The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, JULY 12, 1920. THE FIGHT FOR THE PRESIDENCY.

Timaru Herald, Issue 170267, 12 July 1920, Page 6

The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, JULY 12, 1920. THE FIGHT FOR THE PRESIDENCY.

With the customary babel and "excitement the; two' great political parties in- America." have se 7l lecied tlieir' candidates^: for 'the' Presidency, whom '.we. can jnia-

g-uie now "like greyhounds in the slips, straining- upon the start." Jsoth are machine candidates. If it .were not for the party labels which - distinguish tiiem most Americans might find it hard to find much difference between Mr G. M. Cox and Senator Harding-. Their careers have been remarkably "■ alike. Both are sons of fanners, both were school teachers, and both now are newspaper editors and owners. Mr Cox (Democrat) has been three times Governor of the State; Mr Harding (Eepublican) -was defeated for the Governorship, but held the office of Lieu-tenant-Governor. Before their present rivalry could be forseen each 'had declared his admiration of the other. Mr Harding has said: "If there is one distinct merit in my own case it lies in the fact that I believe in government through the sponsorship of political parties rather than personal domination, and both experience and inclination would 1 help me to maintain a relationship between Congress and . the Administration. forces which is the highest assurance of. constitutional government by law.'"' In other words, he is no autocrat as , Wilson is. Any Eepublican candidate would have been -sure to make that point. But Mr Harding- showed considerable independence when he refused to accept delegates to the conference pledged to vote for himself first of all, and for General Wood as a second choice. The autocracy of Mr Wilson has been a matter of temperament and training more than policy, and it. is natural to suppose that when the Democrats passed over his son-in-law and a former member of his Administration, preferring Mi- Cos to Mr McAdoo, part of their object was to present a canI didate who would, not recall, or be suspected of any sympathy with, his dictatorial proclivities. Mr Cox managed to retain the regard of workers when he took a. firm stand, as .Governor of Ohio, in dealing with serious strikes, and Mr Harding received many Democratic-votes, when he stood as a candidate for the Senate. = Party convictions in themselves would not form a great difference between the candidates, or would not have done so a short time ago. Party is a great force in America, but the questions.which divided the Republican and Democratic parties twenty years ago have since ceased to divide them, ■ and no hew differences connectedwith domestic policy h|ive since arisen. The recent conferences, however, have made a--party issue of the League of Nations question, which was not one before. Mr Cox, as a Democrat, is pledged to the adoption of the Covenant with at most no more than nominal reservations. Republicans, who had formerly been divided, on this question, were persuaded at the.' Chicago Conference to adopt a policy utterly repudiating the League, and proposing in its place something". so vaguej general, and unsubstantial that no American need ever fear. any .obligations under it-V----the vaguer the better. , When I the -matter was debated in. the ,Sen'ate . every member "of that body was ready to accept - the League if only' he could have it . oii-'hig .o/vni terms;, 'Efiffi^tie

Republicans say that they Trill not haTe it on any terms -what- . ever. That is a "great distinction between the parties, which, must cause strong- to be felt with the Democratic candidate oiitside America. The two candidates appear to be verv equally matched. 3lr Cox has had more experience of administrative responsibilities, and his party, just now, is preferred. by the chief Labour "organisation. Both men are respected but not pre-eminent politicians, who -de-; rive their main strength from the machines behind tbeni. It is by no means certain that the League of iNations issue, most important to the world' at large, will be regarded in the same light in Anii erica. Ohio is a long way from Europe, and the Central and Pacific States are further still. The issue may be submerged, for American electors, by domestic questions—the best means for reducing industrial unrest, high 3>rices, the immigration problem, and others. The election does not take place tilL November, .and anything- ■ can. happen before then. We must hope, however, that the League of Nations will be vindicated. The League needs America.