News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1922-11-15
Discomfort
(From the Boston Globe)

back. How lar back, only complete
returns will show. Even without al
the figures, it is evident that the vote
of yesterday was an expression oil
dissatisfaction An enormous mum.
Der of men and women who helped tC
make up the 100000 majority OF
1920 are now in opposition to the
party which triumphed then.
The campaign of 1920 was waged
on a basis of discomfort. Whatever
had been done by the administration
of that day was criticised and ridi-
culed. Bit by bit the voters were
aroused to the belief that but one
thing was needful, and that was to
turn out the party in power. No
trouble was taken to formulate posi-
tive issues or to make plans for a
policy in the event of success. The
result was that the winners, with an
unprecedented majority, and with
complete command of both Houses of
Congress, took Office lacking definite
purpose.
AS soon as Congress was called in
special session, a new word-a for
eign word-found it's way into the
Olo pelIIllCo lIOIl w dollllIS WILL wi :
respondents began,to talk Of "blocs,"
especially Of the agricultural Bloc"
a combination of Representative and
Senators from farming states. The
men who might have been expected
to lead the party were obliged, for
safety's sake, to stand aside and let
various groups have their way.
What the party program was no one
knew, and no one has ever found out.
Instead, there appeared a number of
parties within party, financiers, eX-
porters, manufacturers, each taking
it's cue from the bloc that first APP
peared.
In the country at large the discon-
tene which had been stirred by the
propaganda of discord continued. 1t
could hardly have been otherwise, for
party which takes office in the ex-
pectation Of having the native wit of
superior brains give it daily inspira-
ton must find the going rather hard
when lot of new. questions must be
faced.
1t had no mandate for doing any
thing. 1t could not drive a series of
bills through Congress and then turn
to the voters and say, "This is what
you directed should be done" AS
for the people, they had returned to
their daily tasks, after reading the
returns, in full confidence that all
necessary changes would be accom-
plished forthwith.
1t soon became evident, from the
grist turned out by a Congress of
blocs, that there had been an over
estimate of the winning party's abili-
ty. 1t did not settle the difficult and
complicated questions of taxation
1t played football in a sickening way
with the bonus proposals. The
farmer was debated with a hard
bump, and discovered that the emer-
gency tariff, which he had thought
his very own, did not market his
crops at living prices. Industrial
workers began to wonder what had |
happened to the gentlemen who had
talked so pleasantly on the stump. |
Crises in the labor world failed to |
call out leadership from the National
capital.
In the course of time the tariff was
tackled Somehow there had devel-
oped a feeling among the party lead |
ers that the tariff was dangerous but |
interests which had helped during the !
on the understanding that |
they were to be helped in a tariff bill,
insisted that the party come through. |
During the debate in the Senate,
discord concerning the projected
tariff appeared within the ranks of
the majority party. Senators and
stood up and warned
their party colleagues that it would
be dangerous to saddle the consumer
with tariff more onerous than the
Payne-Aldrich burden. But the
steam roller was made to work and
the tariff became law in September.
That both men and women realize it !
was shown yesterday. The discom-
fort induced by the new tariff was
not lessened by the prospect of coal
less winter.
When people watched the Amer,
lean foreign policy, they saw the
same attitude adopted toward Europe
that had been evident toward domes
tic problems. The absence of foreign
policy increased discomfort.
The mandate of 1920 and the man.
date of 1922 have this in common:
both are the expression of disapprov-
al. The chief difference is that in
1920 the voters registered a protest
against what they were told had been
the sins of the then administration.
In 1922 the same voters show they
are out of patience with policy in
which watchful waiting has predom-
mated for nearly two years.
The people have spoken twice to
the majority parties of this country.
If they feel obliged to do something
a third time, many of them may de-
eide it is best to try action more
direct, and welcome a third party.
Uncle Dudley.