The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1920-11-12
MR.. BURLESON GIVES
DIAGNOSIS Of THE DEFEAT
Postmaster General Is Quoted As Civ
ing Certain Reasons For Demo.
cratic Defeat In November.

Discussing the result of the recent
election, Postmaster General Burleson
is quoted as attributing Democratic
defeat to failure of the Democratic
managers TO charge the drop in farm
prices to the Republicans, and ingrati-
tude on the part of labor. Mr.. Burle-
son is evidently as poor a Judge of
politics as he is of postal service, for
he also included in his list of Demo-
cratic mistakes the failure of Mr.. Cox
to utilize the influence of members of
the cabinet.
Taking these up in their order:
While it would have been entirely
in keeping with the dishonest of Dem
ocratic methods to attempt to fasten
upon the Republicans responsibility
for decline in prices of farm products,
there is no possibility that such a
charge could have been made with
hope of success. The country knows
that the deflation program was in the
hands of the Federal Reserve Board,
Democratic organization, and from
the beginning of the deflation move
ment, the farmers themselves fixed
the responsibility. Leaders in politics
took the subject up only after the
| farmers started the discussion. There
was no capital in that subject for the
Democrats. Undoubtedly prices will
continue to recede, and there are
mary evidences in our foreign trade
statistics that theer will be a curtail-
ment of production in America, with
resultant cutting down of payrolls. In
accordance with the Burleson sug-
! gestion the Democrats will undoubt-
eddy try to fix responsibility for all
unemployment upon the Republicans.
Files of Democratic newspapers will
show, however, when the period of
decline begin. The Democratic party
claimed credit for the war prosperity,
augmented on paper by the initiation
built up by the Federal Reserve Board
and it cannot deny responsibility for
The reaction.
As to the Burleson claim that la
Dor has been ungrateful, one might
well ask, "Ungrateful for what?" If
the Democratic party especially ia
vored labor during its period of ad-
ministration it was guilty of estab-
fishing class government, and was fit
subject for universal condemnation.
If it dod not favor labor, there was no
occasion for any demonstration of
gratitude. By intimating that labor
should have shown gratitude, Mr..
Burleson practically charges his
party with favoritism. When he cred
its labor with not supporting the
Democratic nominee, he unwittingly
pays labor a compliment. AS a matter
of fact, Republicans have stood for all
the legitimate demands of labor. The
Democratic administration cooperat-
ed with some fthe leaders of organ
lied labor but to the disadvantage of
the permanent interests of labor as a
whole. Mr.. Gompers was duty CRATE
full, and showed his gratitude, but he
had only one vote.
The third item in Mr. Burleson's
list of causes of defeat is really
amusing. Influence of members Of
the cabinet. indeed! Mr.. Cox was
possessed o fsufficient political sagac-
ity to know that the influence of the
members of the cabinet is a negative
quantity, and in fact, constituted one
of his handicaps. By overwhelming If
not practically unanimous sentiment,
officers of the army and navy, en-
ployees of the postal service and men
and women in government positions
in other departments, weer against
the Democratic administration. With
the exception of Wilson himself, no