New Britain herald., 1924-07-21
BRYAN'S CHANCE FOR
 PRESIDENCY SMALL
House Democrats Would Prefer Coolidge and Republicans Davis
Rf GEORGE n MANNING,

Ndshihstphl ii' At, Juls =ls4 N"i
 vithstanding the predictions nf the
 veteran political "dopsslors," the
 chances for Charles w. Bryan, demo-
 cratic vice. presidential nominee, be-
 coming next president Of the United
 States are almost infinitely small,
 even if the election goes 10 the
 house Of representatives,
 Throwing the election ta the house
 by the failure of any candidate 10 rd'
 eei.e majority Of the electoral votes,
 would vastly improve the chances for
 the election Of John W. Davis, rather
 than lead inevitably to inc position
 falling to Bryan by virtue of his
 election as vice. president hy the
 senate and the inability Of the house to make a choice,
 For some reason, in every rredic-
 ton that has becn made in this con
 neetion, it has been taken for granted that the house will be unable 10
 make any choice for president from the candidates for that office. because Of the fact that neither party has majority Of the state delegations.
 On examination Of the situation, however. now that tho tickets have been defnietly named. the possibility Of Davis election by the house seems to be equally as good as Bryan's by the senate.
 When an election goes to tho house, the three candidates receiving the greatest number Of votes in the electoral college are voted on, each state delegation casting one vote. A majority, or 25 votes. is necessary for . choice.
 As has been pointed out nnumer- able times in recent months, there are in the present house of representa- tives 23 state delegations in which republicans are In the majority, twenty in which the democrats con trol and five in which neither party has a majority. From these figures, 1t is stated as an accepted fact that neither candidate could receive the votes of twenty five states.
 But if the contest gets to congress, and the senate elects Bryan as vice president. or it is apparent that he will be elected by that body, why should the regular od-line conserva- tive republicans in the house force the presidential mantle about his shoulders by tying up the house with fruitless votes for Coolidge? Would not the republican party leaders pre- fer to put in the, White House by the votes Of republican delegations John W. Davis, so-called Wall Street attor- ney considered by many as conserva- tive as Coolidge, rather than Charles ". Bryan, whose political record | makes his name odious to the big | business interests that dominate the | republican party?
 Tn cold fact, it would be entirely possible for mere handful of eastern republicans to throw five ad- ditionel states into the democratic | column to effect the election of Davis. | In the state of New Jersey for ex- ample. which has six republicans and six democrats in the house, one republican could throw the states vote to Davis. Similarly in Nary land. where the division is three and three: New Hampshire, where there is one member from each party; Rhode Island, where there are two
 
 This particular combination could be blocked, perhaps, by one or more western states, nominally democratic, throwing their votes to LaFolette to offset the republican Davis votes. But If the dominant leadership of the republican party were set on the elec- ton Of Davis as last resort to pre- vent the presidency falling to Bryan, they could control sufficient state { delegations to elect the West Vir- ginian in spite of everything the La { Toilette element could do. From the fact that the republicans { nave majorities in 23 states, only two snort Of the necessary majority, it ( might seem that there would be equal : or greater likelihood of eastern demo- ' crats turning to Coolidge rather than l soc Bryan, who is by no means a party hero to many eastern demo- crats, become president. But the framers Of the 12th amendment to the constitution, which provides for The election of president, ,nwitting- " LOOK care of this situation many years ago. For, while that article prescribes that in the event of no vice. presidential candidate receiving majority of votes in the electoral college the senate shall choose a vice. president from the two candidates receiving the most votes, the house is allowed to vote for the three candi- hates for president receiving the most votes. And in this congress- the sl1p- porters Of Senator la Toilette, who MI be the third candidate, can con .rol four or five of the o5 states lsted as republican. leaving Mir. Cool age short by half dozen Of the necessary majority. As is ve1 snoWn, there are not half dozen sastern states in which democratic representatives. are in the ma ioritv. ma none Of the southern states could yell he expected to switch to Cool dge even If such action vouId no, 'e petraying their party ticket.
 Republicans, however. might vcI1 ast their votes for Daris to preyent nc selection of Bryan without being ccused of betraying their party. for heir party is tho party of business. nd nothing could he worse betrs,- j or business than to allow tte rother Of William Jennings Bryan to ecupy the White House for four