The Washington times., 1923-09-25
PARTIES START
ON CAMPAIGN
FOR 1924
Democrats Outline Issues and
Seek Farmer VotesC.
q. P. Meeting Drive.
BY WILLIAM HARD.


tain, the Democratic actual prac-
tical political activities Of next
year seem overwhelmingly likely
today to be based principally on
the two following propositions:
One More trade abroad.
Two More local self-govern-
ment at home.
This prospect becomes increas-
ingly . certainty as the leading
Democratic Presidential candidates
develop and reveal their policies
and tendencies.
Appeals 10 Farmers.
On the proposition Of more
trade abroad, ii il admitted BY the
Republicans that the Democrats
have found an ingenious and for
midable method Of appealing to the
Republican farmers Of the West.
Many OF those farmers. finding
themselves still poor. are willing at
least to listen to the idea that the
Democratic policy Of low tariff
duties and the Democratic policy of
political cooperation with Europe.
would help to settle Europe's prob
LENS and would help to give Eu.
rope q larger market for its prod
ucts here. This would, according
to their view, correspOndiI1gly en-
rich Europe and would therefore
develop Europe into being better
customer for the American farmers
export crops.
This Democratic drive at the
pOcketbook nerve Of the Republican
Western farmer is not being over
looked by the Republican national
organization. An extremely large
proportion OF the publicity material
sent out by Republicans from Wash
ington Is designed expressly to-
catch and trap the Democratic fox
In his poaching on the Republican
preserves in the upper Mississippi
valley.
The fight for the affections or the
grain-groWing farmer Of the West
and OF the Northwest il the
steadiest and sternest fight now be-
ing conducted by the managers OF
the propagandist shock troops Of
the two parties.
Combining Their Issues.
In the course Of it the Democrats
are endeavoring to combine their
League of Nations issue into one
respondent vision Of a United
States which will be the worlds
great creditor nation, pouring CAPT
tai profusely into foreign parts and
receiving in return a mighty an
'nual income In dividends and i'm
ports from abroad.
Put the tariff down. let more
foreign goods In; help Europe settle
it's troubles; join the league Of ma
tons, perhaps; refuse to joint It.
perhaps; in any case, however, help
Europe; help 1t to get settled and
to be prosperous: turn 1t into a
great market for American manu-
facturers and for American invest
ments; put money into 1t; and then
let 1t pay for this money by send
Ing goods into this country over
a tariff wall which will be low
enough to let those goods come in
readily and reasonably easily.
Thus the domestic profiteer will
be frustrated and thus through
closer economic intercourse with Il
harmonious world the United
States will thrive as never before"
Such is the drift that the Demo
cratic argument is taking.
It retreats from the extreme pro-
League position of the Democratic
presidential candidate of 1920. 1t
advocates helping Europe without
saying precisely how the helping
shall be done. It advocates a
lowering of the tariff without dwell
ing too heavily on the idea of "a
Tariff for revenue only" and with
put dwelling at all on the idea Of
free trade"
Seen As Able Argument.
It Is admitted to be an ably con.
trived argumentative program and
1t is calling forth from the Re-
publicans a daily torrent Of argu-
counterattacks, principal |
ly to the effect that the United |
States cannot involve itself political
~ in Europe, for trade purposes
involving itself there
for war purposes also and
that one first class war will eat up
all the profits that could be gained
by many decades Of trade expansion. |
While this fight is proceeding |
with the western farmer as It's real
objective. a secondary |
struggle is going forward on the
Of more local self-gov- |
ernm 1nt" with the northern Atlantic |
seatoard State as it's chief arena.
The issue raised by Governor |
Smith of New York in the matter |
IF wet versus dry is getting COM
oined with the whole larger general |
ssue OF local government
versus centralized authority at
Opposed to liberalization.
It is believed in high Democratic
quarters that there is strongly
growing reaction throughout this
country today against what Will n.
Hays of the Republican National
used to call Undue
Tederalization~''
1t is believed that this reaction
s strongest in the Atlantic seaboard
States from Baltimore, Nd, north
o Boston, Mass. 1t has shown IT.
,elf not only in the matter OF the
Volstead law but also in such mat
ers as the federal welfare law.
1t is calculated by many Demo
rats that the wet issue can be
lignified by being developed into Il
general local self government issue
md it is admitted on all hands that
of the wording OF the
Democratic national platform the
Democratic local candidates next
rear in the East and in the North
sast will strongly assert and prom