Show Political Battle Royal Is s Ob Observed Observed erv in in i Ohio L This is is the second of a series on election conditions in the country by The Telegrams Telegram's cor cor- respondent By FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE Exclusive dispatch copyright 1926 CLEVI CLEVELAND LAND Ohio Oct 2 2 Out Out here where the middle west begins one of the battles royal of the 1926 congressional campaign is raging Ohio which rivals als Virginia as the maternal ancestor of presidents approprIately appropriately appropriately ap ap- presents a political situation situation situation sit sit- fraught with important national national national na na- na- na aspects If Ie either Atlee Atlee Pomerene Pomerene is elected elect elect- I ed to the United States senate or orA I A A. A Vic Vie Donahey secures a n. third I term in the governorship go an Ohio favorite son will be he born to the the Democratic party for presidential consideration in 1928 Buckeye Democrats are fully alive to to those possibilities They are making a n. correspondingly vigorous fight Should Pomerene and Donahey both be elected on November 2 they will unquestionably lock horns for control control control con con- of the Ohio delegation two years hence The commonwealth of McKinley 1 and Harding merits the the national limelight in this campaign for still another reason To a degree that thatis is almost unique Ohio at the moment moment mo mo- ment personifies nearly all the political political po po- po- po issues engaging the country's country's country's coun coun- try's attention The senatorial duel between the Republican incumbent Frank B B. B VI Willis Ills and former Senator Senator Senator Sena- Sena tor Pomerene is first and foremost a straight-out straight wet-and-dry wet contest To a hardly lesser extent it is a atrial atrial atrial trial of Coolidge strength REALIZES DANGER Senator Willis Willis' campaign is being waged on the categorical platform of Keep the next congress safe for forthe forthe forthe the president Willis backed to the limit by the league will seel seep to derive every possible advantage nom irom Pomerene's liberalized liquor views vie But it is the Coolidge bandwagon aboard which the lunged leather giant se senior senior senior se- se senator from Ohio hlo Has lias clambered clambered clambered clam clam- and hopes to ride to victory Republican leaders admit privately that if Willis cannot win in the Coolidge livery he cannot win at all aH The presidents president's undoubted strength with the rank and file of Ohio voters is relied upon to overcome overcome overcome over over- come certain acknowledged disabilIties disabilities disabilities under which Senator Willis suffers Observations in in Cleveland the commercial and political metropolis VL of the U state stale u. u indicate v. v one thing with H. H VL U state stale u. u v. v one H. H crystal clearness I that is is that Ohio in 1926 must be considered a doubtful state Calvin Coolidge carried it In 1924 after nomination on the bound take bound shores of Cuyahoga Cuyahoga Cuya- Cuya hoga loga county by the fat majority of over Davis and La Follette combined But Governor Donahey on the same occasion sion was reelected re elect ed by This year owing to the he great personal strength of Atlee Pomerene and Donahey's prestige as a two-term two governor Ohio is ranked by Democrats and Republicans Republicans Republicans cans alike as as a a a. a field from which ppe Ope party is as likely as as the o other her herto to emerge trIumph triumphant f 1 HURRIED CALL Senator Willis himself Is fully alive to the danger r that lurks in the situation for the G. G 0 O. O P. P His posthaste posthaste post- post haste laste call upon President Coolidge I I I J r in Washington almost before before the Adirondacks fisherman had had time to reach his desk at the WhiteHouse White WhiteHouse Whitehouse House is interpreted ted in Cleveland as an unmistakable S. S O. O S. S Mr Air Willis asked and received Coolidge i assurances that heavy artillery such as important administration spokesmen and administration support support support sup sup- port generally g would woul be hurled Into the Ohio breach It is recognized on all hands that a first-class first emergency emergency emergency emer emer- gency exists here The prohibition issue and the loy- loy to Coolidge issue are not the only ones of national hue at stake in Ohio The Pennsylvania and Illinois Illi IllI- nois slush fund scandals enter into I the campaign too They are to be used by the Democrats against Willis Willis Wil Wil- lis with more than ordinary fury because Willis has a Newberry record of or considerable ity He will not only be attacked for voting to keep Newberry in the senate but he lie will willbe be as bitterly as assailed assailed assailed as- as sailed for his authorship of the famous fa famous famous fa- fa senate resolution which condemned condemned condemned con con- in unmeasured terms the primary ry financial practices for which Newberry came under fire FITS INTO ROLE Atlee Pomerene Willis' Willis Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic opponent fits naturally Into the role of prosecutor in chief of V Willis Willis' III Is' Is election re-election aspirations as asfar asfar asfar far as is concerned It was Pomerene who submitted the minority report of the senate committee committee com com- on privileges and elections hotly denouncing Newberry's primary campaign in Michigan and calling unequivocally for his expulsion from the senate Pomerene Pomerene Pomerene Pome Pome- rene will revamp all these things in detail on the Ohio stump in October October Octo Octo- ber paint the parallels which the Republican 1926 primaries In Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- Pennsylvania sylvania and Illinois display and hammer Willis mercilessly for his I conduct during the Newberry fra fra- cas At the moment no visible wave I of indignation is sweeping Ohio Ohio in i connection with the slush fund revelations rev rev- But Dut Pomerene hopes be before before be- be I be-I fore many pore