The Washington times., 1923-09-20
BY WILLIAM HARD.

10 MAKE iii d1u COAAIASOA q
candidate, the President may have
to do two things.
He may have to develop q
foreign policy, and he may have
to include in that policy q
prospect of American member
ship in an international political
organization.
The first thing by itself might
not be enough. johnson has re-
peatedly said that he does not
object to a foreign policy by the
United States, for the United
States and of the United States.
He does not in any way object in
principle to American acts by and
for America abroad.
What He Does Object To.
What he does resist is American
membership in international polit-
teal bodies In which the acts to be
performed by the United States are
not known and in which. al he
believes. they may be swayed and
determined by a majority Of for
etgn votes
President Coolidge might lay
down an American policy regard
ing the Ruhr, and get johnson 3
support for it. If, on the other
hand. he goes into a conference
with France and Britain and Italy
regarding the Ruhr in order to
find out what the American policy
regarding the Ruhr is, he then viii
make an immediate candidate of
johnson.
It would not be a. feeble can
didacy, Johnson's ideas on foreign
affairs have been making great
Roadway among regulars and
sstalWarts."
characterization at Low Ebb.
"Internationalism" was never at
q lower ebb in Washington than it
q today. Numerous regulars and
sssfa1warts" would instantly leave
Coolidge If they suspected him of
being genuinely an international
ist.''
Such people could not turn to
Lowden or to Pinchot because Low
den and Pinchot are already them.
selves suspected of the crime of
Decentralization" Nor could they
turn to Borah. Borah il too cir
regular for them on domestic is-
sues.
They would, in fact, turn to John
son in considerable numbers. They
Increasingly take the following
view of Johnson:
There is in him no important cir
regularity on domestic issues, and
he could crate more "irreconcilAble'
votes, into existence at the polls
than any other candidate pledged
70 the '1irreconcilable' attitude to-
ward foreign issues.
Suits On Foreign Issues.
In other words, he suits them ex-
actly on fbreign issues, and he has
come to be tolerable to them on do
mestic issues, and they have high
esteem for his vote-getting capac-
ity on the stump.
These regulars" and "stalwarts,' -
who take this view Of Johnson, are
not only numerous, but are ex-
tremely strategically located within
th< Republican national organiza-
ton.
In fact. Johnson's greatest handi-
cap as a candidate is that his DO
tential strength is so great that the
President may not wish to give 1t
any occasion to blossom out into
an actual strength. He may de.
eide. in case he has any tendencies
toward 'fnternationalisrn," to hold
them in check for a while.
Another Avenue Possible.
In the meantime, it is hoped by
Johnson's friends that a certain
other avenue might open for him to-
ward candidacy. They maintain
that he occupies a middle ground
between the extreme progressiveism
which they attribute to La Toilette,
and the extreme conservatism
which they attribute to Coolidge.
The facts regarding Johnson's
progressiveism are as follows:
The progressive laws which he
put into the statute books OF Cali
fornia have become accepted and
irrepealable parts of the public man.
ners and customs Of a highly pros
porous commonwealth. They have
ceased to be novel. They have
ceased to be thought dangerous.
To the ideas in those laws john
own thought. He is now mentally
what he was then.
Not An Industrial Progressive.
He is a political progressive and
humanitarian progressive but not
an industrial progr essive or ''radi.
cal"
He is for direct primaries and
Tor all other practicable devices of
popular government He is for
abolishing child labor and for reg.
ulating the work-hours of women
and for accomplishing all the other
feasible purposes Of welfare legls.
htion."
!, He Is for 1.-The people" and he
Is for the under dog" He wants
the under dog" treated well. He
fails to be a radical" because he
fails to demand that the under
dog" be given a share in the man.
agement of the industrial world.
A test point is the Plumb Plan for
the management of railroads through
boards Of directors in which the EN-.
ployes would have representation
La Toilette is on terms OF intimate
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