Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-06

| the Mississippi, beginning with Maryland to-
morrow
Anyone who penetrates the politi-
| cal smokescreen that enveIops the
| presidential campaign in the west
cannot but come to the conclusion
| that the great mass of the people
have not been impressed 18th the no.
tion that Senator Harding's disin-
clination to join the present league
of nations is an absolute refusal to
carry forward American idealism.
There is faith that if the Ohio sem
ator is elected he will be persuaded
by public opinion. untroubled by
personal issues and domestic politi-
cal circumstances, to bring America
| into a partnership of nations. The
! support given to Harding by former
President Taft. and Herbert Hoover
and Charles Evans Hughes has been
pointed to effectively by republican
newspapers as convincing proof of
! what republican policy will be after
the election. and there is no disposi-
cies of Senators Johnson and Borah as
| having any more control over con-
servative Warren Harding than the
radicalism of those two gentlemen o.
domestic issues will influence the re-
publican policy on the tariff op taxa
ton.
! PefversfOn Of Covenant.
So much misconception of the true
purpose of the present league of ma
tions exists and SO much perversion
| or what the covenant actually says
1T is indeed being printed for the
| first time now in many western news
papers-that as an issue in the cam
paign it has not only gone over the
| heads of many people, but the con-
| troversy has wearied and bored them.
| But the writer is firmly convinced
that the average man when once told
| the truth about the league of nations
favors it whole-heartedly. The
average man in many states, how
ever. is not being told what the
| covenant of the league says, but
| what the politicians say it means.
One editor laughingly told the writer
| he never argued in his editorial
column about the provision of the
covenant. I'VE just tell the people
it means international bankruptcy.
that's ALL"
Fundamentally the west believes
as much in peace as it did in 1915,
Land once the campaign is over and
the republican newspapers who have
| cause they didn't want to help Gov
! Cox's candidacy, begin to come out
strongly in favor of the league again.
a noticeable change in public opinion
| will develop. Many editors resent
deeply that the league issue has been
| interjected in the campaign and in
! terfered with their domestic political
/ desires, and will do more for the
league of nations after November z
! than they are doing now.
/ Still Favor n League.
Thus, while the writer leaves the
: west with a feeling that Senator
Harding has the lead, and with
suspicion that the reaction across the
| Mississippi against the democrats is
so great that even Senator Penrose
himself could carry the west this
wear there is every reason TO De OPP
timistic about the future support that
will be given by the west to the en-
trance of the United States into the
league of nations. So far as the west
10 Concerned, it will vote for Hard
ing. but by no means will repudiate
the covenant of the league. Many re-
publican newspapers, whose HeaEe 10
with the league of nations, nave al.
ready made that statement so that
the Verdict may not be misconstrued.
President Wilson is still as much
rasnected as ever west of the Mlssis-
sinni. but he has lost his hold on the
voters. His falling health has
aroused here and there considerable
sympathy, but the knowledge that ne
is NOT a vigorous leader in his party
has caused the voters to examine
carefully the new leadership. They
do not attribute to Gov. Cox the same
high ideals that they did once to VIII
son. They see no Bryan going from
state to state preaching anu u
ing as he did in 1916 ,
COY a wet" and charging that ne
was nominated by the posses III the
democratic party. They see 100. Ihahy
Loriginal Wilson and McAdoo men go.
ing about their business my
nnIitical emotion. Most of these demo-
crats will vote for Cox, but they are
not throwing themselves into the nshl
as they did in 1916. though IN soine
states like California 1t is the McAuoo
organization which is putting UP the
6ght for Cox and doing well. unques-
tionahly william Gibbs McAdoo would
haya carried more western states thah
Gov. Cox Will
stand Not Clearcut Enough.
The democrats out west We're iot
him as the numerous ballots at tile
60 francisco convention Will snow
Enr,barmore, McAdoo has been, and Is.
hone-dry. and the Anti-Saloon League
inflorsed him. There Is doupt ABOUT
coy and while he will beneht to some
extent by SplTlt u NelhS"
st;Ii nrevails in some parts of the
West his stand on the liquor question
hss not been sufficiently clearcut TO
nnake the woman voters believe that
he will stand with them absolutely In
Mat they regard as the big moral is
sue of the day.
Gov. Cox might have made OF MS
o.mnaign in the west a crusade by
taking the bone dry side OF the ar
.ument and emphasizing the league
of nations to the exclusion OF criti-
cism of the republican candidates
supposed reactionary views. 10 eau
a man a reactionary is one thlng-to
nroye that he is may be quite an
ether Gov. Cox made some headway
On this issue. but it is not vitaiiy
controlling this year as IT was IN
1915. The phrases progressive and
.resctionary" have been lost in
maze of irritations all OF whieh yieId
only the one cry-lets get back 10
nnrynai no matter whether we do it
hy reactionary or anybody else
Taxation is a sore spot. Most peO-
n,a hold the democrats responsible. So
poor are the democratic organiza-
lions SO weak in publicity and funds
that the mass of the voters have, not
been told anything about the two
yesrs lust passed in which the repub-
leans had the opportunity to pass
remedial legislation. The tariff is
hobbing up again in many states, but
ia not being intelligently argued. Nor
is much being said by the democrats
about the desire of certain republi- ,
can interests to change the federal
reserve system as soon as q republican
administration comes in to power.
Some undercurrents of apprehension
are to be found even among western
that the stern wing of Z