The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-11-04

aud spotty. State ISSUES will determine
the result of congressional elections in
SO many states that mathematical tables
on the number of Republicans or Demo
Gratis to be elected to either the senate
or the house of Representatives are of
no value or significance.
Battle Between Ins and Outs
Enough of the states and districts
will support the Republican ticket, how
ever. as to insure the President work
ing majority in both houses. This does
not mean that signs of political up
heaval in 1924 are not visible. Quite
the opposite is true. The. most notable
characteristic of the American electorate
today is it's dislike of both Republican
and Democratic parties. The profess
sional politicians use such words as
apathy and Indifference to describe
the mood of the public. Basically, it is
deeper than that--it is disappointment,
disillusionment. regret, almost despair
1t means that neither party has devel-
oped aggressive leaders, men with vision
to lead bewildered~ nation in the midst
/ OF the most peruiexing era of American
history-the period of reconstruction
following the earthquake of war.
Pettiness, triviahty, demagoguery, in
| feriority principles of candidates, rellg-
| ious bigotry, elusive radicalism. fanat-
| ical conservatisfn.-all these character
istics are TO be found in dozens of states
| where the label Democrat or Republican
| might mean one thing in one state and
| the opposite in another Better labels
would be 1.-THE ms" and "the outs" where
! il is merely craving for public Office
/ or it might better be conservative" and
radical" where the business men and
! others of practical turn of mind are
voting for Democratic or Republican
| conservatism as the case may be and
where the extremists in labor. in social
reform. or in agricultural radicalism
/ have found common ground irrespec-
! tive of their previous political affiliations.
| There is as yet no enthusiasm for a
| third party. Discussion here and there
| is academic. What is hoped for is Il
/ regeneration of one or the other parties.
1 No small part in the upset of political
| lines has been the prohibition issue In
! many states there is resentment over
the failure of the authorities to enforce
/ the law and in those same states there
lis bitter feeling that the law enforce
4 ment agencies are going too far and that
4 prohibition Is an INVASION OF personal
Il liberty. Party lines have suffered as a
H consequence.
Wet Sentiment Not CrystaIlized.
H Broadly speaking. the sentiment for a
i repeal of the 18th amendment has not
crystallized sufficiently 10 determine
exactly what proportion of the whole it
occupies. This much is true-the people
who favor prohibition are not as vocal
II as those who oppose it. The argument
for light wines and beer or for modif-
cation of the enforcement laws is usually
accompanied with such plausible state
ments that it is making Roadway. 1t is
doubtful. however. whether in a clean
cut fight this sentiment would not be
diminished by the prohibition argument
that TO yield an inch means 10 break
down the whole barrier. The women
voters, 10 large extent, hold that view
-
constantly 10 face the danger of reac-
tion-not against the theory of prohibit
ton or its abstract virtues, but It's
practical abuses, it's actual workings
STATE after state east of the Mississippi
river is becoming aroused over the
growth of .bootiegging' while in tn,
West where states have been dry fol
many years the problem is generally be
ing regarded with few exceptions as {
closed issue. If a reversal in sentiment
. comes il viii not be- in favor of a return
to the old saloon. hut il VIII be a protest
lagainst the clumsy enforcement OF the
law.
Prohibition, after all, is not the issu,
nationally as might be supposed. Il
effects are spotty. Indiana and Ohio
| New Jersey, New York and New Eng
land. in other words the populouS states
are discussing it as a live question
These are states where Republicans an,
Democrats can be found on either side
Ii is an important question, but not
party matter.
Tariff Has Little Effect.
The tariff has had some effect, bu
here again it is not nationwide TIL
Fordney-McCumber law was passed To-
/ late to have an influence on this election
But the murmurings and the rumbling
and the currents of discomfort are be
ginning 10 be noticed and he is blin