El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-05-27
HAS
TINE Of LIFE

a part Of the skilful maneuvers Of
I Hiram Johnson 10 fight his Repub-
lican opponents by continuous smoke
screens about their campaign expen-
ditures and the supposed effort Of
plutOcracy TO capture political con-
troll OF our government.
Already the investigation has pro-
duced a bitter feeling inside th- Re
publican party. Supposing Leonard
. Wood is the nominee at Chicago, is
il politically good sense to Hand the
Democrats all the data details Of
the Wood financial campaign Usual
", If there is an investigation of
money spent, il is one political party
investigating the other. What the
Republican leaders resent is that
certain Republicans are really invest
igating the Republican party. They
want it stopped.
Let Well Enough Alone
But the potential power OF Hiram
johnson 10 come out and denounce
the old guard" as backing Leonard
Wood impels the leaders TO let well
enough alone. They are content to
let the Investigation run its course.
with this exception:
II the investigation throws
too much mud on the various
Republican candidates, and no.
body makes n move to inquire
JOhnsOn's campaign and the d.
rect and Indirect support he f.
getting, some effort viii be made
to bring that phase of the ques-
tiOn into the IimeliEht.
Indeed the word is ging the rounds
that Republican senator's. who are
not especially friendly 10 Herbert
Hoover. but who believe his friends
in California can furnish information
about the expenditures for Johnson
in California, are thinking seriously
of insisting that the whole California
primary be aired before the senate
committee.
Fear johnson Bolt.
From the first the peculiar power
which Johnson has held over his col I
leagues in the senate has been at
tributed partly TO the force Of his I
personality and his ability TO point ]
out his thoughts in debate with biting I
effectiveness, and partly TO the fear
that II johnson is not placated he /
viii bolt the convention at Chicago.
sending Republican hopes for victory
from the vantage point Of certainty .
10 the uncomfortable stage OF real .
ioubt-
No matter what the Democafs
have thought. the Republicans
have right along sincerely be-
lieved they had an easy victory
before them in November. The
johnson specter has raised many
"ifs@ and s.buts.7 Also there r.
no telling what the PrOgressfves
will do.
Discomfort and murmers are going
'ver the famous conference here last
week over the framing Of the Re
publican platform.
VIII Hays brought the results Of
weeks and weeks of research TO the
a. Hfrfu D
linking they would, of course, &C
ept the report as a basis for recon-
lendations. The report was TO have I
cen made public by this time. But
omething has delayed it and Everett
olby, militant progressive from New
ersey, is out with a Statement that
he old guard is really pigeonholing
he big volume of reports compiled by
he COMMITTEES on platform and poll
les.
Report Goes 10 Committee
Instead OF making recommended
ems the elder statesman on Capitol ]
I'D are reported 10 have said that
ley did not feel they should dictate :
the committee on resolutions OF ]
BE- Republican national convention, I
~ that they would present the re- I
orts OF the advisory committee ap- >
ointed By VIII Hays. as "informa-
on
VI e1AAHE IL Is 100 carry 10 say
hat the Chicago convention viii do
18th the advisory committees work. O
may adopt the whole thing But o
ist now some OF those who worked c
D the advisory committee feel they [
ave been rudely relegated to the
lnks and that the old guard rule
III prevails Politically speaking. 4
lere is indeed a danger in publish I
ig any thing in advance of the con =
antions that might later be seized
pom by a rival political party as a
asis for criticism If the platform
mitted anything that the advisory
1mmittee recommended. the Demo-
-atic orators would not hesitate 10
pint the finger OF inconsistency at ?
ie Republicans.
Trouble for Democrats. Too. :
But while the Republicans are hav- +
Is their troubles. something analo- =
BUS TO old guard rule is going on a
the Democratic ranks Democraffo.I =