The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-05-09
Editorial
of the Day
THE FATE OF BAILEY
ADA NnWsl


Of last Saturday all run one way.
The anti-adminstration democrats led
by Joseph Weldon Bailey met one
of the most disastrous defeats ever
administered to political faction
Regardless of what one may think
of Bailey. regardless of whether one
is his friend or opponent, the man
from Gainesville has Jared disast-
rously In his effort to send a delega-
tion to san Francisco sworn to fight
the record and policies Of Woodrow
Wilson. Even his enemies are sur.
prised at the poor showing made
by the clan of Bailey.
II one can get reasonable dis.
tance from the Bailey myth he will
be surprised that anyone should ever
have expected "A Bailey victory Bal
ley has opposed every step taken
by his party and his country for
the past dozen years Not content
with opposing things that were un.
wise and vicious he vehementy OPP
posed those things that were wise
and salutary. II he had stood on Il
states rights platform and opposed
the Capitalization Of government, he
would have done better. But he de.
nounced policies demanded by an over.
whelming majority Of his countrymen
and demanded the abolition Of reform
measures destined TO endure as long
as time itself.
No democrat will ever get any
where fighting Woodrow Wilson in a
democratic state Most democrats are
proud Of many things that have
been accomplished during the past
seven years and no real democrat
will ever apologize for Wilson's work
and are well pleased with most of it.
Democratic leaders know that what
ever the country as whole may
think of an administration, the party
responsible for the. administration
must defend it. TO reject it or re-
pudiate it is instant suicide as the
reputation of Cleveland in 1896 and
of Taft in 1872 so well attest. This
fact alone was sufficient to account
for the downfall OF Reed in Missouri
and the hair breadth victory Of Pal.
mer the unpopular in Georgia.
But Bailey assailed everything that
has been done, good bad or indir-
ferent He attacked Wilson for do.
ing things that even Republicans ad-
nit were wise and salutary He
wept over John Barleycorn, who is
dead beyond any resurrection. He
made the same speech that Debs is
doing time for making in Ohio. He
was dspleased with the conduct OF
the war He grieved that We entered
the war. He denounced every leader
the democracy of the nation and
Texas has had for many years. He
advertised himself as the only right
eous one crying aloud in the wild.
only man with suffcien,
brains and courage to see that ev.
erything is wrong and he alone is
right Like the militant Irishman of
the old story he covered too much
But above all things else it was
Railey's war record that placed
perfect mountain in the way Of his
cohorts. A new army has entered the
arena of American politics and that
army is known as the American
Legion Those boys know full well
that America triumphed over her en-.
emies without one word of encour-
agement from Bailey. They know
mighty well that the man from
is unable to point to a sin
gle deed he performed or a single
speech he made to help win the war.
They know that even worse than all
that, Bailey was a bitter critic of the
when the administra.
ton was charged with the tremend-
Gus responsibilities of fighting a ma
tons battles and was strongly sus-
pected OF pro-German views even
while our armies We're under fire.
This belief was strong enough 10
discomfit Bailey even as it is strong
enough to damn any other public ser.
want in any one of the really loyal
states of the union. it was Bailey's
that he ran in Texas in
stead of Chicago or Wisconsin.
Hardwick OF Georgia. Vardaman OF
Smith OF Georgia, Reed
Of Missouri, and now Bailey Of Tex
as. Each has felt the sting of re-
Duke expressed by loyal people, And
lying just 10 the Southwest of Mis-.
souri,, where Reed went to his undo.
ing, just to the north of Texas,
where Bailey found his Waterloo,
there lies the state of oklahoma where
the same issues are involved and
where the people will vote in Aug.
lst.