The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-11-30
johnson Is
FrankAbout
Farm Issue
Feeling Over Keynote Speech
Is Mingled-Revival Of
League Is Criti-
cized.
Bonus Policies Derided
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

Washington, D. c., Nov>29-Wash-
ingtons reception of Hiram Johnson's
keynote speech is a curious COM
pound of kindness and criticism.
That he limited himself to cooperative
selling as the available remedy for
the wheat farmers is taken as proof
of his essential conservatism as proof
also, of his unwillingness to hold out
impossible quack remedies to the
farmers as a lure to get their votes.
Practically all the financial and agri-
culture experts here who have look
ed into the wheat farmers condition
have concluded that cooperative sell
ing Is about the only practicable thing
that can be done, and this Is probably
the only remedy that will be attempt
ed with the backing Of the administra-
ton, except possibly, for the purchase
of some wheat by the government FOR
purposes of charity in Europe. They
admit that cooperative selling Will not
help the wheat farmer great deal.
Some politicians, unwilling to make
this admission, have been holding out
to the farmer hopes of government
purchase of the entire export surplus
and other impossible devices which
are unlikely ever to be attempted
seriously. That Johnson should have
refrained from putting himself into
this class of politicians Is generally
commended.
Urges Frankness With Europe.
As regards Johnson's utterances on
10 Raid.
One Is that his revival of the league
of nations issue is like taking up
dead and buried corpse and kicking
it around in public. The 'irreconcil-
ables." who were formerly Johnson's
associates and hackers, have no
sympathy with this action and are,
in fact. generally opposed to his pres
ent candidacy. At the same time, the
following two sentences in Johnson's
reference to foreign affairs called out
some approval: II protest against an
American policy which does not
know what it is and which seeks TO
1Aliscover itself, or to hide itseit. pul
first going into a conference with fu-
rome. If an administration does not
like the existing situation abroad,
wby not say So There Is a gooo
deal of sentiment in Washington, both
i,reconcilable and otherwise, which
thinks that Coolidge and Hughes
oucht to be more explicit both with
the American public and with Europe.
Thev think that on this subject the
administration expresses itself TOO
rnucb through indirect inspired hints
IL. 1fr-oa
ouiyocal statements OF policy. lhes
say. for example, that IL the adnihis-
tration did not approve OF the french
going into the Ruhr, 1t ought 10 nave
said so at the time.
Tt Is occasionally said, propapiy
with more malice than accuracy, that
Hughes suffered a case OF intellectual
shell shock in the war over the league
of nations. which inhibits him, in this
field. from the direct forthrigntness
which in other fields is one or MS
great assets.
Receives Some DerisiOn.
To some degree, the explanation OF
the Administrations relative silence
about Europe lies in kind OF slogan
that has become current Dotn III
Washington and among our repre-
sentatives in Europe. 1t Is to the h-
feet that there are only three things
America can give Europe, namely
money. soldiers and advice. Since we
are unwilling to send money or SOL
diers, the slogan is that we ought 10
stop giving advice. To this the critics
- reply that direct. uneguivocai state
ments of American policy can De
taken as advice by Europe or can be
ignored They think the administra-
ton ought to disregard Europe's
sensibilities about receiving ADVICE
and ought to lay down, for the beneiit
of the world, whatever principles and
whatever course the United States
believes. To this extent there Is some
sympathetic support for Johnson's ut
terances In this field.
whenever any candidate says. as
Johnson does, that we can have poth
the bonus and the tax reduction, the
universal comment Of Washington Is