Palisadian., 1924-08-15
IMPARTIAL VIEW OF DAVIS

mark Sullivan in Herald -Tribune)
Washington, August 12.-The COM
monest observation in Washington
about John w. Davis's speech is that
it forecasts a hard fight; that it re-
veals a forceful and exceptionally at
tractive personality; that the diction
and form of the speech are above
anything we have had since Wilson,
and in some respects exceed Wilson.
Republicans, examining the speech
critically, took some exception to the
precise language in which Mr.. Davis
stated some parts of his arraignment
OF Republican corruption. To this the
Democratic answer is that Davis feels
a sense of outraged indignation that
a party which brought as much cor
ruption into the government as the
Republican party did should now ask
for a second lease of power.
Some of Davis's friends represent
his as having the feeling that if the
American people should be induced
to let these Republican party mis-
deeds go without being indignant and
without expressing that indignation at
the polls the result would be definite
deterioration of our moral fiber as
people.
Expect Davis to Go Into Details
These friends of Davis represent
him as thinking it is an exalted duty
of his position to lead the people to
feel and express indignation against
what Forbes did and Fall and the
other Republican officeholders. They
predict that Davis, in his first speech,
was merely making an outline; that
in subsequent speeches he will go into
these charges in detail, that he will
handle them in the exact language of
the careful lawyer that he is and that
the Republicans will have abundant
opportunity to speak in rebuttal and
to make qualifications or explana-
tions.
The Democrats are elated both over
the matter and form of the speech
and over the revelation of Davis's per-
sonality. To the writer, watching
Davis deliver the speech, it seemed
doubtful if Davis was able, under the
handicaps he had, to make as pene-
trating an impression of his person
ality as later he will.
1t was evident that Davis's instinc-
tive consideration for others kept him
steadily conscious of the immense
audience sitting in his presence under
downpour Of rain. That audience
was unavoidably in discomfort. They
did not show they had any conscious
ness of it, but Davis had conscious
ness of them. 1t kept him from giving
off from his personality as much of
penetrating resonance as he is easily
capable of.
Spoke Under Trying Conditions
l kept wondering about the radio
audience, whether it was getting as
clear a picture of Davis's personality
as it will when Davis's future speeches
are made under less trying conditions.
II the Clarksburg audience had been
willing to go home Davis might have
felt more at ease, but practically all
those thousands insisted ON remaining
through the downpour until the end,
for which the audience was clearly
less anxious than Davis himself must
have been.
The Democrats are so pleased with
the speech and with the effect of
Davis's personal presence that ever
since Monday they have been talking
of the desirability of more speeches
from Davis in other parts of the ooun-
try, of letting as many people as pos
sible actually see Davis in the flesh
and hear the quality of his voice.
Out of this has arisen a good deal
Of more or less humorous talk among
the Democrats about smoking Cool
idge out" about daring Coolidge to
make a tour of the West, so as to give
the people a chance to compare the
actual presences of the two men. 1t
isn't the relative personal pulchritude
that they have in mind. The Demo
Gratis have great faith in the quality
of Davis's mind, and say they would
like nothing better than campaign
which should have the nature of
joint debate between Davis and
Coolidge.
A further reason why the Demo
Gratis would like to get Coolidge on
the stump in the West is the embar-
easements such course would get
him into with his own party. The
Democrats say there is hardly a state
or district in the West in which Cool
idge could make speech without find
ing himself engaged in debate with
his own local party candidates for
Senate and Congress
In Nebraska, for example, Coolidge
would be talking one way, while the
two Nebraska Republican Senators,
Norris and Howell, would be talking
on the opposite side of a good many
of the issues. And so with Brookhart
in Iowa, and in many Congressional
districts elsewhere.
The Democrats are going to do a
good deal of daring Coolidge to come