River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1920-12-09
Our Weekly Letter
From Washington
From James A. Frear, M. c.

sweeps all opposition into a combined
political protest, few will be misled
as to reasons or results. Eight years
ago Wilson received 435 ELECTORAL
votes out of a total of sol, leaving
Roosevelt, Progressive candidate, 88
votes and Taft, Republican, 8 votes.
Less than 2 per cent of the total was
then heralded as the finish Of the Re-
publican party. A majority of 1913
Democrats in the House swamped the
handful of Republicans, but one or
two Republicans kept attacking gov
ernmental extravaganza session after
session, and through publicity, sue
ceeded in defeating several vicious
bills involving over hundred million
dollars. In 1916 the country would
have been swung back on extrava-
gances and other issues but for the
argument "He kept US out of war"
Even then the vote stood Wilson 277
and Hughes 254, a remarkable change
in four years.
This year the political pendulum
again swung to an extreme. Those
who expect Congress and the Presi-
dent to right all wrongs by legislation
will be disappointed and a slump back
is practically certain unless careful
program of constructive legislation
is put through. The swing this year
gave Wisconsin a solid Republican
Congressional delegation after next
March, including Stafford of Milwau-
kee, John Nelson of Madison and
Cooper, who were all defeated in 1918
on their war vote, but are returned
by larger majorities than ever before
in the case of Nelson and Cooper, who
beat his democratic opponent by over
$4,000, running ahead of Harding in
some counties of the old rock ribbed
Republican First District. Stafford's
defeat of Berger by over 5000 brings
back an able parlimentarian. Esch,
one of the strong members of the
House, a joint author Of the railway
law. was defeated on that issue at the
primary, and Beck, former labor COM
missioner of Wisconsin, was elected.
No opponent materialized against the
writer in either primary or the elect
ton and unanimous verdict clinch-
ed by 44,658 votes, accompanied by a
reduced campaign expense bill, is
gratefully acknowledged. 1t was gen.
erous of the District, unprecedented
in the State, and while impossible to
meet expectations or measure up to
my own ideals, / am ready to do the
full share of work certain to come to
all and to give the best service of
which / am capable.
Political campaigns arouse parti-
zanship to white heat, awaken antag-
onism among friends and injustice
frequently occurs, but the poise Of the
average voter was revealed when
Samuel Gompers failed to lead labor
land Mrs. Carrie Gait and other en-
inent women failed to carry women
voters to Cox. Full page advertise
ments with letters from these people
had little effect, nor did campaign
SANDERS regarding Senator Harding's
ancestry affect the result. One OF
the members elect from Wisconsin
said his District was flooded with mis-
statements during the last week re-
garding himself, yet he received his
greatest majority from those who re-
fused to be misled. The writer did
not escape misrepresentation from a
Democratic paper of Milwaukee which
said had declared what the duty of
all Republicans should be as to their
party. People are not affected by
palpable mis-statements which carry
their own evidence of falsity even
though correction is refused.
The short session begins December
9Th and will last until March 4th,
when President-elect Harding and the
new Congress, with about ITO Repub-
lican majority, will convene, provid-
ing the new president calls an extra
session, which now seems certain. In
the meantime, appropriations aggre-
eating several billion dollars for the
running of government, payment OF
public interest and other war expens-
es must be passed during the short
session, and constructive program
considered which is expected to in
clude some tax changes, possible re-
funding of the public debt on diff
ferent basis, a league, association, or
rose by any other name to promote
world peace and cutting down of
enormous expenditures that have
grown top-heavy since the war.
A budget bill will again be passed
which with the single House appro-
priation committee resolution passed