Evening star., 1924-10-08
Court Ban on La Toilette
Is Condemned Generally

| Almost universally unfavorable
! comment marks discussion in the
press of the California Supreme
| Courts decision barring La Toilette
electors from the presidential ballot
in that State. Many editors suggest
that the action makes a martyr Of the
| Wisconsin Senator and STRENGTHENS
his cause.
The Los Angeles Express CRepub-
lican) regrets that the law of Cali
fornia is such that an Independent
| candidate for President cannot be
voted for in the same way as regular
party nominees. Explaining that un-
less candidates for elector are put
| up by party organization formed at
| least 75 days before the State pri-
mary election they may not appear
on the ballot. the Express adds: "1t
| is in way denial of the American
| theory of political liberty which
holds that the citizen may and by
| right should be permitted to vote for
| whomsoever he pleases. In the in
terest of fairness the law must be
| changed, so that any citizen may
freely express his presidential pref
erence." The vast majority of the
people of California, the San Ber-
| nardino Sun is sure, would have
| much preferred, for the cause of pub
| lie policy, that the La Toilette cleo
| tors go in an Independent column,
] but four members of the Supreme
Court could not find authority under
the law to make this possible" p"
| Therefore, the fault is not with the
court but with the law, according
| to the San Francisco Bulletin Gin
dependent), which says, "it was put
on the statute book by popular
movement that Jacked the character
| to sustain itself. Despite the fact
that it is widely condemned, it re-
mains on the statute book, a distinct
| ly deteriorating influence in the po-
| litical life of the State" and now.
curiously enough, has brought special
vexation to the political faction that
originally put it over and which has
since exercised it's power to sustain
it,"
| X X
The New York World independent
Democratic) feels 1.-The protest made
| by President Coolidge voices the feel
| ing of all right-thinking men of
every party For the barring of La
Toilette electors from the ballot is
more than a question of fair play.
| 1t is a denial of fundamental rights
that are held sacred by Americans"
| The Ogden Standard Examiner be-
| lieves mo possible harm could have
come from a llDeTdl iHleEpT OI
the law as indicated by three of the
Judges" The fact that three Justices
dtssented, the Portland Ore, Journal
independently, contends, shows that
the majority opinion is questionable,
and that probably narrow partisan
ship more than law controlled the
decision"
If there is "a legitimate pathway
by which the La Toilette electors
could have been allowed access to
the ticket" declares the Philadelphia
Bulletin independently, then the
| California court has blundered by
| falling to appreciate the essential
importance of a free and equal bal
lot" The Columbus, Ohio. State
Journal (Republican) comedies the
California decision may be in strict
| accordance with the letter of the law.
! but adds: eff so, the law represents
bad political morals and bad polft-
ical Judgment. A man like Senator
La Toilette could ask no better luck
at this stage in campaign than to
! be made a martyr Of"
The Milwaukee Journal Qndepend-