Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-03
Special Dispatch to The Star.

SPECIAL Dispatch to Inc STAR
COLUMBUS. Ohio. October 2-For
some reason there is a noticeable
check in the growth Of republican sem
timent in Ohio just now. but it is not
sufficient to shake republican con-
fidence in their ability to place the
states electoral vote in the republican
column and elect their entire state
ticket. In fact, it is on the presiden-
tial ticket that the sagging of the re-
publican strength is mainly to be noted.
Contrary to the general opinion on
both sides Of the party lines before
the campaign opened, the strength of
the republicans is being mainly shown
on their state ticket Some of the
close political friends of Senator
Harding were willing to concede a
month ago that though they had no
doubt that Ohio's electoral vote would
go to the senator. they entertained
doubt as to the election of the repub-
lican candidate for governor-former
Mayor H. L. Davis of Cleveland. This
was based on anticipated opposition in
the rural sections of the state on &C
count Of the mayors reputation as a
liberal, though the liquor question is
not an issue in the state.
But reports from the rural counties
of the state are uniformly showing
that Mayor Davis is leading Senator
Harding. and that by many votes.
while State Auditor Donahey, the
democratic candidate for governor, is.
to the surprise Of his friends, trailing
far behind Gov. Cox and on the whole
making q bad showing. If Auditor
Donahey cannot hold his opponent
even In the rural districts he will GER
tainly be left far behind by him in the
cities.
Cox Disappointed.
Private letters from members of
Gov. Cox's party on his western tour
convey to friends here the information
that the sentiment of the far west, as.
ascertaned by the governor. is far
from satisfactory. They indicate a
feeling on the part of the governor
that crops out in the sharp words he
has used in the last week regarding
the republican national chairman, the
attitude of the Pacific coast newspa-
pers and the officials of the Anti
Saloon League-extreme Feasibility,
the product of disappointment in the
development of the political situation.
Revolt Against Cox.
The last week has seen the opening
OF headquarters of an organization of
Ohio democrats that was formed in
the second campaign of Gov. Cox for
the governorship in 1914 to oppose
him, and which has operated in each
successive state campaign in which
the governor has been a candidate.
The headquarters of the organization
are here in Columbus and Ben ]. Nc
Kinney of Marietta, who was state
oil inspector under the administra-
tion of Gov. Judson Harmon, is the
chairman, and J. r. Richards, who
was chaplain of the penitentiary
under the same state administration,
financial backing and have made
themselves felt in the campaign suffi-
GENTLY to draw fire from the demo-
cratic state headquarters. Chairman
W. w. Durbin of the democratic state
central and campaign committees
claims that the heads of the organi-
cation of opposition democrats are
actuated by a desire to punish Gov.
Cox for not retaining them in the
positions in the state administration
in which he found them when he
succeeded Gov. Harmon. He cites
the fact that all the active heads of
the organization calling itself true
democracy, were dropped from the
state official roster by Gov. Cox.
The various straw votes being
continue to show pronounced trend of
sentiment toward the republicans,
but are far more pronounced on the
state than on the national ticket. On
the electoral ticket a plurality of
something like 25 900 or 10000 is in
state tickle: it now looks as though
the plurality of the republicans might
run up over 100000.
Fight for SenatOrship.
Former Gov. Frank B. Willis. re-
publican candidate for the United
States Senate to succeed Senator
Harding, at last has taken up active
campaign work and is making tour
of the state. speaking in the principal
smaller cities. Many believe he will
have a larger plurality in the state
than even the head of the repub-