Evening star., 1924-10-19
Continued from First Page


the support of a solid Democratic
party in the Senate. because of
Democratic Senators who cannot
Tolerate his views. However. all
TINS is more or less persifiage, be-
cause the signs are classed as
pointing to Coolidge and Dawes at
the polls "on the first ballot"
IL may seem rather an anomaly
TO talk of some Democrats being
party to conspiracy with the
La Follettes to throw the prize
to Bryan and other Democrats in
tent upon voting for Coolidge out
right to head off the possibility
of Bryan, but there are evidences
that both conceptions are in the
air. In fact. it is believed in many
political quarters that already
thousands Of Democrats have
made up their minds that they will
take no chances on the Bryan
menace. but will cinch the thing
by voting the straight Coolidge
ticket and have done with it.
The attempted La Toilette
bombshell about an alleged "slush
fund" raised by the Republicans
to buy the election appears to
have proven a "dud." The inves-
tigation of the Borah committee
has not developed the existence
of an excessive campaign expense
fund. To be sure, the Republicans
have raised a larger fund than the
La Follettes, but there is Joker
in the La Toilette statement.
tS L hot
people have raised large sums
through their constituent organi-
cations. There were the suit and
cloak makers in New York, who
raised half a million dollars in
one sum. 1t is suspected that the
labor people. especially the rail-
way brotherhoods, are turning in
money from their organizations
and that possibly some of the
farmers organizations are doing
likewise. Now, these contribu-
tions are made to State campaign
committees and are not amenable
to question by the Federal investi-
gators. They are used in the
States where they are donated
and can never be checked up.
Possibly some Republican and
Democratic contributions are
made and dispensed in like man
ner and perhaps the country will
never know how much money was
spent in this campaign.
X X * X
Anyhow. there is a great deal
Of buncombe in all his talk about
buying of elections. 1t is not
done on a large scale any longer.
The old blocks Of five" game has
gone into the discard, because for
one reason. if no other, it is not
workable in these days of the
white light Of publicity. The poll
ticians who might be so disposed
cant get away with it,
X \ + X
New York politics is warming
up over the presidency and the
governorship. Gov. Alfred E.
by reviving the wet and dry ques-
tion and injecting new life into it.
He reiterates his demand that
Congress amend the Volstead act
as to the alcoholic content of
beverages to permit the manu-
faoture and use OF light wines and
Of 2.75 beer, with the provision >
that the States can prohibit their
use If they so legislate.
He taunts the Republicans with
being hypocrites, alleging that Re-
publican politicians feel as he
does upon the subject, but lack
the courage Of their convictions
and are being content with clam
oring for enforcement of the law.
Gov. Smiths new crusade for wine
and beer has reopened the dry
issue and the effect is expected to
be to tifhten up the dry vote and
bring Col Roosevelt recruits from
upstate.
X \ \ X
Vigorous efforts continue to be
made by the two old parties to
throw or the strangle hold which
the executive council of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor sought
to give Senator La Toilette on
the labor vote.
The Democrats recently en-
listed in their cause in efforts to
hold Democratic labor to its moor
ings Maj. Berry of the Printing
Pressmen's Union, and one-time
candidate for tho Democratic
Arssidentia4 n0minAtion, Who -