The New York herald., 1922-08-01
Advantage with Drys.

II is upon the wex and dry issue that
the primary contest of both parties for
United States, Senator, State, legisla-
tive i offices will turn. The
appears to be with the drys
at the present moment. due TO more ef-
ficiedt leadership. its defined program
and its splendid organization.
Considered as a political contest pure
and simple, the Ohio primary contest
seems to be governed by standards that
completely ignore the ancient and re-
Spected policies of both parties. Issues
that used to determine political rival
ries are not cutting much of a figure
in the present campaign Policies of
the Harding Administration are casual
ly supported. The policies of the Will
son Administration are generally ig-
nored for the reason that Senator
Pomerene. VINO is certain to win a re-
nomination, did not always stay on the
League of Nations reservation.
The Democratic Senator. who has
displayed his independence on many
occasions, has been conducting dig
nified campaign based upon the fail
ure of Republicans to keep their
pledges He has refused to be coerced
by either the Anti Saloon League, the
mildly aggressive farmer organizations
or certain radical groups in the party
supporting the unreasonable demands
of labor.
DIR. Fess's Campaign.
Dr. Simeon Fess, the dry Republican
candidate for Mr.. Pomerene's seat, Is
conducting campaign something after
the fashion of an energetic drummer
He is for everything and anything that
any group of voters demand. He will
probably win the nomination of his
party by default. also by reason of his
frenzied anxiety to cater to every
group which can control a vote.
The record of DIR. Fess in Congress
provides a very clear idea of the sort
of compaign he is conducting. The
doctor is a great handshaker and most
eager to please. He is credited with
the ability to change>front on any po-
sition in record breaking time. He was
sympathetically moist until he became
convinced that the Anti-Saloon League
could deliver the most votes en- bloc.
He was against the outrageous five
billion dollar bonus raid on the public
treasury until the politicians of the
American Legion deluded him into the
belief that they could control his po-
litical fortune.
The bonus, by the way, has turned
out to be a boomerang in the Ohio
primary contest. All ow the potential
candidates for office were for it three
months ago-now it is rarely men
toned by any of the aspirants for
party nomination. Popular resentment
against any legislative enterprise CAL
culated to increase the burdens of tax
alton have been responsible for the
elimination of the bonus scheme from
the contest.
Little Interest I'm Tariff.
Likewise there Is little if any interest
in the tariff muddle In the Senate: In
fact very little popular interest in it.
Voters in the two parties want 1t set
tied and would be quite as well pleased
If the Senate chucked the whole busi-
ness back into the Finance Committee
for the present.
If any of the Republican Congress
sional candidates have complied with
Mr.. Harding's request that they sound
out public sentiment on the ship sub
sidy measure he has done il in secret.
The fact is that these candidates are
concerned over obly one thing. Their
eagerness to be nominated has dictated
the wiser course of discretion. Unless
goaded by the opposition, the twenty
four Republican candidates for seats
in the lower house are certainly not
looking for trouble by injecting any
issues calculated to provoke contro-
versy. Their speeches to small and
apathetic audiences are distinguished
by a manifest determination to play
safe. All of the old motheaten banali-
ties and ambiguous platitudes are
trotted out and paraded after the most