Evening star., 1924-07-24
Pledging House Electors.


toral college chosen in November
should not return majority vote
Tor either Coolidge and Dawes or
Davis and Bryan, cr. to complete the
list, for La Toilette and Wheeler. the
election of a President will revert to
the House OF Representative and the
Wee President To the Senate. The
House will, as it has been often stated
ana as is we'll understood vote
tsv State delegations. each State hav-
Ing one vote This will be the House
as IL is now constituted, that which
was elected In 1922. and not the new
- elected Congress. And, as has also
psen frequently stated. that House
now stands at % Republican. 20 Dem
ocratic and delegations are evenly
divided and therefore presuma bly, in
competent 10 vote. There is no
choice on such basis. for a ajority
OF all is required. or 25 delegations.
one OF the features of the La Fol
!ette campaign to increase the indie
pendent bloc in Congress. it is now
stated will be addressed 10 this ques-
ron of the possible preside ntial eIec-
tion by the House. Members Of the
present Congress who are candidates
for reelection are TO have this propo-
sition pat up to them by the La Fol
lette organization: Pledge yourselves
to vOte. in case OF House contest
over the presidency. as your con-
StItuenCIeS vote III the November
election. or Independent candidates
will be nominated against you in your
districts
No provision is made by the Con
stitution about how the State dele
cations are to determine the votes
Of their States in case Of d House
presidential election. According to
all logical presumption in the polling
of their delegations. the Republican
members of the delegations will vote
Tor Coolidge and the Democratic
members will vote for Davis. and the
farm bloc. or independent members
will vote for La Toilette. who may
be voted for in the House. provided
any electoral votes are cast for him.
There is no law and there is no fixed
rule. however. on this subject. Re
publican members might conceivably
cast their votes for Davis within the
delegations. or Democratic members
for Coolidge Oh both Republican and
Democratic members for La Toilette.
There is no rule to govern whether
the vote Of State shall be de-
termined by a ma jolity or d plurality
vote Of the members. This might be
an important question in such State
as New York. where at present II
members are Republican and 30 are
Democratic and two Democrats
voting for La Toilette might prevent
a maj jority vote within the delegation
fOr Davis. or might leave the plural
ity OF u Republicans in control TO
cast the States vote for Coolidge.
The La Toilette management III
thus exacting pledges from present
members who are candidates for re-
election is not actually aiming at the
presidency fr the Wisconsin nom
inee. 1t is trying to enlarge the
La Toilette following in the House
In the next Congress. That is. in fact.
virtually the purpose Of the La Fol
lette campaign-to hold the balance
of power by a larger unit in both
House and Senate. The maneuver.
however. serves to bring more sharp
lH before the country the possibility
OF a blockaded electoral college and
a blockaded House as the electoral
body, with the consequence Of the
Senates choice OF a Vice President
with Charles W. Bryan Of Nebra ka.
brother Of William Jennings Bryan.
as the prospective choice to serve as
President