Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-25
DEMOCRATS IN OHIO
THINK cox RETURN
WILL SPEED DRIFT
Hamilton County's Influence
Recognized in Forecasts
of State Result.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
CINCINNATI. Ohio October 25.-Gov
Cox's chances of carrying Ohio have
seemed to depend largely or what he
can do in such republican strongholds
as Hamilton county, which includes in
it's boundaries the city of Cincinnati.
Every time Cox has run for office in
Ohio he has either cut down the re-
publican ma ajority or carried the coun-
ty. The republicans explain it was
on the ground that the "wets" helped
Cox, or that the. republican organiZa-
ton itself was lukewarm toward such
pronounced "drys" as Frank b. Will
lis. the opponent of Cox in two of the
gubernatorial races.
What. therefore, will Cox do this
year in Hamilton county,. 1t seemed
worth a special investigation.
First of all. much to my surprise,
there is no wet and dry issue. Liquor
organizations as such are not active
or visible. The republican workers.
however, being not at all blind to the
fact that Hamilton county contains
many republicans who have voted in
the past for Cox on the wet issue.
simply reprinted in large quantities
one of the newspaper dispatches from
the far west wherein Cox said in ef-
feet he would have voted dry had he
Senate.
Party Predictions.
The prohibition question is not a
factor of Importance. The same
friendly sentiment for a democratic
governor prevails toward the demo-
cratic nominee for governor. C. A.
Donahey, yet, With respect to the ma
tional ticket, traditional party lines
seem to be followed. The republicans
fol IL ,f Yoy r.
$4,000. The democrats privately con-
cede Cox cannot carry the county, but
they insist the majority for Harding
will be not much better than the
Hughes majority of $4,000, or it's
equivalent. $4,000 with the women
voting this year.
If Gov. Cox can come down to HAM
flton county with a lead of $4,000 to
1000 he would still be able to carry
Ohio by majority of 10000 to $4,000.
That's democratic optimism in south
ern Ohio.
Workers whose morale must be kept
up and leaders whose hopes are never
dashed to the ground till the last vote
is counted fir1y believe the reduc-
ton of the Harding majority in Ham
ilton county will mean Cox victory
in the state.
To dispute this claim, or rather to
determine the. validity of the fore
going argument of the democrats, one
must journey to northern Ohio and
other sections of the state. where Cox
must pick up the aforesaid lead over
HARDING. That viii be the writer's
land aud the northern tier Of coun-
ties. = -
3stast SprfngAeid and Dayton.
Z. AS for Springfield. Ohio. this corre-
sponderit learns that the normal re-
publican majority will probably be
increased there, and that in Dayton,
Ohio. bitter fight is being made
which will have the effect of keep
ing down the decisive majority that
the friends of Cox have been expect
ing in his home county.
The governor is due to speak here
this week, and the local democrats
who have-been stimulated by the
noticeable drift to Cox in the last
few days think the effect of the visit
ing majority in Hamilton county.
1t is easy. to dismiss Ohio with
the whispered statements of several
we'll informed democrats, who think
the state is lost on purely Wilson
and anti Wilson issues, but there is
democratic, strength ever since Sem
ator Harding made his speech at Des
Moines, which was interpreted as a
rejection of the present league of
nations>
One of the newspapers here print
ed 100000 copies of the covenant for
free distribution, and the supply was
quickly exhausted. The democrats
who were inclined to scoff at the
league of nations~issue as a vote
getting proposition admit that they
should have become enthusiastic
about it earlier in the game. They
now see it's possibilities.
They insist that a mere reading of
the covenant has made votes simply
because the~text of the document re-
flutes many of the arguments and mis-
representations that have been made
by opponents of the pact.
DOmestic Issues.
On the ether hand. Hamilton county
reveals, as elsewhere, a fundamental
desire for change in government at
Washington, based entirely on domes-
tic issues. Some of Gov. Cox's cam
paign speeches have not awakened
the ardor of independents. His. slush
fund talk and constant criticism of his
opponents have failed to win him
votes and in some cases. indeed. have
lost for him such strength as he had.
There is a distinct friendliness to
Cox in this county. He knows person.
ally many of the voters. There's a
swing toward Cox on now, but wheth-
er it will be sufficient to win Ohio is
difficult to determine at this end Of the
state.
(Tomorrow's dispatch will deal with the
situation in northern Ohio.)
Copyright, 1920.