
the press Of this state for instance.
A canvass recently made showed that
out of 1872 important dailies in the
state only about ten were supporting
Gov. Cox. OF these latter ten several
expressed the opinion that Harding
would carry the state.
The situation in 1916 was entirely
different. President Wilson had the
support of leading newspapers in big
cities. The cry The kept us out of
war" was effective. especially with
the woman voters.
No particular cry or slogan has ap-
l peared for either candidate. though
Gov. Cox has been attacked as wet.
| which doesn't get votes in this dry
| territory. Very little enthusiasm for
Harding fss expressed by the average
man who intends to vote for the re-
publican candidate. He is voting his
party ticket blindiy. All he knows is
that he wants change. He isn't able
often to say why he wants change
or what he expects when the change
comes Senator Harding is looked
upon as a conscientious, dignined can.
didate.
Want Debs Pardoned.
Were these normal times the issue
of progressive and reactionary raised
by Gov. Cox might have some weight
but the trouble is no one. including
Gov. Cox. has undertaken to explain
to the average man what the diner-
-ence between progressive and a
reactionary is with resDect to matters
Of w shin 0fnn
Out here they regard Burleson and
his attitude toward union labor as
reactionary. They think Attorney
General Palmer reactionary. and
with the radicals they will not be
satisfied unless he goes the whole
extreme and comes out for. the par
! doning of Debs and other so-called
! political prisoners
AS for the conservative elements
they were antagonized by such aca-
demic references as Gov. Cox did
make to the Justice of radicalism.
Many radical will fash back at
you the criticism that as between pro-
gressive and reactionary the Wilson
administration was as reactionary
during the war as any administra-
ton. The tendency is to regard Cox
and Wilson as members of the same
party and both responsible for the
| same kind of government. Gov. Cox
between the sort Of an administra-
ton he would give and the kind the
| PEOPLE here have experienced in the
last few years.
Back to Their First Love.
Some of the democratic leaders with
whom Gov. Cox consorted when he
was in this state are hardly in good
repute. The general feeling about
Gov. Cox's venture in western Wash.
ington is that it won him some votes,
but did not start any appreoiable
drift toward him on the part of that
large number which has been grad
ually deserting the democratic party
in the last two years and going back
to their first love-the republican
party.
Again and again one meets the re-
mark from both republicans and DEM
ocrats that McAdoo might have car
ried the state of Washington, but
even that would have been a doubtful
proposition as matters stand today
Washington's seven electoral votes
are not even in doubt. They will GO.
to Senator Harding.
Copyright, 1920)