Campus Campaigning

The New Student, lately rejuvenated intercollegiate newsweekly, of no visible party bias, last week published its own, semi-complete survey of "the political fervor in the colleges." It found that this fervor seemed to de- cline "in proportion to the distance of the institution from Washington, D. C." Republican headquarters had reported 300 active Coolidge clubs, the result of expenditures by Chairman Butler. The Davis College League listed 100 clubs. The LaFollette forces, lacking literature, had created no clubs directly, but clippings from the undergraduate press convinced the editors of The New Student that there were as many La-Follette as Davis clubs, spontaneously founded.

"Some of the more active colleges" mentioned by The New Student:

Beloit (Wis.)--was planning to hold a big political rally with speakers for each of the candidates. After a catholic discussion, a straw vote was to be taken.

Cornell--A speech by Dr. Norman Thomas, Progressive candidate for Governor of N. Y., launched a Progressive club. Republican and Democratic clubs founded a year ago had not been revived when the survey was made.

Dartmouth -- Republicans organized early, canvassed from room to room, rallied in nearby towns. The LaFollette club, "first college Third Party club in the U. S.," was equally active. The campaign had been featured promi- nently in The Dartmouth, three articles of one series being by members of the faculty, on "Why I am for ." Doubtful claim was made that The Dartmouth was "the only college paper that has come out for LaFollette and one of two in the entire U. S. to take any stand at all."

Harvard--Residents of the college dormitories in which the LaFollette men had their headquarters circulated a petition to have the club evicted. University authorities ordered the club to depart in obedience to an ancient rule forbidding the use of dormitory rooms as club headquarters. Whereupon the Harvard Liberal Club offered the use of its rooms and the LaFollette men kept on with their work of direct- ing the silver-haired Senator's campaign in and about Cambridge.

Kansas--Active clubs were "boosting each of the three candidates "on the Hill." Outside speakers of prominence had been brought to the campus by the Republicans. Democrats had flocked to the railroad to hear Governor Bryan as he stumped through the state. Buses were chartered by the Third Party leaders to carry their partisans into Kansas City when LaFollette spoke there.

Northwestern--In Candidate Dawes' home town of Evanston, Ill., the campus seemed devoid of Democrats, as reflected in the columns of The Daily Northwestern. LaFollette and Wheeler had their cohorts none the less.

Princeton--Following Candidate Davis' visit, both Democrats and Progressives became active. Coolidge partisans were planning to present Senators Pepper and Edge to the University, with General Dawes held in reserve for a climax. Progressives sought to bring Dr. Norman Thomas or some other Socialist to town. The Undergraduate Speakers' Bureau was supplying student orators to meetings in nearby counties.

Smith--A political rally for discussion and tripartite campaign speaking, touched off with a torchlight parade, were what women of Smith had in mind.

Vassar--The women of Vassar summoned to their campus young statesmen and stateswomen from 16 other colleges. There was debate, then an "election," won by Coolidge. A mild sensation was furnished by Curtis W. Bok, son of Edward W. Bok (peace prize man). Young Bok, a Williams undergraduate, arose to define the Ku Klux Klan in its own terms, taking care to state in advance that he was no Klansman. His hearers murmured that he sounded too klannish for their taste.

Yale --Mrs. Robert M. LaFollette had addressed the Progressives at one point in the campaign; Newton D. Baker, the Democrats at another. The Republicans had not swung into action.