The Washington times., 1924-09-24
ELECTORS To 60
ON STATE
BALLOTS
Progressives, surmount Diff
CuIties in Achieving
Representation

La Toilette Presidential electors
will be on the ballot in every State
in the Union, according to an SIl-
nouncenient made by the American
Federation of Labor through Mat.
thew Vol, vice president and meul-
her of the Non-Partisan Campaign
Committee. Vermont, 1t was an
nounced, was the last State to re-
port success
This is regarded as tremen.
dous achievement" the American
Federation of Labor statement said,
because of the great difficulties
that had to be overcome and bs.
cause Of the shortness of time.
Hundreds Of thousands of signatures
had to be secured. 1t was pre-.
dicted at the outset by conservative
] politicians of opposing camps that 1t
would be practically impossible for
La Toilette electors to be placed
on the forty.eight State ballots. BIT
it has been done.
] 1.-THE achievement has had its
( great dramatic side as well as it's
infinite amount of plain hard work
Also it has had the benefit of the
wise generalship of Senator La
Toilette, whose good judgment has
untangled many difficulties.
| 1.-THE American Federation of Ia.
Dor regards the filing Of the petit.
lions for La Toilette electors sue
cessfully in all forty-eight States
as the greatest single achievement
Of the campaign. 1t was pioneer
work throughout blowing new
ground, fighting over obstacles that
have never before been encounter
ed and overcome and with no grca:
Organization except the trade union
movement to start work when the
word was given to get busy. An
example Of trade union effectiveness
was encountered in Rhode Island,
where the unions had the who's
machinery in readiness to move
when the word was given.
"In Arizona 1t was necessary to
secure signatures Of per cent OF
the vote last cast for governor
Connecticut required / per cent OF
the last Presidential vote and it
was necessary in each case for the
signer to have his residence address
certified. Delaware required 25C
names Of each Of fifty counties
Florida required signatures OF
twenty-five voters from each county
in the State, and no person who at
tended a party convention OF
participated in a primary could sign
petitions. Idaho, one Of the thinly
settled States. required the sigma
lures Of 5000 voters. Kansas re
quired signatures Of 1000 voters
Montana required per cent of the
vote for the successful candidate OF
the last election, and Nevada, an
other thinly settled State, required
10 per cent Of the total vote cas-;
in the last election.
Difficulties Numerous.
I'm New York state it was
necessary to secure 10000 signatures
and not less thar fifty in each
county in the State. North Caro-
lima presented difficulties not only
because Of the shortness of the
time but because Of the require
ment for signatures for 10 per cen
of the non-partisan State vote from
the last election. In Texas / pei
cent Of the entire vote in the las
general election was required, anC
1t was required that each signel
show a poll tax receipt or exemp
ton certificate and be q non
partisan voter.
In California 10000 persons had
to sign the petitions. each writing
his or her name fourteen times
Practically all of these signatures
were secured at Labor Day gather
ings by union workers.
I'm South Carolina 1t was neces
sary to get signatures in every cleo
ton district.
| tsrThn ixNfiaNkn ~,.~.A.-
ments that had to be met in the
various States were analysed by al
able corps Of lawyers who worket
night and day. It was necessary Il
be ever watchful to see that no un
qualified person signed, because on,
FAULTY signature would have invali
dated the entire petition. No petit
ton has been thrown out for tina
or any other reason.
In many cases sharp practice ha,
TO be met and circumvented, be
cause representatives of the Reput
llcan and Democratic parties wer
not in a mood to welcome La Fol
iette opposition with open arms.
Time Element.
"The West was the most Difficult
section OF the country in which t
meet the requirements. The dis
tances are great between communi
ties and the time for filing in thos
States was shorter. But the energ,
and facilities of the union worker
: made success possible after June IL
"As one observer has put It, thi
. was task that took the La Follett
+ campaign right to the people. /
Q was a case of getting right to tn
{ folks everywhere. In old part,
: campaigns all of this work-an
with them no such vast detail 1
l. necessary-is attended to by part,
= leaders. Places as electors are hand
4 ed out as rewards for party services
La Toilette has in every case r.
fused to profit by opportunities t
8 take over the Republican ma
chinery. In some cases this ha
I undoubtedly lost him votes of tn
kind that are cast automatically fo
party designation, but it has bee
splendid tribute to his politica
! integrity.
q That the La Toilette ticket is OF
every ballot is the main thing an,
It is significant in no small sens
: or the national state OF mind an,
/, the national determination for