The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1920-10-18
THE COLLAPSE OF
CAMPAIGN

HE democratic campaign has collapsed. What has happened is
more than a slump With the election two weeks away and with
the republican campaign in full and vigorous swing in every state
a sembiance Of activity. is operating everywhere without enthusiasm
md without hope This is true not only Of the national campaign,
but the same condition is reflected in the democratic state campaigns.
in New Mexico, as in other states. The life is out of il. II has lost
It's punch = the "pep' is gone.
Political observers arc seeking the causes of this slump which
now amounts to a collapse The reasons given are in pretty general
league Of nations against which the people have turned thoir faces
unaltsrably. No twisting and turning of the democratic presidential
rtthe public mind from this foremost issue or to alter in any way
the firm determination to maintain national integrity American free.
dom Of action and constitutional government.
The other reason on which observers are in general agreement is
found in the effort of democratic candidates to trick the people.
From Candidate Cox down the line the democratic campaigners and
managers appear to have regarded it as possible to classify the Amer
falsehoods National irritation and national resentment has been the
i ~ and a his ssooOcOoo V slusS fund e CHI the he" conspiracy ira to to
buy up the American people against him. His own party rank and
resented the charge; first in anger and later in laughter, and the
laughter was fatal. The effort to unload his own close affiliations
with and sympathy for the liquor interests upon Senator Harding was
equally disastrous for Governor Cox, because it was not honest cam
psigniins. The \ people s9a demanded m, aa the Cox record, s demanded %at the !. Cox
sisted in from one side of America to the other and classified Cox as
the wet candidate in this campaign. The people got the truth.
They rearly always do. Then followed the conspiracy of silence
hwhch New Mexico democratic influences figured prominently. With
cast throughout the land the people simply giggled at the Cox night.
mare, and this laughter added TO the momentum Of the downward
slide. Finally Cox undertook to twist Senator Hardings position to.
watdt the Wilson league ofnations and TO involve him in controversies
insuts were firmly in the public mind. The Cox effort angcTed OPP
pcnents q the Wilson league because i inferred that the American
people did not read, were not informed and were subject 20 being
friceed. That gave the finishing shove to the slump that has now
resulted in collapse.
Franklin D, Roosevelt was sent into the country as a near rel,
ative'' Of Theodore Roosevelt. The people found out the facts and
from coast to coast went a wave of resentment against the tricky ef
fort 10 trade unfairly on q hero $ name and deeds. Franklin Roose-
welt told OF his writing Of the constitution of Hayti as an achievement
luton n Of the United sGT States sns@ s. lie S% was W." wrong. When the G@I news w finally
came last week of more than 5000 citizens of the United States who
Roosevelt stock, already below par, sumped out Of sight. Close OBJ
servers report many democrats who will vote for Cox as a partisan
duty, who say they would scratch Roosevelt if they could. Roosc-
volts latest outburst has tended still further to irritate the people.
The insitent public demand for an explanation from the democratic
candidates OF the vast extravaganza OF the Wilson administration
would not be denied. Cox would not undertake the defense. The job
was unioaded on Roosevelt. Instead of sticking to the facts and a
straightforward although hopeless defense, the democratic vice pres
identiaI candidate tried to fool the people, He said:
"Ws know today that the treasury Of the United States is run
ming ahead and not behind. You know, too, the pledge given by my
chief and yours, that if the democratic party is returned TO power
the expenditures Of the government, today running at $6,000000000
ayeat, win BE- cut to $4yooo0oo00o a year just twO-thirds of what
lie thought the people didn't know the facts. lie thought the
lie more than $4OOO,OoO0OO a year, simply because a republican con.
gress refused to give President Wilson and his aides, of whom Mr..
Roosevelt was one, the $600000 a year they demanded.
The people do not like TO be taken for snlable fools and ignor-
amuses
campaign managers have found it out and have given up hope. The
democratic situation today nationally is not a slump. tits a collapse.
This situation is due very largely to the foolhardy attempt to trick
the American people and to feed them fbs in place OF facts.
Much the same situation has developed in New Mexico, Mr..
rra, has been curiously similar to that of Cox. 1t was based upon n
faxed issue Of charge of tax-dodeins against single industry, The
old, wdl worn democratic cry Of "bossismn and the old time assaults
upon republican leadership. National issues in which the people
sues Of vital moment were ignored. When-the people failed to rise
to the bait chosen as being bait attractive for suckers y the demo
cratic candidate for governor lost his temper, just as Cox lost his self
control, and launched out into vihacation Of his opponent for gov
ernor wild charges against every prominent republican, vicious at
tncks 90 the particular industry not prominently represented in the
community where he happened to be speaking, violent personal abuse.
The result was as inevitable as was the reaction from the strangely
similar campaign waged by Governor Cox; an arousing Of a public
demand for the facts about men and matters they knew were being
nnfairiy presented because Of the very violence Of the presentation
rapidly approaches the same condition Of complete collapse that grips
The Cox esmpdgn