Evening star., 1924-09-03
VOTERS CONSIDER
DEADLOCK RESULT
Discussion Centers Around
Combinations if Candidates
Fail Of Majority.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Judging by reports received from
al. parts Of the country the voters
are discussing among themselves
exactly what would happen if none
OF the three presidential candidates
Coolidge, Davis or La Follette-re-
ceived q. majority of the electoral
votes.
This discussion is in part natural
because the race is three-cornered
but it is to certain extent being
stimulated by the strategy Of both
the Coolidge and Davis supporters
The Republicans are already usiCe
1t as a means of getting votes and
the Democrats are even more Jealous
in their adaptation of it to their ad.
vantage.
The Republicans are saying tha,
II the elecr on is thrown into the
House of Representatives. for de-
clsioL, as is provided If no candidate
receives majority of electoral
votes. then in case of a deadlock in
the House the Senate may choose q
wee President by the name OF
Charles w. Bryan. through a. coali-
tlon of La Follette Republicans and
Democrats. and a radical would he
core president of the United States
rms thought is most unwelcome in
the conservative areas of the coun.
Try. especially the East, where Bry-
anlsm for generation has been re-
pudiated at the polls.
How to Eliminate BRYAN.
But the Democrats are contendine
the exact opposite in talking with
conservatives. namely, that the way
70 prevent the selection of Bryan is
10 support Davis either at the polls
or in the House of Representatives
FOR example, if no candidate has re-
ceived majority of the electoral
votes on November 4, Congress will
De convened in regular session in De-
rember or can be called into special
session even earlier. The House has
untll March 4 to pick a President
During the three months of discus
sion the conservatives of the country
VINO would be opposed to the selec-
uon OF Bryan as a vice presidential
candidate will be urging the selec-
uon of President Coolidge. If the
Democrats remain obdurate there will
oe deadlock in the House. because
the State delegations are about even
ly divided as between the Democrats
and Republicans, and there could be
no majority of the States cast for any
candldate. as is necessary under the
Constitution, unless some of the La
toilette Republicans assist Presden
Coolidge or vote for John w. Davis.
Conservative Coalition.
The conservative Republicans could
OF course. unite with the Democrats
TOO. and select Davis and thus prevent
the elevation of Charles w. Bryan to
the presidency. The country and Con-
gross Will have three months in which
to think about the kind of President
10 b" selected. But the sequel of an
election thrown into the House OF
Representatives is not ueceSSarily V
Bryan. II may he Davis and il may
hc Coolidge. The conservative Demo
Gratis and conservative Republicans in
combination in the Senate could pick
thdrleS q. Dawes as Vice President IL
th"r didn want Bryan and If the
House We're deadlocked as between
Coolidge, Davis and La Follctte
All this may sound remote. but it
Is becoming concretcly near at hand
every day as the possibility OF d
d"adlo"k is visualZed. The theory
that Il radical will he President is
based only upon the idea that the con
SerNattves of the country. Repub-
hranS and Democrats, would be so
hostile to an agreement on Coolidge
or Davis that they would deliberately
permit the Senate to make d choice
of Vice President. 1t is also based
on the thought that the Democrats in
such contingency would hold their
strength in the Senate to Bryan and
would win the La Toilette Repub-
Hcans to their side.
ii the conservative Republicans
really considered John w. Davis pref
erab BILE TO a radical they could agree
I" support him in the House on the
pledge that Charles G.. Dawes would
he given Democratic support in the
Senate for Vice President Were
there really conservative combina-
ton in both parties the ticket of
Davis and Dawes would not be i'm
possible of selection at all. But is
John W. Davis going to be aligned
with the conservatives when the
\campaign is overo His advocacy of
certain principles close to the La Fol-
lette platform may be designed at
The moment to corral radical votes
IN the general electorate, but it NAV
also operate to make him closer to the
La Toilette Republicans in the House
than is President Coolidge.
The La Toilette group will hold the
palance or power. If they We're assur-
cd Of a voice in the next administra-
tion and of working coalition with
the Democrats as occurred in the
last session of Congress, in both
houses, they may prefer Davis to
Coolidge. 1t such overtures are in
cnectual they will naturally help
keep the situation deadlock ed in the
House in the hope of having Cha rIes
w. Bryan selected as Vice President
ana that means the presidency on
March 4 if the House has failed to
choose a President before that date
Those three months after November
would mean a breakdown in party
lines and consideration by the con-
serratives of whether they should
combine either for Coolidge or for
Davis and checkmate the radical as
cendancy in the Senate.
AS II stands today. both the Cool
Idge and Davis spokesmen can make
out plausible argument to get votes
SO as to prevent the election from
being thrown into the House of Rep
resentatives