South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-06-08
GOOD MORNING
Congress Hotel
Great Place
To Feel Real
Republican
Pulse
BY JOHN HENRY zUvER.

CONGRkSS HOTEL, CHICAGO.
June 7.- EXAMINATIONS and re-
ordinations are the leading fea-
lures Of pre-convention conver-
satiOn as one hears il in the lob
by and corridors of the Congress.
Auditorium and Blackstone hotels.
headquarters of the various can
didates and state delegations at
the republican national conven-
ton. Somehow IL seems % be
settled In the minds Of pretty much
everyone that the republican party
Is here In attendance at its fun
eral If things do not go exactly
the way Of the particular person
speaking. The republican year"
cocksureness that G. O. p, ad-
herents were staging not so very
long ago, has had the curtain Of
doubt" drawn over il, and every
body is blaming everybody else
that it is so.
Congress IS coming in for its
full share Of the blame for this
condition. Despite what il is eX-
pected Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge
Will have to say as temporary
chairman, I'm an effort 10 humbug
the delegates by a substitution of
what congress has not done, for
what it has done, the delegates
sent hither from the rank and file
Of the party, seem TO have come
pretty well posted upon the scope
Of congressional dereliCtion and
the atmosphere is quite charged
with a determination that no one
active I'm that body of obstruction
lists, will get any considerable IA
vorable consideration as a candi-
date for president.
Wood, LOwden and Hoover sup
porters are talking this with a
vengeance, using it particularly
against Sen. Johnson and Sen.
Harding, or any other senator who
may show his head as "A presiden-
tial aspirant IL is the strongest
argument that one hears against
either of those candidates. 1t is
even being urged in some quar-
tiers that but for the irreconcili-
bility Of such anti-leagues as
Johnson and Harding, the Lodge
reservations might have been
amended into acceptance by the
president, but Johnson men es-
pecially are answering that such
talk is all nonsense; that the So
called reservationists' in the SEN
ate were just as anti-league as
their chief" had been, scared TO
death practically all the time lest
the president might concede their
terms; that they were merely too
dishonest TO openly stand by their
hopes; that what they wanted to
do was 10 Kill the treaty and the
league by stabbing 1t in the back
instead of smashing ii in the face.
Moving around among the dele
gates one gets more Of q line ON
the feelings of the folks back
home than could perhaps be OBJ
tainable from any other source.
Everybody here, Of course, is sup
posed 10 be a republican. and the
consequent freedom Of conVersa-
tion enables one 10 get n splen-
did line on the ideas OF the peo-
pie they represent. All men are
more or less affected by the COM
pany they keep. The average hu-
man head, like an egg, or crock
of Observation-Disclosures, absorbs
the flavor OF it's surroundirEs, and
n @ sc delegates conf dentialIy
talking among themselves are .
pretty good criterian OF the feel
ings and sentiments OF the whole
country.
And those sentiments and feel
ings indicate a considerable sus-
picion Of the republican party. as
regards the Righteousness OF its
course. They are not sure that
the senate has done the proper
thing in its attitude toward the
League OF Nations, the Versailles
treaty, and a dozen and one other
things that have been frOwned
upon by that body They wonder
IL il would not have been better
for the party as well as for the
country. II congress had gone on
and ratified the treaty. etc. in
stead OF making a campaign is
sue out Of II. and they by taking
UP reconstruction program,
sought 10 make a campaign on
their record. instead OF a lack Of
record.
All OF which goes to explain the
setback IN the republican cock
suredness" that once was. but has
since. vanished. The delegates are
talking along these lines quite as
much as they are about candi-
dates The air is permeated with
"a sort OF dependency. Every
body Is wondering how much bet
ter the democrats viii present
their case from San Francisco.
fearful lest the right candidate.
and the right kind OF platform.
VIII re-enact the experience OF
1915. II not 1912. OF course. il
is expected that Sen. Lodge in
his keynote speech. VIII dispel
much OF this dispondency but
Lodge IS by no means popular
with the mass OF delegates. and
doubtful II ne will get their CON
dence. Several have been beard
90 remark that the national COM
mittee could not have picked a