Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-10
NATIONAL PARTIES
BEGIN FIGHT OVER
PARTISAN POLITICS
Democrats Start Attack on
Administrations, 0, P.
Comes Back With Asser-
tons of Great Achievement
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Heased Wire Service to The journal.
(CODyrirht 1921 \

Ueased Wire Service to The Journal)
| Copyright, 1921.)
| WASHINGTON, Sept. 9.-After six
months of truce that was more APP
parent than real, the Democratic and
Republican parties have come out in
the open and gone back to partisan
politics. The Democrats have begun
an attack on the administration and
as usual the incumbent party fights
back with assertions of great achieve
ment.
Behind the scenes there hasn't
been any truce at all. Deserving Re-
offices and ousted Democrats have re-
luctantly let go. Chairman George
White, of the Democratic national
committee, started out with pan
of standing behind the president"
for patriotic reasons and kept his
traces too soon in partisan attack.
But the action of the Republicans
| in excluding the Democrats from the
ways and means committee meetings
at which the, tariff and tax measures
were discussed, indicated that the
non-partisan days of the war were
not to be repeated and that it was
a free-for-all fight along the same
| lines as existed before the war when
the Democrats framed their admin
istration measures in party confer
enceS.
| AS an indication that things are
| back to normally III politics, much
comment is heard upon the fact that
| President Harding's letter to Senator
Mccormick attacking the method by
which the Democratic administration
managed the war has not been re-
Mr.. Wilson's letters to Democratic
senators apropos Of conga essional
elections were made the basis for
widespread criticism.
| Fight Along OLD Lines
The difference today is that the
fighting is back on the old lines with
| apologists for the administration
arguing that President Harding is
the greatest president since Lincoln
and opponents contending that most
everything done thus far is all wrong
and that dire predictions about a
| business depression have been con-
| firmed.
The amusing part of the spectacle
for most of it is too artificial to
be taken seriously-is that the Demo-
Gratis are shouting about the good
| old days of Democratic prosperity
when workingmen's wages were high
and the business mans profits were
plentiful while taa Republicans in
turn are pointing the finger of blame
at the war extravagances of the
Democrats in piling up tax burden
that seemingly can't be reduced.
| Meanwhile General Pershing and
Samuel Gompers are having a news
| SllhiPPt, a
dinner speaking and are reviving the
| controversy as to who won the war.
Mr.. Gompers is disappointed with
the attitude of the Republican adj
making speeches saying that five mill
lion men out Of work is proof of the
fact that the workingmen who want
ed change got what they voted for.
Other labor leaders are crying that
while congress takes vacati3n there
are millions of working. men who are
also taking a "vacation but without
| Taxation the Issue
| All the partisan pickering, how
| ever, will not be Immediately Of avail
to either side, for DISTINGUISHED pc
| litical observers are confident that
nothing has happened as yet upon
which to base a definite judgment
concerning the congressional cleo
|
| The contest in New Mexico where
p special election is being held to
| fill the vacancy caused by the resig-
nation of Senator Fall is being hailed
as test of administration policies,
| but while the Democrats and Repub-
licans are ready to crow depending
upon whether the outcome is favor
able to them, each side knows in it's
heart that the election will not be a
| test of approval or disapproval of
the administrators course. The
truth is the biggest issue of all is
taxation and business conditions. On
the former congress has yet to act.
AS to the. latter, the chance of a
| business recovery in time to insure
confidence in the ultimate revival of
industrial prosperity is just as good
for the Republicans as it was the day
| they took office. The administration
hasn't been in power long enough 10
| be sure of approval and the Demo-
Gratis may make a lot of noise but
they, too, know from experience that
| six months doesn't make or break an
administration unless glazing blum
der or a striking achievement full
fills campaign pledge on a burn
ing issue. All that has happened
thus far is a marking Of time with
both the Democrats and Republicans
| glowering at each other militantly
while the country still is hoping that
government can be conducted with
| politics adjourned" for two or four
year periods, waits patiently for
lower taxes and better business con-
ditions