Evening star., 1924-10-19
German-American Vote Be-
ing Influenced Toward Cool
idge by NageYs Stand.
GOVERNORSHIP LIKELY
TO GO TO DEMOCRATS
La Toilette Expected to Cut Heav-
lily Into Both Parties. Making
Result Uncertain.
by q. GOULD LINCOLN,

= IL LOCIS, MO, OCTOBER 1s.-ln the
Davis-La Toilette coalition-conscious
or unconscious-to defeat Coolidge
next November 4, Missouri is one OF
the States which has been generally
assigned to the Democratic nominee.
1t has been generally assumed, too,
that La Follette's particular assist
ance to Mr.. Davis in Missouri would
be to split the Republican vote.
taking from the CooIidge-Dawes
ticket thousands of German-American
voters.
For weeks everything seemed to be
lovely-from this standpoint. But to
day the Democrats who have studied
the situation carefully have come to
the conclusion that they have a real
fight on their hands in this SHOW
me- State. The very fact that John
w. Davis is speaking here tonight
his second invasion of Missouri-in-
dicates this.
Democrats Lose Some.
In the first place, La Toilette Is
making a big dent in the Democratic
strength as well as in the Republican.
The organized labor voters who have
come over to La Toilette in large
Democratic. The Irish vote in ST.
Louis, which may largely go for La
Toilette, it is said, We're Democrats.
Out in some of the railroad centers,
like. Moberly, actual counts have
shown that the La Toilette support
ers are Overwhelmingly former Demo-
Gratis.
But real blow to the Democrats
and to the La Toilette hopes also.
= tI4 u IL
Wednesday by Charles Nagel. Secre-
tary of Commerce and Labor under
the Taft administration, declaring
that he intended to vote for Coolidge
and Dawes. 1t was all the more ef-
fective because it was unexpected.
Mr.. Nagel is one of the most widely
known and most prominent citizens
of German descent in the United
States. He has a large following
among the so-called German-Ameri
cans.
In the two days that have elapsed
since his statement was made the ei-
fects have become noticeable. OF
course, La Toilette will receive "A
very large number of German
American votes in Missouri But he
is not going to get as many as was
supposed Many of the German
Americans here feel that Mr.. Nagel
has clarified the atmosphere by his
plain statement of the political situa-
ton and his denunciation of the La
Toilette plan for taking away from
the Supreme Court of the United
States the final right to pass upon
the constitutionality of laws enacted
by Congress. There are others who
have not hesitated to denounce Mr..
NagerS position.
War Issue Revival Hurts.
Another factor which seems to he
changing the situation here is Senator
La Follette's st. Louis speech. There
is Il feeling that the Wisconsin Sena-
tor went too far in his discussion OF
war issues: that he opened old sores
in a way which will work against
him and force votes back into the
old parties. Many of the German
Americans in this city were in the
fighting forces of the United states
during the war. They and their
families do not like it to be made
to appear that they were not heart
and soul on the side of their country
during the war. 1t seems as though
Senator La Toilette had saved all
his ammunition dealing with the war
to be used in an effort to clinch the
German vote of st. Louis
for the Independent Progressive
ticket But the reports I hear today
are that he overplayed his hand.
The way the German-Americans OF
Missouri vote will largely determine
the outcome of the election November
4. and for that reason the details of
the fight are especially interesting.
The German-American vote in ST.
Louis and adjoining counties brought
about the reelection of Senator Jim
Reed, Democrat, two years ago, when
their party went for Reed by $4,000.
although the Republican ticket here
was successful.
Mr.. Nagel at that time was support
ing Senator Reed. The vote of the
German was cast for Reed,
because he was against the Versailles
treaty and Woodrow Wilson. 1t was
cast Just as it was cast for Harding
in 1920, as a protest against the VIII
son administration, under which the
United States had entered the war,
and under which many citizens of
German ancestry or birth had been
treated with suspicion, and some cast
into Jail.
Nagel speech AntidOte.
The La Toilette speech was OBJ
yiously an appeal to the passions and
prejudice of the German-Americans,
and the Nagel statement came as an
answer to this appeal. The La Fol-
even some of the German Americans
are admitting.
John w. Davis is being pictured to
the German Americans as right
hand man of Woodrow Wilson, a
friend of the Versailles treaty and
League of Nations. They are being
told that if they vote for La Toilette.
and thereby make it possible for
Davis to- carry Missouri, they will be
doing their part toward throwing the
election of a President in Congress,
with the probability that Davis will
then be chosen Chief Executive, and,
If not him, Gov. Bryan.
There are a great many German
American business men in st. Louis
and they are likely to follow MIR.
Nagel. They, like other business
men. look askance at the possibility
of throwing the election of a Presi-
dent into Congress and deplore the
period of uncertainty which must
follow.
The Democrats have chance to
carry Missouri, don't mistake me-
But instead of claiming the State by
100, 900 or more. as they were doing.
more commemorative them