Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-04
CAMPAIGN Of HAYS
TELLS IN SUPPORT
OF c. 0P. IN WEST
Harding Has Fairly Tight
Hold on Electoral Votes
+ West of Mississippi.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Mississippi. and is based on personal yisi
to fourteen states, including twenty five of tn
most important cities, during the last thirt!
days.)
Senator Harding, republican candi-
date for the presidency, has fairly
tight hold on the electoral vote west
of the Mississippi. but by no means
one that could not have been un-
Ioosened by effective organization and
a press more friendly to the demo-
cratic cause. The writer saw the west
at time of lowest ebb for the demo
Gratis and highest tide for the repub-
licans. The month of October will see
the democrats struggling desperately
to undo in a month the work the re-
publicans have accomplished in nearly
two years of campaigning, for WIZ
Hays began in March, 191S-about
eight months before the war ended
and has established probably the most
complete and effective political or
ganization in the history of the United
States. He was taken to task by Col.
Harvey for starting in the midst OF the
war, but he has done the job. and re-
publican victory will be as much due
to the republican organization as it
will be to the restrictive conditions
OF the war which have made repub-
licans out of democrats.
Back to 1916 Campaign.
To understand why the majority of
the western states will go republican
one must revert to the 1916 campaign.
The west didn't like war and voted
to be kept out of it, Once entered
into the fray, the west contributed
brawny soldiers and all it's money ID
crops to win. But it didn't acquire
any affection for war. 1t resented war
conditions and chafed' under war re-
stricti~ns. The republican press of
Il, vi nndI 70 ha laa I
of nations. still favors the principle
of world association. but says the
present league is Wilson's league and
means war, entanglements in foreign
troubles and all sorts of responsible
tiles. Being more anxious for re-
public. victory because of domestic
issues like taxation, the tariff and
other matters closer home, the news
papers friendly even to the Wilson
league are submerging the contro-
versy over the kind of league America
is to enter anu convincing their read
ers that Senator Harding will do the
right thing at the right time. what
ever it is, but that the important task
is to put the republican party back in
power and restore normalcy.
Most people are so irritated over the
high cost of living. the high railroad
rates, the congestion of freight and the
whole after-the-war mess that they want
achange. They think the republican party
will bring it, They say matters can't
NSSss sesp M fasy 81 bstse aays been Pnars ars
about as far as the big mass of the
voters have gone in analyzing the issues
of the campaign. Except in a few
states. President Wilson's plea for a
solemn referendum on the election has
signally failed.
Mandate Not Reputation.
The mandate of the election will not
be a Reputation of the covenant or any
other part of the peace treaty. Groups
here and there will vote on foreign sub
jects, such as Irish freedom or Italian
war aspirations, but generally speaking
republican victory will mean desire to
change from one set of political leaders
to- another. Republican newspapers
friendly to the league are already pre-
pairing their readers for that verdict
and trying to prevent. Senator Harding
from misconstruing the verdict by de-
Gliding to stay out of the league. The
republican press in the west outnumbers
the democrats at least two to one, and
in some states four and five to one
The pro-league press is about evenly
divided among the republican press, but
you can count on the fingers of your
hand the republican newspapers that
favor even the Wilson league who have
dare to make that the paramount con-
sideration and tell their readers that
they ought to vote for Cox on that ac-
count.
The most striking thing about the
whole western campaign is the utter
lack of enthusiasm by democrats or
republicans of the rank and file for
either Cox or Harding. Plenty of ap-
plause and cheers were given Gov.
Cox on his trip, but the mass of the
people are not impressed with the
personality of either nominee as re-
flected 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 has captured the popu-
lar imagination is that they have
failed to point out clearly a recon-
struction policy.
Wreck Gets Cox ON Page One.
The truth is more than one editor
complained that neither candidate
really is producing 'front-page stuff -
Perhaps Gov. Cox'S criticism of the
western press is partly due to the
foregoing thought. For it is true
have not been conspicuously displayed
all the time. On the other hand, Gov.
Cox has a rightful case when he COM
plains that in some western cities his
speeches were not even printed or
that trivial portions were given
prominence and decidedly preju-
dicial twist carried in the headlines
1t is true that Gov. Cox had to be
caught in a railroad 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 demo-
cratic organization everywhere. 1t
was a splendid thing for him to go
west in September. but. lacking funds
and friendly press, the democrats
of the west face an almost hopeless
task.
AS matters stand today, it would
appear that Senator Harding will
carry every state west of the Missis-
sippi, with the exception of Montana,
Utah. Arizona, New Mexico. Nevada.
Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mis-
souri,. Strangely enough. Oklahoma
is doubtful and Missouri is shaky.
Both may go republican in the event
of landslide. On the other hand
the league issue may yet turn Califor-
mia from what appears to be 100, 900
defeat for the democrats into a demo-
cratic victory by narrow margin.
Seventy-Four Votes Sure for Cox.
Only seventy-four electoral votes look
sure for Cox west of the Mississippi
Texas, 20; Missouri. Is; Arkansas, 8;
Arizona, 3; New Mexico. 8: Nevada, 3
Utah, 4; Montana. A. Louisiana, 10
Oklahoma ought to add another ten
but the month of October will tell the
story there. But it will be seen thai
Gov. Cox's prospective total is only
slightly more than half of Presiden,
Wilson's total west of the Mississippi
in 1916. This means Gov. Cox's
chance of election lies entirely in the
states east of the Mississippi, where
New York's forty-five, for instance
would overcome the losses in the
west.
tTomoIS Sow's dispatch will describe
the und currents of thought in the
west, III rise of radicalsm and its