The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-11-02
He Is Not Informed of Prob
able Result of TOday's
Election
RUMORS He MAY
RESIGN OFFICE
BIZ Is Not Expected, However - Pos
siblo Congress May Be Called SO Sen
ate Can Act on Peace This, Too, Is
Only Political Speculation.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.
Downright 1920.)

| .....F Copyright 1920 .
WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. 2.-Aside
from the actual result of the election,
perhaps nothing has given greater con-
| ,crn here than the possible effect upon
President Wilson If an adverse verdict
at the polls. The President has always
lad unbounded confidence in his own
] Judgment of what the American electorate
would do, and vet many of his friends
| bink he will be greatly disappointed this
| ime. lie has had reverses before as in
| .alS. but on nothing that was as close to
lis heart as is the covenant of the
| .eaguc of nations. 1t has been argued
aunvincingly in the press that the cleo
| sicu result will have indicated conclusive
about the league and will only have regis
| tered the natural reaction of a people
against their war government, something
that has happened throughout Europe.
But nobody in the inner circle of the adj
ADMINISTRATION has probably paved the way
for tCday's defeat. So far as Is generally
| known the President has been continu-
| 1usly optimistic about the outcome. Were
| not for the frail condition of the Presi-
| dents health the election might not be
moment for anxiety, Indeed, there have
l
| constrained II. resign the presidency II
| Cox were defeated. On the other hand,
| the possibility that the senate might go
| Democratic has been held out as conSo-
! latiOn. especially since 1t might mean
| the reSubmissiOu Of the peace treaty at
| the December session of congress IN an
effort once more to reach a compromise.
| The new senate would not. of course, take
| office until after next March when Spe-
| ciaI session would be called, but 1t is be
| Eeved the effect of the Democratic victory
| u the senate might mean more eoncllla-
| tory mood in the session of congress to be
| cAuvcned next month.
Friends of the league of nations will
not wait until a special session OF con-
| gresS is called next spring in order to
| push for the ratification of the treaty with
| proper reservations. Every vote taken
| In the senate has shown more than two
thirds of the senate as favoring ratitica-
| tion of the treaty and league in some
| form. 1t would help the next administra-
ton immensely if the troublesome treaty
| "were out of the way when the new adj
lminiStratiOn came into power 50 that do
nestle affairs might be given undivided
attention. More than a year has already
been spent in wranghng over the treaty
and legislation league while domestic
issues like taxation have suffered by neg
lect. The treaty question may suffer II
lD0Stponed to a special session of congress
WILSON'S attitude toward a compromise
on reservations will have been greatly
Softened by the verdict at the polls and
that a nOn-partisan or bipartisan move
ment may vet be started to bring about
Iamong the various advocates Of the league
during the remaining days Of President
Wilson's administration. 1t would
hearten the President and give him
strength to bear the strain of his illness.
The true condition of the President is
matter of conjecture. Few people know
though there is the usual amount of
lrumor about a relapse. The best infor-
lmatiOn the writer has been able to obtain
is that the President has been steadily
improving and Is much better than he was
six months ago. Nobody can foresee
what the effect of a disappointment may
be but men who know Mr.. Wilson best
are convinced that his vitality is such
that he viii be able to withstand the blow
( that is sure to come. The President does
not read newspapers generally, and it is
said that he has not been given any pes
simistic reports about the campaign, so
that very probably the result will come
resignation in the event Of defeat at the
polls. this Inference is believed to have
been drawn from a recent speech of Gov
ernOr Cox in which he predicted the re
tirement" of the President from public
affairs. Mr.. Wilson is a firm believer IN
the theory that the head of a government
should resign when defeated, just as in
the case with parliamentary government.
but circumstances influenced him in 1913
when he lost both houses of congress to
ignore European precedent as applied to
Americas form of government and it is
not generally credited that he will aban-
don his post before the close of his admin
istration. On the other hand if he be
lieved that by eliminating his own per
sonality as a factor, Vice President Mar
shall might be able to negotiate a settle
ment of the treaty question with the Re
publican senate he would probably retire
Yet, it is known that Mr.. Marshall does
not share the Presidents views on the
: league of nations and it is hardly to be
expected that he would champion the
cause during the next session of congress
Nobody can predict with accuracy
what might be the outcome of the election
on the plans of President Wilson. Al
q Washington is hoping that he viii bear VI
: under the inevitable verdict at the polls
i and that he will be well enough to remain
7 in Office until the end of his term. Par
| tisanship may disappear with the cleo
ton and after a months intermission the
next congress may come back in a better
mood to take up the matter of foreign
v policy and dispose of it before an ava
:, lanche of domestic problems like the ex
| cess DrOfitS tax comes down on the mex