The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-09-16
Bv DAVID LAWRENCE.

Diffc-c-,t iron 1910.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial despatch to The Reformer
Copyright 1920
SEATTLE. Wash, Sept, l6.-Maine's
decisive victory for Rcpublicanism served
1oss to astonish folks hereabouts and
more to confirm their oft-repeated phrase
that this is Republican year.
Other things being equal the state OF
washington is Republican. 1t strayed
from Taft and the regular Republican
sold in 1912 because it considered Roose-
yen progressive and the issue to be
nro4rcssiyism. Similarly in 1916 'other
/ th;pes. weren't equal again and Presi-
dert Wilson'S peace policy won the Re-
.,ublican vote. Now in 1920, all things
are equal again and Senator Harding
apnoars To be assured of the western end
lof the state. which holds the balance OF
electoral rover
Between Co and Harding the average
Imam here secs Elite difference The Dem
ocratic nominee received a splendid re
option aud the niaudits Of big crowd
! Tho radicals derived comfort out OF ms
snceehes. but they arc bitter against the
/ wilson administration Tor alleged sup
preston of free speech during the war
nnd for falling MANY of their number
III isn't that the radicals like Harding
more than they like Cox. Many Of them
probably will not vote the Republican
/ ticket-but then they viii not vote ior
tie Democratic nominee either
The labo- VOTE is normally Democratic
A large Part Of it viii 60 for Debs or
Christensen. This detection will hurt
Cox. Much of the resentment vote VIII
be given to Harding, though the labor
papers maintain a friendly attitude to-
ward the Democratic candidate for the
presidency.
The fact that Samuel Gompers indorses
Governor Cox doesn't mean anything 10
4 the labor leaders here who consider
aompers an ultra conservative.
The Ohio governor is unknown IN TINS
part of the country also Is Senator
Harding. If there were any quality to
distinguish Cox from his opponent, or
amy issue to make him stand higher in
public esteem than his adversary the
people i'm this section of Washington
would forget their Republican traditions
and do what they have frequently done
in the past in national elections. But
Harding and Cox seem to represent about
the same thing. And when things are
normal Washington is Republican. OF
course. when one saws there are no issues
of transcendent Importance the statement
should be qualified, for the issues are
negative. q.
There is a resentment against every
thing Democratic and even the league of
nations has suffered from exposure to
the Republican elements and their inces-
SAINT showers of criticism. Take the
press of this state, for instance can
vass recently made showed that out OF
1872 important dai1ies in the state only
about 10 were supporting Governor Cox
OF these latter TO several expressed the
opinion that Harding would carry the
state.
The situation in 1916 was entirely diff
ferent. President Wilson had the sup
j port of leading newspapers in big cities
The cry "he kept us ont of war" was
effective especially with the women
voters.
No particular cry or slogan has APP
peared for either candidate, though Gov
! ernor Cox has been attacked as a wet
which doesn't get votes in this dry terri
tory Very little enthusiasm for Hard
ing is expressed by the average man who
| intends to vote for the Republican can
! didate He is voting his party ticket
| blindly. All he knows is that he wants
| a change. He isn't able often to say
/ why he wants a change or what he ex-
/ poets when the change comes. Senator
| Harding is looked upon as conscientious
Il dignifed candidate.
Il Were these normal times the issue Of
/ progressive and reaetionary raised by
II Governor Cox might have some weight
i but the trouble is no one, including Gov
II ernor Cox has undertaken to explain tC
i the average man what the difference be
II tween a progressive and reactionary is
/ with respect to matters affecting western
i Washington.
H Out here they regard Burleson and his
H attitude toward union labor as reaction
/ ary They think Attorney Genera
II Palmer a reaetionary and when Gov
u ernor Cox ingratiates himself with The
, radicals they will not be satisfied unless
: The goes the whole extreme and comes out
:. for the pardoning of Debs and other SO
4 called political prisonres.
As for the conservative elements they
were antagonized by such academic ref
eTehces as Governor Cox did make tC
the Justice of radicalism.
MANY a radical will fash back at yor
/ the criticism that. as between progressiy,
and reactionary the Wilson administra
ton was as reactionary during the wal
as any administration. The tendency il
{ to regard Cox and Wilson as members o.
the same party and both responsible fol
I the same kind of government. Governor
Cox hasn't drawn any line of distinction
/ between the sort of an administration
he would give and the Kind the peopl,
here have experienced in the last few
years.
Some of the Democratic leaders will
whom Governor Cox consorted when HI
was in this state are hardly in good re
lpute The general feeling about Gov
ernor Cox's venture III western Washing
ton is that it won him some votes, bui