Evening star., 1924-10-01
Brookhart Prepares to Bolt.


Senator Brookhart's denunciation
or Gen. Dawes and demand that he be
withdrawn from the Republican presi-
DENTAL ticket, on the score that he
mas hurt the party'S chances in the
West. is a remarkable development of
the campaign. Mr. Brookhart is NOM
1nally the Republican nominee for
Senator in. Iowa. He has conducted
throughout u strictly personal cam
pdlSn, ut no time saying a word that
could he construed as favorable to the
larty's presidential and vice presiden-
tial nominees. He has not aided the
rational ticket, and by his silence has
served the opposition, notably that of
the third party. Recently rumors have
spread that he intended to declare
himself for La Toilette. This present
demand that Dawes be Withdrawn is
to be Interpreted as an index of that
purpose. If Chairman Butler. to whom
the demand is addressed, declines to
respond or to consent-one of which,
of course, is aSSured-Mr. Brookhart
may seize upon silence or refusal as
justification for an open avowaI of
preference for La Toilette
Just why Senator Brookhart de-
laycd until now to emit this denuncia-
ton may be left to the imagination.
His seizure upon some of the gen
erals speeches as shocking to his
sense Of political righteousness is
obviously an excuse. His proposal
that Il 'farm-blocer' lie named in his
stead, specifically proposing Senator
Norris of Nebraska, is an instance of
the determination of that minority
group To run the entire party.
Iowa will perhaps be one Of the
pivotal States in the election. 1t is an
important factor in the equation. with
its thirteen electoral votes. 1t has a
Republican record unbroken save for
the 1912 split, when the division Of
votes between Roosevelt and Taft
gave the State to Wilson Senator
Brookhart has II large following, suf-
f1cient to give him u plurality Of 160.-
600 two years ago and a heavy ma
1ority in the recent primaries.
Whether, if he declares for the third
party candidate, he can carry his fol
lowing with him to vote for La Fol
lette for President is one Of the inter
esting and important questions of
these final weeks of the campaign.
Again. rises now the question whether
q declaration for La Toilette. which
hn rl1p
nominated him, may not cause Il de-
fection OF his own following and the
endangering Of his senatorial candi-
dacy.
In one respect this Brookhart out
burst against Dawes has a somewhat
important reaction. In. case the cleo
toral college fails to make a choice
and the election is thrown into Con
"ress, and the House. by reason of
divided State delegations, fails TO
choose n President. the Senators will
vote for Vice President, who will be-
come President. 1t is plain that Mr..
Brookhart will not in such Circum-
stances vote for Dawes. He will pre-
sumably vote for Bryan. He must
vote for one of those two unless the
wholly unexpected and apparently inn
possible happens, and La Toilette and
Wheeer poll more electoral votes than
Davis and Bryan. Does this portend
that all the others of the farm bloc
in the Senate will vote in the same
way? Does this Brookhart denuncia-
fhGrafnrP
Bryan is the choice of the Progressive
Republicans for the next President?
If 40, it may have a somewhat boom
erang effect upon the voters, leading
them to vote in such manner as to