San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-26
1924 ISSUES :
DISCUSSED IN
RIVAL CAMPS
Harding Thinks Economic
Situation Will Play
Big Part.
HARK BACK TO 1920
Cost Of Living Expected to
Bob Up in Coming
Campaign.
HARK BACK TO 1920
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

Copyright, by The san Antonio Light.
St. Augustine, Fla, March 26.-
Assuming that President Harding Is
renominated in accordance with At
otrney General Daugherty's predlc-
ton, what will be the issues! This
question has been propounded in the
presidential party again and again
since the political discussion OF a
week ago began. -,
Mr.. Daugherty says taxation Will
be paramount. Former Governor
James NJ. Cox, Democrat, says 1t VIII
be the European economic conference
and the Harding administration fail
ure to help farmers and producers by
supplying an export market. William
Jennings Bryan thinks it will be spe-
cial privilege, the policies exemplifled
by the ship subsidy and he adds be-
lief that Senator LaFOllette's charges
concerning the oil situation will play
a prominent part in the campaign.
President Harding himself is of the
opinion that the campaign will turn
entirely on economic issues. He be-
lieyes the electorate will be swayed in
1924, as il has been in the past, on
the question of whether there is uni
versal employment and a living wage.
Rarely has it happened that an ad-
ministration or a party in power has
not succeeded itself when the coun-
try was enjoying a reasonable mea-
sure OF prosperity. This is Mr.. Hard
ing's theory.
1920 Prosperity Overlooked.
1t will be promptly suggested that
the defeats of the Democrats after an
uneIsnpled period of prosperity would
seem 10 be an exception to the po-
liticsl rule. but Mr.. Harding does not
think 50. He has often discussed the
1870 contest with his friends and he
has said that il nothing else had
crept into the campaign apart from
Ire prosperity issue. the result might
have been different. He thinks the
accumulated grievances growing out
Of the war and the issues of recon-
struction were big enough to submerge
the question of prosperity in 1920.
I'VE want n change OF personnel,
was the outcry then.
What the President means there
fore, is that ordinarily when there
are no extraneous issues the dominant
thought fthe country is more likely
TO be economic than anything else. 1r
other words he looks for an old-fash
toned kind of campaign, the sort thai
is reminiscent of the sound money
slogan of 1896. or the cry for the
full dinner pail" of 1900 and 1904
and the warning against rainy days
which the electorate was urged to take
to heart in 1908.
Mr.. Harding is all the more i'm
pressed by this line of reasoning be-
cause of the universal enthusiasm
with which the people generally
seemed to greet the promised program
of q return to normally" which al
the outset he gave as the object Of
his administration. This would make
the 1923 issue something like this:
; HAS the country returned to nor
malcy, and if not. has it progressed
sufficiently along the road to warrant
a change or continuance of th'
same leader"
The Democrats would take up thu
challenge naturally by pointing TO thu
higher level of wages in the years o.
!: the Wilson administration as com
4, pared to the incomes of the workers
in the last three years. To offse
this, the Harding administration would
attempt to prove that there has beer
drop in the cost fliving.
Economic Questions Raised.
Both Senator LaFollette of Wis
consin and Senator Ladd Of Nortl
Dakota have already begun on eco
nomic questions, the one charging tina
the price of gasoline will rise through
illegal combination of the producers