The Washington herald., 1920-05-09
Foes Of Treaty
Shot0 Strength
hG.OP.R Franks
Republicans Apt to Make
Peace Pact Prime Cam
paign Issue.
Nominee Will Depend on
Verdict Of Convention
As to Platform.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

win keynote primaries and cop-
ventions out Of the way, the strug-
gle of struggles now going on
within the Republican party ages
around the selection of the para
mount issue. -
For the moment it obliterates
all questions of candidates. Events
point to the peace treaty as the
ground on which the G.. o. P.
hosts will give battle.
Senator Hiram w. Johnson's
pyrotechnical victories in the pri-
maries, won as they were on a
clean-cut anti-treaty issue, compel
the party management to face
boldly and without delay the
problem of the attitude to be
adopted at Chicago toward the
pact of Versailles.
Seek Nations Sentiment.
Heart searching on an intensive
scale now is in progress along that
line. On the character of the deci-
sion depends. in the judgment of
the shrewdest observers. the fate of
the campaign.
So much already can be stated
the Johnson bull-rush toward Chi
cago has-knocked organizatio cal
culations and arrangements into
smithereens. They have to be made
all over again. The. perplexity into
which the Old uard has been
plunged is aggravated by the small
ness Of the vote in all primaries.
, What does the vast element,
which did not take the trouble to
80 to the primaries, think about the
treaty. even in States like, Califor-
MIA, Which rolled up huge johnson
majorities? Is ir safe to conclude
that the American electorate at
large is as anti-treaty as Johnson's s
-triumphs would indicate. or as SEN
ator Knox proclaims himself to be?
Nominee Depends on Platform.
Amid these doubts, fears and
alarms, only one thing stands forth
with apparent clearness-that until
the G. o. p. has decided upon the
precise character of it's peace treaty
plank, the identity and character Of
the nominee will remain utterly un-
certain. In other words. the plank
will determine the nominee. II the
treaty irreconcilables control the
situation at Chicago. including the
committee on platform. a candidate
fit to run on an anti-treaty issue
probably will be rammed down the
conventions throat
He will be an out-and- out "rejec.
ZIONIST" He may be johnson, or he
may be Knox. Whoever he is. he
will be a Republican who swallows
whole, without qualification or res
ervation. the idea of complete Amer
lean detachment from the affairs of
the outside world.
johnson Views Gains.
Senator Johnson's successes at the
primaries typify the spirit of wide
sections of the country. according
to reports reaching Republican
headquarters in Washington. There
is no manner of doubt that the ir-
reconcilable view of the treaty
that it ought to be rejected in toto
is taking hold of growing num-
bers of the people. Not only has the
attack waged upon the treaty been
fruitful, but even more effective in
manufacturing anti-treaty senti-
ment has been the continuance of
trouble everywhere in Europe.
Millions of Americans, who were
pro-treaty three or six months ago.
are anti-treaty today. because of
such things as Gen. Mangin's pre-
diction of a fresh Franco German n
war. Bolshevism's seeming invul-
nerability. Germany's chronic chaos.
the scramble for power in Central
Europe between Italy and Jugo-
Slavia. the partitioning of Turkey
and the Near East. and dozen
other stormclouds. large or small.
Rcjectionist May Land.
If the Rer ublican machinists,
who will organize the Chicago con-
vention. reach the conclusion dur
ing the next four weeks that the
country can be swept by an anti
treaty tidal wave, their efforts will
be concentrated OIL landing the
nomination for a "rejectionist" The
party leaders want nothing for No
vember but a winner or a winning
issue. If the careful, State-by- State
analysis-an6 even delegate-by-
delegate investigation - now pro-
ceeding reveals that the Lodge idea,
treaty with reservations, is the
best fighting material then a Re-
publican like Herbert Hoover will
move up automatically into the
front rank of possibilities. No can
didate now in sight has spoken out
II l. 1t
of a treaty as Hoover.
Wood. Lowden and Harding all
rate as friends of an American
lied" treaty. but of lukewarm en-
thusiasm. Their iDclinations are
considered. on the whole. more hos
tile than favorable to the idea of
American participation in the regu-
lation of world affairs.
Democrats welcome Fight.
The Democratic high command