Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-12
The HaSkin Letter


Washington, d. c., Oct. 9.-Off-year
campaigns and elections are interesting
chiefly for their bearing on the next
struggle for the presidency. This is
especially true of the fight now on
which will terminate November z. 1t
will determine the political complexion
of the next congress and which party
will control the official machinery of
various states, and all that is impor-
tant, but the big thing it will DO will
be to spotlight the men who will
contest for the great prize in 1924. In
a way it will be the qualification or
elimination round of the presidential
tournament.
At the same time the general re-
suits of the 1922 elections will be ac-
cepted as indicative of the politi,a
trend throughout the country, fore
s~hadowing what will probably happen
two years hence.
If the republicans retain control IF
congress and are m~easurably success
full in the state contests, they will look
forward to 1924 with redoubled ION
fidence, for they would regard this as
an endorsement of the. Harding ad-
ministration and of the rarty's legis-
lative program.
On the other hand, if the democrats
should carry either the house or the
senate, and if they should win in one
or two of the pivotal states, they would
have grounds for the belief that their
party is about to stage a comeback.
They would go into the next fight with
a far more aggressive spirit and their
forces hat are now somewhat disinte-
grated could be m~arshalled far more
easily into a formidable fighting ma
chine.
Peculiarly enough, while all republic
cans are of one mind as to the desir-
ability of their retaining control of
congress, there are differences of opin-
ion among democrats as to whether
it would be a good thing for them to
elect an actual majority in either
branch of the national law making
body. A few democratic leaders insist
that all they want is to score subSan-
tial gains in the congressional elections.
leaving the republicans in control of
congress by the narrowest possible
margin. This, they say, would not only
make the republicans solely responsible
for whatever happens in a legislative
way during the next IS months, but
would also make it impossible for the
republicans to explain any failure to
carry out their program by blaming
the people for e~lecting a democratic
house or senate. These democrats
also point out that if their party gets
control of congress it will be incumbent
upon it to make an affirmative record
on which to go before the people in
1924. That is to say, the democrats
would be expected to pass bills em-
bodying their views on the more i'm
pOrtant issues, and it is quite possible
that they might get into a wrangle
~ y 4h mn CT lNrnG nzn- ctrnh g1,apt,1ng
as the tariff, the bonus, ship subsidy,
industrial relations and the like, that
would prove disastrous.
Harding Might Use Veto Power
Moreover, even if they could get to-
gether on a constructive program of
legislation anything they might do
would doubtless be nullified by the veto
of President Harding. and in disap-
proving democratic measures the re-
publican president might find it easy
to make considerable political capital
for himself and his party,
Such may be said to be the view of
the more cautious democratic leaders.
Others who are more militant insist
that it would be a good thing for their
party to win every possible seat in the
house and senate. This element is
willing to take chances on being able
to make a record that will appeal to
the people and believes that it will be
altogether to the advantage of their
party to be in a position to make it
impossible for the republicans to carry
out their legislative program.
All this has to do with the finesse
of the great game Of politics. BY far
the more interesting phase of the pos
sible results of the present campaign
is the development of star players of
the game. Many democrats who fig
ure in national affairs and practically
all the expert political observers agree