The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-11-25
THE LAND SLIDE
AND THEN WHAT NEXT

icy, OdillOTIlid.
The recent election is everywhere
said to have been a "land-slide". A
land slide IS not very unusual occur
renee. 1t always takes place after a
long spell of bad weather, with an
abundance of mud. faulty founda-
tion and dead weight. All of these
conditions were abundantly provided
and the Harding land slide" was the
result
1t is worth while to reflect for a
little upon this remarkable campaign
and it's remarkable results. The real
ly great problems with which our
country ought to deal were not even
discussed by either of the parties
The league of nations discussion was
not serious consideration of con-
fiicting proposals in international af-
fairs. The international hodge podge,
with the masses of the people in con-
fusion and great private interests in
control, will continue for the imme-
diate future as in the past, and this
was inevitable without regard to the
results of the recent election. There
is nothing that Mr.. Cox could have
done for the international bankers
and profiteers which Mr.. Harding will
not be able to undertake and be ready
to undertake, and in doing so he will
not need to violate any pledges made
or to abandon any positions taken by
him in his front porch utterances.
There was land slide in 1912, only
the mud split and slipped in diver
gent directions. The Wall Street in
terests which had supported Mr. Taft
carried only two states, Utah and
Vermont. in that election. Unfortu-
nately for Mr.. Taft, he was under
stood to be as completely represen-
tative of the Wall Street interests in
that election as Mr.. Cox and Mr. Will
son were understood to represent in
ternational Imperialism in the recent
election. The joint vote of Mr..
Roosevelt and Mr. Wilson in 1912 was
even more startlingly "land slide"
than the single vote of Mr.. Harding
on this occasion
1t is curious fact that the very
evils against which the people revolt
ed in their vote against Mr.. Taft and
in behalf of Mr. Roosevelt and Mr..
Wilson were as completely in the sad
die under the Wilson administration,
and in the end were as vigorously de-
Tended by Mr.. Roosevelt. as they
could have been supported by Mr..
Taft himself. 1t may be predicted
confidently that the same sinister
forces which ruined the administra-
tion of Mr.. Wilson will still be in
control for the present just as though
this "land slide" had never slipped
If the Nonpartisan Leaguers, those
who voted the farmer labor ticket,
the socialist ticket and the other
scattered smaller groups were COM
bined, they could Immediately force
discussion of current problems.
Then they could adopt a policy in in
ternational matters not acceptable to
American profiteers and not support
ed by them. but acceptable to the
peaceful and progressive peoples of
all the earth. The greatest signifi-
canoe of the recent election is the
revelation of the fact that the inde-
pendents are strong enough, numer-
GUS enough and independent enough
to control this country and compel a
settlement of current problems and
provide for international peace when
ever they act together. They can do
this whenever their attraction to
each other shall be as great as is now
their revulsion from the profiteers at
home, and the same profiteers as pi-
rates away from home.
The Democratic party is not dead.
it may reasonbly count on great mis-
deeds, internal wranglings and univer-
sal disappointment as the result of
the overwhelming majorities of It's
old-time adversary. 1t will attempt
to reorganize, to put on = new face
and to become the beneficiary of an
adverse reaction four years later.
There can be no deliverance hoped
for through the creation of a new
party, no matter what its name nor
what its platform, If it is to be or
ganized after the manner of the pres
ent Republican and Democratic bodies
with committees. conventions, plat
forms, mass-meetings. personal am
billions, all thrown into the same sort
of mix-up and likely to terminate
with the same sort of results.
All real Americans would like to
haxe the real business of the country