Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-06-05
WATSON FORMIDABLE
DARK HORSE?

CHICAGO. June 5.-The last week pre-
vious to the converting Of the republican
national convention closed without leav-
ing the public any more Indication as to
the presidential nominee than the public
had a year ago.
The republican convention will open
without coordination OF sufficient dele
gates, leaders or bosses to insure the
nomination Of any one man, thereby Civ
ing TO the gathering an interest that
has not been so keen for many years.
The plain truth about the republican
party today IS that there Is not a single
member in the limelight who possesses
outstanding qualifications to make a race
Tor the presidency along the lines Of
the campaign which have been forced on
the party by the senate.
In its zeal to oppose the administra-
ton Of President Wilson the republican
senate has pledged the republican party
TO oppose everything that has come from
or been even remotely connected with the
whitehouse.
This opposition TO the president has
been the keynote Of the party for more
than year and it has been followed
to the exclusion Of everything else.
The result is that there has been no
opposition and political leaders generally
win agree that mere opposition does not
require a candidate Of any great ability.
Anyone Of the candidates who are
actively IN the race today is capable Of
leading the party in 4 campaign wholly
Of opposition.
Hiram johnson is better trained in the
art OF opposition than any other candi-
date and should make the republicans
an ideal candidate for the platform
which they are gradually framing.
But Johnson is not desired by a large
part Of the republicans who recognize
that while opposition is the fundamental
of their campaign, IL must be backed up
with some assertive program in order
to appeal to the voters of the country.
Leonard Wood is capable of leading
a campaign Of opposition. so much so in
fact that he is the most dangerous con-
lander for the nomination on the pro-
uEam which has been outlined as repub-
Hean.
But there are some things about his
candidacy that do not set we'll with the
party leaders, who wish to succeed this
fall. Wood is the transparency sore
toe" candidate Of the field. He is not at
all acceptable to that part Of the group
OF leaders who realize that while the re-
publican party is making q campaign Of
opposition to President Wilson, its candi-
dates must have sufficient personality to
indicate that they will do something else
~ Office than wipe out the WiIsonian
policies.
Gov. Lowden apeals to the leaders who
want the candidate to be constructive,
although the platform is wholly destruc-
tive BE has the reputation of being
karsT 4 nj 81
sense that his own natural ability viii
supply to the republican campaign that
element which viii be sadly lacking-in-
surance Of a constructive program for
the administration.
But no leader has yet arisen who is
capable Of recOnciling the party to Low
den, largely because the party is so
"hell-bent" on fighting President Wilson
that It can give no attention to construc-
tive government.
Consequently only a few of the more
sane leaders can see the necessity Of
nomins ling a man with constructive abil.
lty to Offset the wild mania for de-
struction that fas been built up in the
last year by VIII H. Hays efforts "ut-
teriy to destroy democracy.
The result OF all this IS that today
the republican party is without leader,
<nGthout a candidate and without a def
mite program under which it can find
4 leader, or a candidate
It seems likely that some one will
be nominated at Chicago without due
dehberation and more in response to
emotion than Judgment
There are a number of men waiting
with with lightning rods IN the air,
and some Of them have been astute
enough TO have had the lightning rods
up for many months.
Among those who speculate on such
happenings there !. consideration being