The Washington herald., 1920-05-17
Faction Fights
Loomin Camps ii
QfBoh Parties
League Of Nations and Wet
Advocates Worry Dem
ocratic Leaders.
Hope for Victory Reposes
In Belief Opposition
Will Divide.
ny WILLIS J. ABBOT.

With the Republican convention
three weeks away, and the Demo.
cratic six, the two great political
parties are confronted by these con-
ditions:
In neither has any candidate for
the nomination attained so consid.
cradle a number OF pledged or in.
structed delegates as to justify any
confident claim of his success
Among the practical politicians OF
both parties the feeling is that the
candidates leading today are by nc
means the ones most likely to win
the prize.
Democrats Hope for Split.
As to the value of that prize there
is some doubt in both parties. The
Democrats are frankly in the posi-
tion Of depending wholly upon some
error In strategy by, or some irrep-
arabic disaster to. their opponents
Talk with Democrats of whatever
station. and in whatever section
from Passamaquoddy to San Diego
and you will find that their one
hope of victory lies in a split in
the Republican ranks. Talk with
Republicans and you will discover
that the one cloud they espy upon
their political horizon is the menace
of that split.
In comparison with. this contin-
gency the identity OF candidates is
held of the slightest Importance. Or
perhaps 1t gets its chief Importance
from the part 1t may play in caus-
ing or averting such party disunion
While tho possibility of "A break
in the Democratic alignment is quite
as great as within the Republican
ranks, II has attracted little atten-
ton because of the general feeling
that, united or divided, that party
will be beaten unless its adversaries
themselves throw away an assured
victory.
Apprehension of Republican dis
union is based mainly upon dis
agreement concerning the attitude
of the party toward the treaty and
the league of nationsl In the Dem
ocratic party this excitant OF !nhar-
mony exists as well, and in addition
to it the marked divergence of
opinion upon the question of wet or
dry legislation.
The League in Both Parties.
II Hiram johnson and his fol-
lowers continue irreconcilable op-
ponents of the treaty despite the er-
forts toward compromise put forth
by the Indiana Republicans and
Senator Knox, to what extent Is
their attitude more menacing to
party union than that CT the Presi-
dents faction applauding his Ore
gon ukase although many Senators
of his party voted for the treaty
with reservations? Are the Presi-
dent and Senator Chamberlain more
in accord than Senator's Lodge anc
Johnson:
Ey action of Representatives of
the Administration Senator Rees,
of Missouri, was denied a seat in
the national convention. He is
about to begin a series of fifty
speeches in Missouri explanatory OF
his attitude and denunciatory OF the
The best judge of
Missouri political sentiment in Con-
grcss assures me that Reeds ora
torical outbreak will iafallibly cost
the State to the Democracy in No
vember. But in face of incidents
of this character the leaders of that
party are complacently sitting back
and counting upon a Republican
split.
The question of tho treaty. ana
perhaps some question of individual
personal ambition. are the only
points upon which a break in tn,
Republican alignment may occur.
But the Democrats have in addition
the hotly debated issue of prohib,-
tion. That this menace to party
harmony has never been permitted
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