Evening star., 1920-09-13
HARDING IS LEAST
OBJECTIONABLE TO
'NON-PART|SAN VOTE
Careful Sounding Shows Re-
publican Will Probably Get
Northwest States.
BY n. O. MESSENGER.

What about Wisconsin, Minnesota
tisan leaguers and the socialists and
the bolsheviki? Careful soundings
made in the reliable channels of in
formation flowing to Chicago fur
nish reports of the stage of the wa
ter sand bars, snags and other OBJ
there are more political cross cur
rents, tide rips and undertows than
abound in the He'll Gate passage in
the East river.
But here is the big. outstanding
fact. that in all the complex local
tisan League and like movements the
underlying drift is toward the re-
publican presidential ticket. and at
any rate adverse to the democrats.
Even the socialists have thumbs down
for the democratic ticket. 1t is not
that the non-partisan leaguers love
the republicans, but they have to do
business with them to keep their own
footing. They take Harding as the
least Objectionable of two alterna-
tives.
watching " "fSc0NStn.
Wisconsin is for the hour more
earnestly in the thought and anxiety
of the democratic and republican man.
ayers than the other states of the
group. In the bitter fight at the pri-
maries between Senator La Toilette
and Senator Lenroot over the sena-
torial nomination the democrats
founded high hope of the creation of
factional troubles among the repub-
1ias1 hi fo1, ,trrl, 70 ha hov
eft of the democratic ticket. 1t is
too early to be cocksure that they
may not realize some of these tcrd
expectations. since Senator La Fol-
lette has not yet announced his course
in November.
they can count on Senator La Toilette
splitting the vote in November. For
one thing. he nominated his man for
governor. while the other repuDii-
cans re-nominated their man for United
ta s,tes ssnaoE La roets in soPisnds ns as
sire to carry the state ticket. will
be for counseling detection to the
senatorial or presidential tickets.
Two could play at that game and the
ether side could do some scratching
Another considera ton is the fact.
demonstrated upon more than one
occasion in the past-one as recent az
two years ago-that while Senator
La Toilette is invincible in Wiscon-
he has not uniformly been able to-
swing the state to another candi-
date Of his choice.
Factions for G. o. r.
Information comes from Wiscon-
sin today from source that can be
vouched for as to both it's value and
sincerity that in the main the fac
f<,n5 ~ hA sx AoA
are sound on the republican presi-
Dental ticket: that IL they engage in
any little knife-play or sniping on
election day it will be confined to
their local and state issues and can
didates and not extend to the presiden-
tial ticket.
The only thing which could alter
this probability would be downright
announcement by Senator La Toilette
Of a bolt from the republican nation
would be qualified by the aforemen-
toned question of how far he might
be able to lead the rank and file of
his following away from the nation
al ticket.
Democrats Cast Down by Ruling.
Democratic managers here were
somewhat cast down by the decision
Saturday in overruling the lower
court and declaring Representative
volstead not the republican candi-
date in the seventh Minnesota con-
gressional district Briefly stated, the
case was this: The lower court had
disqualified the man who beat Vol
stead for the nomination. the Rev. o.
J. Kvale. and held that Volstead was
the nominee.
That decision raised terrible
tempest OF protest in the state. While
not protesting against the dfsouali-
tying Of kvale, thousands of them re-
sented the court announcing Volstead
as the candidate. 1t is a fact that
the republican managers in the state
were alarmed lest it would affect the
national ticket. and the democrats
were delighted. This cause Of fric-
ton is now removed. The state COM
mfttee Will select the candidate and
can be depended upon. it is declared
to pick man who will be acceptable
to all factions
In Minnesota. the PartIsa,
League. in an effort to capture the
republican organization. symbols and
presidential electors They make no
bones of saying that they are espe-
cially enamored of Harding's can
didacy. but they want to beat Cox and
the democratic administration. finding
TINS course the best way to attempt
IT. When it comes to their own state
ticket 1t Is another question and they
will play their own hand there.
North Dakota Situation.
In North Dakota the Non-Partisan
League is operating in the name of
the republican party and will support
the Harding presidential electors. The
league Is fearing a revolution against
it led by the Independent Voters AS
sociation. but 80 per cent of that out
fit is credited with being friendly to
the republican national ticket
DR.. Ladd, who beat Senator Gronna
for the nomination for the United
States Senate. will. If elected, vote
with the republicans on the organiza-
ton of the Senate. but after that
look out; he has a radical program of
his own.
In South Dakota the conditions are
very similar to those obtaining in
North Dakota and Minnesota Both
parties, however, suffer from lack Of
organization among the women and
in perspective the feminine vote is a.
dinavians are all blondes