Life — September 30, 1920 — page 18: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SEPTEMBER 30, 1920 Grorce B. Ricnarpson, Vice-President Le Roy Mittes, Treasurer Grorce p'Urassy, Secretary T= Maine majority was very serious for the Republicans. It changed the betting odds. It cost more after it to bet that Hard- ing would win. Stocks went up too. An increased number “of people thought with increased intensity that he would win, Of course that would be very serious indeed for the Republicans. Think of Harding as President, and Lodge, Penrose and Smoot as his most trusted counselors! It’s quite disturbing, isn’t it? How many, many Republicans quake at it —must quake at it! There is a great deal to sus- tain the suggestion that true well-wishers of the Democrats are praying that the Re- publicans may win this fall. they will come for very difficult jobs indeed. Everything for which they have blamed the Demoer; they will have to try to cure, and they will find, of course, that most of. the troubles they have ascribed to Democratic incompetence are really due to the war. Europe suffers from the war and blames America. America suffers from the war and blames Wilson and the Democratic administration. If the Republicans get in, they will discover where the blame should really be put. Variety is the spice of life, and one would love to switch next year from Democrats to Republicans, if it were not for the League. Supporters of Harding who want the League have based their faith that they will get it after the Re- publican victory, on absolute rejection of almost all that Harding has said about it. These persons say in effect, “Our can- didate, when he discusses the League, is talking through his hat. You mustn't mind that, nor indeed mind anything he says on any subject. He is a nice man, If they do, London Offices, Rolls House, Breams Bldgs., “While there is Life there's Hope” Published by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY Cuartes Dana Grason, President 17 West Thirty-first Street, New York and if we can elect him, we will see that nothing is done that you won't like If they go much beyond that naive and ingratiating disclosure, and assign to Mr. Harding any real convictions on any po- litical question now agitated, they run up against violent dissent in their own politi- cal family which must on no account be permitted to intrude at the polls. never was a more amusing political situa- tion, The one thing that the Republicans agree on is: Turn those Wilson people out! There «) Y the time this issue of Lire appears, Mr. Root will be back, and the news he brings about the League may be inter- esting, and the suggestions he makes about getting us into it may be valuable. Perhaps when we hear them there may be some shifting of opinion about the League itself and whom to vote for to help it. The vote in Maine was interest- ing, but it did not settle the national elec- tion, The explanation of the big Repub- lican majority given by Democratic au- thorities is that the Republicans worked hard and spent money to get out their vote, whereas the Democrats did neither. Between now and Election Day there is likely to be much shifting of sentiment back and forth. The minds of men have been engaged in immense adventures, and are bored now with ordinary politics. In each party there is a large group that can only bear for a few days at a time the thought of their own side winning. There are Democrats to whom the supposed in- fluence of Tammany, the Taggarts and the Democracy of Chicago with Gover- nor Cox is extremely repulsive. When London, E. C. VOL. 76, No. 1978 Eowarp S. Martin, Editor Tuomas L. Masson, Managing Editor F, De Sates Casey, Art Editor they are told that these influences pro- cured the shift from Cummings to White as Democratic manager, it makes them want to vote for Harding. Per contra, there are a great many Republicans to whom control of their candidate and poli- cies by Lodge, Penrose and Smoot is so repellant that they want to vote for Cox, and may do it. About the League there is not really a difference of conviction that is widely felt. Hearst, Johnson, Borah and their Adulla- mite following are really against the League on any terms, but between the mass of the Democrats and the mass of the Republicans there have never been League differences that could not have been easily composed if taken in time and dealt with with healing intentions. If the Republicans are going to win, let us hope’ they will win very big. What the country needs is neither Democratic Gov- ernment nor Republican Government, but Responsible Government, We want some- body in charge that will be able to take care of that Treaty. The trouble about the Treaty has been that there was power enough on both sides to hold it up, and not power enough on either side to pass it. If Senator Lodge, who beat the Treaty in the Senate, could have become the "head of the government when the Treaty failed and Mr. Wilson broke down, no doubt he would have got right to work to pass the Treaty with the few- est amendments possible. When so many Republicans of the hest sort throw Hard- ing’s speeches ont the window and say that the Treaty will he passed and the League of Nations accented if Harding is elected, they are simnly arguing from what they regard as a basis of fact. It is a grief to some supporters of Lirr that it has seemed to back Mr, Cox. But what else was there to do? A committed Re- mblican who wanted the League, might back Harding:in spite of his flouting it. comicbooks.