Milford chronicle., 1924-07-18
FOUR MONTHS AWAY FROM NOyEMBER 4

FOUR MONTHS AWAY FROM NOVEMBER 4
The great political conventions have done
their best and worst in naming candidates.
framing platforms and setting up the issues of
1924. Some of the main outlines of this years
campaign can be traced, not so much in the
platforms as in the makeup of the parties them
selves and the men chosen to lead them Per-
sonalities are beginning to stick out in the cam
paign. The ground is being cleared The Re-
publicans have gone through their prelminaries
with ease. They laundered the party linen and
cleaned house in Cleveland. Rejecting the La
Toilette minority report on the platform, they
left La Toilette to read himself out of the party
Republican air is sweeter and cleaner since the
political zoo that ranged itself round La Toilette
has left the Republican household and set up
housekeeping on it's own.
The party led by Coolidge served notice on
Farmers-Laborites Non-partisan Leaguers and
political hell-raisers generally to take their
clothes and 60 It took a commonsense, states
manlike view of the state of the Nation. The
platform is conservative. So is it's candidate
These offered definite challenge to radicalism. |
Democracy declined to meet that challenge |
While its platform contains much radical hok-
John W. Davis. If true to himself, Davis must
shove the Brayanesque party creed out of sight
somewhere and be his own platform. He will
be hampered in that, however, by the presence
of that eminent political voodooist from Nebras-
ka who is his running mate
In addition to these handicaps Davis has
shattered party behind him. The South and the
West will watch him like hawks The Klan
shadow has not lifted In New York there are
indications of big trouble in Tammany New
1ngiand's Democrats are not happy. Out in the
Northwest and along the far rim of the Corn
Belt the La Toilette threat darkens Democratic
horizons.
The third party" has cut into the situation
While in part it is a split-Off from Republican
SIN in the Northwest, it has entirely destroyed
democracy over wide areas. Minnesota Demo-
rats vote in national conventions, but they are
mall dust in the balances now on Election Day
he biggest change La Toilette has made in the
Olitical map is the wiping out of the Demo-
ats in the Northwest There it will be two
ded war, with the Republicans carrying the
title to La Folletteism and ignoring the Dem
rats
La Toilette is giving the wild-eyed political
lgrims a ride and a chance to shout their worst
id widest. La Folletteism will figure in the u
'rthwest and may be threat in a part of the -
I'm Belt The three-cornered battle may mean
me bitter fighting in Iowa, Illinois and Indi- =
a before November. However, the hotter the
ht almost anywhere between the Rockies and
: Alleghenies the worse it will be for Dem
ratic ticket split between a radical and
and wabbIing about on a platform
TX with economic hereses.
rhe Republican position is generally good as
guns open. In the East it is excellent, since
ween two conservatives the East prefers one
ed and tested. In the West the naming of
Wis has bettered Republican chances. To make
President requires 266 electoral votes. With
W England's A in sight, with an excellent
nce for that great block tied up in Pennsyl-
HAS So, New York's 45, Ohio's "a, Indiana's
Illinois 20 and IHchigan's Is, total of 21O
ctoral votes, half dozen more good-sized
tes would be sufficient.
outside the solid South, Democratic prospects
doubtful Add Maryland and Kentucky to
old South, and the total is only 147 of the
essary 266 electoral ballots. Where the 1f9
e needed are to come from is as much a
3tery to the Democratic National Committee
to any one else. Granting that La Toilette
lld carry Wisconsins 13, Minnesotas 12 and
lch of the two Dakotas, his total of 95 votes
IN from the Republicans does not encourage
Democracy greatly.
early four months distant from November A.
Republican strength seems the heaviest fac
in the political equation in which La Follet-
n is represented by "X.' AS a matter of
the Democratic factor in the equation is
'st as much of an unknown quantity as La