The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-10-05

the fingers of your hand the Republican
newspapers that favor even the Wilson
league who have dared to make that the
paramount consideration and tell their
readers that they ought to vote for Cox
on that account.
The most striking thing about the
whole western campaign is the utter lack
of enthusiasm by Democrats or Repub-
licans of the rank and file for either Cox
or Harding. Plenty of applause and
cheers were given Governor Cox on his
trip, but the mass of the people are not
Impressed with the personality of either
nominee as reflected in the press. Both
men were unknown, to be sure, before
the two conventions but the real reason
in my own judgment why neither Cox
nor Harding have captured the popular
imagination is that they have failed to
point out clearly reconstruction pol
icy. They have both been more inter-
ested in the politics of their campaigns
than the economics of the country. The
one has carried on q destructive cam
paign of criticism and the other has ex-
pressed himself in such gcneralities as TO
evoke no particular hostility from any
gloup or class. But the truth is more
candidate really is producing front
page stuff.
Perhaps Governor Cox's criticisms of
the western press is partly due to the
foregoing thought. For il is true that
even the dispatches from Marion have
not been conspicuOusly displayed all the
time. On the other hand, Governor
Cox has rightful case when he COM
plains that in some western cities his
speeches were not even printed or that
trivia portions were given prominence
and decidedly prejudicial twist carried
in the headlines 1t is true that Gov
ernor Cox had to be caught in a rail-
road wreck to get on the first page of
one San Francisco newspaper, which
all but ignored his visit to that city.
The Democratic nominee has made a
plucky fight. He has made votes in the
West and stimulated the Democratic or
ganization everywhere. 1t was a splen-
did thing for him to go West in Septem-
Der, but lacking funds and a friendly
press, the Democrats of the West face
an almost hopeless task.
As matters stand today, it would ap-
pear that Senator Harding will carry
every state west of the Mississippi with
the exception of Montana, Utah, Ari-
IONA, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana,
Arkansas, Missouri and Nevada.
Strangely enough Oklahoma is doubtful
and Missouri is shaky. Both may go
Republican in the event of a landslide
| On the other hand the league issue may
| yet turn California from what appears
to be a 100000 defeat for the Democrats
| into Democratic victory by narrow
| margin.
Only a electoral votes look sure for
Cox, west of the Mississippi-Texas2 20,
Missouri Is, Arkansas 8, Arizona 3,
New Mexico 3, Nevada 3, Utah A. Moa-
tana 4, Louisiana 10. Oklahoma ought
TO add another 10, but the month of
| October will tell the story there. But
| it will be seen that Governor Cox's pros
pective total is only slightly more than
half of President Wilson's total west of
the Mississippi in 1916. This means
| Governor Cox's chance of election lies
entirely in the states east of the Mis-
| sissippi, where New York's 49, for in
stance, would overcome the losses in the
! West.