The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-10-18

Calvin Il, Goodloe. 10 NJ. K. Ho
been nominated for the Presidency
In my time"
II thought you were for La Fol.
lette," said this writer.
II am" said the La Toilette
leader. La Toilette is enormously
able, and am for his policies and
against Davis policies; but I am
talking about Davis Just al mind.
It Is an almost peerless mind"
That impression Is given by
Davis, this writer finds, In many
quarters. It Is felt that Davis has
been sadly handicapped by the re.
cent racial and religious fissensions
within his party. 1t is felt that he
has been sadly handicapped also by.
the triumphant Republican radi.
calsm which In recent years in Wis
consin and Iowa and Minnesota ana
South Dakota and Idaho has re-
duced the Democratic party to q
position often Of great weakness
and sometimes almost OF extinction,
It Ia felt that he finally has been
sadly handicapped by the uninten.
uonal failure Of the Democratic con.
Vention In New York to adopt q
platform satisfactory to organized
labor, thereby melting previously
conservative labor leaders to bolt
the Democratic party and follow
after La Toilette.
Not Held Responsible.
For none OF these handicaps Is
Mr.. Davis held responsible. His
struggle against them is held to be
gallant and knightly. He rides the
country over. fitting at the Repub-
leans, almost by himself, while dis
tinguished Republican speakers
cover the fields like locusts. Davis
light has been heavily an individual
one, and the Observers OF it have
for the most part deeply admired il,
That Is, they have admired the per.
sonality behind It.
This may have It's consequences.
u the election goes into the House
OF representatives, and into the
senate, and IL the Senate chooses
Governor Bryan to be Vice PreAi-
dent, ana II the Democrats in the
House refuse to vote for Coolidge
tor President, and II the Repuh-
llcanS in the House must then and
Bryan become President or else
personality, as revealed in this
campaign, may Be a great advan.
tage to him. Il may bring him,
in those circumstances, enough Re.
publican votes TO put him In the
White House.
Both Coolidge and Davis there
fore at this moment have certain
reasons for personal satisfaction.
Nor ID La Toilette without his own
reason for a certain satisfaction,
perhaps not quite so personal.
Often ImpersOnal.
TN fact. It might almost be said
that in u certain sense 1t is not
personal at all. La Toilette, Within
this writer's observation, has not
been making many converts
through his personality. He has
adopted q public tone 30 bitterly
antagonistic to those who disagree
with him that they are usually
antagonized still further. His fol.
lowers, however, by the very
vehemence Of his utterances and
the ruthlessneas Of his leadership,
have been welded together and
solicited into q group which is now
confident that 1t can form q new
permanent national political party
at the new party conference"
which Is summoned for next Jan.
uary.
La Follette's sense Of triumph, it
he gets a big vote on November 4,
will not be at all in the House OF
Representative when. and If, It
has to choose q President. His In
fluence in that matter viii be small.
The House Of Representatives, In
choosing a President, votes, Of
course, by States: and La Toilette
will control the vote only of the
State Of Wisconsin plus possibly
the vote Of the State Of North
Dakota. This IL not much power,
considering that the total number
Of States Is forty.eight.
La Toilette indeed. in the Senate,
might be quite influential In throw.
ing half a dozen radical votes to
Governor Bryan for Vice President,
but the House of Representatives
can prevent Governor Bryan from
becoming President by voting either
for Coolidge or for Davis, and then
La Follette's support Of Bryan will
have accomplished nothing, 40 far
as the White House is concerned.
Therefore. even IL La Toilette
gets big vote on November 4 and
even If he throws the election into
Congress, his triumph In Congress
10 likely to be a small and a vain
one. His real triumph will be at
the new party conferences" in
January. There, II his vote on No
vember 4 has been big, he will
crown his career Of dissent by or
ganizing . new whole dissenting
party.
Thus each candidate has some
thing to look forward to and some.
thing TO cherish q hope for: and
each Of them ought to be fairly
happy ana thrilled, as human at.
fairs 60.