The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1923-06-22

find way out. Already it has been
informally suggested that treaties be
made with each foreign nation by
which the United States would be
given the right of search within twelve
miles of its coast in return for modifi-
cation Of the. dry ship rule. What
would be the attitude of other govern
ments toward such proposition is not
known, but the comment Of the British
press is decidedly unfavorable. Any
how, it is admitted in Washington that
this plan does not offer an early solu-
ton of the problem, for senate ratifica-
tion of the treaties would be necessary
and the senate does not convene until
December.
MIR. LASKER, retiring chairman of
AVA the shipping board, received the
o. X. of President Harding for the
trial trip of the Leviathan with its
600 invited guests, and the Republicans
who decried the affair as a useless and
expensive junket have fallen silent.
Not so the Democrats, however. Their
national committee already has full
minated against the trip, and probably
it will be kept alive as campaign ma
terial. There, if anywhere, lies its
inadvisability.
TN HIS final report to the President,
= Mr.. Lasker recommends the crea-
ton of eighteen subsidiary corpora
tions each to control one Of the con-
solidated ship routes, as the basis of
government operation of the federal
merchant marine in case the efforts to
transfer the ships to private operation
finally fail. The government must as
sumo complete control, Mr.. Lasker de-
clares, the system of operation agents
having proved in his opinion "vicious
one" resulting in the placing of its
terminal facilities and the good will
of its lines in outside hands. He ex-
presses the opinion, however, that gov
eminent operation should always be
with q view to ultimate sale to private
owners.
The chairman numbered among the
material results of his administra-
ton: Settlement of claims aggregat-
ing $20O,0OO,000 for "12 cents on the
dollar" and, reduction Of current def
icit from $16,OO0,OO0 to 100000 a
month. At the end Of the fiscal year,
he says, the board will have $125, 00O.-
600 Oh deposit in the treasury against
S4,OOO,OOO when he took Office. This
sum is believed to be sufficient for
the board construction financing, the
report says.
HENRY FORD, it is now reported,
L L is going to make the race for the
presidency all by himself instead Of
as the head Of third party ticket. He
is quoted as saying: "There will be
four tickets in the 1924 election: The
Republican ticket, the Democratic
ticket, third party ticket and the
Henry Ford Independent ticket. No
candidate is likely to get majority Of
the electoral vote and the election
probably will be thrown into the house
of representatives"
There are 531 votes in the electoral
college, and if the two old parties are
fairly evenly matched in the 1924 cleo
ton and the third or the Ford ticket
Won one large state or two or three
smaller ones no candidate would have
majority and the election would be.
thrown into the house of representa-
tiyes of the SiXty-eighth congress. In
this case the Constitution provides that
the house shall choose the President
from the candidates, not exceeding
three, receiving the highest number of
electoral votes. In making this choice,
however. the house is required to vote
by states, each state delegation hav-
ing one vote, determined by a majority
of the members of the delegation. A
quorum shall be one or more members
from each Of two-thirds of the states,
and "a majority of all states shall be
necessary to choice Thus at least
% votes would be required to elect.
1t happens that in the next house
there are only % state delegations
whose majority is Republican and 20
state delegations whose majority is
Democratic. while FIVE delegations
evenly divided between Republicans
and Democrats would not be able to
cast vote. To effect an election 1t
would be necessary for members in
pivotal state delegations TO repudiate
party affiliations or absent themselves
from the ballotlng. If there were a
deadlock, and Ford were one of the
three highest in the electoral college
vote. he might conceivably be chosen
nv the house rs compromise.