The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-01-16
NY n. u. COCHRAN

WASHINGTON. Jan L.
What all. Uncle Sam.
II n politics or business' II ~
too much radicaiism or too much
r~actionary conservatism. l. tho
now movement la politics rad
Teal or conservative What does
u meant What started ~
Who's hack Of h' Or. what's
back Of itf
Something's wrong somewhere.
We all know that Hut whatf what
started the usually conservative
farmers OF the West and Northwest
on the political war rathg What
brought about the coalition polite.
ally OF the farmers and Industrial
workers In some states ana the 70
suifart election % q new group OF
United State. senator's without 70
gard to their partisan asYiiiation'
The purpose OF this and several
articles 10 follow IL constructive. The
aim IN 60 get nj the truth. II involves
the meaning of the coal strike the
railroad strike. the political activity
OF the socaiisd conferences for pro
gressive political action. the defeat
Of Senators New. Ksliogg. Mccum'
bar. FreylinEhuyssr. Po'ndertsr.
Newberry, Townsend and others. and
the election OF Frazier. Broohheart.
shipsted. wheeler. Din. Howell and
Ferris. and tn. reelection OF la Fol.
ictfe by an unprecedented majority.
The cause goes deeper into human
emotions than mere party politics or
even the difference OF opinions be-
tween vets and drys. For there is
more significance IN the defeat OF
Pomerens tdemocrau In Ohio. and
Bcvcridrs trepublican In Indiana.
than I'm the election Of Fess and
Raiator: and there In even less sig.
nificance In the election Of Copeland
in New York.
When the results OF the November
election became known. the first re-
action was that /; was a democratic
party landslide. Analysis. however.
didn't bear that out. For tho demo.
cratic victories in New York. New
Jersey, and Indiana we're over
Swallowed by tho republican Victories
In Wisconsin. Iowa. North Dakota
and Nebraska. and tho farmeriabor
victory in Minnesota Thrn. Ohio
elected q democratic governor and de-
feascd a democratic senator. SO did
Nebraska In Indiana. across tho
line from Ohio. the republican csndi.
date for senator was defeated by the
same influence that defeated the
democratic senator In Ohio.
In Washington state. nm was
elected senator by the same in
fiuenees. tho he received no help
from democrats national COM
mittec. lie announced this fact
after election. and said he got no
help from his parfy's national
COMMITTEES because ifs leaders
thought he had no chance. How
ever, he was elected on the demo
cratic ticket, despite tho fact
that n farmer labor candidate got
$4,000 votes.
Nor did the wet.dry issue cut any
figure worth mentioning in the states
where this political upset happened.
however much II may have affected
the result In New York and New
Jersey.
IL has come 20 he understood In the
East now, that something happened
that was out OF the ordinary. IL In
felt that for some reason or other the
republican farmers OF tho West and
the Northwest got off the reserva-
ton. Hence the recent activity In
Washington 10 pay some attention
to the farmer In the way OF enlarged
credits.
But that doesn't explain altogether
the election results. And they can be
explained. Tho explanation Ia eco.
nofnic. not political. The politics OF
the situation II merely incidental.
There was primal cause that made
millions OF voters lay aside their life
long partisan prcjudices and affilia.
lions. And the cause was not 80
much poor political leadership as II
was poor business. financial and In
dustrial eadership--which is usually
responsible for poor political leader
ship.
II was lack OF intelligent leadership
on the part OF big business that