Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-08-29
Ohio Republicans Fail to In
dorSe Bonus or Tariff,
Ship Subsidy Bill Definite
Iy SidetraCked
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
CLeased Wire Service to The Journal.)
ricrht 1000


of the past week, particularly the
refusal Of the Ohio Republican con-
vention to indorse either the soldier
bonus or the Fordney-McCumbe
tariff, have prompted the Repub'
licans and Democrats alike to won
der just what will be the issues OF
the autumn campaign.
Ship subsidy legislation, which 1t
had been hoped would have been
one of the constructive achievements
of the administration, has been post
poned until after the elections, and
the tariff bill now in conference may
meet the same fate. The only posi-
tive achievements remaining are the
administration initiative in calling
a conference to reduce naval arma
ment and the subsequent results, as
well as the reduction Of federal ex
penditure under the budget system
But politicians, who have narrow
ed the issues to the foregoing, are
not altogether sure this will be all
They see rising up to plague them
the discomfort of the country over
the rail and coal strikes. 1t will be
the Democratic purpose to show that
the government failed to take any
action for many months after strikes
began in the all-important domain
of transportation and fuel. It will
be the Republican answer that gov
ernments can't make men work
when they don't want to work, and
that the government lacked the pow.
er to force industrial peace.
Whatever may be the defense or
offense, the fact is there's a. rising
tide Of opinion which congress sees
on the horizon, and it may furnish
the outstanding issue Of the whole
campaign. In a nutshell the issue
may be whether the government
could have done more than it did
whether congress could have passed
anti-strike legislation, and made a
tie-up on the transportation systems
Of the country impossible, whether
the government could have done any
more than it tried to do in regulat
ing the price of fuel to the consumer
The Women Vote
| All these questions have much
more political phases to them thar
the armament conference, whose re
suits are not so quickly appreciated
| by the mass of voters. Also the
women vote which will make itself
felt in the coming congressional cleo
tons in a way that may prove sur
! prising is bound to consider whether
| the empty coal bin is the fault Of
the miners and operators or the
| government, which permits them tt
fight, or both.
The reduction Of the federal ex
| penditures has undoubtedly giver
the stump speakers some ammuni
ton. Republicans will point WITH
pride" to the refunding of the pub
lie debt, and the lowered cost OF
government, while the Democrats
will ''view with alarm" the fact that
While the budget in this campaign
year was balanced, the coming fisca
,, year shows probable deficit, &C
, cording to Secretary of the Treas
ury Mellon, of nearly 100000, 900
Figures rarely make good cam
paign argument. They are twisted
in all sorts Of ways to prove prac.
t1cally anything the partisan wants
proved. Something much more dra.
matte than statistics and something
much nearer home than the arnaa.
ment conference whose economies
are in the future rather than the
present will be required to liven IN
the campaign. The soldier bonus
will be an individual instead, of a
party issue. The Democrats have
many champions OF the bonus among
their number, and neither party will
be able to claim credit for its en-.
actment or defeat. as the case NAV
be.
Sin oil TIyn
The action of the Ohio state con.
Vent1on in calling upon the country
to stand by the president" Is the
single clue to Republican strategy
which has thus far been given. 1t
means that an attempt will be made
to make the Harding administration
the issue. along with the achieve.
ments Of the Republican congress.
But the strategists will find before
many days have passed that the prin.
cipal issue will be the administra.
tons attitude toward labor. ~.
The working masses, will as usual.
or labor say is an unfriendly attI.
tude on the part of the Republican
administration toward them, while
the captains of industry will be
urged by Republican chieftains to
consider that President Harding has
not capitulated to labor as did his
predecessor. Apart from the uues.
ton of the labor vote is the house.
holders vote, and that's where a
speedy settlement of the coal strike
becomes the paramount duty of the
moment,
discomfort. no matter how little
Justlfled, always hurts the party in
Inc president is being urged 70
operate mines and railroads. This
means increased cost to the govern.
ment as appropriations will be i'm.
medlately necessary to handle the
situation.
On top Of that the government
must adopt some policy that win
pr!ng strikers back to work. IF the
pollcy resembles what the striker
nave been contending for, the EN-.
ployers Of the country will be an.
tagonized. If it is the opposite
labor will not work, coal will nor
be produced, nor engines repaired
compromises and concessions Womb
nave to be made by the government
Whlch, in the end, would be trans
1erred to the disputants when tbe
ROADS and mines were given back
power
President Harding does not want
TO seize mines or railroads, and much
OF the talk about his intention to do
SO may be discounted. He will act
only If dire emergency compels him
10 do so. There are signs that the
executive himself does not believe
such an extreme has been reached,
though the threat Of seizure is ex.
pected to help bring peace.
NH