Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-06-08
CO. P. SITUATION
ISPUZZLING ONE,
DECLARES TAFT
BY WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT


SALT LAKE CITY. Utah. June 6.
The situation at Chicago is a curious
one and it make prophecy DANCE
rous General Wood still leads in
formally instructed delegates, but he
is by no means certain that he leads
the others in the number of unin-
| structed delegates, who are known
to have expressed a preference.
Senator Johnson is given second
place in the number of instructed
delegates, but to do this one must
count as instructed the whole Mich
| igan delegation, the members of
which are not bound by the result
| of the primary under the law, and
which is known to include a num-
| Der of Wood and Lowden delegates.
! Senator Johnson has less known
support among uninstructed dele
gates than the other candidates,
while Governor Lowden's strength is
probably greatest among them Sena-
| tor Johnson is the candidate of the
radical element in and out of the
| Republican party, an element that
| is Vociferously demonstrative for
him and threatening toward any 9th
er Republican candidate. All uadi-
/ cal delegates in the convention will
be for Mr.. Johnson and most of
them are included in his instructed
support. 1t is therefore impossible
to see unless the convention is
stampeded, how Mr. Johnson can be
| nominated
Regulars in Majority
The convention will have a great
majority of regular conservative Re-
| publicans in it's membership, and If
| they follow their prediction and their
calmer judgment, and if they be-
! lieve that the Republican party
should stand for something in &C
| cordance with its pervious history,
| they are likely to unite to prevent
| the possibility of Mr.. Johnson's
! nomination. 1t is Mr.. Johnson's pur-
pose as shown by his interviews and
by his militant presence at the con-
! vention as a candidate to force fight
ing. He is aware of the opposition
to him, because of his radical proc
Invites, and he seeks to avoid that
opposition by creating an issue on
the question whether the party
should take its stand against the
league with the Lodge reservations
as voted for by two-thirds of the Re-
publican senate or should support
the bitter enderS and oppose any
league at all! ..
In SO doing he is demanding that
there be an unequivocal plank in the
Republican platform against the
league whether with or without res
ervations, and thus seeks to take adj
vantage of the unnatural alliance
Gronna, LaFollete and himself, $on
the one hand, and ultra conservative
Republicans like Senators Knox,
Brandegee, Penrose and others.
On the other hand, brought about
by the treaty fight in the senate,
California, Michigan and Nebras ska.
in which, with the united support of
the progressives and the racial Ia
Dor vote, who will not support any
other Republican candidate, he show
ed his strength in the primaries; he
is naturally fighting leader and
prefers an early definite, clear-cut
stand on the issue
Was Humorous Suggestion
L The suggestion Of a ticket with
Senator Knox as the presidential can
didate and. Senator Johnson as the
vice presidential candidate was a
humorous one, not because Senator
Knox is not in the class from which
presidential candidates may properly
be taken, but because the suggestion
was SO utterly at variance with Sen
ator Johnson's character and pur-
pose. He has no idea of playing see
ond fiddle. He, proposes by sheer
force of audacfous leadership and
through fear of timid Republican
delegates to make the bitter-ender
tail wag the Republican dog. One
| may venture to doubt whether such
a plan will work successfully, but
one must concede the courage with
which it is being attempted.
! The delegates in a Republican con-
| vention have not ordinarily been
stampeded. The galleries of the ex-
position hall at Chicago have been
filled with enthusiastic thousands
shouting till exhausted in favor of
candidate without the needed votes,
while the body of delegates remained
unmoved in their seats. Chicago is
the home of Sim Fein, pro- German
and radical enthusiasm and Senator
Johnson's name and appearance in a
convention will meet with a gallery
acclaim that might affect less sea-
soned heads than the present Repub-
l:can delegates.
What the Republican delegates,
however, should note is that Senator
Johnson's canvass and implied de-
mand for his own selection as a
nominee is not to be postponed until
the roll call for votes for candidates.
1t will begin in the resolution COM
m1ttee and will be forced upon the
| convention on the adoption of ma
jority or minority report. If Mr.
Johnson carries out his announced
| purpose the convention must elect
whether the Republican party shall
! stand by the thirty senators in favor
of the league with the Lodge reser-
vations, or repudiate those senators
| and stand with the five radicals, mas
querading as Republicans, who are
| associated with the nine regular Re-
4 publicans in opposition to the league
| altogether.
johnson Playing on Fear
The most conclusive step to end
any danger of Mr.. Johnson's nomi-
nation is to- stand with the majority
| of the Republican senators on the
league issue. Mr. Johnson has said
he will not bolt, but reasons for
changing his mind as thick as black
| berries can be found if occasion re-
quired. He is now skilfully playing
on fears that he will bolt in spite
! of his declaration. Fear of a bolt
| by Mr.. Johnson should not deter the
convention from standing by the
large Republican senatorial majority
| on the league majority.
If Mr.. Johnson is not nominated
| himself and a "Mr. Facing-Both-
| Ways" resolution is adopted on the
| subject of the league, Mr.. Johnson
| is just as likely to bolt as not. If
the convention takes the courageous
stand in favor yof the action of the
majority Republicans of the senate,
| Mr.. Johnson's bolt will not defeat
the Republican party. He will draw
as many votes from the Democratic
party as he does from the Repub.
lican party.
The Republican candidate will be
supported not only by the regular
but by many "a me cons enVpiHa B ben1o
Gratis, disaffected toward the present
| administration, who will be glad to
seize the opportunity of voting the