The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-05-27
JOHNSON HAVING
BIG TIMES WITH
c. O.P. OLD GUARD
Majority of Senators UnCom-
Portable Over Way Kenyon
is Going Into Campaign
Funds and Ways Raised.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Correspondent of The News
Ill


Especial Correspondent of The News
Scimitar.)
WASHINGTON, May Ex-senator
nnlram Johnson may or may not be the
can rejoice in the fact right now that
ne Is having the time OF his life with
the so-called old guard Of the Republi-
can party.
Wriggllng uncomfortably, protesting
puises sufficiently to smother their feel
lngs, the majority of the Republican
senators are distressed over the way
tne committee headed by Senator Ken
yoni pal of Senator Johnson, is investi-
eating the campaign expenditures of
the various presidential candidates.
The Republican senators, who have
peen through many campaign and
many an exposure Of campaign expen-
when the plan was first proposed, and
finally decided to smother 1t altogether
But Senator Johnson came back to
washington and things happened.
Although members of the inyesti-
eating committee deny that they have
any other purpose except to let the
white light of publicity shed its pointed
rays on their 'slush funds" real or
imaginary Of the different Democratic
as well as Republican candidates, 1t
requires no extraordinary power of po-
litical penetration to see that the whole
Are Is part of skillful maneuvers of
Hiram johnson to fight his Republican
opponents by continuous smoke screens
about their campaign expenditures and
the supposed effort Of plutocracy to cap
ture political control OF our government.
Produces Bitter Feeling.
Already the Investigation has pro-
duced bitter feeling inside the Re-
publican party. Supposing Leonard
Wood is the nominee at Chicago. Is 1t
politically good sense to hand the DEM
ocrats all the data and details of the
Wood financial campaign? Usually If
there Is an investigation of money
spent, 1t is one political party investi-
eating the other. What the Republican
leaders resent Is that certain Republi-
cans. are really Investigating the Re-
publican party They want 1t stopped.
But the potential power of Hiram john
son to come out and denounce the "Old
Guard as backing Leonard Wood i'm
pels the leaders to let well enough
alone.
So they are content to let the in
vesttgation run its course, with this
exception: II the investigation throws
too much mud on the various Repub-
ncan candidates and nobody makes a
move to inquire into the financing of
Hiram Johnson's campaign and the di-
rect and indirect support he is getting,
some effort will be made to bring that
phase of the question into the limelight.
Indeed, the word is going the rounds
that Republican senators who are not
specially friendly tc Herbert Hoover but
who believe his friends in California
can furnish information about the ex-
penditures for Johnson in California, are
thinking seriously of insisting that the
whole California primary be aired be-
fore the senate committee.
Power in Senate.
From the first the peculiar power
which Hiram Johnson has held over his
colleagues in the senate has been at
tributed partly to the force OF his per-
sonality and his ability to point out his
thoughts in debate with biting effect
iveness and partly to the fear that If
johnson is not placated he will bolt the
convention at Chicago, sending Repub-
lican hopes for victory from the van
: tage point of certainty to the uncom-
Portable stages of real doubt.
No matter what the Democrats have
thought, the Republicans have right
along sincerely believed they had an
easy victory before them in November
The johnson specter has raised many
Ifs" and butts" also, there is no tell
ing what the progressives will do Dis
content and murmurs are growing over
the famous conference here last week
over the framing Of the Republican
Win Hays brought the results of
weeks and weeks OF research TO the
veteran politicians in Capitol Hill, think
ing they would, OF course, accept the
report as a basis for recommendations.
The report was to have been made pub
lie by this time. But something has
delayed it, and Everett Colby, militant
progressive from New Jersey, is out
with a statement that the old guard is
really pigeonholing the big volume of
reports compiled by the committee on
platform and policies.
No Dictation.
Instead of making "recommenda-
tions," the elder statesmen of Capitol
Hill are reported to have said that they
did not feel they should dictate to the
committee on resolutions of the Repub-
lican national convention, but that they
would present the reports of the ad-
visory committee appointed by VIII
Hays Ss information"
OF course, it Is too early to say what
the Chicago convention will do with the
advisory committees work 1t may
adopt the whole thing. But just now
some of those who worked on the ad-
Yisory committee feel they have been
q Tudey relegated to the ranks and that
old guard rule still prevails.
Politically speaking, there is indeed a
danger in publishing anything in ad-
vance of the conventions that might
appear to commit the party, because 1t
might later be seized upon by n rival
political party as a basis for criticism
= If the platform omitted anything that
the advisory committee recommended
the Democratic orators would not hesi-
tate to point the finger of inconsistency
at the Republicans.
But while the Republicans are having
their troubles, something analogous to
"old guard rule is going on in the
Democratic ranks. Democratic leaders
are insisting privately that if Mr.. VIII.
son insists on an unqualified indorse-
ment of the covenant, he will wreck the
Democratic party and It's chance for vic
tory.
Here and there insurgency is crop
ping out, especially in connection with
the demand of Eastern Democrats for q
damp platform and the insistence Of the
Western Democrats that they couldn't
hope to carry the West unless they
eliminated prohibition as an issue
Neither Republicans nor Democrats are
very happy over the immediate future
They will be immensely relieved when
the two conventions are adjourned-if
indeed there be only two conventions
Copyright, 1920, by David Lawrence.)
LIFE TERMER ESCAPES.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark, May e. (Spl)
Two white men, one Of them w. n