Evening star., 1920-05-27
HIRAM Johnson
GIVES OLD GUARD
. CAUSE FOR UNREST
Republican Senators Are Dis
tressed Over Inquiry Into
7 "SIush Funds" !"
nYDAyIDLAWRENCE. ny

Senator Hiram Johnson may or may
not be the republican nominee at Chi
cago, but he canrejoice in the fact
right now that he is having the time
of his life with the so-called old
guard Of the republican party. Wrig-
Cling uncomfortably. protesting in
dignantly, yet controlling their inn
pulses sufficiently to smother their
feelings. the majority of the repub-
lican senators are distressed over the
tor Kenyon. pal of Senator johnson,
is investigating the campaign expen-
ditures of the various presidential
nominees.
The republican senators who have
many an exposure of campaign ex-
penditures shook their heads doubt
fully when the plan was first pro-
posed and finally decided to smother
it altogether. But Senator Johnson
came back to Washington and things
happened. Although members of the
Investigating committee deny that
they have any other purpose except to
let the white light of publicity shed
its pointed rays On the 'slush fund.-"
democratic as well as republican can
didates, it requires no extraordinary
power Of political penetration to see
that the whole thing is part of the
iiistHCuNcT VI JOHuSOH
to fight his republican opponents by
continuous smoke screens about their
campaign expenditures and the sup
posed effort of plutocracy to capture
political control of our government.
Proaucsl Bitter Feeling.
Already the investigation has pro-
duced bitter feeling inside the re-
publican party. Supposing Leonard
Wood Is The naminee at Chicago? Is
IL n0lifically he
democrats all the data and details of
the Wood financial campaign? Usu-
ally il there is an investigation of
money spent. 1t is one political party
publican leaders resent is that GER
tain republicans are really investiga-
ing the republican party. They want
II stopped. But the potential power
of Hiram Johnson to come out and
denounce the "old guard" as backing
Leonard Wood impels the leaders to
let well enough alone.
So they are content to let the in
vestigation run its course. with this
exception: If the investigation throws
too much mud on the various repub-
1ican candidates and nobody makes a
move to inquire into the financing Of
Hiram Johnson's campaign. and the
direct and indirect support he is get
ting. some effort will be made to
bring that phase of the question into
the limelight. Indeed, the word Is GO
ing the rounds that republican sena-
tors who are not especially friendly
to Herbert Hoover. but who believe
his friends in California can furnish
information about the expenditures
for johnson in California are think
ing seriously of insisting that the
whole California primary be aired be-
fore the Senate committee.
From the first the peculiar power
which Hiram johnson has held over
his colleagues in the Senate has been
attributed partly to the force of his
personality and his ability to pound
out his thoughts in debate with a
biting effectiveness and partly to the
fear that il Johnson is not contin-
uously placated he will bolt the con-
vention at Chicago. sending repub-
lican hopes for victory from the van
tage point of certainty to the uncom-
Portable stages of real doubt.
No matter what the democrats have
thought. the republicans have right
along sincerely believed they had an
easy victory before them in Novem-
Der. The Johnson specter has raised
many Ifs" and "buts'-also there Is
no telling what the progressives will
do. Discomfort and murmurs are
growing over the famous conference
here last week over the framing of
tho republican platform.
Report Has Been Delayed.
Will Hays brought the results OF
weeks and weeks of research to the
Veteran politicians on Capitol Hill
thinking they would. of course. accept
Acontinued on Page 2. Column u