THE CAMPAIGN: Alarums & Excursions

THE CAMPAIGN

Alarums and Excursions

The progress of a week’s campaigning found the combatants seven days nearer to the election.

¶ Calvin Coolidge sat tight and held his peace.

¶ Charles G. Dawes invaded the great, open, Brookhart spaces of the Middle West, spoke at Davenport (Iowa), Muscatine (Iowa), Trenton (Mo.), Kansas City (Mo.), Duluth (Minn.). Some of his more pointed castigations:

“I am not descending to personalities in this campaign, but I fired into a flock of political pewits out here; and some of the wounded birds are fluttering. Perhaps you can identify them. I don’t know. . . .

“There is one thing I have noticed about this campaign. It is not exactly what you would call a political petting party. . . .

“Now you have got one side in earnest out here and have had for a long while. I respect the courage of these fellows; but the trouble is, a lot of those on my side have been lying down, trying to preach something to please everybody. . . .

“Now you have got a fight; stand up and fight.

“We may stand for jazz music, but we will never stand for jazz politics in America.”

¶ John W. Davis carried his standard into Maryland, speaking at Frederick (home of the Frietchie family) and Baltimore; then dodged back to Manhattan for jollification with Governor Smith and his Democratic friends there; then turned to New Jersey to make six speeches in one day at Princeton, Trenton, Elizabeth, Newark; then rushed to Rhode Island for a speech at Providence on the following day; then, two days later, turned up at Albany. His “points”:

“No one can deny that the chief characteristic of the present Administration is silence. If scandals break out in the Government, the way to treat them is—silence.

“If petted industries make exorbitant profits under an extortionate tariff, the answer is—silence.

“If the League of Nations or Foreign Powers invite us into conference on questions of world-wide importance, again the answer is—silence.

“If race and religious prejudices threaten our domestic harmony, the answer is—silence.

“If a wandering Secretary of the Navy plans a speaking trip in the West, as soon as the fact is discovered he is brought back toWashington and reduced to—silence.

“If a Congressional committee wishes to investigate the Treasury, the answer is—silence.

“An invitation to attend the present conference at Geneva was extended to our Government and was refused.

“Had I been President of the United States I would not only have accepted the invitation to attend the present conference, but I should have insisted upon the right of the United States to be present and take a leading part when matters so vital to ourselves were being dealt with. If I become President I shall favor sending a representative to attend the disarmament conference next June.”

¶ Charles W. Bryan made a trip to Chicago to visitDemocratic headquarters. A report had got about—assiduously repeated by Republicans —that Democratic headquarters had thought that Governor Bryanwas lying down on the job. Discounting the partisan nature of this report, the fact remains that the younger Bryan has made but two appearances outside of his Nebraska habitat, has not made himself a very vociferous seconder of Mr. Davis’ campaign. The report continued: “Does Bryan want to help Davis? Wouldn’t he prefer to have the election thrown into Congress and take a chance on becoming President himself?”

At Chicago, he looked over the headquarters and chatted a bit with reporters. The LaFollette movement? No, he did not consider it opposition to the Democrats. Radicalism? “We are conservatives in Nebraska when it comes to stealing.” Later he would probably make a swing through the East before Nov. 4.

Shortly afterward, a speech-making itinerary was announced for him through Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, South Dakota.

¶ Robert M. LaFollette tarried in Washingon, delaying the opening.of his campaign. Meanwhile, the Attorney General of Louisiana, following the lead of the Supreme Court of California, barred the LaFollette electors from the ballot for technical reasons. Bob once more awoke to battle:

“The refusal of the Attorney General of Louisiana to place the names of the LaFollette-Wheeler electors on the ballot in that state, and the definite report that comes from Michigan that legal technicalities are to be used there by the two political machines to accomplish the same purpose, show how desperate the reactionaries in both of the old parties consider their cause.”

Finally, his plans completed for opening his active campaign in the East, Mr. LaFollette took train for Rochester, N. Y., his first stop on an itinerary which will take him through New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri—and farther if funds are available. His two sons, Bob Jr. and Philip are accompanying him to make rear platform speeches, since the Senator must save his voice. It was said that the LaFollette treasury disgorged its last cash to start the trip and hopes to gather more to provide the finish.

His speech at Rochester was largely devoted to an explanation of what he would do “if elected”: 1) call a special session of Congress; 2) secure emergency relief for agriculture; 3) repeal the Esch-Cummins Railway Law; 4) revise the Fordney-McCumber tariff; 5) repeal the soldier’s bonus and substitute a cash payment bonus; 6) enact the Howell-Barclay bill abolishing the railroad labor board; 7) increase pay of postal employes; 8) increase pensions of Spanish and Civil War veterans; 9) reconstruct the Federal Reserve and Farm Loan systems; 10) create a national superpower system, etc.

¶ Burton K. Wheeler took his way into the West. He visited among other places Denver, Cheyenne, Billings, Spokane, Seattle. In Wyoming, he said of Senator Warren (Rep.):

“In your State you have a representative in Senator Warren who in every instance has aligned himself with the reactionary Republicans and a few reactionary Democrats in defeating almost every piece of legislation which was in the interests of the farmers or laborers of this country.”

In Montana, he said of Senator Thomas J. Walsh (Dem.):

“I am under obligations to Mr. Anderson, who is running on the Independent ticket. I believe him to be honest, sincere and capable. I have a personal affection for him and perhaps I am doing him an injustice when I ask you to support Senator Walsh. But the defeat of Senator Walsh in this campaign would be looked upon by the country at large as a repudiation of the magnificent fight against corruption in the Capitol at Washington.

I should be an ingrate if I did not stand by him and I am here to do it. I ask you to vote for him because he deserves your support.”