Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-06-13
The G. o. p. Mountain and It's Mouse

The G. o. T.. Mountain and It's Mouse
IN the choice Of Warren G. Harding of
Ohio for President. and Calvin Coolidge
OF Massachusetts, for Vice-President, the
Republicans perhaps did the best they could
lii the maelstrom of bitter factional inter-
ests that threatened to rcnd the party at
Chicago. In some respects it is not bad
ticket. 1t has its elements Of strength
probably as many could be gathered to-
gether after the really strong men OF the
party had been rendered unavailable. Ger
,alnly the combination seems made to order
for the platform on which it must stand.
In Harding. the Republicans selected one
OF the old-line. conservative party workers
who is acceptable to the Old Guard and the
interests and not particularly objection
able TO any Of the factions. Always he has
been a party regular, and as Lieutenant
Governor of his State and as n Senator he
has made many personal and political
friends, partly through pleasing person.
ality, but moro through the sheer colorless-
ness of his career. Always he has kept
carefully in the middle of the road He
has trained with the hounds and run with
the hare, and by disposition and training
he is pre-eminently fitted to stand on the
platform his party has adopted He is a
candidate who has no past" to rise up and
plague him, he at least brings no charge
OF corruption to burden his campaign. and
he can stand on any and every plank of
The duplicitous G.. o. p. platform with no
qualms of conscience and no violation Of
political principle What moro could his
party desire in candidate, even if his
selection was forced upon it?
Coolidge, in second place, stands for one
thing definite, and in this respect he gives
the ticket its kangaroo character. lie may
be no more able than Harding--in fact, he
is political accident-but his firm stand
for law and order during the police strike
in Boston made him national figure, drew
forth the commentator OF the national adj
ministration, and marked him a coming
man. He has not failed to capitalize this
one outstanding incident of his career
Geographically, the party picked we'll in
Harding, for Ohio is n pivotal State, and
il may swing tho result one way or the
other in November But, should Cox
chance 10 be the Democratic nominee, the
carefully laid plans of the G. o. p. may
fail, for Cox is the one man in Ohio who
has given Harding political drubbing, and
he doubtless could repeat.
The ticket is not as strong Harding
Johnson combination would have proved,
Tor the West is strong for the Californian,
and it is not likely to warm up enthusiastic
cally over the Old Guard selections, follow
ing the overthrow of it's idol. But Johnson
forced the surrender of the Old Guard on
the platform, and he and Borah, with their
threat of bolt>i and their charges Of the
sale OF the presidency, dragged Wood and
Lowden down with them, the New Hamp-
shire warrior and the Illinois Governor
buried under the weight of gold spent to
obtain the nomination. So, Johnson at least
won half a victory and achieved memoir
able vengeance over the men who put him
out of the running.
Given strong platform, tho Republican
ticket might look dangerous to the Demo
Gratis, but with platform that says every
thing and nothing, built to support a can
didate who stands for nothing except what
the party organization dictates as party eX-
pediency demands, the Democrats will as
"emb!e at San Francisco assured that, with
real American platform, upholding Ameri-
can honor and faith before the world, and
real American Embossed candidate of
which dozen are available, it will have
nothing TO fear at the polls.