The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-10-01
WEST BIG FACTOR
IN PRESIDENTIAL
BATTLEFOR 1920
lcontinued From First Page. }

Continued From First PaRel
speeches that he had nothing poiitica
or personal In view with respect 10 ~,
passage OF the treaty and league. i,
sol most enthusiastic response
Does Not Want It.
His best friends do not want hin, .,
run And his own desire, know Tosi,
uiely' IL absolutely In accord with that
aaNice' But II this is 30, why hasn't
some announcement been made? II
rue mat many political persons
among the Democrats thought ii wissl
70 Wllhnold any statement on thai
point believing that nothing would bs
calculated 10 make the RepubIican
LEADERS, watch their step more than 4
set OF circumstances compelling Mr.
wilson TO take the league to the coun
S as an issue in presidential cam
hdisn' AS between the precedent OF a
third term and the rejection Of q lesFus
OF nat4sns many voters would find II
haru 10 decide, but admittedly Mr. vii
| son would get bigger vote than he
Would u no had only the issue of per
| ,NvisA' eaptclty and not the broad ques-
u1n OF international affairs to argue
Many Republicans believe that The
/ strongest obstacle 20 Republican suo-
| cess-namely. Woodrow {vilson--wo,,la
| De removed II the treaty OF peace were
Hcsed upon and put out Of the way.
tnue'9, many who expect to be support
! ihg the Republican national and state
tlcket next time took part in welcou.
VIE Mr.. wilson and even announcing
| llelr support Of the league because
they believed there would be time
enough after the league issue was dis
posed OF 70 set themselves back into
partisan ranks on domestic affairs
without necessarily absorbing any mora
Wilsonian PHILOSOPHERS.
AS Tor the Democrats, they take pride
IN the presidents populafity--for the
ieague has certainly made him popular
IN the Western states. the same opss
that decided the election in 1916. ana
u left to the party politicians, Mr..
Wilson could have the nomination to-
morrow. The sources Of Mr.. Wllson'R
btrehEth are worth noting. He derives
power by reason Of the confidence
OF tho people In his honesty and in
tegrity and by reason Of the fact that
the opposition TO tho league has been
largely destructive and no svlbstituta
plan has been offered As between |
the treaty and the league Of nations as |
now drafted and none at all, the people |
ingly TO sustain the president.
Persons aren't as important as issues |
II anything, the Republican leadership |
IN congress can be said to have lost |
much OF the confidence which the rank |
and file Of the party had In it last May
when congress convened II Is an In
teresting thing that while many people
In the West do not agree with Hiram
Johnson's views, they have much mora
respect for him because OF the clean
cut character OF his opposition than
they have for the Republican leaders
who have wavered between extremes
aud have not seemed certain what
course to pursue
Want Issue Clear.
In the West the issue OF reservations
mas not been an easy one for Repub-
licans to cling TO AZ In the East. The
people are. expecting the issue OF n
league to be decided clearly. A man
who gives his reasons for refusing to
see the United states join any league
y much more likely to be listened to
han man who says he Is for league
With qualifications or reservations that
amount to desire to reject the treaty
and league, and which he seems to
hesitate to say directly.
So II the peace treaty is defeated II
Hiram Johnson who win get the
,nedlt or discredlt II he wins his fight
many Republicans in the West will re-
gard him as the most likely figure for
PRESIDENT on the Republican ticket
argely because Of the sheer force OF
Ms ability to swing the senate In his
avor.
On the other hand, II tho treaty Is
lnssed and the league set up many OF
senator Johnson's own supporters fear
lis presidential chances viii be adverse
Y affected and that he win be out OF
he running,
1'alk OF candidates persists every
where, but no undercurrent Of senti-
nent In favor OF any one man has
ONE to the surface u any considerable
rea OF our political map. In April
nd May the West seemed TO think
cry highly OF Leonard Wood To-
ay there is still much talk OF him
" president, but other candidates seem
, have taken the stage and split up
The idea that no military
an should be nominated has been fos-
red by the friends Of candidates who
e rivals OF Gen. Wood
When Gen, Pershlng came home he,
No. got little attention as a political
,ssibility for the same reason, Without
TO say what sentiment will
! six weeks or a month from now
should say that Herbert Hoover's UNI
tentatious return from abroad coupled
I'll Mis- straightforward statement
at he wasn't candidate for presi-
nj and would not become one made a
with Western folks who promptly
I about thinking about him for presi-
mt just IA they used TO every time
stice Hughes told some state that
tended to put his name on the ball
that he was not a candidate and
! not wish to be voted for In the /
lmaries, So OF all the returning can
iates, Mr., Hoover's returning re.
lrks have set political gossips, DEM
rats aud Republicans talking OF the
'mer food administrator
cal Nonpartisan.
But they don't know to what political
rty he belongs lie Is a business
m type which makes II appear prob
10 that he is a Republioan-shu he
pported the president in his appea,
a Democratic congress and IL en-
lsiastica(ly for the league Of nations
us he has az least made of himself
nonpartisan figure, lie IL California
oppressive with a tendency TO be as Oh,
Heal as the times demand On the wy
Ter hand he is not good speaker A.,
cAmpaigner and so far as tho party W,
itloians go, he knows nothing OF Snns
J art Of political mixing and hates -, S
processes by which men get dele cn,
lions to support them at political SoS
MENTIONS, ~.
The Democrats talk of former Seq ~ IN
AIRY William q, McAdoo and A ~
icheH Palmer, attorney general, with II
wing opinion and an inclination TO me
,port Palmer II President Wilson saws m, ~
ON the Republican side, Gov, Frank H.,
WIDEN of Illinois continues to la ~
Eed OF favorably by bankers and ,ns
lineSs men but nearly every discuss Wy w
n OF candidates that | heard wound ~,
In n "A ~ | Wts