The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-09-15
THE REAL ISSUES.

5 THE REAL ISSUES.
II by any possibility that the
Presidency could be purchased by the tsctful dis
: tributon of fifteen million dollars among the
4 voters, what blasting reflection such state of
| moral terpude would be our debasement
| as people; then indeed the end OF the republic
would be Such sum Of money is the
equivalent Of about fifty cents the price of
each voter This is the Proposition in political
corruption which the democratic nominee for the
presidency seeks establish by innuendo and
loose talk. and by placing distorted meaning
change remarks dropped by members OF the op-
position national committee He is asking the
public to believe this grotesque accusation which
ridiculous besides being serious
reflection upon the manhood and intelligence OF
the American voter. The wonder is that even in
the ranks of his own party there is not enough of
independence and assertion TO repudiate such
SANDER upon the men and women of America
The democratic campaign will not be strengthen
ed by the adoption OF type OF prosecuting that no
longer is the vogue even in ward politics in the
+ cities.-3urlington Post
: It looks to some of Us as though level-headed
citizens were not much stirred up by Governor
lCox's diatribes In regard to an alleged attempt
ITO buy the presidency Most people who
know anything know that elections in every
civilized land entail expenses on parties and on
candidates. And probably there IS no American
adult SO artless as not to be aware that both
the parties expect to collect such reasonable
sums of money as they easily get hold OF
with which to give the widest possible publicity
to their platform demands, their policies and
their political programs. In 80 doing the
tpubIcans could readily and properly spend
twice as much as the three million dollars they
aspire to raise and the democrats could make
legal use of just as much or more
AS the New York Times declares, ''The whole
matter Governor Coxs cry OF purchased
presidency strikes most people as insincere.'
What intelligent person finds anything shocking
in the idea that one or both parties intend to
circularizs the country, put literature into
every voters hand, send orators to present
the issues wherever the people want to heart
Who is Mortified at the suggestion that halls are
to be hired bands of music engaged, advertise
lnents put in newspapers or moving picture
films put out designed to inform the popular
mind? Beyond all question the republican man
ayers hope and intend to raise, legitmately, all
the money they can use to advantage. The
democrat managers likewise hope and intend in
the same direction and they have announced
that they viii take any sums however big that
anybody is willing to give.
The governors charges, which he cannot
prove, and all his rantings on the subject is
cheap talk for effect and to divert attention
from his position the league, which he finds
it difficult to defend The money issue which
he would force into prominence viii cut no
figure in this campaign, and it may be doubted
if it wins him a vote. The real issues are the
league, the peoples WEAKNESS of wisconsin and
everything suggestive of it, and the conviction
widely prevalent and steadily growing that one
political party has more capacity to handle sue
cessfuIly the business of the nation than the
other These are the questions on which the
result in November hinge; and the campaign
fund issue is just red herring which a willy
past master in low-plane politics is dragging
across the trail