The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1922-01-05

national arms conference. Naturally
u would be supposed that these two
grcut activities In the capital would
consume most Of the interest ~ legis.
lhtor, delegate aud layman onlooker.
but politics keeps open shop In Wash.
ington all the year through, and every
day Is shopping day.
IL would not be n difficult thing
for the most violent partisan to write
non-partisan politics at this stage Of
the political contest. Does II seem
curious 10 use the word contest" at
n tine when, generally speaking,
throughout the country campaigning
seems To he In an inactive stagef
Well, so far as Washington Is con-
cerned there always = contest On
between the two great political parties.
II finds evidence IN The house Of repre-
scntatiyes, In the senate and In the
various bureaus Of departmental life.
Not u Democrat In either house Of
congress aud not hOldover Democrat
lc official IN any Of the departments
signs of Republican failure along this
or that line Of endeavor which point
IN some perhaps promising way toward
II change Of party rule at the Mo-
yember elections in 1879, and the
greater change In November. 1924
The Limitation Of ornaments con.
ference Is about the only thing in
Washington today which stands aloOf
from the purely partisan political
field. The findings of the conference,
II Is perfectly true, have been attacked
by both Democrats and Republicans.
but, the attacks have not been aimed
ut the purposes of the conference but
rather at the means employed to ac-
complish the purposes.
Lots OF Political Propaganda.
The Democrats. however, are ex-
cecdingiy busy In congress and through
their national committee In the en-
deavor to show that the Republicans
thus far have accomplished little or
nothing along the line of the promises
which the party made IN the cam
pnlgn of 1920. The Republicans. On
the other hand, are pointing with the
pruyerbial pride To the things already
done and are offering explanations
for the things left uSione, explana-
tions coupled with the prophecy that
all the odds aud ends wiz be picked
up before another six months have
gone by and that fulfilled" then can
he written after the list OF pledges
made Ia the last national convention
and In the last presidential campaign.
The Democratic and Republican IA.
tional committees are still at their
work of political propaganda. Every
editor In the United States, pre-
sumably. aud certainly every cor.
respondent of newspapers who Is sta.
toned In Washington, is receiving al
most without interruption more or
less delectable matter intended To tie
printed In behalf of the Democratic
or the Republican cause.
one feels that he must say with per.
feet frankness that good deal of
this material which Is received is
the old tiIhe campaign propaganda
bunk of II KIND that would be received
with acclaim only by the mossbacks, Of
either party, men who would vote for
Beclzebub II only he happened TO he
running on the right party ticket.
Exploiting the Es-servlee Man.
The ex-service man is being ex-
plotted by the committees of both
parties. Perhaps II is cruel to say
exploited" but such seems 10 Ice the
case. The Democrats constantly are
telling wha, they would do for the ex-
service man and the Republicans con
stantly are telling what they are doing
for the ex service man. The soldier
vote has been In American politics
since Revolutionary days. ] saw not
long ago the original manuscript, yell
lowed with age, of an address which
was delivered In the state of New
York in the year l19i. IL had IN II.
hut IL must be confessed rather In.
directly than directly, but perhaps
none the less forclbly. plea that the
soldiers Of the Revolutionary war
should vote right"
II Is to be taken for granted that
the veterans Of the War Of 1872 were
sought after In like manner when the
succeeding election campaigns began.
The history of the pleas for the soldier
vote after the Cfvil war, pleas which
continue to some extent To this day, |
Is well known.
one Of the curious features of this |
ex-soldier matter Is that the manage.
ment of each political party picks out
here and there an isolated case of !
justice done, or injustice done. and
exploits II as II Il were the general
rule of the party to which credit or
discredit Is given.
There are good many shrewd poll
ticians who think that lot of time
and energy Is being wasted by the .
political managers In seeking for the
so-cnlled soldiers vote. Democrats 4
are Democrats and Republicans are
a. all 10,