The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-06-08

"e ehe HeW va GUARD, Delng pos
sessed of a stolid determination to put
over tried and true Republican such
as they hold Frank Lowden to be are
undismayed
So. the plan is to let the Lowdent
movement run its natural course, LET II
the balloting go on and see whether the
convention is disposed to be concerned
over the purchase of delegates in Mis-
souri, or whether it accepts as final the
reputation of those delegates by the
Illinois, governor himself.
An agreement has been reached be-
tween. the Lowden, Wood and John
son forces to keep the balloting going,
to 10 ballots if necessary to ascertain
the, exact strength J. of these three |
leaders, dark horses and other near can |
didates will not be permitted to reapl
the benefits of a deadlock until it is |
absolutely demonstrated that none of
the three candidates win.
Dismissing for the moment the sec
ond stage of the convention in which
the dark horses-Hoover, Hughes, Taft,
Lenroot, Allen and Sproul- would be
| considered, the first stage of the fight
| presents two opportunities for Hiram
johnson. He can make fight on the
convention floor against the treaty of
peace and league of nations or else he
can attack the Lowden candidacy as
the product of money power.
The members of the committee who
will draft the Republican platform are
practically agreed upon the plank on
the treaty of Versailles. They will
favor the treaty of peace and the
league of nations as an aspiration and
will commend the Republican senators
for opposing adoption in the form in
which President Wilson submitted the
| document but the ratification, of the
. treaty and league will be favored
with reservations. -
Now that doesn't mean "with the
l Lodge reservations. 1t means what
. 1T says-simply with reservations
That excludes all the quibbling about
the phraseology of some of the Lodge
reservations and doesn t tie the hands
tof the next President of the United
a States if he happens to be a Republi
can and wants to alter the program to
meet contingencies in the foreign sit
uation as they are. Ratification "witl
! reservations" will be simple, all-in
: elusive expression of Republican inten
: tions.
But Hiram johnson is absolutely op
n posed to such a plank. Yet whether h,
e viii consider it worth while to risk hi
! chances for the nomination on that
/ plank depends upon his sincerity. Hi
e ardent admirers insist that he woult
/. rather lose the presidency than reced
: one inch-he will fight, they say
against the treaty with or without an,
reservations. But if he should wage
| fight on the convention floor, he woul,
V certainly be overridden as this con
n vention is too wise to oppose a simpl
/, statement such as ratification wit
IS reservations when it ism t even sal
{ how far those reservations can 90. S
Q | if Johnson made his fight and lost, tn
veteran politicians are confident tina
he would eliminate himself from con
sideration when the ballotting begar
The moral damage of defeat on the bi
thing on which johnson has waged hi
primary campaign would be irretriey
able. The supporters of Lowden, WOOD
and the rest don t think Hiram Johnso
dares do it. Nor do they believe
will assail Lowden on the Missouri ex
= posure because of the effect that
! would have on his own political for
Il tunes. For while johnson might thu
y eliminate Lowden, the resentment pro
duced among the Lowden supporter
would be sufficient to prevent the sc
lection of Johnson.
: Whichever way one turns, it is HI
:, ram Johnson who has the veto club i
his hands. He can kill off Lowden an
turn the convention to consideration o
dark horses His own oratory may wi
him support but the rank and file o
| the politicians think him too radica
and too impulsive to be Republica
nominee. Frankly, they don t like hin
And he knows it. Therefore he ha
everything to gain and very little t
lose by open warfare. And that s wha
is coming-Johnson on the war pat
and the convention like a big jury, dc
Gliding whether the Missouri exposur
is a flash in the pan or a serious faV
in Republican, hopes. Men like A.
= Hert of Kentucky, the new Penrose o
the situation, who is for Lowden
not consider the johnson explosion ca
effect the sober, thoughtful delegate
of Republican national convention
Anybody can win next November o
the Republican ticket, reasons the Re
publican wiseacre who, is for Lowde
a but the supporters of Leonard Woo
and Hiram johnson make good use @
q brother McAdoo's pull with organize
- labor and his political versatility a
they argue that if the Democrats nom
mate McAdoo cit won t be a cinch
and that the ChicapO convention ShouI