The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-10-06
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

ASBINiehi CSSptbSti W 4 he tlpfOlmef IlODE-
right 1920
(This is the second Of series of three
articles analyizing political and economic
conditions west of the Mississippi river
based upon a personal investigation in II
states, including 25 of the most import
ant cities during the last 80 days.
CHICAGO, Oct. 6.-Radicalism which
the average fastener may have. thought
was on the wane has penetrated the
politics of the West to such an extent
that it is hardly an exaggeration to say
most folks in the majority of the west
ern states hardly realize there is a pres
idential election this year.
Far more important to the people of
Montana, Colorado, Idaho, North Dakota
AMI Washington, are the local issues in
troduGed by the Non-Partisan league, or
q coalition OF the farmer and laborinr ell
ements. Party lines have been broken.
Inc business men of a community the
bankers, the merchants, the professional
classes generally, are forgetting that they
were originally Democrats and ReDuhIi-
cans and uniting to beat the effort of the
agricultural proletariat to gain control of
the reIns OF state governments. Simil-
arly, the farmers and the laborinp classes
have forgotten their own partv affilia-
tons, AID wherever the Partisan
league candidates are listed as Democrats
the farmer and labor strength is mus
tered for the Democratic state ticket as
m Montana and Colorado, whereas in
North Dakota where the machinery Of
he Republican state organization is in
the hands OF the Non-Partisan league, the
vote of the farmers Is for the regular
Republican state ticket, all Of whose
candidates as a rule have succeeded in
getting their names on the ballots as
the regular nominees in the primaries
Governor Cox, the Democratic nresiden-
tal nominee, has encountered the Non
Partisan league movement on his travels
and has sought to capture its vote for
president He has analysed the causes
for the Hpheaval and has insisted that
It resulted from autocratic and oppres-
sIve government and that the extremes OF
which the Non-Partisan league may have
gone IN its demands for state ownership
OF public resources and utilities is the
direct result of extremists who gouged
the farmers. He uses North Dakota as
an example and says that the farmers
saw the SPECTATORS reselling their wheat
at higher prices and classifying the poorer
| grades as superior and SO on. The state
| owned elevators and cooperative market
| ing organizations, if established earlier
would have averted the Non-Partisan
league in Governor CoX's Judgment.
All this is controversial. Senator Hard
| ing says nothing about it and gains the
| conservative vote. The voice of Gov
| ern0r Cox doesn't reach enough of the
\On-Partisan leaguers as a rule to help
| him. The Non-Partisan league press
| caters to radicals and finds it advantage
| nous to build up dIstrust of both the
Republican and Democratic national or
yanizations. So praise of Governor Cox
| il mild and there is relatively little ap-|
| "reciation of his friendly words for the
Non-Partisan league Indeed, he probably
'osas with the conservative Republicans
md Democrats who are offended with
his firtations with the Non-Partisan
league. what he gains with the rank and
Sic Of the movement. But in the states
where the fight for control Of the state
| governments is almost a matter of life
| and death in the opinion OF the mer-
| chant class the drive Is against every
| thing Democratic if the Non Partisan
| league happens to have its candidates
m that ticket as in Colorado and Mon
| lana. In Idaho, the Non-Partisan league
| have endorsed Senator Nugent, the Dem
| 0cratic candidate for reelection. Repub-
ican leaders say this means a split ticket
| IS the farmers Will vote for Harding for
| President The truth is in every case,
| including Washington, where the farmer
| labor ticket Is independent of the two
| I'D parties. the OBJECTIONS to Debs aid
Christensen are considerable-at least
enough tn hurt Governor Cox. who needs
| every vote he can get in the West.
Again, it may be said that among the
| Iaboring elements, in the West the feel
| ing prevails that Attorney General
| Palmer by his raids and Postmaster Cen
| eral Burleson by his suppression OF radical
publications during the war. reflect a re-
| dictionary regime in Washington during
| the Democratic administration and that
| they ought to be punished even though
another set of reactionaries" is thereby
| elected. If it were not for those haudi-
| cans, Governor Cox's direct bid for the
radical vote of the West would have fallen
| On more fertile soil. The electoral vote
IF the West might have been captured BY
such tactics and an utilization with the
Non-Partisan league but the losses in
the conservative East might have made
national success impossible. And be
sides, Governor Cox Is not a radical at
heart but a successfni business man,
wealthy and aggressive a something
which the average member OF the Non
Partisan league isn't apt to associate
with a permanent interest in the doe
trines of the league Business. big and
little, is waiting the outcome of the hat !
tie in many states The fall in prices
the failure ia crops. the tightening Of
credit nv the Federal Reserve beard all
have alienated both farmers and business
men who feel that the national govern
nent has something to do with economi-
cal problems And the Democrats havel
not had the money or newspapers to
prove that such of the trouble is due
| "a the war and the reluctance of the
| United States to Join league of nations
| ! Io1.. -+ab3l;1o TRADE and Gpapcio1 CON