The Washington times., 1920-04-19
(Frsn the BreokIyn Standard Unisa
of March Is, Is2e.)
Is the Hearst Movement a Cover
for Johnson?

There is very little doubt q large
number of voters outside the Rspub-
lean and Democratic parties favor
the formation OF q third party. with
William r. Hearst as its candidate
for President 1t is a movement
which would have very strong sup
port from the German element of
our citizenship because of Hearsts
position during the war. both before
and after this country had entered
the struggle.
Then there is the American radical
element to consider.
1t may be said to lean toward So
cialism because 1t favors some Of the
things. like public ownership and
operation Of public utilities, Socialism
stands for. but 1t Is not for intsrna.
uonalism. 1t approves strongly OF
tho position Mr.. Hearst has taken to-
ward the League of Nations ana 10
enthusiastically for the Washington
doctrine eschewing permanent en-
tangling alliances with foreign coun-
tries.
such . candidacy might attract the
support OF other elements.
There IL the talk on every side OF
tho forming of new parties. all Of
which points to the unstable condt-
tion OF public opinion outside OF me
old parties. Perhaps tho cause wa.
the great war and the chanxes IL
wrought all over the world. thou~h
an that subject our country was fSiriv
united.
Whatever tho cause. the state Of
fux Is apparent.
woman suffrage has doubled thu
voting power of the country for ON.
thing. And then there is the Ei~bt-
eenth Amendment. That came liz.
eh,et In the night, working magical
changes socially and sociolosica,,v
Inc habits of millions of ma. ara
women were changed by fore.
whether they willed it or not. TIL.
people at large have to shoulder n.
taxes heretofore borne by thu u.uor
traffic at time when war taxss ana
other taxes are almost back sy.ak-
ing.
The amendment was not supported
by either party as such.
1t was started in a Congress over
wheimingiy Democratic, had the sun
port Of the Solid South, which omen
ly nullifies the Fourteenth and
Fifteenth amendments, and in tn.
North, speaking generally, was an
tagonized by the same party while il
had considerable backing from Re-
publicsns.
Nevertheless, its passage has
alarmed many Americans.
For years the Prohibition party
has been nominating candidates for
office from President down. It's vote
was for the most part negligible.
Like the vote of the Socialists, IL was
sometimes more and sometimes less,
but it always remained a very small
minority party. v
And it is a small minority party
today.
That is the mystery OF it all, and
that is the reason why so many citi.
zens think it is an insidious assault
on our institutions. proving our
fundamental law can be radically
changed, and the change come to the
mass OF the people as a surprise. 1t
was not an organized American party
that passed the Prohibition amend
ment. If. 1t were, that party would
still be an organized majority. The
sinister aspect of the case is that IL
was not voted on by the people In
any state, but passed by the losisla-
lures, and in some instances after the
people had voted overwhc hclmipgly
against It, as in the wine growing
state of California.
1t has been called the Standard
Oil amendment.
And Il is true the Standard Oil
msgnates have been its heaviest imam
cisl hackers and also that they are
organised to look after their i'm
mense interests in every Legislature
in the country.
Mr. Hearst once before sought \
Presidential nomination.
That fact, together with his great
wealth and his chain of newspapers
OF large circulation extending all
over the country, would have a tend
ency to turn the third party, men
and women, toward him, while his
advocacy OF amendments to the Con-
stitution OF the United States bv
country-widc referendum might or
set the TACT that he mas always been
an anti.snluon man I'm the minds OF
tHos" whose rhIoi fear ir that A we'll.
organized minority. backed secretly
a. tho Prohibition party 10 ssid TO
h3lo been n, crcrmoIs wealth con.
Ccntrated In few hands, might
bring disastrous change to Rspus.
licau instittltions and upaet the ovfy