Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-26

'hE stage now mas Deen
reached in the presidential
campaign where party man
ayers complain that it Is
impossible to arouse the voters
from their state of apathy. And
coupled with this is the fear, ex-
pressed in both parties, that over
confidence will keep voters away
from the polls on election day.
A study of the reports which come
to The Star from it's political cor
respondents in all parts of the coun-
try does not bear out the asser-
ton that the voters are apathetic.
1t does seem true that there is a
very noticeable absence of the ex-
element and hurrah which have
attended campaigns of former
years, but there is no acceptable
evidence that this is due to apathy
or Indifference to the issues.
X x X
The absence of excitement doesn't
seem hard to explain. America, in
common with the rest of the world,
has had SO much excitement during
the last four years that the ordi-
nary processes of a presidential
campaign leave the emotions of
the people undisturbed. And there
is the further reason that neither of
the major parties has an excite
ment-inspiring candidate. Neither
Harding nor Cox is Theodore
Roosevelt to win the personal de-
votion of the people. or Bryan to
pque their curiosity, nor does
either carry with him that more or
less mysterious glamour which al
ways has surrounded woodrow Will
son in the public mind.
A dispatch from California says
the democratic managers in that
state are disappointed and per-
turbed because crowds did not
throng the streets and hotel lob
bies to get a glimpse of Gov Cox.
Yet the reports show that in Cali
fornia the democratic candidate
spoke to record breaking crowds,
which gave careful andn intelll-
gent attention to what he had to
say. While this might seem to bear
out the plant that the people are
apathetic so far as the candidate
is concerned. it certainly doesn't
indicate Indifference as to the is
sues of the campaign.
X X
But even from Ohio, home OF three
of the presidential candidates. word
comes that the campaign is under
a depressing cloud of apathy. $50
far the most apathetic campaign
within the memory of the present
generation of voters" is the way
a Columbus dispatch puts it. This.
perhaps, is merely protest
against "normalcy," whereas it had
been expected that Ohio would
have iazz politics from the drop of
the flag until the finish in Novem-
Der.
There does seem to be in Ohio a
foundation for the charge of
apathy, which apparently does not
exist elsewhere. and that is the
relatively small number of wom-
en- who are expected to exercise
the right of suffrage. The results
of a newspaper poll are interpreted
as indicating that only about one
woman in ten will go to the polls
on November 2.
It is worthy of comment in pass
ing that of the Ohio women who de-
clared their preferences in the straw
vote" very considerable plurali-
ty are favorable to Harding. This
is attributed to the undissipated be-
lief that Gov. Cox is inclined to SYM
pathy with the ''wets." Even though
the women of Ohio may not go to
the polls in anything like the ex-'
pected numbers, their votes are be-
ing counted upon to carry the state
for Harding. The straw vote which
is being taken does not show
among man voters sufficient ratio
of republican gains to overcome the