Evening star., 1936-08-15

the factionaliSm that has arisen in
side the Democratic party should
develop or if the Lemke-Coughlin-
Townsend tickets should begin to sc-
ouire any strength. For these third
party tickets draw votes from Mr..
Roosevelt rather than from MIR.
Landon.
But as the situation stands today,
I find that well-informed persons
even OF Republican leanings concede
privately that there is only fighting
chance OF winning the State and that
If the election were held tomorrow,
the Roosevelt party would carry 1t
by anywhere from 10000 to 10000
votes. In 1882. Mr. Roosevelt carried
Montana by $4,000.
Unlike 1924 Situation.
The chances of reducing the Roose-
welt vote to something around TO-
600 or $4,000 are dependent upon the
third party movements and possible
friction inside the Democratic party
itself. Representative Monaghan,
who came within 1000 votes of de-
feating Senator Murray for the
Democratic nomination. is planning
to run as an independent. In three
cornered race. the Republicans hope
to gain strength.
There are some here who believe the
Townsend -Coughlin-L -Lemke ticket will
draw farmer votes away from Roose-
welt in Eastern Montana This might
be thought to parallel the situation
in 1924 when the late Senator La
Toilette was running on an inde-
pendent ticket. But actually condi-
tions are not the same. For example.
Senator Wheeler. Democrat of Mon
tana was running then on the vice
presidential ticket with La Toilette
and there was enough local strength
here to give the third party ticket
quite a prestige.
Thus Calvin Coolidge polled IA
900 votes. La Toilette $1,000 and
John w. Davis $4,000 in Montana in
1924. 1t will be noted that the COM
bined La Toilette and Davis vote was
just 10000 in excess OF the Coolidge
vote.
Gold Mine for Third Party.
II the third party ticket were we'll
organized and put on an intensive
campaign. this would be fertile ground
for its appeal, as there is q large
radical vote here which lately has
been tied up with the Democratic
party Landon's chances of carrying
the State as a minority candidate are,
therefore, entirely related to what
the third party amounts to and
cannot find many trained observers
hereabouts who seem to think much
can be expected by the Landon man.
ayers from that source, though they
frankly admit that in mid August 1t
is difficult to say what may materialize
In September and October,
The third party idea has usually
been pooh-poohed as negligible
factor in our elections. but we have
not yet had the experience of what
third party Of the radical type may
do in close election year. 1t is not
often considered that in 1924 there
were IL States in which Calvin Cool
idge did not get ma ajority of the
total vote cast for the three candi-
dates and that he won "a electoral
votes even though he was q minority
choice of the voters.
1t didn't matter 50 much in that
election because Mr.. Coolidge had q
wide margin anyhow. but it is inter
esting to note the States in which the
radical appeal in 1924 took votes from
the major parties and TO consider
what might happen If this year the
Townsend Lemke Coughlin appeal
were as effective In subtracting DEM
ocratic votes as a third party was IL
PEARS ago.
Figures On Minority Victory.
Using round numbers, here Is the
table Of the 1924 States in which the
La Toilette party forced q minority
victory for q nominee whose platform
and speeches were far more conserva-
tive than were those OF his Democratic
opponent: