Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-06-08
FATE Of GOVERNOR
ENTIRELY IN HANDS
Of HIRAM JOHNSON
Managers of Rival g. o. P
Candidates Warn Against
Hoover as Likely ozark
Horse" in PartyConvention
BY DAVID LAWRENCE

Copyright, 1920, for The Atlanta Journal.)
CHICAGO, June T. Governor
Frank Lowden. of Illinois, has the
best chance of winning the Repub-
lican nomination for the presidency
because he has the most skillful and
powerful political reserves in the
convention, but his fate is entirely
in the hands of Senator Hiram John
son, of California, who holds the
veto power.
The key to the situation is the
strategy in the Johnson camp. One
sentence from hint will not sane
ton the nomination of anyone for
whom delegates were bought" would
crystalline the undertone of whispers
into a noisy apprehension that the
Missouri scandal is sufficient food
for Democratic orators to make
doubtful a victory in November. Will
liam Hale Thompson, national COM
mitteeman from Illinois, made such
statement as he bolted the Lowden
household. Senator Borah, Of Idaho,
has expressed ominous doubts about
the effect of the Missouri exposure
on the Lowden boom. But the new
"old guard" being possessed OF a
stolid determination to put over
tried and true Republican such as
they hold Frank Lowden to be are,
undismayed.
So the plan is to let the Lowden
movement run it's natural course,
let the balloting go on and see wheth-
er the convention is disposed to be
concerned over the purchase of dele
gates in Missouri or whether it ac-
cepts as final the reputation of
those delegates by the Illinois COVER
nor himself.
Lowden-wood-Joh nson Pact
An agreement has been reached be-
tween the Lowden, Wood and John
son forces to keep the balloting go
ing, to ten ballots of necessary, to
ascertain the exact strength of those
three leaders. Dark horses and 9TH
err near-candidates will not be per-
mitted to reap the benefits of dead
lock until it is absolutely demon
strated that none of the three can
win.
Dismissing for the moment the
second stage of the convention IN
which the dark horses-Eoover,
Hughes, Taft, Lenroot, Allen and
Sproul-would be considered, the
first stage of the fight presents two
opportunities for Hiram Johnson. He
can make a fight on the convention
floor against the treaty of peace and
League of Nations, or else he can
attack the Lowden candidacy as the
product of money power.
The members of the committee who
will draft the Republican platform
are practically agreed upon the
plank on the treaty of Versailles.
They will favor the treaty of peace
and the League of Nations as an in
spiration and will commend the Re-
publican senators for opposing adop-
ton in the form in which President
Wilson submitted the document but.
the ratification of the treaty and
league will be favored with reser-
vations." Now that doesn't mean
with the Lodge reservations" 1t
means what it says-simply with
reservations" That excludes all the
quibb1ing about the phra seoIogy OF
some of the Lodge reservations and
doesn't tie the hands of the next
president Of the United States if he
happens to be Republican and wants
to alter the program to meet con-
tingencies in the foreign situation as
they arise. Ratification with res
ervations" will be a simple all-in-
elusive expression of Republican in
tentions.
Would Eliminate Self
But Hiram Johnson is absolutely
opposed to such a plank, yet whether
he will consider it worth while to
risk his chances for the nomination
on that plank depends upon his sin
cerity.
His ardent admirers insist that he
would rather lose the presidency
than recede one ince-he will fight
they say, against the treaty with or
without any reservations But if
he should wage fight on the con-
vention floor, he would certainly be
overridden as this convention is too
such as ratification with reserva-
lions" when it isn't even said how
far these reservations can go. So
if Johnson made his fight and lost
the veteran politicians are confident
that he would eliminate himself
from consideration when the ballot
ing began.
The moral damage of defeat on
the big thing on which Johnson has
waged his primary campaign would
be irretrievanIe. The supporters of
Lowden, Wood and the rest don't
thing Hiram Johnson dares do it..
Nor do they believe he will assail
Lowden on the Missouri exposure be-
cause of the effect that it would
have on his own political fortunes.
For while Johnson might thus elm
mate Lowden, the resentment pro-
duced among the Lowden supporters.
would be sufficient to prevent the
selection of Johnson.
Fear McAdoo
Whichever way one turns, it is
Hiram Johnson who has the veto
Continued on Page 6; Column g.