Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-05
Hiram JohnSno Looms as
Presidential Candidate If
Administration | e a n S
Further Toward World
League i,
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Ueased Wire Service to The Journal.)
Copyright, 1921

WASHINGTON, April S.--If Presl-
dent Harding wants to court trouble
inside the Republican party ana
make an avowed candidate for the
presidency out of Senator Hiram
Johnson, of California, let him listen
to the pleas of men like Nicholas
Murray DGtler and other advocates
of, closer relations with Europe.
This is the prediction Of those who
know Hiram Johnson's way or
thinking and who are able to say
under what circumstances he will
be q candidate in opposition to
President Harding and under what
conditions he will remain passive IN
the pre-conVention.
The Califoria senator has gone TO
Europe to get impressions further TO
C confirm his conviction that America
ought to have as little to do with
the turmoil abroad as possible, but
lust before he sailed a number OF
conflicting rumors were current to
the effect that he had asked Senator
George Moses of New Hampshire
to be his campaign manager and an
other that he had given assurances
of his support to President Harding
in the event the latter desired re-
nomination.
1t is not generally known, but the
fact can be revealed now that Sena-
tor Johnson was invited to the
White House shortly before Mr.. Har-
ding left for Florida and they dis
cussed primarily some federal judge
appointments in California,
johnson Race Discounted
The conference was of such an
amicable character that after it &C.
Cured the word was whispered about
tkat all talk Of Johnson making a
fight against the denomination OF
the president could be dismissed as
idle chatter. 1t wasn't that the
president was able to satisfy the
wishes of Senator Johnson on the
California matters in which he was
interested but that Mr. Johnson was
represented as believing he would
have no just reason to open a fight
against the president SO long as he
did not go any further than he has
already with respect to foreign pol
icy.
Mr.. Johnson was outspoken later
in his denunciation of the presi-
dents proposal to- make America a
member of the international court
| of justice, but his basic opposition
was not to the court as much as to
the fact that the court judges are
| selected through the machinery of
! the League of Nations. The Califor-
MIA senator feared that one step
would lead to another and America
would enter the league "by the back
| door,"
1t cannot be said finally that the
world court proposal is sufficient of
an issue for Mr.. johnson to break
with Mr.. Harding but anything be-
yond that certainly will arouse the
| ire of the California senator and
release him from any previous de-
cision to support Mr.. Harding for
denomination. He would point to
the 1920 campaign pledges and build
! his opposition on the ground that
the president had strayed from the
principles which Mr.. Johnson be-
lieves were instrumental in winning
| a 10000 majority.
The nearest approach to a public
announcement of Hiram Johnson's
candidacy was made several weeks
ago-before the conference between
the California senator and President
Harding. It occurred in San Fran
cisco before the Lincoln-Roosevel
league, the same organization that
sponsored Johnson in his first gov
ernorship campaign but has since
been largely dormant in politics.
Raymond Robbins, a member of
the executive committee of the M
tionaI campaign committe in 1920,
and one who occasionally went to
Marion to give Mr.. Harding advice
on how to attract the progressive ell
ements in the Republican party,
made a speech declaring the Repub-
leans were doomed to defeat in the
| 1924 election unless they needed the
signs on the horizon. He said that
throughout the middle west and
many parts of the east there is a
great public demand for Johnson.
This was greeted enthusiastically
| by the audience.
! Address Significant
Mr.. Robbins stumped the state for
Johnson as against Hoover in the
1920 primaries for president and
many people in California have told
| the writer they believed the Robins
speech was made with the knowledge
and approval of the California sena-
| tor and that it augured a new at