The Washington times., 1923-04-24
HARDING COURT
POLICY SPLITS
c. D. ?.
Johnson and La Toilette Loom
as Potential Candidates
Now in 1924.
Continued from First Page.J

n
arrive in the convention with more
votes than he ever before has had
behind him.
It is pointed out that there are
Presidential primaries wide open to
the radical rank-and-file voters in
North Dakota, South Dakota, Wis
consin, Nebraska Aand Montana. It
is pointed out that plans for the
enactment of Presidential primaries
are under way in Minnesota, Color
ado and Iowa. 1t is pointed out
that all these States were swept by
radicalism in the election of last
fall, and that in every case the ele-
ments which pulled the strings and
managed the machinery of the
struggle and Of the victory were
elements enthusiastic for La Fol-
lette.
Votes for la Toilette.
1t is calculated by neutral obsery-
ers that La Toilette may come TO
the convention this time with 1872
votes-which will be the delegate
voting strength of the States above
mentioned. It is claimed by La
Follette's friends that he will come
with more than 200 votes.
In any case, the danger Of
his candidacy is not so much in the
exact number of his votes as in the
strong probability that he will ar
rive in the convention with a plat
form which may split the party.
1t is believed that La Toilette
will offer this platform to the con-
vention as a thing in which he will
claim to be much more interested
than In his own fate as candidate.
He will put himself carefully into
the background and he will put his
platform ostentatiously and spec
tacularly into the foreground. Then
il the convention rejects all the
main principles Of his platform and
throws them contemptuously out
of the convention hall, the La Fol
lette delegates-it is feared-WiIl
arise and walk out of the hall with
their principles into the street ana
finally into another convention hall
where they will start third
party"
Disturbs Republican Vanguard.
That is the picture which haunts
and frightens the most far-seeing
Republican managers; and they try
to imagine what the situation will
be after the La Toilette delegates
have withdrawn, in case such
withdrawal should happen.
They note that the Presidential
primary States will send to the
next Republican Presidential con-
vention at least 484 delegates and
possibly $50 delegates out of total
of less than $50 delegates on the
cCnvention's voting roll.
They note that in the Presidential
primaries of 1920 the fastest run
ner was Senator Johnson. They
note that since that time the career
of Senator Johnston in Washington
has been one of virtually absolute
party regularity on all domestic
questions combined with an inflex-
ible refusal to go along with the
White House on any plan for Amer
lean commitments abroad.
Turns To Conservatives.
They observe thatt johnson has
gravitated toward the conservative
They observe that
his influence among the radical
farmers of the northwest and among
the radical members of trade unions
throughout the country has been
quite ,eclipsed by the influence of
LaFollette. They also observe, how
ever, that in California-which has
ceased to be radical-Johnson ran
better in the election of last year
than in any previous election in
his whole political history.
They therefore slate him as the
candidate of the Republican regu
lars in so far as those regulars are
driven from Harding by Harding's
foreign policy.
q Hof tn tn
Presidential primary, States outside
the La Toilette MISUNDERSTANDING,
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Yer
mont, New Jersey, Maryland, North
Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illi-
nois, Oregon, and California-John
son could readily accumulate enough
votes to bring about the following
situation:
See Harding's denomination.
La Toilette and Johnson, both
irreconcilably opposed to the League
and to the League world court,
would between them have an over
whelming majority of all the dele
gates directly elected by the voters
under Presidential primary laws.
In such circumstances the political
prophets-most of them-continue to
expect the denomination Of President
Harding, but they foresee great diff
ficulties in committing the conven-
ton to any convincing approval of
the world court, and they also fore
see considerable concessions to the
principles of the La Toilette plat
form in order to pull the teeth of
the possible La Toilette bolt.
Copyright, Washington Press Service.)