Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-06-10
JOHNSON DECISION
FOR COMPROMISE
AVERTS HIS DEFEAT
New League Plank Permits
Candidate to Take Any
Position on Treaty.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

~ DFA VIZ LA WhESSE.
CHICAGO, June 10.-Senator Hiram
Johnson has compromised: has saved
himself from defeat on the floor of
the convention before the balloting
starts.
The California senator telephoned
his approval of the plank on the
treaty just before the convention as
sembled for its Thursday session.
The text of the paragraph in the
platform on the treaty was not made
public, but it contains these two prin-
ciples:
l. Rejection of the treaty in the
form in which President Wilson
brought it back from Europe.
2. Approval of the action of the
United States Senate in endeavoring
to secure proper reservations.
Now the important thing is that a
change has been made from an af-
nrmat1ve statement favoring ratifica-
ton OF the treaty to a negative state
ment which leaves the same Inference.
Originated in Virginia.
The new plank originated in the
Platform drafted for the Virginia re-
publican convention by Representa-
tive Slemp
. Today's agreement on the platform
makes 1t possible for the candidate of
this convention to make any state
ment about ratification of the peace
treaty that hespleases
tears that Senator johnson, by car
rying the fight to the floor, might
split the republican party, caused the
old-line leaders to accept a compro-
mise But they have not prevented
Hiram from taking the floor. He is
going to make a speech to this con-
vention on some plank, probably that
relating to taxation, or legislation
affecting business. He wants to prove
he is not dangerous.
His only chance to win lies in an
appeal directly to the delegates, but
shrewd observers believe that the
"old guard" has outwitted Johnson,
for his big opportunity for stam-
pede lay only in a speech on the
league of nations issue.
Evidently the conservative leaders
think there will be ample opportunity
to come out strongly for ratification
Of the peace treaty when a candidate
has been chosen and Johnson is out
of the way. Anyway. nominating
hand and the convention has wealth
cred big storm.
Agreement Made Here.
ington the senatorial group reached
an agreement on the league Of ma
tons plank, and Senator Lodge and
Senator Johnson are said to have left
the National Capital for Chicago with
a conviction that all would be well
on that question. The understand
ing was that~the republican national
platform would follow exactly the
lines Of the Indiana state platform,
which merely condemns the peace
treaty in the form in which President
Wilson brought it back from Europe
and praises republican senators for
offering resistance to 1t.
Nothing was said about ratifying
the treaty. But the moment the COM
mittee on platform got busy here for
called the Indiana plank a side-step-
ping device, unworthy of coura-
geous political party. He insisted that
the party favor an affirmative state
ment demanding the ratification of
the treaty with reservations" Moth
ing was even said about Lodge res
ervations." the obvious purpose being
to leave it to the next President of
the United States and the next Con-
gress to frame the proper reservations.
Leaders Were Irritated.
This hurt Senator Lodge a bit, as
he has always felt that his own
reservations were adequate. On the
other hand, the inclusion of state
treaty in any form was a thunderbolt
out of clear sky so far as the John
son and Borah camp was concerned.
and it also irritated such regular re-
publicans as Senator Medill McCor-
mick, who had stood with the ''irec-
oncilable' group in the Senate against
ratification of the treaty in any form.
All-day conferences yesterday were
followed by further consultations till
an early hour this morning. Senator
Johnson himself tried to reason with
Murray Crane, but to no avail. 1t Is
the old guard and that he himself is
unfavorable to the candidacy of
Hiram Johnson. but it is hardly like
ly that he cooked up the ratification
plank merely as device to get rid
of the Johnson boom before the bal
loting started.
The truth is Mr.. Crane has been
quietly working for the ratification of
the peace treaty and the adoption of
league of nations for year. Again
and again he has sought to modify
the attitude of Senator Henry Cabot
Lodge.
He has been a stanch friend of the
treaty from the start and is far more
interested in seeing the republican
party stand for it than he is in tn
choice of a candidate.
The johnson people are openly charg-
ing that behind him are the big banking
interests, and they point to the presence
here Of practically all the big financiers
of Wall street and downtown New York.
The latter profess. however, to be mere
ly interested onlookers. Indeed, at this
date the appearance of Murray Crane
as a champion of the treaty is hardly a
campaign trick.
Copyright. 192O.)
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