The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1924-08-21
WHY NOT BE FAIR INSTEAD
OF ROUGH?


If Mr.. Davis and the directors Of
the Democratic campaign are looking
for a slogan that will yield the max
imum of votes we offer a principle
which we believe to be superior. In
place of Treat En- Rough" we pre-
sent, Treat En- Fair"
We do not think any considerable
number of Americans will be favor
ably impressed by the new tack that
the Democratic leaders are suddenly
taking in their campaign. To the
contrary there is bound to be wide
spread feeling shading from mild dis
taste to plain disgust toward the be-
lated attack upon the integrity of
President Coolidge, which is now
naively announced as the real juice
of the Democratic campaign.
Until this shift there had been much
eloquent talk about principles and
campaign upon high plane The
Democratic party was to return to
power as a party of high ideals upon
a program of exalted reforms. Sena-
tor Walsh had not discovered the ex-
IRENE crookedness of the President
when he drafted the official report OF
his oil committee. Neither had he
discovered it when he made his speech
as permanent chairman of the Demo-
cratic convention. Even Pat Harri-
son, in his famboy and diatribes
against everything Republican han
died Mr. Coolidge with respect.
Now the ideals and principles are
being permitted to fade into the back
ground. kid gloves are removed, there
are waving fists and hoarse threats
and the campaign is announced as
headed straight for the white House
steps" There are several reasons
why this move, if carried out, will
spell an even greater disaster for the
Democratic party than that for which
it is in any event headed.
One is that it is little too raw.
Politics is politics, especially Demo-
cratic politics; but a sudden, trump
ed-up resolve to call the President of
the United States names in the des-
perate hope Of gaining votes is not
good manners, good Americanism or
good anything.
Another is that nobody in or out of
America doubts or can be made to
doubt the honesty of Calvin Coolidge
The President has his defects and his
limitations, like everyone else For
one thing he does not gust forth
words as freely as do some of his
critics. He prefers to act rather than
to talk. But by tradition and train
ing and long habit he belongs with
the straightforward folk of the world
who do not know how to be anything
but honest. His career has been the
old American and is ill-ftted for a
mud-slinging campaign. The Ameri-
can people recognize Mr.. Coolidge
for what he is and they will have
scant patience toward partisan at
tempts to besmirch him.
The final reason is that the Demo-
cratic candidate for the Presidency is
ill-fitted for mud-slinging campaign.
His strength lies in his distinguished
career and presence-in the fact that
he is. in sum, a gentleman. His ex-
perience with trough stuff" in his
speech of acceptance was fiat fall
ure. 1t alienated admirers and ut
terly failed to satisf> neelers. The
sooner Mr.. Davis returns to his ma
tive standards of accuracy and fair
ness the better for his reputation and
his candidacy. He is far better
equipped candidate than was Alton
B. Parker; but if he turns his back on
his natural qualifications and at
tempts to assume the part Of a rough
and-tumble spellbinder, he will prove
even a worse defeated candidate than
was Alton B. Parker, and that is say
ing a great deal.
Mr.. Davis has threatened to take
off his "kid gloves" We suggest that
he keep them on and make his cam
paign sincerely for what he is and
fairly upon the real issues of the
camDaipn