Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-09-30
COOLIDGE To GAIN
CALIFORNIA VOTES
BYLA TOILET All
by DAVID LAWRENCE

NNtSNiN
right. 1924
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 27.-The
decision of the state supreme court
here which denies Senator La
Toilette Il place in the independent
column and in effect compels his
supporters to mark thei' ballots
under the socialist banner VIII hrrt
the cause of the Wisconsin, leader
and help the cause of President
Coolidge.
Judging from the expressions of
bitterness which are coming from
the La Toilette managers h-re no
other differences is possible except
that their opportunities for vote get
tins have been impaired. The So
cialists, conforming to the require
ments Of the statute, have kept their
eleCtOr list open out of friendship
for the La Toilette forces and now
will name La Toilette electors.
But the question may we'll be
asked "Why did the La Toilette men
want to remain aloof from the So
cialists whose column they now en-
brace?" The answer undoubtedly is
that the La Toilette strategists
thought the word independent"
better advertisement than the word
Socialist
Many of the California voters
share the same feeling that the term
socialist" carries with it certain
opprobrium. They may like La
Follette-and some of the near-so-
cialists would not care whether he
was listed under the flaming torch
but nevertheless many other voters
do not care to affiliate even for one
election with the socialist party.
Protest Not Accurate
The cry that the supreme court
has denied the La Toilette electors Il
place on the ballot is not altogether
accurate for it is still possible for
any voter to write in the names of
the La Toilette electors and slips
could be furnished at the polls by
the La Toilette managers to keep
the voter from forgetting the thir-
teen names.
But writings in the names or
dragging reluctant number of vot-
ers into the socialist column is not
as simple matter as being able to
campaign under an 'independent
progressive" banner. In order to
fix the La Toilette status firmly in
the minds of the voters, the social
list label will be used This carries
disadvantages recognized by tie
practical politicians, including those
who are protesting loudest on be.
half of Senator La Toilette.
Whatever Senator La Toilette may
be claSsed as in other states, here
in California he is to be a socialist
The effect in other states N the
liberal voter may be to turn waver-
ing votes back to Davis and Cool
idge. SO long as the Wisconsin
leader appeared as progressive"
or Independent Republican" many
voters have felt they were really
not doing much more than a large
numbers of voters did in 1912. But
socialism is looked upon quite gen
orally in America as involving rad
zeal departures in the American eco
nomic system and it will be interest
ing to see whether in California Sen
ator La Toilette will feel compelled
to renOunce some of the tenets of the
very party which carries him under
it's emblem on the ballot.
Speaking of what happened in
1912 reminds the disinterested OBJ
server that California had a contro-
versy, then whereby the Taft elee-
tors were at the mercy of the Roose-
welt progressive Republicans with
Hiram Johnson leading" the latter
forces. Today Senator Johnson
breaks his long silence on national
politics since his Inflated primary
campaign, to denounce the supreme
court decision. The progressives are
getting a taste of the medicine they
administered twelve years ago.