Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-10-07
WEST APPEARS TO
LEAN To HARDING
At PRESENT STAGE
Perspective Total of Cox
Only Slightly More Than
Half of What Wilson Got
in 1916
BY DAVID La RENcE
Leased Wire Service to The Journal.)
Copyright, 1920

tCOpyflSnt, IJ-U.1
CHICAGO, Oct. 4.-Senator Hard
| ing, Republican candidate for the
| presidency, has a fairly tight hold
on the electoral vote west of the
| Mississippi but by no means one that
| could not have been unloosened by
| effective organization and a press
more friendly to the Democratic
| cause. Tire writer saw the west a,
| a time of lowest ebb for the Demo-
Gratis and highest tide for the Re
| publicanS.
The month of October will see the
Democrats struggling desperately to
| undo in a month the work the Re-
| publicans have accomplished in near
| ly two years of campaigning, fol-
| Will Hays began in March, 1918
| about eight months before the war
ended-and has established probably
the most complete and effective po-
| litical organization in the history of
the United States. He was taken to
| task by Colonel Harvey for starting
in the midst of the war but he has
done the job, and Republican victory
will be as much due to the Repub-
lican organization as it was to the
restrictive conditions of the wal
which have made Republicans out OF
Democrats.
To understand why the majority
of the western states will so RepuG-
/ lican one must revert to the 1916
campaign. The west didn't like war.
and voted to/be kept out of it. Once
entered into the fray, the west con-
tributed brawny soldiers and all it's
money and crops to win. But, it
didn't acquire any affection for war.
1t resented war conditions and chafed
under war restrictions. The Repub-
lican presses of the west, at first
friendly to the League Of Nations,
still favors the principle of world
association, but says the present
league is Wilson's league and means
war. entanglements in foreign trou-
bles and all sorts of responsibilities.
Being more anxious for Republican
victory because of domestic issues
matters closer home, the newspapers
friendly even to the Wilson league
are submerging the controversy over
the kind of league America is to en-
ter and convincing their readers that
Senator Harding will do the right
thing at the right time, whatever it
is, but%that the important task is to
loa
power and restore normally.
Press Largely q. o. p.
Most people are so irritated over
the high cost of living, the high rail-
road rates. the congestion of freight
and the whole after-the-war mess
that<they want a change. They think
the Republican party will bring it.
They ,say matters can't be any worse
than they have been and perhaps
they will get better. That's about
as far as the big mass of voters
have gone in analysing the issues OF
the campaign.
Wilson's plea for a solemn referen-
dunn on the election has slgnally
failed. The mandate of the election
will not be a reputation of the cove
nant or any other part OF the peace
treaty. Groups here and there will
vote on foreign subjects such as
Irish freedom or Italian war aspl-
rations but generally speaking, Re-
publican victory will mean desire
to change from one set of political
leaders to another.
Republican newspapers friendly to
the league, already are preparing
their readers for that verdict and
trying to prevent Senator Harding
from misconstruing the verdict by
deciding to stay out of the league.
The Republican press in the west
outnumbers the Democrats at least
two to one, and in some states four
and five to one. The pro-league
press is about evenly divided among
the Republican press. but you can
count on the fingers of your hand
the Republican newspapers that fa.>
vor even the Wilson league who have
dared to make that the paramount
consideration. and tell their readers
that they ought to vote for Cox or
that account.
The most striking thing about the
whole western campaign is the utter
lack of enthusiasm by Democrats or
either Cox or Harding. Plenty OF
applause and cheers We're given Gov
ernor Cox on his trip but the mass
of the people are not impressed with
the personality of either nominee as
reflected in the press. Both men
were unknown, to be sure, before
the two conventions. But the real
reason, in my own judgment, why
neither Cox or Harding have captur-
ed the popular imagination is that
they have failed to point out clearly
reconstruction policy. They have
both been more interested in the
politics of their 0am paiSnS than eco
Monies of the' country.
P1ucky Fight Made by Coz
The one has carried on a deStruc-
tive campaign of CRITICISM and the
other has expressed himself in such
.generalities as to evoke no particu-
lar hostility from any group or
class. But the truth is more than
one editor complained that neither
candidate really is producing front
page stuff"
Perhaps Governor Cox's criticism
of the western press is partly due
to the. foregoing thought. For 1t is
true that even the dispatches from
displayed all the time: On the other
hand, Governor Cox has a rightful
cause when he complains that in
some western cities his speeches.
were not even printed or that trivial
portions were given prominence and
in the headlines. 1t is true that
Governor Cox had to be caughtNin a
railroad wreck to get on the first
page of one San Francisco newspa-
per, which all but ignored his visit
to that city.
The Democratic nominee has made
a plucky fight. He has made votes
in the west and stimulated Demo-
Garlic organization everywhere. 1t
was a splendid thing for him to go
west in September. but lacking funds
and a friendly press, the Democrats
of the west face an almost hopeless
task.
AS matters stand today, it would
appear that Senator Harding will
carry every state west of the Mis-
cicSinnni with the aynantinrn of Mon