The Washington herald., 1920-03-15
G. 0. P. BATTLE
GROWS BITTER;
JOHNSON BUSY
Senator Pushes Campaign
With Vigorous Attacks
On Wood and Lowden.
TREATY A. BIG FACTOR
Majority Of Democratic
Candidates for Nomina-
ton Hold Back.
Nv WILLIS J. ABBOT.

New York, March 14.-1f the reia-
tive activities of the friends Oh
those aspiring gentlemen commonly
referred to as Presidential possibili-
ties. are at all significant the Demo-
cratic nomination seems to De
looked on as a prize little worth
effort. For while the traditional
welkin rings with the appeals, the
charges and the counter charges OF
those who are seeking the Repub-
lican nomination it is but seldom
that the voice of Democrat is rec
ognizable above the din.
Attorney General Palmer is frank
Iy in the fight for the Democratic
leadership, as evidenced by his let
ter to the Georgia Democrats. But
what other Democrat has come for
ward? Champ Clark has given evil
dence of a receptive disposition and
the alcoholic Atlas, Edwards of New
Jersey, is very much in the fight.
Rut Mr.. Clark's attitude is, like that
of Mr.. McAdoo, Senator Owen. Mr.
Gerard and Governor Cox. rather
that CT a man who. is willing TO
await later contingencies than one
who urges his friends to get out
into the open at once and hGnt LOT
dele gates.
Resort to Mudslinging.
On the side of the Republicans
we have candidates not merely
transforming about the country
but getting down to mud Singing
in the traditional political way. Al
the present time Senator Johnson
is winding up a speaking tour in
the Middle West, and his manager
here promises that he will present.
ly enter New York and campaign
for delegates on the primary issue
of opposition to Article y.
incidentally he will continue his
attacks upon the Lowden and Wood
candidates. as savoring too much
of the barrel in politics. There
is a widespread feeling that the
johnson forces have been shrewd
in raising this question of cam
paign finance. The revelations
which are daily being made in the
Newberry trial in Michigan are
having a serious effect upon public
opinion, and any candidate who
goes before either national conven-
tiOn with a taint of corrupt use of
money on his prenomination cam
paign is likely to encounter opposi-
ton of a sort he had not anticipated.
Senator Johnson will speak dur
Hg the current week in Michigan,
and it is not thought that Senatorial
courtesy will cause him to refrain
from drawing a parallel between
the methods which have brought
Senator Newberry into disrepute,
and those which he charges are
being employed to advance the can
didacies of one or two of his rivals.
Work Under Surface.
Systematic work is being done for
Johnson in New York. more indeed
than on the surface seems to be in
progress for any other Republican.
Delegates pledged to him are named
in twelve districts in opposition to
those named by the regular" Re
publican organization.
William NJ. Bennett, who has been
a thorn in the side of the party
managers since he took, almost by
default, the regular Republican
nomination for mayor in 1917. and
thereby contributed enormously to
the defeat of Mayor Mitchell, is a
candidate for delegate-at-large In
the Johnson interest. Fighting, as
usual. outside the regular lines,
Rennett may be relied upon to make
things lively for the makers of
states.
1t will be interesting to note New
York's response to Senator John
sons appeal for support in his an
tagonism to Article y. So far as
general opinion can be judged by
the conversation of men in the
street, New York as a whole is
rather favorable to the adoption of
the treaty without further delay,
and with any of the compromise
reservations to Article Y that have
been suggested.
The extreme anti-British element
and its journalistic supporters
here. however, are bitterly antag-
onistic to the treaty as a whole.
and in thorough accord with the
irreconcilables that would defeat
il.
Johnson's Policy Questioned.
This element may be relied upon
to rally to Johnson's support. Un-
luckily for him. however, it is
mainly in the ranks OF the Demo-
cratic party that voters of this
way of thinking are to be found,
while the newspapers voicing his
views are normally classed as Dem
ocratic. though they have but sell
dom been found supporting a DEM
ocratic candidate. Political OBJ
servers are inclined to question
the wisdom of Senator johnson in
basing his hopes for New York
delegates so largely on this issue
While the intrepid Californian is
attacking both Wood and Lowden
on the ground of undue expendi-
ture of money in the search for
delegates for the campaign, the
manager of the general is endeav-
oring to lure the Illinois governor
into making some admission of
hostility to military training. 1t
appears that from the Lowden