The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-12-27
johnson to
Put Vigor.
.inCa1npaign
Keystone Speech Is Expected
Early in Year at Cleveland
Ford Endorsement of
Coolidge Damaging.
Prospects Are Not Bright
By MARK SULLIVAN.

Washington, ID. c., Dec. 2b.-Sef-
ator Hiram johnson and his manag-
ers will begin the new year with an
effort to put vigor into his campaign
for the republican campaign. One
of tie expectations is that the SEN
ator will make a keynote speech, and
it is said that the time will be early
in January and the place Cleveland.
If this expectation is fulfilled 1t
/. 1880 hand in hand with the selec-
zion already made of Cleveland as
the national headquarters of the John
son organization and the official seat
OF his manager. Frank Hitchcock.
This is part of the known program
of the johnson organization which Is
to center their drive in the states OF
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.
The first two are chosen because they
are doubtful states, as between the
republicans and democrats; and the
latter are chosen partly because they
are part of the heart of republican
power and partly because they are
states In which Johnson was espe-
cially strong in 1920.
Basis Of Theory.
The basis of the theory of the John
son managers is to try to be able, by
the time the convention opens In
June. to say to the republican lead
ers that Johnson can carry more
votes than Coolidge in the two pivo-
tai state of Ohio and Indiana; and is
the preference of more republicans
than Coolidge in the two big repub-
lIcan state of Illinois and Michigan.
They hope to be able to prove this by
the results in the primaries. which
will take place in these states in April
and May. The burden Of the John
son hope lies in this effort to be able
to show greater strength than Cool.
idge in this vital territory and by
this to convince the republican man.
ayers that Johnson can make a
stronger campaign against the demo-
Gratis in the subsequent election than
Coolidge can.
The johnson hackers do not hope
and never have hoped to get more del
&nasss than Coolidge throughout the
Il5nntry They know and admit that
they cannot get more than scat
tering delegate of two in the hundred
from New England. They have no
strong hope of doing much among
the more than hundred delegates
from the south, except in North Car
olina, and possibly one other southern
state. They have some hope of get
ting a considerable number of dele
gates from west of the Mississippi on
the theory that Johnson represents
the first hope western republicans
have ever had of putting a westerner
in the White House. But the total
number of delegates west Of the Mis-
sissippi is less than a fourth of the
convention.
Prospects Not Bright.
Politicians universally, including
Johnson's own friends. admit that
rarely has a man started out to get
a nomination under circumstances
less promising of success. Johnson
today stands farther back in the race
than when he made his entry in No
vember. Practically everything that
has happened has run against him.
Ii Is not an unreasonable surmise
that il Johnson had not made his an
nouncement in November he would
hesitate to make 1t today. The most
damaging incident was the endorse
ment of Coolidge by Ford. Fully half
of the basis OF Johnson's candidacy
was the expectation of being able to
picture Coolidge as the reactionary
candidacy and himself the progress
siye candidate. This other half hes
! J,in the hope OF making an issue out OF
axsign relations. That Ford, who
was the idol Of most of the insurgents
and discontented voters in the west,
should say that Coolidge is satisfac-
tory to him was blasting TO that part
of Johnson's hopes which lay In this
field.
The progressives. insurgents and
radicals felt that il Ford we're presi-
dent he would find ways to do the
things they want done, and Ford says
Ia effect that IL he had the power he
would give the job to Coolidge. 1t
is probably true, as Johnson's friends
say. that Ford cannot deliver his fol
lowing Many of those who were de-
termined to put Ford in the White
House, being radicals by tempera-
ment, viii now turn to some other
radical. probably LaFolette. But the
great body Of the middle OF the road
people will take Ford's assurance
about Coolidge as having great weight
and will be most disnclined to give
encouragement TO opposition from
Johnson, LaFollette or any one else.
Faces Hard Fight.
johnson not only faces the inherent
difficulty, almost the impossibility, OF
taking the nomination away from a
president in office. but faces 1t under
The added difficulty OF the obvious
present contentment with that presi-
dent among republican voters every.
where. The analogy. or rather the
lack of analogy. to 1912, Is convinc-
ing. Every one admits that Coolidge
today is more acceptable to the repub-
lican voters than Taft was on Janu-
AIRY I, 1912. and II Roosevelt. with his
greater personality and popularity
apd.. under much more favorable cir
H7istances, was unable ot take the
nomination away from Taft, can John
son take II away from Coolidge?
The most dependable information
a