The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-10-18

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camDaiEn Of 1915 win doubtless
live long in the MEMORIES q men
Is an election when thouAanes OF
persons, including the Republican
candidate, went to bed believing
that the Republicans had ven and
woke up to find that the reverse
was the case.
All Of the Republicans and many
Of the Democrats. seemed to be-
lieve that 1t was q Republican year.
and the whole strategy Of the Re-
publican campaign seemed to be
based on the assumption that the
Republicans would surely win, pro-
vided they did not commit any
egregious blunder.
The rift in the Republican ranks.
caused by the detection of Roose-
welt four years before, had been
ostensibly healed. Roosevelt had
lunched with Hughes, the Republic
can candidate, and had emerged
with the announcement that he and
Hughes were in complete accord.
All of the Republican papers an
nounced that the grand Old party
was once more . fawless unit in
the battle for Righteousness and
prosperity. Democratic and inde-
pendent organs, however, did not
fail to remark that the Republican
platform Of 1916 bore no resem-
blance whatever to that Of the Pro-
.gressives in 1912, and that Z good
many Progressive leaders were not
obviously following their late
champion back into the fold
Roosevelt was cartooned as the
prodigal son returning home bring
ing his own fatted bull moose cali
with him, and the said calf was
pictured as a small apd reluctant
creature. Certainly it was not the
husky animal that had caused SO
much commotion four years before
A Say.Nothing Campaign.
The Hughes campaign was dis
tihguished by its remarkably neg.
alive character. Never, In fact, haf
such another -committal cam
paign been conducted in this coun.
try, unless the present year be
considered as breaking all pre-.
vious records in that direction. Mr.
Hughes announced that he was fol
undiluted Americanism, but both
he and his supporters refrained
from any exact definition of that
quality. He also announced him.
self as In favor Of a very conserva'
tive view Of the presidential Of.
flee, stating that In his opinion the
president was merely the admins.
trative head of the government and
not the leader of his party. He ad'
vocated higher tariff as necessar,
for the interests Of labor, but indi'
Gated that the making Of this tariff
was up to congress and not to him
The reasoning on the part Of Re
publican leaders which lay bach
Of this non-committal campaign /!
not hard to guess, nor was II ther
employed for the first or for thu
last time. 1t was a fact admitted
by all that Wilson had raised up {
host Of antagonism against him
self. The pro-Germans were agains
him because he had written rather
sharp notes to Germany. and thu
red-rag patriots and pro-allie!
we're incensed that he had not de
clared war on Germany. The Irisl
were more or less peeved abou
his attitude toward Ireland, an
the Catholics did not like his Mex
lean policy.
The professional politicians VIII
manage campaigns doubtless ar
gued that the wise thing to do wa
to sit tight and let these animosi
ties beat the Democrats. 1t va
not necessary. they reasoned, TO
their candidate to take any yer
positive stand. and it was impera
lively necessary that he should nc
provoke any antagonisms on hi
own account. He was chosen as
man OF high character and fine rec
| ord whom no one had -anythin
i, against, and the big idea was t
keep him thus unsullied. HenC
he was put in a glass case Of cor
, servatism and set to blowing pre-,
: ty soap bubbles Of platitude an
, generalization, while Mr.. Wilso
and his supporters went about tn
, country hurting hard bricks Of fat
, about what they had done an
/ what they we're going to do.