Evening star., 1924-09-25
WASHINGTON HARD
| FOR c. 0. P. TO WIN
"a Toilette Threatens to De.
Vour Democrats, Though
Target of Warfare.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Il SEATTLE. Wash, September "a
After canvassing the situation in
Spokane as we'll as Tacoma and the
western section of the State of Wash
ington the conclusion seems ines
Capable that President Coolidge has
a hard fight ahead to win the cleo
toral vote here from Senator La Fol
lette.
I Few States present as interesting
a mix-up as the State of Washington.
It's a situation full of possibilities
between now and election. for things
are being done here which are much
different from what one encounters IN
other States.
:. In the first place, ex-serVice men
who number about $4,000, of whom
about 5000 are American Legion
members are being organized for a
State wide drive against Senator La
Toilette and Senator Wheeler on ac-
count of their war record. Precinct
organizations are being planned ana
from which much is expected. The
Republican State committee says 1t
is not connected with the undertak- =
ing. But ii is no eXaggeratlon that
no political organization of such pro-
portions has ever been developed on
the Pacific coast.
sense are non-partsan. The drive is
primarily for President Coolidge, but
If any Democrats or other eX-SerVlce
men are encountered who perhaps do not
care to vote for Mr.. Coolidge because
he vetoed the bonus, they are strongly
urged then to vote for John W. DAVIS.
La Toilette and Wheeler are the tar
gets of the attack. Copies of some of
the literature sent out by the Iowa
members of the American Legion are
being circulated here in large quantl-
ties. Senator La Toilette is upbraided
as pro-German. Senator Wheeler Is
condemned because, as United States
attorney in Montana, he refused to
prosecute certain members OF the l..
". ". who in wartime defied the draft
law.
No Fear of Germans.
There are relatively few Germans
In this State so the Republicans need
have no fear here as they have in
other States that in attacking La
Toilette they will lose German votes
The fight against La Toilette in this
section, however, has more in it than
the memory of anti-war activity. The
growth of radicaliSm in this region
is recognized as something that the
conservatives must counteract. The
La Toilette movement is drawing
from both Republican and Demo-
cratic camps, but mostly from the lat
ter In order. therefore, to keep
down the La Toilette vote the con-
servatives are hoping the Democrats
can in some way be urged to vote
for Davis. Every vote recorded for
Davis is counted as one lost to La
Toilette. There is noticea BILE
friendliness to Davis in certain Re-
in
idge.
If the Democratic vote could be held
in line for Davis President Coolidge
would easily carry the State. But the
Democrats are going over in large
numbers to La Toilette and Wheeler
If the Wisconsin Senator swallows
the Democratic party in this State
and gets a fair share of the Republi
can vote. he will win the electoral
vote. There are signs that many
Democrats of the radical fringe, and
some who are not SO radical but who
care far more about a victory for
their State ticket, will trade votes
with the La Toilette supporters
Thus with the La Toilette people not
especially concerned about the State
ticket their votes might go to the
Democratic State candidates in return
for La Toilette support. Deals like
this carried the State for Roosevelt
in 1912. Also two years ago Senator
Clarence Dill beat Senator Poindexter
by combination of Democratic and
radical Republican votes.
Regulars See Victory.
The regular Republicans are hope
ful of victory, however, through other
channels. For one thing they are
really planning to get out the con-
servative Republican vote. Then
there is the mix-up over La Toilette
supporters. At present there are
three separate sets of La Toilette
electors going on the ballot, unless
an agreement can be reached or the
courts intervene. One set of electors
will pig s1bly be withdrawn through
the infGtsce of Senator La Toilette
himself, but another set, it is charged,
is there through collusion with the
regular Republicans and will pot get
off. In the hope of confusing the
enemy, the Republicans are not in
any hurry about unscrambling the
situation.
There are some signs, Of course
that the State is not as radically in
ciined as it was two years ago. A
recent election sor Supreme Court
Judges resulted in a defeat for the
radicals. Improvement in agricul-
tural conditions has swept aside some
OF the protest vote which might have
gone to La Toilette.
Effective organization work is
being done in Spokane. The factional
troubles inside the Republican party
In the western end of the State have
not been removed and the campaign
has not yet really been begun. There
rs talk that the local leaders want
financial aid from national head
quarters and that some of them are
anxious to build an organization that
will recover lost ground in State
affairs
:. On the face Of it, La Toilette has
an even chance of carrying this State
today. By election day the work of
the ex-service men and the Re-
publican organization probably will
make it a different story, but it will
1e close to about 10000 plurality for
president Coolidge is most that is
hoped for.