The Washington herald., 1920-11-06
PLANSSTARTED
BY DEMOCRATS
FOR NEXT. TIME
Comfort Selves With the
Thought That Pendulum
Will Swing Back.
BRYAN LOOMS AGAIN
Party Is Entirely Through
With Cox as Candidate
For Anything at All.
BRYAN LOOMS AGAIN
NV FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

By FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE
Having gradually recovered the
power of speech and expression az
ter Tuesdays knockout blow
Democratic leaders are now holding
their first post-mortem ever the re-
mains of what used to be the Demo-
cratic party.
Remorse and recrimination fill
their lugubrious thoughts. They
recognize that their defeat was COM
plete and annihilating. They con-
cede that not only national candi-
dates, but the National organiza-
tion. has beet battered into smith
Green's Reorganization and reform
of the machine that Cox led to dis
aster have already become watch
words of his smashed and scattered
cohorts.
On one point Democratic leaders
are in unqualified agreement. They
have relegated James NJ. Cox defin-
itely and irrevocably into the dis
card He is described as being as
dead-and deader than-Alton B..
Parker after Theodore Roosevelt
worsted that amiable jurist in 1904.
Party Done With Him.
Whatever happens. the man who
ran for President in 1890. '''as il
he were running for constable" is
eliminated from future Democratic
calculations. He can go to. Europe.
or anywhere else he pieases. His
disgruntled and discredited party
is done with him.
Amid the encircling gloom DEM
ocraHc chieftains profess to dis
Germ a single ray of light. They
see il shining four years hence.
They are digging up historical
precedents to bolster up the theory
that the star of hope will illumi-
nate the Democratic heavens in
1924 because such a tremendous
upheaval as has just come to pass
has always been followed by a
cyelonic reaction in the other di-
rection.
Hearken Back to 1892.
Thus, today Democratic philo-
sopher-optimists disinterred Pres
idential election statistics of 1892
and 1919 TO balm the wounds OF the
present yith the oil of the future.
They saw in Grover .Cleveland.s
comeback four years after Benja-
min Harrison defeated him in 1883
an encouraging prospect for revival
of Democratic fortunes in 1924 The
defeat of William Howard Taft in
1912, after a triumphant election
four years previous. was pounced
upon as another historical precedent
justifying Democratic confidence in
1924. Democrats aver that the very
tremendousness of the swing of the
pendulum in Republicanism's favor
this week means, il laws of political
gravitation mean anything. that the
pendulum will swing back whence
IL came with no less intensity. The
more optimistic Democrats are de-
luding themselves into the. belief
that the reaction in their favor
will come two years hence at the
next Congressional elections.
McAdoo Men Happy.
Ifthere Is such a thing as a happy
Democrat anywhere in these United
States. it is the McAdoo Democrat
The woods in Washington are full
of him. He is not wearing any
conspicuously elaborate array OF
sackcloth and ashes. His interest
in Jimmie" Cox was never much
more than academic. -.
Loyalty to the ticket nominated
at San Francisco was of the kind
known in diplomacy as correct but
not cordial. His money-bags. In
particular, were kept tight shut
The principal reason the Demo-
cratic campaign treasury resembled
Mother Hubbard's cupboard was be-
cause the plutocratic McAdooites
fnanciers of Woodrow Wilson'S
campaigns, deluged the Cox can
didacy with platonic sympathy only
Glad IL Was Not He.
William Gibbs McAdoo's friends
are genuinely happy that 1t wa.
not his OK that was gored on Tues
day. At San Francisco they sin
cerely pleaded that he was the best
man available. Now they know
that no living Democrat could con-
ceivably have been elected. They
are rejoicing that McAdoo, unblem-
ished by the annihilation that
would indubitably have overtaker
him in 1920. remains eligible timber
for 1924. There is not the slightest
question that plans will at once be
drawn up to land the nomination
for him at that time. wisconsin
il is calculated. will have become
thoroughly ancient history. The
crown prince taunt will have los
its sting. McAdoo. his supporter.
say. will stand forth with all hi:
assets and none of the liabilitie,
that could have been set forth had
he tempted fate in this Republican
year.
McAdooites win require. of course
20 capture the organization and &
Kilkenny to that end within Demo
cratic ranks may be set down as 8
certainty.
Bryan speeter Looms.
Already the irrepressible spectei
bf William Jennings Bryan, the per.
snnial. looms on the horizon. Hs
5 depicted as the one unshatterec
1dealistic-' force remaining at Dem.
,cratic disposal. wisconsin rebuked
md discredited Is shorn of its power
coxism as an ideal around which 3
defeated political host. might rally
never had any existence at all. Sc
here are Democrats who are talking
tbout going back to "normalcy" OF
heir owA-to Organism.
The Peerless One has bulletfned
iis arrival in Washington about the
middle of the month. He intend,
pending the winter here-his FIRST
irotracted residence in the. Capital
hnce he left the State Department
1915. Report credits him with the
4. ntention of devoting himself forth.
With to schemes and stratagems fol
;. ecovering the leadership Of the
,arty which he systematically led
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