The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1920-08-20
HARDING AND cox AND OHIO


HARDING AND cox AND OHIO
Washington, Aug. 20.-"It is com
mon knowledge and frequent com
ment among political workers thai
the nomination of the two candidate.
on the Democratic ticket was deter
mined by expediency-the playing
OF forlorn hope declares the Re
publican Publicity Association
through it's president, Hon. Jonathan
Bourne, Jr., in statement issued to-
day.
SOCK was chosen because he comes
from the same state as Harding, and
Roosevelt was named as his running
mate because he bears the name of a
distinguished American. 1t was
hoped that Cox could carry Ohio fol-
the Democratic ticket and Roosevelt
swing New York. There is no likeli-
hood, however, that the voters of
New York will be misled by the use of
the name of the greatest American
of recent years, nor is there anything
TO justify the hope that Cox may be
able to carry Ohio against Harding.
"Study of election returns show
Harding to be stronger in Ohio than
is Cox. And, moreover, under ordi-
nary circumstances Ohio is pretty
dependable Republican state. Be-
ginning with the election which
placed Abraham Lincoln in the White
House and recorded the first victory
for the Republican party, there have
been fifteen national elections, and
Ohio has gone Republican in thirteen
Of these. The only occasions on
which Ohio went Democratic were in
1912 when the Republican party was
divided, and in 1915, when the coun-
try was deceived by the "kept-us-out-
ef-war" propaganda. In 1912,
although the Democratics led, the
combined vote of the Republicans
and the Progressives exceeded that
of the Democrats, showing that the
defeat of the Republicans was due to
division and not to preference for
Democratic policies. Out of % men,
bers of Congress from Ohio, IA are
Republicans.
"In 1912, when Cox was first elect
candidate in the field, Cox received
$4,000 less votes than the Republi-
can and Progressive candidates COM
bined. In 1914, although there was
still Progressive candidate for the
governorship, Willis defeated Cox by
81 900. If he had received the Pro-
gressive vote also, his majority would
have been more than 10000. In
1916 Cox was carried through by the
Wilson deception and in 1918. he won
through local issue which turned
to the Democratic column county
normally Republican. His majority
in 1918 was only $4,000.
"Contrasted with this record, the
Harding vote makes an exceedingly
good showing. Harding was elected
Senator in 1914, with Progressive
candidate in the field to divide his
vote. Nevertheless, Harding was
elected by a plurality of more than
100000 at the same time that Cox
was defeated by $4,000 in his race
for the governorship. Harding re-
ceived a total of 526,115 votes for
the Senatorship. The vote for Cox
in the same year was 493,367, or
about $4,000 less than the Harding
vote. That was the highest vote Cox
ever received, his vote in 1918 be-
ing only 486, 900 or 10000 less than
the Harding vote in 1914.
Cox has never won election that
could be called personal victory.
Harding won the Senatorship even
with the disadvantage of divided
party. Cox has been known as cum
ming politician who could take ad-
vantage of special conditions. Hard
ing has been statesman who brought
strength to his party ticket and re-
eeived more than his normal party
vote. When Cox won by the narrow
margin of 500 in 1916, he polled
nearly 10000 fewer votes than did
Wilson, who dragged Cox through.
When Cox won by little more than
5000, Pomerene carried the Senator
ship by $4,000 and Wilson carried
Ohio by nearly 10000.
at is manifest from the figures,
that the effort to play up Cox as a
vreat vote-getter is pure fake. Cox
has been clever at getting in at the
right time to profit politically by fav-
orable circumstances not of his own
creation"