Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-30
PARTY DOCTRINES 4
S|DETRACKEDFO |
INQUIRY OF funds
Campaign Finance Super
sedes Other Issues in Tug,
of-War for Presidency
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
| CHICAGO. III. August 3o-anr<
paign finance today supersedes cam.
pa1gn doctrine in the tug-of-war. be-
| tween the democrats and the repub.
licans for the presidency. The New.
perry case. the Missouri expose and
the re-convention expe nditures of
| the Lowden and Wood campaigns
cast their shadow on the Investigation
begun by the committee of the United
States Senate and lent an extraur1li.
nary interest to the charges made by
Gov. Cox, the democratic nominee,
that the republican party had set out
to purchase the presidency.
But II the charges stimulated tho
nope of the democrats that by this &C
cusation other issues might be side
tracked, it also encouraged the repub-
lican leaders who felt that when they
successfully disproved Coxs charges
they would not only have been given
splendid opportunity 10 reveal the
virtue of their campaign, but at the
same time would have dealt a body
piow TO the candidacy of Cow Cox
himself.
| Publicity Will Count
or course, the republicans on the
i
oorlty. but in an investigation il is
the publicity that counts, the leading
questions asked and answered on the
stand and the implications of testi-
mony. The republicans felt that they
could easily show the baseiessncss of
| the charge that an effort had been
! made to purchase the office of chief
executive and they rested their case
entirely on the thought that even If
| their plans called for larger quotas
y,e-ly
still was necessary for the democrats
to prove that any of the sums raised
had been spent or would be spent
| iIleg1tmately. In New York, for in
stance, the writer encountered many
republicans who were not disposed to
grow excited over the Cox charges
| They believed the public would I'M
derstand the high cost of campaign
ing was an inevitable consequence of
the high cost of everything nowadays.
The point they were confident about
was that the democrats couldn't prove
even by implication the charges of cor
ruption.
On the other hand, the democrats
rely upon the suspicious already Gre
ated by the admission of Treasurer
Upham of the republican committee
that the quotas called for nearly
$S,O00,000, while Chairman Hays esti-
mated the quotas at approximately
50, 100000. The democratic senators
1Ou luc COHiIIl Tee are SApeCleu " ut-
velop by sworn testimony just what
the quotas were for states and cities,
and if the sums reach anywhere near
iGov. Co1's figures they will feel that
they have proved their case with the
public at large.
In the meantime Gov Cox plans his
battle for the west This week-he
starts for the coast.
Harding Speech Planned.
Senator Harding's speech of last
Saturday was carefully Damned in
conferences with Col Georoe Harvey.
who is said to be responsible for
many of the doctrines on foreign
policy enunciated in that speech. The
colonel enjoys the rare distinction of
having been adviser to democratic as
well as republican candidates, for it
\ is a fact that he rendered valuable
counsel to Woodrow Wilson. who.
however, dealt a crushing blow to
what friends of Harvey thought was
a proper ambition for the distin-
guished editor-namely, the ambaSSa-
tdorship to Great Britain. 1t wouldn't
be surprising if Col. Harvey got an
Enthusiastically if Senator Harding
is elected, for he is a close friend of
Elihu Root and especially familiar
with foreign questions.
Political leaders read and reread
the Harding speech in an effort to
satisfy themselves of the exact
l
| while he rejected the Wilson league
| in his speech of acceptance. he now
! makes it clear that il the machinery
| Of the Wilson league is suitable Tor
/! the purposes Of international Coop
| Grafton he will use it. This Is ex-
| pected to make many votes for the
| republican candidate among the ar
dent friends of the league, who had
begun to set Harding down as a -plt.
! ter ender" of the Johnson type Yet
democrats pointed out that. in urging
the world court, Senator Harding
was in reality urging a. part of the
Wilson league, for the court which
Elihu Root has helped to frame. was
provided for in an article OF the
Wilson covenant and Will owe its -eX-
| istence to the present league OF ma
lions.
No Policy OF Isolation.
Still these are fine points which tho
average voter isn't expected to ana
I'VE, but which are expected TO con-
vince close students of foreign policy
that Senator Harding will not carry
on a policy of isolation, but VIII en-
gage in large tasks OF lntefnatioHaA
co-operation. His speech was the d.
rect result of demand inside Inc
party that he take stand closer 10
his original position in the SENATE
when he voted for. the wilson cove
nant with the Lodge reservauoIfS,
Lets be done Oith wiggllng ana
vobbling," remarks the senator as
he concludes his speech and many or
his friends think that at last he mas
come out squarely for the present
league of nations. though with saIe-
guards and revisionS and proposals
for International corporation that
will preserve all the good IN the II
son covenant and add advantages tnaI
experience since the armlslice Will
have dictated.