Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-09
Wood Against Field,
Situation in Chicago
my cIaSroN W. GILBERT
Z satinued from Pare One

he has not vet made up his miud.
Borah's talk of Hughes on Monday may
not have been without significance.
When johnson picks n candidate it will
certainly be a man big enough 10 meas
ure up TO the presidency. It will prob
ably be one not closely identified with
the johnson movement.
Hughes is the choice Of a powerful
senatorial group. And Johnson's clos
est associations in the party are with
the senators. In the Senate he Is
stronger than here in the convention.
But Hughes is only guess. Johnson =
choice may be Governor Sproul.- OF
Pennsylvania. The Johnson people have
been encouraging the Sproul candidacy.
And johnson has through Knox
close relations with the politicians OF
Pennsylvania. Besides. Sproul has that
big block OF Pennsylvania delegates.
seventy six. fine nest egg uDon which
TO found a political fortune. The names
Of Hughes and Sproul are only offered
as guesses. Senators Knox and Hard
ing are also possibilities, Knox being a
close personal friend Of Johnson and
Harding having operated on friendly
basis with johnson during the cam
psign.
No Power in Weasel" Words
Johnson will make his fight upon can .
didates rather than upon the platform
for the simple reason that you get power
by naming President and yOu do not
get power by writing weasel word
into the platform The present tendency
in regard to the platform Is against
Johnson. The delegates have come here
with broader and s0ncr views upon the
platform than the senator's who brought
the Indiana plank in their pockets. They
are unwilling to give the League OF
Nations outright as an issue TO the
Democrats. They demand that the Re
publican party declare for some kind OF
league and not content itself with mere
opposition TO President Wilson,
The victory of Senator Watson over
Ogden l.. Mills for the chairmanshiT
Of the committee on resolutions doe'
not alter the situation Senator Wat
son is the author of, or the sponsor for
the Indiana plank Personally he is il
favor Of leaving the word league out o
the treaty plank. But he was not ChoSeE
chairman as an Endorsement Of th
view: he was chosen chairman becaus
he is personally popular. because he i
an insider, the most stalwart Old Guar,
figure left. Moreover. the election o
Mills at Chairman Hays's instanc
would be an indorsement Of the Hay
idea of putting platforms on policie
In the hands OF amateurs, outsiders
auxiliary members.
The Watson victory is a victory 70
regularity. not for pussyfooting on tn
covenant. What the platform on tn
league will be is not yet clear. But
will be compromise between the In
diana idea, which means anything q
nothing and the idea which the ina
jority comes here with Of declarin
fatty for the league with the Lodge res
ervations. About all that can be pre-
dicted is that the party will pronount
Its approval OF some kind OF league.
League Plank 10 BE Broad
An attempt will be made doubles
60 write the declaration for a leRgu
broadly enough so that even bitter
snders like Johnson and Borah can ac
cent IL. after a fight perhaps, but M
after their real fight OF the convention