Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-07-29
viii Third Party Candidate
Take Enough Votes From
Coolidge to Elect Demo-
cratic Nominee Is Question

WASHINGTON, July 26.-Politi-
clans of all groups are placing the
algebraic symbol denoting the I'M
known quantity after the name of
Robert Marion La Toilette as they
figure election prospects at this
early date. t is not that they are
in doubt as to what the Wisconsin
senator stands for. They have had
Iample opportunity to learn and they
have abundant reason to know what
he stands for.
What they are in doubt about is
as 20 how many American voters
vii! stand for La Toilette
VIII he receive any substantial
support outside the AGRICULTURAL
west and northwest? viii he take
2 sufficiently large labor vote away
cTom Davis TO offset the farmer vote
he will take from Coolidge? In
what states viii his support be such
as TO give the advantage 70 Cool
ldge? What states will be carried
ny Davis as a result of La Follette's
candidacy? Is his popular strength
exaggerated or under stimat ted?
VIII his candidacy necessarily re-
suit in an overwhelming victory eli
ther for Coolidge or Davis? Does it
make Cooidge's chances as hopeless
as Tatt's were in 1912? Isn't if pos
slble that La Toilette will not car
ry single state-not even his own
state OF Wisconsin-and that his
thlrd party campaign will merely
make 1t nip and tuck race be-
tween the Republicans and the Dem.
ocrats?
Does La Toilette really think he
mas Il chance of attaining the presi
uehcy! Is he candidate merely to
asSlst IN the election of more indie
PenuentS to the house and the SEN
dte' thereby aggravating the bloc
SITUATION IN congress-? Does he seek
primarily the power that will be his
IL ne can elect a group of his fol-
lowers to both senate and house suf-
tlclently large to give him the I'M
questioned balance of power in both
branches of the national legislative
body?
Such are some of the questions
that are being asked by leaders of
pOth the major parties, and even bv
many of those who are DISPOSED to
follow the banner carried by the
wisconsin statesman. Republicans
ana Democrats are by no means the
only ones who find La Toilette an
unknown quantity. OF course his ac-
tive supporters and personal friends
are claiming .ubilantly that there is
no doubt that he will receive a big
vote, ana that the only question is
as to how big it will be. However,
when it comes to furnishing evi.
dence or reasons for their claims
the showing they make is not as inn
presslVe as their enthusiasm.
Lacking in Organization
In the first place, it is admitted
that the La Toilette movement is
sadly lacking in organization. Ac-
curate information as to the state of
the popular mind with respect to the
third party cannot be secured on
approaching national
scale. In few states the local or
are fairly well developed,
and can supply dependable data, but
those states cannot be taken as an
index of the country at large.
And when it comes to carrying an
electiOn-to coming La Toilette SEN
timent into La. Toilette votes = or
ganiZation is far more essential than
it is in the matter of securing pre-
campaign information. Such an or
ganization to be effective must reach
into every county and, every pre-
cinct where a fight is to be made.
and machinery of such qualifications
is not built up in g day or a year.
The Roosevelt forces discovered that
in 1912.
There has been talk of a five
million dollar campaign fund for La
Toilette. No one can have at this
time any reliable information as t0|
whether so large a sum can be
raised, but every practical politician
knows that that much, or twice as
much, will be needed if anything
aproximating an effective, nation
wide organization is to be. made
the short time between now and the
election. 1t may be urged that the
labor unions afford a ready-maG1e
organization for La Toilette, but the
obvious answer to that is that all the