The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-10-05
MOST Of WEST TO
VOTE REPUBLICAN,
EXPERT DECLARES
Organization Work Begun
Eight Months Before Peace
and Resentment Over War
Conditions Chief Factors.
BNDAvID LAWRENCE.
(Speciai Cores po ndent OF The News
Scjnitar,)

Scinttar.l
(This is the first of series OF
three articles analyzing political con :
ditions west of the Mississippi, and
is based on personal visit TO IL
states. including rs of the most i'm
portant cities. during the last 80
tdays)
CHICAGO, Oct. 6.--Senator Hard
| ing, Republican candidate for the
presidency. has fairly tight hold on
the electoral vote west of the Mis-
sissippi but b" no means me thai
could not have been unloosened by
effective organization and u press
more friendly to the Democratic
cause.
The writer saw the West at tins
OF lowest ebb for the Democrats and
highest tide Tor the Republicans.
The month of October will see the
Democrats struggling desperately to
undo in a month the work the Re
publicans have accomplished In
nearly two years OF campaigning,
for VIII Hays began in March. lslSS
about eight months before the war
ended land has established proba-
| bly, the most complete and effective
political organization in the his
tory OF the United States.
He was taken TO task by Col. Har-
vey for starting in the midst OF the
war, but he has done the job, and
Republican victory will be as much
due to the Republican organization
as 1t was to the restrictive condl-
tions of the war which have made
Republicans out of Democrats.
West and the War.
To understand why the majority
of the Western states will so Re-
| publican one must revert to the 1915
campaign. The West didn't like war
| and voted to be kept out OF II. Ouc'
enterdd into the fray. the West con-
tributed bfawny soldiers and all hts
money and crops to win. But II
didn't acquire any affection for
war. 1t resented war conditions
and chafed under war restrictions
The Republican press of the West
at first friendly to the league of
nations, still favors the principle oi
| a world association, but says the
present league is Wilson's league
and means more entanglements In
| foreign troubles and all sorts Of re-
sponsibilities.
Being more anxious for Repub'
,ican victory, because of domestic
issues like taxation, the tariff and
other Yfftftters -vioser home, and
newspapers friendly even to Othe
Wilson league, are submerging the
controversy over the kind OF league
fAmerica is to enter and convincing
their readers that Senator Harding
will do the right thingIa at the right
time whatever 1t is, but that the
important task Is to put the Re-
publican party back in power and
restore normally.
Most people are so irritated over
| the high cost of living, the high rail-
road rates, the congestion OF freight
and the whole after the-war mess
that they want change. They think
| the Republican party will bring 1t
| They say matters can't be any worse
than they have been, and perhaps
they will get better. That's about as
| far as the big mass of the\voters
have gone in analyzing the issues OF
the campaign.
Wilson Plea Fails.
Except 10 a few states, President
| Wilson's plea for solemn referen-
dun on the election has signally
| failed. The mandate of the election
t~ill not be reputation of the cove
nant or any other part CT the peace
treaty. Groups here and there will
vote on foreign subjects, such as
Irish freedom or Italian war aspira-
tions, but generally speaking Repub-
lican victory will mean desire tc
change frcm one set OF political lead
| ers to another.
Reriihi,car newspapers friendly t6
the league are already preparing their
| readers for that verdict and trying
TO prevent Senator Harding from
| misconstruing the verdict by detid'
ing to stay out of the league of ma
! tions.
The Republican press, IN the West
| outnumbers the Democrats at leas
| two to one, and in some states foul
and five to one. The pro-league press
Is about evenly divided among th'
| Republican press, but you can coun
on the fingers Of your hand the Re
publican newspapers that favor ever
| the Wilson league who have dareC
| to make that the paramount con
sideration and tell their readers tina
| they ought to vote for Cox on tha
account,
| Lack of Enthusiasm.
The most striking thing about III,
whole Western campaign is the ute
lack of enthusiasm by Democrats o
Republicans of the rank and file fo
either Cox or Harding, Plenty o
applause and cheers were given Gov
! Cox on his trip, but theS mass or thu
people are not impressed with tn
| personality of either nominee as re
Elected in the press.
Both men we're unknown, TO bt
sure, before the two conventions. But
| the real reason in my own iudgmen
why neither Cox nor Harding have
captured the popular imagination, Is
| that they have failed to point out
clearly a reconstruction policy. They
have both been more interested In
the politics of their campaigns than
economics of the country The one
| has carried on n destructive cam
paign Of criticism and the other has
| expressed himself in such general.
! ties as to evoke no particular hos
| tility from any group or class. But
the truth is more than one editor
complained that neither candidate
really is producing front page
stuff"
Perhaps Gov. Cox's criticism OF
the Western press is partly due tt
the foregoing thought. For 1t Is true
that even the dispatches from Ma
rion have not been conspicuously dis
played all the time.
The Democratic nominee has made