days are arc g gone ne to pound them into the he paramount I issue ON DEFENSIVE Senator Willis is going to be put on the d defensive by the Democrats on another national question namely namely name name- ly the matter of Harry M. M erty When the former attorney general was under fire in ht 1924 he had no more valiant defender than the Ohio senator V Willis ill Is in stentorian stentorian stentorian sten sten- torian tom toivi declared on the floor of the senate te that Harry Daugherty Daugherty Daugh- Daugh erty is as clean as a hounds hound's tooth A few fe days l later tf-r tf President Coolidge Coolidge Coolidge Cool- Cool idge c c ep sed Daugherty as head of the department of justice Tint That eulogy of the man now fighting for his liberty in the United States district court at N New EW York delivered eli vered in a spirit of loyalty and gratitude to a fellow Ohio politician is rising rising rising ris ris- I ing up now to smite Senator Wil ViI lis Should Daugherty be found guilty in in- Judge JUdg-e Macks Mack's court there are some Republicans who think it might prove just the feather to turn the scales against against- Senator Willis illis in November r. r J Another r fa factor t r th that t is doing Willis Willis' Wll Wil- lis' lis good d is the reve revelation lation during Senator Jim Reeds Reed's I prohibition probe at Washington ashington that the Ohio senator has been on the leagues league's payroll Willis llis as an extreme dry bone was wasa a a. of the hostility of Buckeye I wets regard regardless les of p party bu but t sonic some Republican wets who ordinarily would stomach the regular G. G O. O P. P 1 1 nominee no matter what his shortcomings shortcomings short- short j comings ar are off Senator Willis j l because of his his- connection with Wayne j-Wayne B. B Wheelers Wheeler's exchequer cheQue Willis has a plausible explanation but his z al for foJ prohibition is not regarded now qute qu to as idealistic and unselfish as It used to be GOOD PROSPECTS 1 Atlee Pomerene's prospects of f beating beating- Willis Villis which are unquestionably I 1 good good- if by no means absolutely absolutely ab ab- ab- ab certain rest primarily on the big wet vote l Ira he e will get In the urban centers like Cleveland Clveland Cincinnati Cin Toledo coledo and Akron and oh on the nonpartisan and bipartisan b business mens men's vote which he lie Is assured This writer sat at a luncheon luncheon lunch lunch- luncheon eon table In a Cleveland club representative rep rep- rEg of the financial industrial industrial indus indus- trial and commercial might of th the throbbing throbbing- Lake Erie steel and Iron metropolis His host with a gesture gesture gesture ture that comprehended ndell the entire dining room room said Ninety per percent percent percent cent of the members of this tills club will vote vot for l Pomerene on Novem Novem- her ber 2 The Informant contends th that t 90 per cent of Ohio business businessmen men generally 1 will support Pom- Pom scene rene Ohio business s reams to have Kaye found him an unusually satisfactory satisfactory tory senator during his two t terms terns at Washington and apparently is in fh ina ina a mood to send him back hack The They would h hove have ve sent him back in 19 1922 2 when Senator Fess beat him ex except ex- ex for what Po Pomerene calls an hour eleventh-hour s stab ab in the bank back k bv by bya a combination of woman labor and I lea league ue forces DIFFERENT FRAME All three of these elements this Um time aro ars said by oy Democratic leaders leaders leaders lead lead- ers to be In a different frame of or mind toward though IT there ar are groups among them One of or the is s Mrs Harriet Taylor Upton Upton Upton Up Up- ton former vice chairman of the Republican national committee It was Mrs 1 Upton's husband who failed of confirmation by the Sl senate senate sen- sen nate n- n ate for a federal trade commissionership commis- commis at Senator Pomerene's instigation in 1922 The wife who claims tl to have been scorned is now managing the Ohio Republican wo women's women's wo- wo 11 mens men's forces In Jn a desperate a desperate tempt to defeat Pomerene The latter's tatters victory in the recent Democratic senatorial over a woman rival Judge Florence Florer-ce K Allen of the Ohio supreme court has probably left lert some bleeding bleeding- feminine hearts behind and these of course willbe will willbe willbe be asked by Mrs Upton to beat in unison with hers that Pomerene may be undone and Willis Villis re- re elected OTH OTHER ER ANGLES r There are still other angles to the Ohio situation These will be dealt with in a subsequent dispatch from Columbus Governor Vic Don- Don ahey's citadel and from which too Senator Willis Willis' campaign Is being directed Willis Willis' portrayal forays are among the home folks in the small towns and on tire the farms where prohibition Is more of a re religion religion re- re ligion than In the wicked cities Willis has been handshaking and spellbinding for weeks at county fairs farmers' farmers picnics and town meetings and charming them as ashe ashe aslie he lie always has done with his picturesque pic- pic tur stump speeches booming eloquence and methods Pomerene has not yet taken the firing line He has been devoting himself elf uninterruptedly to the governments government's governments government's governments government's gov gov- oil cases which are to tobe tobe be argued in the United States su supreme supreme su- su u- u preme court at Washington on October October October Oc Oc- Oc- Oc tober 4 He thinks it will be October October October Oc Oc- Oc- Oc tober 7 or 01 8 before he can devote himself to his private political af af- fairs That will give the Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic senatorial candidate barfly barely KJ iI four four- weeks weeks-Jn k fn which to present present the the I case of l vs the Ohio el electorate iora te but bu t there is is' is every every indication i that what he lacks lacks- in time Vill be De fully made up up l In fe ferocity fe- fe e rocity of attack v Copyright |