The Republican., 1924-09-25
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
La Toilette Will Never be Called
Upon to Make His Campaign
Utterances Good
Utterances Good

er, John Davis campaign manager.
has thrown a bomb into the Demo-
crtatic camp. ''If the election were
held tomorrow no one of the three
presidential candidates would receive
a majority of the votes in the elector-
al college," said. Shaver this week in
a burst of frankness, talking to
group Of newspapermen. Chairman
Shaver's assertion is a fiat contradic-
,tion of the numerous statements put
out in his name by the Democratic
publicity men, in which they claimed
everything in sight for Davis and in
sisted he was as good as elected. Nat
urally there is havoc in the Democrat
ic machine. No doubt, Chairman Sha-
yer told the truth as he sees it when
he spoke for himself, and not through
his publicity bureau. Only a week
ago attention was called in this cor
respondence to the folly of national
chairmen claiming everything in
sight" and while it is hardly to be
supposed that influenced Mr.. Shaver
to tell the truth for once, it is at
least refreshing to get the honest
opinion of national chairman, even
if it disrupts his party machine. Of
course the truth is that no one be-
lieves the extravagant claims, least
OF all those who, through paid public
ity agents, make them. And the fur
ther truth is that no one knows how
the election would go were it held to-
morrow. That Davis is making no
converts is obvious. But how many is
La Toilette making? That no man
knows. However, with Glen Shaver
balling up the silly claims of his pub
licity bureau and Mrs. Glenn telling
the plain truth about Chas. Bryan's
indefensible attitude about Defense
Day, John w. is having his troubles.
La Toilette and Wheeler, with that
recklessness born of the knowledge
that they will never be called upon to
make good, are making the most RI
diculouS promlses-promlseS which
will probably fool the fools, while
they make intelligent men laugh. For
instance, in his campaign book La
Toilette promises, by public control
Of water power, to furnish the farmer
with electric current for 35 cents a
day, equal to the labor of men and
a four-horse team" Every intelligent
man knows that that is not only i'm
possible but preposterous; that the
great cost of electricity is its distri-
button, where maintenance of wires
and loss by leakage constitutes by
far the most tremendous factor of eX-
pense; that untilscience has devised
some method OF cheaper distribution
no man and no government could
distribute electricity in the amount
indicated for 35 cents, or even for
$3.50 day; that were such thing
possible the demand from the pro-
prletors of small shops and factories
for cheaper electricity would become
so tremendous that there would be no
resisting it. And intelligent men who
analyze the profit and loss sheets of |
the big electrical power companies /
know that they are not making in
ordinate protitsat eXistingrates- !
they employ the most expert enei-
neers in the world. But then, if one
is never to be called upon to make
good his promises and he is counting |
on appealing only to those too igno-
rant to analyze those promises-why !
not promise everything in sight?
AS Nicholas Murray Butler points
out, there never was a time when the
peoples of this country needed so
strikingly to recall their history les
sons as during this campaign. Every
republic ever established has either
failed entirely or degenerated at
times into revolutionary anarchy .
except the United States. And the .
United States has lasted because of
the great wisdom Of the trainers Of
the Constitution and the intense res
pect which the people have had for
that wonderful instrument. The Con-
stitution provides for three distinct,
coordinate branches of the Govern
ment, the executive, Legislative and
Judicial and that system was endured
because it has proved successful in
protecting the rights of minorities.
Minorities in this country do not
undertake to start revolutions when
they are beaten, as they are prone to
in many other republics in this hemis-
phere, and as they have in the older
republics of the past, because they
know their rights will be protected
and that if their views are correct
they will ultimately prevail La Fol
lette would lay the axe to the foun-
dation Of the Constitution by giving
to Congress power to overrule the
Supreme Court. His proposition is so
revolutionary that, while it appeals
to some who are too impatient to 4