The Washington herald., 1919-09-19
POLITICS
By The Occasional Prophet

| viii get to thinking pretty soon
that l am something Of a prophet
after all
In yesterdays articl" ! told how
Senator Borah had been recalled by
Senator Lodge from the Western
speaking tour in opposition to the
league Of nations. l explained how
the recall was not intended as
much for BOrah as twas hint
to Senator Hiram johnson to quit
the hustingS and return here.
And before the ink had hardly
dried on yesterdays Herald. Lodg".
findtng that Johnson doesn't tax"
hints. sent him telegram telling
him to come TO the Capital.
The fact OF the matter is. johnson
was receiving too much attention in
the West. He was drawing crowds
equally as large as wilson's, and
even more enthusiastic
This was too much for Lodge and
his crowd. The Johnson Presi-
dental boom was getting a little
TOO lively. Lodge and his faction
are not going to permit johnson to
get any more public acclaim than
can be helped
1t remains to he seen il Hira m
knuckles to them and comes back. He
may come all right. but that Johnson
foreflnger will work like a tripham-
mer when he gets cIoseted with the
standpatters and begins to tell than
things.
Johnson is not used to being bossed
All factions OF the Democratic party.
representing all parts OF Maryland
assembled yesterday in Baltimore to
ratify nominations for State officials
and to adopt platform.
Speeches OF aCceptances from the
candidates, usually reserved for a
special occasion, were a part OF the
proceedings. The most notable action
was a decision against woman SUI
frage.
How the Maryland Democrats do
like to borrow trouble
The fight for the mayoraIty nom
ina6on in the Philadelphia Republi-
can primary on Tuesday was a con-
test that tried conclusions in ever
one of the forty-eiGlt wards of the
city. It was fight where the
friends OF bo;l Representative J.
Hampton Moore and OF Judge John
". Patterson. the two contestants,
were equally confident of victory in
advance. In an interview the day
before Judge Patterson aid he would
win in a walk: he placed his plu-
rality at around 5OoOn. Representa-
tive Moore was little more mod
est in sizing up his majority in an
advance forecast. but he lad the
u n ~ fpNfF oil
When the first edition of the Phil
adelphia papers came out Wednes-
day morning the tabulated result
seemed so close that there was at
once talk of awaiting the official count
and also of the possibility OF a scnl-
tiny that might go beyond the official
count.
1t looked a good deal like a fifty
fifty proposition when the sun
Siided the William Penn statue yes
terday morning. And at the end
OF yesterday. when all the returns
had been tabulated. it looked even
closer. In total vote cast of 293.-
725 the Moore majority is 1871.
Philadelphia is almost as much
IN way OF being a one-party town
as Texas is of being a one-party
State. Whoever gets nominated for
mayor by the Republican party in
Quakertown gets elected sure. This
is not an unbroken rule. but only
under eNtraord mary conditions can
a regular nominee of the RepubIi-
can party be beaten. Tuesdays pri-
mary was, therefore. the real may
orally contest-the primary count
once adjusted. Quakertown ceases
to take an interest in what may
happen in November 1t is a dol
lars-to-doughnuta bet that j.
Hampton Moore is to be the next
mayor of Philadelphia.