HOLCOMBE LOOKS FOR CLEAR COOLIDGE WIN

"Coolidge will win by a clear majority, but he will not have a workable Congress. There is little chance now of the election being thrown into the House of Representatives. Davis and La Follette never had a chance to be elected this November; their only chance was to force the election out of the hands of the Electoral College." Such is the opinion of Professor A. N. Holcombe '06, Professor of Government in the University, on the political situation today as the nation goes to the polls to elect its President and Vice-President for the next four years.

"Silent Vote" Is Uncertain

"In case the election should be thrown into the House, Davis would have the better chance of election," continued Professor Holcombe," but that is a very remote possibility. I think that the results of the electoral votes will give Coolidge the necessary majority, with Davis second and La Follette third. The results of the popular vote, however, is a different matter. Coolidge will be first, but I think that it is about an even race between the Progressives and the Democrats for second place, the result lying largely in the vote of the farmers in the West and in the so-called "silent vote". This "silent vote" is more uncertain this year because of the fact that there are three parties, and because a great many workmen have been afraid to come out for La Follette for fear that their employers might not approve, and it would cost them their jobs."

"The results of today's elections will determine whether or not the Progressive party under the leadership of Senator La Follette, will win for itself a place as the second political party in the United States." Professor Holcombe continued. "The followers of La Follette realize that there is no place for a third party in this country. They do not expect to have their nominee elected but rather they hope to poll a large enough popular vote to insure for their party a place as one of the two chief political parties in the United States. They hope to drive out either the Republicans or the Democrats, or more probably to drive the two into a union. To do this their popular vote will have to be at least larger than that of one of the other parties, and I do not think that their chance of getting such a vote is very good. If they fall in the popular vote, they have yet another chance, namely, in obtaining control of both houses of Congress by electing a minority which would hold the balance of power and be able to give either side a majority by shifting its vote. I should not be surprised if they were successful in doing this.