The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-08-23
Policies.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

Especial Despatch to The Reformer
Copyright 1920
WASHINGTON, Aug 23-Nearly two
of the four months Of the presidential
campaign months have elapsed and there
il not much reason to change, as yet,
the forecast of the probable outcome
which followed upon the two national
conventions. Judged by reports from all
parts Of the country, from Democratic
rs well as Republican sources, as mat
tcrs stand today Senator Harding, the
Republican nominee, has the lead, and
were the election held this week, he
would win though hardly by the same
margin that he might have secured when
he was first nominated.
In other words, the campaign of Gov
Whether it will make enough Roadway
to overcome the Harding lead is an
other question, the answer to which lies
in the campaign yet to be made by both
half The Democrats are blazing away
as intensely as they can with clumsy
organization The Republicans are hold
ing back with a smooth working ma
chinery that can be increased in speed
: at any time The Republicans say they
don't think much of August drives and
declare they prefer to rely on the drive
made in October.
But the race between Cox and Harding
can best be described by taking as an
analogy the recent yacht race between
America and England One boat was
given seven minutes handicap in point of
time, SO that her competitor could even
cross the finish line first, but still not
win Senator Harding has practically a
two-year handicap. He has behind him
all the strength Of the Republican often
sivc, which began with tile capture Of
| congress in the 1918 elections and has
continued ever since. The Democrats,
on the other hand, admittedly were on
the defensive and depended nevertheless
on their leader, Woodrow Wilson, for
most of the fighting. Unfortunately,
however, as so often happens in football
teams when a star player is absent from
the game or injured, the rest of the team
goes to pieces. President Wilson felt it
necessary to 90 to Europe to negotiate
personally Win the powers oI GuIoEfts
and during his absence nobody was dele
gated to handle the defensive of the po-
litical fight or even to conduct an often
sive. Senator Lodge and his colleagues
managed continually TO lombard the
President aud his policies while Mr.. VIII
son himself was so busy with the peace
negotiations that he had very little time
TO mend fences at home even by cable
or letter
When the President did get back, the
Democrats were heartened considerably,
for they again had leader, but unhap-
PLY for them Mr. Wilson suffered a neT-
vous breakdown within three months
and has been out of the political game
ever since None Of the presidential can
didates on the Democratic side seemed
willing to seize the reins of leadership
in the absence of word from the Presi-
dent as to his desire to run for third
term. As a consequence, it may truly be
aaid-indeed a is admitted by Demo
cratic managers-that the Democratic
defense did not begin in earnest until
the San Francisco convention. As for an
offense, that did not start until the not
ification ceremonies at Dayton which
gave aggressive Mr. Cox a chance to
start an offensive of his own
The big question OF victory Tor Gov
ernor Cox turns upon his ability to wear
down an offense of two years making.
That offense managed to implant certain
ideas about the league of nations and
certain other ideas about Mr.. Wilson's
cabinet officers which, irrespective Of
the facts, have taken hold 1t is the inn
preston made by the Republican offen-
siye and not necessarily the logic of their
arguments which counts Unquestionably
Governor Cox understands his situation,