New-York tribune., 1920-06-07
Sinn Feiners, Radicals
and Pro-Cermans Sup
port California Senator.
| Says Former President
Republicans Need
Not Fear a Bolt
Asserts He Would Draw
as Heavily From Demo
Gratis as Own Party
By William Howard Taft

The situation at Chicago is a curl
GUS one, and it makes prophecy dan
gerous. General Wood still leads in
formally instructed delegates, but it is
by no means certain that he leads the
others in the number of uninstructed
delegates who are known to have ex
pressed preference. Senator Johnson
is given second place in the number Of
instructed delegates, but to do this ono
must count as instructed the whole
Michigan delegation, the members Of
which are not bound by the result of
the primary under the law and whicl
is known to include several Wood ana
Lowden delegates.
Senator johnson has less known sup
port among uninstructed delegates
than the. other candidates, while Gov
ernor Lowden's strength is probably
greatest among them. Senator Johnson
is the candidate of the radical element
IN and out of the Republican party, an
element that is vociferously demonstra-
tive Tor him and threatening toward
Radicals for johnson
All radical delegates in the conven-
tion will be for Mr.. johnson, and most
of them are included in his instructed
support. 1t is, therefore, impossible
to see, unless the convention is STAN.
peded, how Mr.. johnson can be nomi-
mated.
The convention will have great ma
!orlty OF regular conservative Repub-
licans in its membership, and if they
follow their prediction and their
calmer judgment, and if they believe
that the Republican party should stand
for something IN accordance with its
previous history, they are likely to
unite to prevent the possibility Of Mr..
Johnson's nomination.
It is Mr. Johnson's purpose, as showr
by his interviews and by his militant
presence at the convention as q candi-
date, to force the fighting. He is
aware Of the opposition to him be-
cause OF mis- radical proclivities, and
he seeks to avoid that opposition by
creating an issue on the question
whether the party should take its stand
against the league with the Lodge
reservations, as voted for by two-thirds
of the Republicans in the Senate, OF
should support the bitter enders and
oppose any league at all.
In so doing he is demanding that
there be an unequivocal plank in the
Republican platform against the
league, whether with or without res
ervations, and thus seeks to take ad-
vantage Of the unnatural alliance be-
tween Senators Borah. Norris, Gronna
La Toilette and himself on the one
hand and ultra conservative Republi-
cans like Senators Knox, Brandegee
Penrose and others on the other hand
brought about by the treaty fights in
the Senate.
A Fighting Leader
He is flushed with the victories in
California, Michigan and Nebraska, in
which, with the united support of the
Sim F6incrs, the Progressives and the
radical labor vote, who will not sup
port any other Republican candidate
he showed his strength in the pri-
maries. He is naturally a fighting
leader and prefers an early, definite,
clear-cut stand on an issue.
The suggestion of a ticket with Sen
ator Knox as the Presidential candi-
date and Senator Johnson as the Vice
Presidential candidate was humor-
GUS one, not because Senator Knox is
not in the class from which Presiden-
tial candidates may properly be taken
but because the suggestion was so ut.
terly at variance with Senator John
sons character and purpose. He hal
fContlnuod on next paQo)