The New York herald., 1922-07-28
REPUBLICAN Fight
in MISSOURI IS DRAB
Six Candidates lin Lady
like Contest for Seat in
the Senate.
ALL ARE GUMSHOEING
One Says He's Wet, but VOt-
ers Suspect He Is Dry
League Candidate.
REED DOMINATES FIELD
Has Greater Campaign Inter
est for G.. O. P. Than Its
Own Troubles.
BY LOUIS sEIBoLD.

BY LOUIS sEIBOLD.
Special Dispatch 10 TIE New YORK HERALD.
ST.. LOUIS, July 27.--Six candidates
are fighting for the Republican Sena-
torial nomination to be conferred by
the voters of Missouri next Tuesday
There is apparently but little funda-
mental difference between any OF
them, save that five are pussyfooting
on prohibition, which is the most popu-
lar issue in the campaign. The sixth.
proclaiming himself moist champion
by advocating light wines and BEERS"
is under suspicion of being really dry.
The vets do not accept his protesta-
tfons at face value. but are rather in
clined to regard him as an ally of the
Anti-Saloon League injected into the
contest to keep as many wet Repub-
lican votes as possible from being
stampeded over to Senator Jim" Reed,
who after all, is the one dominant is
sue Of the Missouri contest.
The Democratic stormy petrol, whose
mer President Wilson, is not only the
fly in the Democratic ointment but
is a sort of bull in the Republican
camp, for on enough votes tc err
come the undetermined influ Of
Mr.. Wilson as factor in Missouri
politics will finally depend the fate of
Mr.. Reed. His supporters claim, and his
Republican opponents fear. that Sen
ator Jim, who is playing a lone hand
with issues manufactured by himself,
will fall heir to great many Re-
publican votes, solely on the wet and
dry issue.
In this respect the Missouri Senatorial
primary contest will undoubtedly exer-
else tremendous influence throughout
the country as determining the extent
of the popularity or unpopularity of the
prohibition law as it is now enforced or
unenforced.
Republicans Help Reed.
The Republican. side of the primary
campaign is not doing Mr. Reed very
much damage. In some ways 1t Is
actually helping along his fight against
Mr.. Wilson, the demoralized Democratic
State machine in Missouri AMI all of the
organized so-called moral forces" that
usually dictate results In politics.
While Mr.. Reed and his opponent
young Brcckinridge Long, are monopo-
lizing the attention of voters, the news
papers and the civic bodies, the Republi-
can campaign drifts sluggishly and apa
thetically on in orderly and, in COM
parison. most ladylike lines. All of the
egg and brick throwing and vitriolic
exchanges of platform amenities have
been confined to the partisans in the
Democratic primary row, with MIR. Reed
rs the star performer. Few candidates
for public office have ever provided a
more vigorous and entertaining fight for
survival than Mr.. Reed, or given a better
illustration of the vast amount of dam
age that a mentally alert and expert
platform performer can do to a political
machine, even when all forces that usu-
ally count are arrayed against him.
The most conspicuous slogan of the
Missouri campaign is Get rid of Reed"
The most impressive, in equally glaring
posters. acclaim Mr.. Reed as "the de-
fender of human rights" and another
which asserts him to be the champion
of personal liberty"
SIX of Kind.
The Republican campaign managers
and candidates concede the potent aities
OF the last two appeals urged in favor
OF Mr.. Reed. The liberal tendencies
of the voters in the larger cities of the
state. as manifested through various
agencies, indicate admiration for the
sporting fight that Senator Jim is put
ting up and sympathy for his advocacy
OF personal liberty" whatever that
may mean reduced to definite terms,
In other words. the wiry and eloquent
obstructionist. who has won the dis
approval OF the Wilson following in the
Democratic party. has gone over the
heads of leaders in both and introduced
p radical degree of insurgency that
bodies iii for machine made policies IL
he should win.
The Republican Senatorial candidates,
who attract only casual attention among
the voters OF the State, usually pay more
attention to Mr.. Reed than they do to
each other. AS far as any preference
is concerned among the Republican con-
tenders for the seat now held by Mr.
Reed there is little room to choose The
nomination Is held al premium because
or the belief that the winner OF the Re-
publican prize will eventually add to
the Republican ma jority in the upper
house of Congress.
The Republican leaders have no doubt
that their party standard bearer So
lected next Tuesday will beat Mr.. Reed
or Mr.. Long hands down in November.
Mediocre Candidates.
An attempt to define the actual diff
ference between the Republican candi-
dates. except as said in the Isolated