The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-08-13

10 throw tQOSG states 10 Lid VI
| lette. The idea of course was that
| if La Toilette had obtained enough
electoral votes, the election would
have been thrown into the house OF
representatives.
In those days it would have been
the old house, not the newly elected
one, which would then ballot for
President, with every state having
| just one vote, and the majority OF
its delegation in the house de-
termining how that vote should be
cast. Which would have worked
some queer inequities. For example,
although Coolidge carried New
York BY $4,000, had the election
been thrown in the house, New
York would have voted for DavisI
A majority Of its delegation was
Democratic.
Now it is the new house which
has this power, under the new
amendment to the Constitution,
eliminating lame duck sessions Of
congress. And in all human prob
ability, no matter whether the
house is Democratic or Republican,
this curious method OF electing by
states, with each state having only
one vote, would probably give the
Democrats the victory this time il
the election should be thrown there.
Sure Delegations
For instance Landon could carry
New York by million, but not
pull through majority OF the
house delegation Twenty Ave
states is majority. The Demo-
Gratis, counting New York due to
this popularity of New York's con-
gressional districts, start off with
IS sure delegations. The Republ-
cans have only ten fairly sure dele
cations, and one even Of them, Or
egon, is bit wobbly.
So if, along in October, the Dem
ocrats should become frightened
that Gov Alt M. Landon might win
majority of the electoral votes,
they would be employing rather
shrewd strategy If they could ac-
complish what they failed to do in
1924-throW the election in the
house by diverting Democratic in
dividual votes from Roosevelt to
Lemke in order to divert electoral
votes from Landon to Lenlke.
None of this is at all likely. It
is almost impossible for Lemke to
carry more than handful of cleo
toral votes. This writer would be
surprised If he even carried North
Dakota, his own state and his best
chance. And this writer in 1924
conceded Wisconsin and North Da-
kota to La Toilette, thus erring on
North Dakota. He claimed Iowa,
Nebraska, South Dakota and other
radical states predicted for the La
Toilette column by SO many OBJ
servers, for Coolidge.
The importance of the Lemke
vote, which is apt to be very large
indeed-La Toilette carried the city
of Cleveland, and Lenke will poll
huge vote there's that it will
divert normally Roosevelt votes
away from Roosevelt, and thus en-
able Landon to carry some states
in which he otherwise might not
have had a chance. The same
thing that piled up the Coolidge
majorities in 1924. Except that it
is not apt to be anything like as
striking as that.
New Dealers Cocky
New Dealers are much more
cocky about the Wagner labor re-
lations board since some recent
decisions, particularly that affect
ing the Associated Press. Up toll
the last few days the private opin-
ion of the best lawyers advising
the administration had been that
the whole national labor relations
board would be knocked out, or, at
the very best, would be restricted
to very few industries. These
would be the industries directly en-
gagged in interstate commerce
but-of course, excluding the rail
roads and other common carriers.
which are specifically exempted
from the boards jurisdiction.
So that the prospect was not very
ambitious, to say the least.
But now comes a circuit court OF
appeals, with only the SupremeI
Court of the United States able to
overrule it., with an opinion, which II
opens the door to a long vista OF
opportunities into which the labor
board may be able to inject itself |
Most lines of business, lawyers
studying this opinion point out,
have some bureau, branch or d. |
vision which would bring that par
ticular unit under the jurisdiction
Of the labor board. For example.
it is pretty well conceded by now
that manufacturing business does
not come within its domain. But
the shipping department of that
factory, in the light of the A.P.
decision, doesl
Also its travelling statesmen, if
they cross state lines. Possibly its
advertising department, etc.
So that, while great many lines
of business will be able tn dodoa