The Coconino sun., 1924-10-17
WASHINGTON LETTER

WASHINGTON, D. c., Oct. 16.-I
The most interesting political deyel- |
opment of the past week has been es-
tablishment of the fact that the Bry-
ans, William j. and Bro. Chas., are
not playing square with John Davis.
The temptation to VIM. ]. Bryan to
throw the election into the house and
senate, growing out of the knowledge
that the senate undoubtedly would
finally elect his little brother Chas., 1
n;ls proved too much for one who
knows that despite his repeated eff
forts to be president himself there is
now no possibility of his achieving his
ambition, but that he might put his
little brother there and that if he did,
the once peerless leader could exercise
as much power as if he were president
himself. As secretary of state to his
brothers presidency, VIM. Jennings
Bryan would be closer to being actual
chief executive then he can ever be in
any other way. Out on the west coast,
accordingly, VIM. J. gave an interview
urging "progressives" in states they
believed LaFollette could carry more
easily than Davis to vote for LaFol-
lette and Wheeler and, of course, to
vote for Davis in states they believed
he could carry. When: they discovered
this interview the friends of Davis
took fright and took the once peerless
cne to task, so he promptly made a
speech urging all progressives to vote
for Davis. But, the Davis leaders are
now asking each other, while Bryan
nay refrain from any more public ut
terances of this kind, how much I'M
fluence will he exert privately on
those still susceptible to his leader
ship?
There is evidence that Chas. Bryan
is playing the same game. The press
sure of public duties as governor of
Nebraska" has been his excuse for not
making a real, honest goodness
campaign for Davis. He has been
called to the Chicago headquarters,
where the riot act was read to him..
And he promised to be good. But will
he2 He has promised to make
speeches for Davis wherever he may
be needed. He has assured the Davis
leaders that he will play fair and, to
hide evidence of split in the party,
the leaders have assured the dear
public there is nothing to the reports
of disloyalty and ffriction-as
which the intelligent portion of the
dear public will take cum grano sails.
LaFollette is posing as martyr
because the California courts have
ruled that his electors can appear on
the ballot only under the socialist
caption. just why LaFollette, who is
and long has been a socialist posing
as republican, should so seriously
object is hardly clear, unless, it is be-
cause he believes he can make some
political capital out of the martyr
role. Nevertheless, it is unfortunate
that the law should be such that the
courts could not give him his own
way. No one deplores the necessity
under which tie court found itself
more than President Coolidge. Il rec
ogn1ze that it is The privilege of our
voters to support anyone they wish
st the polls, and | feel that the law
should not lie drawn for the purpose
of preventing such action" said Mr.
Coolidge when told of the situation
ard he expressed the same view re-
garding the situation in Louisiana.
LaFollette is trying to disarm criti-
cism of his attack on the constitution,
his proposal that a majority of con-
gFeSS Bf1v OVeF-fuIo a majority OF Lne
supreme court, by saying he is only
for constitutional amendment so
providing But LaFollette insists that
when the supreme court declares a law
of congress unconstitutional, the court |
usurps the power of congress. Now
suppose Toilette, holding that view,
were elected president and the SUI
premc court declared law of con-
gress unconstitutional. LaFollette, be-
lieving it's declaration usurpation of |
power, coul0 not i'll conscience uphold
the court. The court has no power to |
enforce its mandates. That rests with
the president, the commander in chief I
of the military forces. Thus it would |
become the sworn duty of LaFolletta |
to repudiate the decision of the court t
because that would be upholding the |
constitution, according to his concep-
ton Of the constitution, which, in his |
inauguration uath, he had sworn to
uphold.
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