Evening star., 1924-10-28
PRESIDENT TO WIN
MODE ISLAND VOTE
Democrats, Divided Over Al
Smith Failure, Lose Chance
to Put Davis Over.
p1 DAVID LAWRENCE.

PROVIDENCE, r. l., October Is
This is one of the States with which
the Democrats have been in hopes
they would break the solid Republl-
can strength of the East. Here -four
ished the Al Smith sentiment and Il
militant democraCv. If the New YORK
Governor had been nominated, IT
would have heen close race. AS 1t
is Rhode Island can be regarded as
safe for Coolidge. though, perhaps,
by a smaller ratio than four years
ago.
Industrial conditions have not been
all t.fat might be desired. yet Cool
idge is ahead Why? Because disaf-
fectcd voters have a place other than
the Democratic party through which
to utter their protest3 The third
Marty vote in this State will be con-
siderable, and most all of II will come
from the ranks of the Democrats
The klan has made its appearance
here, hut both Republican and Demo-
cratic State conventions have adopted
aerong planks in denunciation Of that
order.
senate Fight Bitter.
The State of Rhode Island. how
ever. is far more Interested in its
senatorial fight than anyth ng else
Jesse H. Metcalf. a member of one
which owns textile properties as well
as pow Crfui morning and afternoon
newspaper in Providence, is akinE
the race fer the Republican ticket
while Gov Flynn is the Democratic
nominee for the Senate to succeed
the late Senator Colt. The Demo
Gratis have been holding plenty of
rallies and are we'll organized. Not
only have they been anxious to win
hs hIIt haU
to retain control of the State Offices.
The indictment of the Republican
State chairman for alleged completely
in the gassing of members of the
LEGISLATURE. coupled with the gem
eral warfare that has ensuei since
that event. made the Democrats feel
that they had a real chance this
year. But they came back from the
Madison Square Garden convention
more or less discouraged.
John W. Davis is being given the
organization support. but he is not
winning the same enthusiasm that the
other candidates on the State or SEN
atoral ticket seem to he getting
Davis probably will run behind
them. although La Toilette will be
third in Rhode Island.
Attitude Of Irish.
The Democrats OF Irish extraction
are divided here. as in Connecticut
with many of them alienated on ac-
count of Davis stand in favor of the
League of Nations, and others argu-
ing that any one who can be popular
At the court of St James cannot be
sympathetic with the Irish. The or
Eanization leaders, of course. are not
always in a position to sweep aside
such notions, however i'll founded
they may be.
But the cold fact is that Rhode Is
land Democrats had another idol in
their minds for 1924. and when he
was not nominated they felt unhappy
over the substitute. Few of the
Democratic candidates ever mention
the name of Davis or the national
ticket in their speeches, except oc-
casionaily. and then in casual way
They almost never refer to Charles
W. Bryan. This is territory where
the nomination Of Brvan did as much
As any one thing to drive the con-
servative Democrats into the arms of
Coolidge Republicanism. The strate-
gists Of the Republican campaign.
aided by friendly press, have spread
the idea that the election might get
tied up in the House of Representa-
tives and that Bryan might be the
choice for President To avoid such
a contingency. large numbers of
Democrats are deserting their party
this time.
Disregard of Facts
It's curious how the Bryan idea has
become bogey. Although the House
OF Representatives would have three
months in which to decide whether it
would prefer to name Davis or allow
the Senate choice of Vice Presid ent
to occupy the presidency, the idea
seems fixed in the minds of many
people that the Republican conserva-
tiveS who detest Bryanism, would sit
idly by and permit the Senate to name
a President.
Just why in Republican New Eng
land, where Calvin Coolidge is strong
est, there should develop the fear that
the election is so close as to bring
about deadlock in the House of Rep
resentatives, is another Incompetent
sible thing, for usually when a can
didate is strong in one section the
people imagine he is equally strong in
other sections. The only conclusion
which seems warranted is that the
Republican managers have done a
good job of soaring the electorate in
these parts, and they not only have
retained the Republican vote, but ac-
quired much of the Democratic con-
servative strength. The vote for Cool
idge this year will be true index of
the power of the conservatives, for
they have drawn from all sides to the
one standard Of "thingS as they are"