Evening star., 1924-12-24
Official Election Returns.

Complete official returns Of the elec.
zion of November 4 do not fulfill the
expectations of those who were count.
ins on a large increase in the total
Vote and the percentage Of the eligible
vote. To be sure, there was an in.
crease, amounting to 2,20S.SS3 votes.
and an increase also in the percentage.
but the advance was not as marked In
either respect as was hoped. The ac-
tual ballots cast for Coolidge. Davis and
La Toilette were os,s2o,o7o. as against
2S,711,1S3 in 1920. In 1920 a small
traction over 49 per cent of the 54,165,-
907 eligible voters went to the polls.
In 1924 little less than 81 per cent of
rhe 26,646,273 eligibles cast their votes.
While this is the largest percentage
of eligible voters ever balloting for
President since the organization of
our Government it is by no means as
great a number as should go to the
polls in the supreme test Of public
will.
full analysis of the table Of popular
votes cast in November would show
some interesting facts in connection
with the "stay-at-home" disposition of
the franchise holders. 1t would show
conspicuously a small percentage of
eligible votes placed in the ballot boxes
in the Southern States. Two examples
may be cited. In Virginia the total
vote cast November was 222 .988 out
of total eligible vote Of 1,24s,4s2, or
less than Is per cent. In Florida 10l,-
34l votes were cast out Of a possible
552, ,424, or fraction over Is per cent.
In contrast with these two Southern
States are New York and Indiana. In
the former 3,245,75s votes were cast
out of 5.355,624 eligibles. or so per
cent plus. In Indiana 1,2Ss,967 votes
were cast out Of a possible I,772,5
or Il per cent.
Had the general ratio OF 81 per cent
Of the votes been maintained through
out the South the average for the
whole country would, of course, have
been much higher. But with the re.
suit of election assured in advance in
10 of the States there is small incen-
tive for the people to respond to the
summons to give expressions Of their
preference.
These complete official returns give
Mr.. Coolidge a popular plurality Of
f,339,S27, the largest ever given
presidential candidate. Yet Mr.. Cool
idge's total vote was 433, ,411 less than
that given to Mr.. Harding, who polled
16,152,200 votes. This was due to the
presence Of a third ticket in the field.
The vote for Davis, S37ss62. was
76S,313 less than that given to Cox in
1920. The sum of these two reductions
Of popular vote, that Of Coolidge un.
der Harding and that Of Davis under
Cox is 1.201,73o. The total La Fol-
lette vote was 4822,31s Assuming
that the 1,2o1,730 Of combined Repub-
lican and Democratic votes short from
the 1920 poll went to La Toilette, there
remain 3,620,5S8 votes to be accounted
for Of the La Toilette total. The in.
creased total vote over 1920 was 2,2os,-
Ss7. This leaves All, ,701 votes still to
be located Of those cast for La Fol.
Ntte. They probably came from the
scattering parties of 1920.
These Official figures will doubtless
afford material for speculative calcu-
lations with reference to the possibil.
ity of forming a third party with a
chance for success at the polls. Doubt
less computations Will be In order in
Progressive party councils between
now and the February meeting. when
decision is to be reached as to the con.
tinuation Of a party organization.