Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-07-29
LA TOILETTE PARTY ELECTION
STRENGTH UNKNOWN FACTOR

unions are not for him and that as
yet labor unions can not be used as
This lack OF organization is gen
orally regarded as the best answer
to the question as to. whether La
Toilette really has chance. 1t
could be offset only by vertabIe
tidal wave of public sentiment ana
while the senator has a following
there is no indication of its assum
ing epoChal proportions. No one,
suggests that La Toilette has any
thing like the personal strength that
Roosevelt commanded in his third
party venture, and Roosevelt was
able only to poll votes enough to
make Woodrow Wilson president
with 435 votes out of the 531 cast
in the electoral college.
A Party of Discomfort
A new party is always a party Of
discomfort for it must be formed by
the dissatisfied elements in one or
both of the maor parties. In seek
ing to arrive at some idea of La Fol
Iettes potential strength, therefore,
it must be first ascertained how
much unrest and discomfort there is
at present in the United States, and
that can not be known definitely UNI
til the votes are counted next No
ven1ber. That both political and
economic discomfort exist in the
country is not to be gainsaid.
However, it is contended by
thoughtful observers that there is
nothing in present-day conditions to
arouse political discomfort to revo-
lutionary proportions. There have
been bad things in the administra-
ton of government affairs, but moth
ing sufficiently bad to provoke
storm of popular Indignation and
nothing that would necessarily be
perpetuated by a return to power of
the Democrats or by continuing the
Republicans in power.
1t is also pointed out that econom-
ic conditions are improving. With
the prices of farm products adj
vancing steadily and with business
dency will be for economic discon.
under a benign and warming spring
sun. Thus voters who have been
dissatisfied with the way the old
parties have run things, and who
are now talking third party, may
decide when they get in the voting
booth next November that perhaps
conditions haven't been so bad after
all. And those who have been suf-
fering from low prices, slack bust
ness, unemployment and other
economic ills may conclude that if
things are on the mend they do not
want to vote for a complete upset
such as might follow the success of
the third party movement.
Another thing that may contribute
to La FolIettes proving to be not
such a serious unknown quantity is
a general understanding and APP
praisal of Just what it means to the
country to have the bloc system in
congress instead of the time-teSted
two party system, People are GER
tain to be asking themselves if they
want to give Robert Marion La Fol
lette the veto power in all matters
of national legislation.
For that is what the bloc system
as it is developing in this country
means. La Toilette or another lead
er of the balance of power minority
is not able to- say what legislation
shall be enacted, but he can say
what legislation shall not be en-
acted, unless it is of such character
that Republicans and Democrats are
united in support of it.
The constitution entrusts the veto
power to the president of, the Unit
ed States. 1t is a somewhat eNraor-
binary state of affairs that it
should in effect be placed in other
hands without any change in the
nations organic law.
In the impending campaign
voters are certain to hear a great
deal about this question, and it may
come to be one of the big issues
upon which the election will turn