The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-23
BORAH AND JOHNSON ARE READY ID JUMP IF HARDING WAIVERS
Endorsement of Root Tribunal Plan Under League of Ma tions Will Prove the
 Last Straw
By HUGH ". ROBERTS washinstos Bureau The Ase-Hsrsi
 500 Davidson Building

0tb paWesoH buNotu9 Washington, September 22.-(spe- cial)-Should Senator Harding indorse Elihu Roots international court = which is intended to be an adjunct of the League of Nations-Senator Will liam E. Borah of Idaho, and Senator Hiram Johnson of California will for swear their oaths of allegiance. While neither of the bitter -enders' have said so in actual language, MT. Borah has permitted interviewers to insinuate as much And thus, Sena- tor Harding, whose positions on the League of Nations are multitudinous, will continue artfully to dodge, or lose his balance astride the fence where he has been since the day of his nomi- nation.
 When Root went to Europe as is remembered. Senator Harding declared | that he was in thorough accord with | the Root programme as Root had out lined it to him. Later he declared that he expected great things from the work of Root, and added that very probably it would take precedence in | the campaign as an issue.
 THE BORAH THREAT
 l And then Root returned. When he | announced that his scheme had re- I suited in the development of court ! before which would be tried every in l ternational dispute, the republican l party saw a solution of their problem And then developed the fact that the l court was an adjunct of the League of | Nations, and without the league it would have no standing or power Senator Harding has been very care ful not to commit himself either for or | against the Root plan. It was gen | erally bruited abroad however, that at ] an early date he would accept the in : l ternational court as an adjunct of the I league provided the league covenant ! was Iiroperly amended.
 | Borah and Johnson heard the rumor. And then Borah, by indirection, got in touch with local correspondents. After l talking with them at length, it was | related certainly not without authority l that Borah and Johnson were opposed | to the Root plan, and that they would
 I continue to be opposed even were Harding openly and ardently to | espouse it.
 ROOT TO INSIST
 There is no question, it is said, but l that Root, having gone to Europe, l completed very intricate and delicate | work, and returned, will insist that
 l the republicans espouse his court.
 l It is said that his idea has met the ] approval of former President Taft, and 1 the great many republicans of the | country who want some kind of 3 l league. It fs said, also, that Senator l Lodge has not rejected the Root plan
 | that, bu. for the difficulties of presi- | dential campaign. he would accept it 1 At the same time the Borah-Johnson | group is insistent that Harding reject
 | the Root scheme. Between the several
 | fires, 1t is anticipated that Harding, ir
 | the long run, will be compelled openly
 | to express himself. In that event he
 | will displease one of the several i'm
 1 portant factions of his own organiza.
 :! tion, and the prediction is more oI
 1 less general in Washington, that fric- l tion will certainly be engendered. BORAH-JOHNSON ALERT The Borah-Johnson group, led by
 ] Senator Borah and Senator Johnson, is l still chagrined in that it's wits proved of inferior quality when matched | against the Penrose brain in the Chi | cago convention. At that time, as is recalled. Penrose put it all over" the | bitter -tNlders." He accepted their l programme respecting the league plank
 l in the platform, and having tied them
 to his chariot through such acceptance I threw their candidate, Senator John
 | son, out of the convention.
 | The Borah-Johnson group is said to
 ] be determined that Harding, a second l time shall not pull the wool over its l eyes. That such report is true. is in
 | dicated in the more or less paten | threat of Borah that he and Johnson
 | will go into other fields if Harding | permits Elihu Root in some tangib le
 | form to connect him with the League
 l of Nations.
 l The situati ton Is exceedingly interest l ing to the democratic national com
 | mitee, the chairman of which states
 | openly that "the distressful spectacl'
 I of the republican management is
 | viewed by me with extraordinary satis-
 :! faction"