Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-12
Special Dispatch to The Star.

COLUMBUS, Ohio. September Ii
Here in Ohio the Democrats are rails
ing the cry that their opponents are
using money in large quantities and
presumably corruptly, but the charge
does not arise directly in the demo-
cratic campaign organization. A let
ter has been received by Attorney
Tussing of Columbus in which it was
said that though the expenditures of
Mayor Davis in his primary cam
paign. as reported under the law.
were large-almost $50.000-they were
in fact. in all probability. much more
than that. for though it was well
known-in fact announced by the Da-
Wis committeeman they had an or
ganization in every county. reports of
expenditures were made by but few
OF the county organizations of that
movement
Attorney General Price has made no
statement concerning thea matter
further than that il Mr.V Tussing
would supply him with evidence on
which he could base legal action he
would do so-leaving the impression
that unless Tussing does so nothing
further will be done. 1t is Tussing's
contention that the three candidates
for the republican nomination for
governor-Davis. Cole and McCu1loch
spent together more than $100, 900,
which is a prodigious sum to be used In
a primary contest for a single nomi-
nation. Attorney General Price is a
candidate for reelection on the same
ticket with Mayor Davis and is there
fore placed in a somewhat embarras-
sing position by the Tussing letter.
It is fair to state that Tussing.
who is a Columbus lawyer. is demo-
crat. and has been candidate for
the office of mayor of Columbus as
a member of that party, though he is
known as an anti-organiZation demo-
crat. It is likely that the democratic
organization is back Of the letter to
the attorney general and has taken
this plan of concealing the real source
of the accusations.
AS Gov. Cox left Ohio on his first
great circle of the country to the Pa
cific coast it was tacitly given out
here that in his speeches through
the west, no references would be made
to the liquor question as it has risen
in the campaign. 1t is the under
standing here that in that point lies
the governors weakness in that sec
ton of the country. The middle and
far west states will be literally
sprinkled with copies Of the speech
Of Aaron S. Watkins in which he at
tacks Senator Harding for his atti-
tude, speeches and vote in the Sem
ate against prohibition and its en-
forcement, while the. league of ma
tions issue. to which the west is re-
ported to be favorably inclined. and
the claim that the opposition is pre-
pairing to buy the election will be
kept to the front through all the
present tour of the democratic candi-
date.
Straw Votes Favor Republicans.
The first straw votes taken in the
state are not favorable to the demo-
Gratis on either the national or state
tickets. Several Ohio newspapers
have begun taking them, securing by
the secret ballot system not only d.
rect expression rs to present choices
but the trend of political sentiment
change. The vote canvassed in this
way is small yet and far from safe
to use as a reliable basis for an es-
innate, but as far as 1t goes the net
gains are indicated to be on the re-
publican side.
One interesting thing brought out
in the combined results of the straw
voting is that both of the old parties
are going to lose a lot of votes to the
socialist party. but the loss of the
democrats in this change, it is indi-
Gated, will be much greater than that
of the republicans.
Comparisons are made with the
vote for Hughes and Wilson electors
in 1915. and applying the rate OF net
republican gain efrom all sources
shown on the sm4ll number of votes
canvassed to the probable total male
vote of the state, a total republican
gain of nearly $4,000 is indicated
Nt,ok 1.Nw
to throw the state into the republican
column, because the plurality for the
Wilson electoral ticket four years ago
was S9.40S
The straw vote managers are treat
ing the woman voters separately, for
the reason that there Is no way of
making comparisons in their cases
The only thing as to the new voters
that the straw voting has SO far
shown is that they are dividing pretty
evenly between the parties both as
to the national and state tickets.
Most of the canvassing has been done
SO far in the cities, and the larger
cities at that. There both Gov. Cox
and Mayor Davis would naturally be
expected to run well because of their
liberal sentiments.
A surprise to politicians on both
sides of the party line is that the
straw voting does not indicate the
strength that it was generally ex-
pected State Auditor A. v. Donaheyt.
the democratic candidate for govern
or. would show. He is far behind
Gov. Cox. Here again, however, one
must take into consideration the fact
that the canvassing has been done
almost entirely in the urban vote and
there no doubt sentiment would nat
urally run strong for Mayor Davis.
Women Reluctant to Vote.
Straw vote canvassers report that
many women are refusing to cast bal
lots for them, for the reason, as they
explain, that they do not expect to
vote at the regular election anyhow.
This, however, may be in the nature
OF 'stalr' by women who take this
means of escaping the canvasser. The
expert employees of the large city cleo
ton boards, however, generally agree
that but a small percentage of the
entitled to vote will actually
do SO, and in proceeding to rearrange
the precincts to take care of the in
creased vote they are by no means
on a total vote double that
OF former years.
Harriet Taylor Upton will not, as
reported some time ago. be a candi-
date for election to the United States
Senate. Mrs. Upton. who is a daugh-
ter of the late Ezra B. Taylor. long
a member Of Congress from the IA
nous western reserve district of Gid
dings and Garfield and Northway. has
heen at the head NJ the SuffraR iSt