The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-09-14
|NONPARTISANS
SUPPORT COX
Democratic Nominee to Carry
Montana as ResuIt-Con-
servatives Object.
(BY DAVID LAWRENcE

| Helena. Mont, Sept, id Copyright
| for The Chattanooga News -Gov. Coz
| has good chance OF winning Mon
tana's four electoral votes, but II he
certainly by nothing as comfortable as
| the, 30 900 plurality by which Woodrow
Wilson carried this state In 1916.
Heart-to heart talks with democrats
and republicans Of prominence at Bill
lings, in eastern Montana, and Butte,
Great Falls and Helena, in the western
part OF the state, lead to the conclu-
sion that, while the republicans are
hopeful and the democrats are by no
means as cocksure as they usually are,
the electoral vote will 20 to Cox. The
uncertain factors in the situation have
absolutely nothing to do with the rela-
tive merits of Gov Cox and Senator
Harding either as persons or opponents
OF party doctrines.
This state Is much more worried
about the sudden rise OF the Nonparti-
san league than 1t is concerned over
the outcome of the presidential contest
In the nation itself. Almost an exact
parallel to North Dakota has bobbed
up here and given every business man,
whether he is a democrat or n repub
lican an anxiety that can only be un-
derstood when the havoc wrought by
the Nonpartisan league with respect to
political lines In North Dakota is
studied.
Democratic Machinery Captured.
For while the Nonpartisan league
captured the legal machinery, OF the
republican party In North Dakota, the
same Nonpartisan league, plus the IA
Dor elements in Montana. seized the
democratic machinery in the state prii-
maries this year and nominated their
own man for governor. B. X. Wheeler,
former United states attorney, whose
record Of friendship for the radicals radicals
and L. w. WIS during wartime caused
the Wilson administration to fail TO
him when his term expired
last year.
II So happened that Governor Cox
received Mr.. Wheeler on the train. whlle
campaigning In Montana last week OH
course this pleased the Nonpartisan
league democrats but 1t made the old
line democrats and conservative ele-
ments in TIE state swallow hard.
The situation is so acute that while
the democratic state ticket Of Non
partisan lenguers has officially Endorsed
Governor Cox very much as the Non
partisan group in North Dakota has
formally approved OF Harding ana Cool
dee. this has very little bearing on
stance, while the democratic politicians
Who had the party machinery wrested
rom their grasp at the primaries mayI
,esitate for reasons Of expediency toI
'av publicly they win support the re-
publican candidate for governor, which
q former United states Joseph Dixon.
he truth IS. the democratic vote will
,e spllt and only p mart Of 1t Will 20
o tho Nonpartisan league democrats.
Party Lines disappearing.
Party lines are dsappearing In the
nimositv the democrats and republi-
ANS cherish against the intrusion into
Montana affairs of Townslcvism and
thor North Dakota experiments In rad
callsm It's had enough TO have three
ron failures In succession, and it's
Iard luck to waste millions Of dollars
ns eed and Gee the whole state retarded
~ its growth md DEVELOPMENT bv fac