Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-09-28
MATHEMATICS
IN Dem PLAN
TO WIN FIGHT
Progressive Bloc In
West Would Assure
Smith Win Claim;
q. 0. r. Denies
BY BYRON PRICE
Associated Press Staff Writer

ASNuC14IEu FEGEH SAaAA WKtATE
SALT LAKE CITY. Utah. Sept. ~.
5tF-An interesting mathematical
theory lies behind the democratic
bid for western electoral votes IN
1928. II u that Governor Smith,
once his views have been presented
fully "a the western electorate, will
win the bulk Of the support that
went to Senator La Toilette in the
three-ccrnered campaign or 1924
Adding this to the vote given John
W. Davis, the ~dopesters arrive 1t .
Smith victory tn q number or states
which Coolidge carried without hav-
ing a clear majority over the COM
bined vote Of his opponents.
This, II should be understood. Is
purely a democratic thesis, 20 which
the Hoover managers do not sub
scribe. The republicans deny that
the La Toilette vote, or even the
western progressive" vote, can be
treated automatically as a unit, ca
pable of transfer en- masse from one
allegiance TO another. Republican
dopesters say. furthermore, that
most Of those who voted for La Fol-
lette were republicans and that they
naturally will return 20 the paternal
h~earthstone now that the La Toilette
party u no more.
Hopes On Progressives
The hopes OF the democrats in this
matter have their beginning In the
we'll established western. urge toward
progressive policies--a term often
used but v~ariously defined. Roose-
welt, always a western idol, selected
the anne progressive" for his third
party in over twelve years before
the same label was chosen for the
third party venture Of La Toilette
II is the belief OF democratic mana
gers that before the campaign IA
over, Governor Smith will have given
convincing proof Of his devotion u
progressive" principles.
For whatever IL NAV be worth
here h the way the democrats apply
their reasoning to the Rocky noun
tain group OF states rs a whole:
How It's Figured
The group includes eight states
all classified ordinarily as republi-
can states and all claimed today by
the republicans - Montana, Idaho,
Wyoming. Colorado. Utah. Nevada
Arizona and New Mex.So. In six OF
these states. the republicans have
been in the majority in three out
OF the last four presidential elec.
tons. The one republican sweer
was the Harding landslide Of 1920
All eight were carried BY Wilson N
1916. Coolidge carried them all in
1924. but only in Wyoming and COL
orado did his vote exceed the com
bined "anti-republicans vote cast
Tor Davis and La Toilette.
These eight states together have
but 30 electoral votes, just two.
thirds the number accorded New
York state alone. When Governor
Smith was nominated at Houston
many politicians believed he would
stake everything on a combination
Of cast and south. and would leave
this western corridor to take care Of
itself. Instead. the democratic nom
inee alreday has delivered two cam
paign speeches in this section, and
the democratic organization ~ dis
putting all states with considerable
vigor.
The regional managers or the dem
ocratic western campaign at head
quarters here expect these two ad-
dresses TO greatly aid in swinging
the La Toilette vote into the Smith
column in November.