Evening star., 1920-02-11
POLITICAL SOCKS
ARE EMPTY night
BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Naming of Delegates Soon
and No White House AS
pirants in Lead.
BY n. O. MESSENGER.

| b1 ~. ~. MF1SSF-N N"TN'
| Here it is "the night before Christ
mas" in the presidential nomination
contest and there is not stick of
candy or an orange in any stocking
hanging on the political mantelpiece.
! In couple of weeks the choosing
| of delegates to the national con-
! ventions will begin and there are
| few signs of the people becoming
excited over the list of asplrants
for the nomination.
This, too, in spite of what is
thought to be the general realization
of the people that not since the civil
war. with the possible exception Oh
1896 has graver situation con-
fronted the nation. demanding more
discrimination in the selection of an
executive for the succeeding TOUR
years. Some politicians think that
perhaps this very consideration is
of waves of popular enthusiasm
among the voters for candidates. Are
, the voters just looking them over?
they ask.
Dissatisfaction Not Implied.
OF course, this is not to be construed
as implying dissatisfaction with the list,
or dubiouSneSS of the availability OF any
candidate. but rather should it not be
said that there are so many excellent
ones as to make choosing among them
difficult and the subject of prayerful
thought? Let's put it that way.
There can be no question. the politl-
clans say, that the people are thor
oughly alive to the gravity of the sltua-
ton and the necessity of making wise
choice. The problems of the future are
manifold and complex. Never before IN
the history of this government has the
executive been invested with such power
as it now possesses under the law. IN
proper person and by commission.
Senator Harding's View.
Senator Harding, a presidential can
didate, in one of his getting ac-
quainted" speeches declared that
american business is commissioned
today until an uncommanded private
in business is a curiosity" There are
the perils of "excess government. ex-
excess of experiment. excess OF nv
ing cost. excess of promise to do by
law that which men must do for them
selve under the freedom of the law.
Elaborating that thought. Senator
Harding pointed out that the country
has had three trying years of govern
ment regulation, restraint. interfer-
ence or control. Some of it was
necessary, most of it was hindering.
1t grew out of anxiety on the one
hand and the determination of the
faddists to thrust upon the country
their particular fads when the people
were too concerned about perils from
without to think about dangers with
in" It is necessary to unshackle. he
concluded.
How VIII Parties Line URs
! And this leads directly to- the SUBJ
ject -view-how the two great
political parties will line up In their
platform declarations on government
control Of business and industry. AT
this time the republicans appear to be
heading directly away from paternal-
ism. The democrats seem to be divid-
ed among themselves. one faction led
by Mr.. Bryan openly declaring for
continued and even additional govern
ment dicta ton.
The other element among demo-
Gratis is struggling to ,livest the party
forced upon the administration by
the exigencies of war. To be sure, it
was welcomed by many administra-
ticn officials. though declared OBJ
noxious to true democratic principles
by many old-fashioned democrats. If
Mr. Bryan should succeed in dominat-
ing the democratic convention to the
extent Of framing the platform. even
if he does not pick the candidate.
anxious democrats of the old school
Would Prevent Another "lSOO."
What the big men in the demo-
cratic party are most intent upon
now is to prevent a recurrence of
1896, when. in the face of tre-
mendous popular vote. the democratic
national ticket was defeated by con-
servatiye democrats voting the sound
money ticket of the republican arty.
In the field of democratic candi-
dates for the presidential nomination
at this time Mr.. Bryan stands alone
as the exponent of continued and ex-
panded governmental control of in
dustry. 1t was once thought that Mr..
McAdoo would affiliate himself with
the labor element demanding govern
ment ownership of utilities and sub
sequently. of course, naturalization
of all industries, but he has not de-
clared. Mr.. Bryan has beaten him
to it," the politicians say, If, in fact,
he ever contemplated such a course.
1t is Mr. Bryan's pigeon" and he Is
welcome to it, other democratic as
pirants declare.
Seek to Control Primnries.
1t is not believed by democrats in
Congress that either Gov. Cox, Sem
ator Pomerene. A. Mitchell Palmer
or any of the other democrats men,
would run on a w1de-open radical
platform such as Mr.. Bryan is ex-
pected to urge at San Francisco and
that he must be prevented at all
hazards from controlling the pri-
maries to give him a commanding
situation in the convention.
No republican has yet appeared in
the entries for the nomination heat
who would even lean toward con-
tinued governmental despotism over
business and industry. They are all
Indeed, it is noted by the politicians
that the republican, candidates
average up" pretty evenly as to
views on all the issues, thereby maxi
ing a choice among them more diff
cult for the choosers.
STREET SWEEPER "B0SS"
.a,,n@-r o,,a-@-