The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-17
MIR. JoHNsoN's ANNOUNCEMENT

MIX. JOt1NSON' , ANNOONOEmENA
 Senator Hiram Johnson of Califor- mia, in his announcement of candidacy for the Republican presidential nomi- nation, submits an able document. That he will be MT. Coolidge's most formidable rival for party leadership has for some time been apparent. AL though the president has the advan- tage of his position, Johnson's candi- dacy has in it's favor the strong con- tacts between his creed and person. ality and those of the president. MT. Coolidge is a conservative. Johnson proclaims himself a progressive but, he is, careful to say, not radical. MT. Coolidge is a man who so sedulously keeps his own counsel that the people feel that they do not know him. Mr. Johnson, on the other hand, has been so long in the public eye, and has so freely expressed his opinions on every subject that the people feel acquainted with him. However, the people do not nominate, but the politicians. With the politicians MT. Coolidge's Strength is unmistakable, whereas the politi- clans greatly fear the independent and ungovernable MT. Johnson, who is re- puted to have lost one presidential nomination because he refused to bend the knee to the will of the president makers.
 Says Mir. Johnson: "There is dis content abroad in the land; there Is threatened disintegration of the Re- publican party. Two warning philoso- phies of government in the nation, just as in the state from which I come, struggle for the mastery. Designate them as you will, the contest between them is age-old. The one, ultra-con- servative, materialistic, solidly and stubbornly resisting any claims and vigorously contesting every human advance, invites an ultra-radicalism. The other, mindful of existing rights, but recognizing conditions and man. kinds gradual progress, is idealistic and forward looking. It avoids alike ultra-conseKvatism and ultra-radical- ism" It is as plain as day that John son classifies himself with the "ideal. istic and forward-looking" group, but to the political bystander it looks as if Coolidge headed one extreme wing and Johnson the other, so that complete party harmony could arise out of the leadership of neither. In this period of admitted Republican division it looks very much as if that leader who can satisfy the majority of the Ameri- can people must come from the ranks of the Democratic party.
 Further analysis of Senator John sons statement reveals his expression of unalterable antagonism not only to the League of Nations and the world court, but to any form of interna- tional alliance. His theory as to our participation in European affairs is thus outlined: "Of course We would oANdSo P1Oi pSdCG anu GIlQ6dNOT to prevent war. We would help Flu rope in any rational way. We would continue to alleviate suffering, clothe the naked and feed the hungry, but we would ever be the sole judge of our own actions, the arbiter of our destiny. Our country, the greatest on earth, should have it's own foreign policy, thoroughly understood by our people, frankly. proclaimed" Natur- ally, but MT. Johnson still leaves us in the dark as to any foreign policy he might favor, for, of course, to ex- tend succor to peoples in want is not political so much as humane policy which has nothing to do with parties. And as for our remaining the sole judge of our own actions, which MT. Johnson postulates as the opposite of belonging to the league, perhaps the senator can point out some sovereign nation, member of the. league, which has surrendered any of it's autonomy to-that authority.
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