Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-10-02

delegations OF 20 states, while % state
delegations have Republican majori
ties. In 5 other states the repre-.
sentation is evenly divided, and those
states would have no vote TO cast
Those states are Maryland, Montana,
Nebraska, New Hampshire and New
Jersey.
Some Not Regular
The % states showing nominal Re.
publican majority might NOT an vote
for Coolidge. There are a few where
the Republieanlsm Of some representa-
tives is open to question. ana If La
Toilette should carry those states, it
is not unlikely that their Votes in the
house would 50 70 IaFoliette, despite
the Republican label horne hy such
congressman. Should any of these
states vote for LaEolletge. on IL the
states should vote as they line up
on paper 20 Democratic - Repub-
lican, and unable to vote, no
choice could be made, as p states are
needed to elect the President
Attention would then center en- the
senate. Here the state rule does not
apply Each senator of the 96 has
a separate vote. For a quorum, two
thirds of the 96 must be present, or
GA, and FOR a choice Of vice president,
bare majority, or 40, is necessary.
However in the senate only two
candidates FOR vice president having
the highest showing In the electoral
college mas be voted for, aud this
would narrow the choice down to Gen
eral Dawes and Governor Bryan.
Present Situation important
AS the present senate would select,
the situation there now is important.
There are nominally 81 Republican
senators, but this number includes La
Toilette of Wisconsin and Brookhart
of Iowa. and others who of late have
seldom voted with the Republicans.
Forty-three senators are listed as
Democrats, and two, Ladd and Frazier,
are listed as Farmer-Laborites
If Bryan can hold the AZ Democratic
senators In line and get the votes of
the two Farmer-Labor senator's, this
would give him a nucleus Of AS votes.
BY securing four of the so-called Re
publicans, such as Brookhart and La
Toilette, this majority would put into
the White House a man for whom the
American people had not voted for
President, and who would be minor
ity choice.
If Bryan could secure only the 43
Democratic senators, the two Farmer
Labor senators, and three such men
as LaFollette, the election would be
deadlocked, and the country thrown
into state of chaos never before
faced. Throwing the election into the
congress would Of itself have terrific
effect upon business and industry the
country over, causing wave of de-
preston which would affect everyone.
as this would cause months of uncer-
tainty before a choice by the congress
was attempted. II, on top of this, the
senate should get into deadlock as
the house is certain to, the depres-
sion might easily became a panic, with
terrific and far-reaching results.
Other Possibilities.
There is the outside chance, in the
event of Coolidge failing to receive a
majority of the electoral votes, that
when the matter came to the senate.
such Democrats as Glass of Virginia,
Bruce of Maryland and Underwood of
Alabama would vote for General
Dawes, the Republican nominee. rather
than put such a man as Bryan in the
White House.
A large body of thought In the
United States holds to the opinion that
the whole purpose of LaFollette is
TO throw the election into the con-
gress, where he and his followers
probably would WELD the balance of
power, and this small group would
name the next President Of the United
States. Naturally, this would put that
President under heavy obligation to
the LaFollette group, and he as it's
leader, would exercise tremendous
power. even though his followers rep
resent the smallest fraction Of the
makeup Of the United States senate.
The summing up Of the situation
is this:
Voting for LaFollette is voting for
Bryan.
Voting for Davis. by the same an
alysis, is voting for Bryan.
Voting for Coolidge is voting for
Coolidge.