The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-11-20
JOHNSON IN
FIGHTING
SPIRIT
Senator, Taking Initiative in
| 1924 Campaign, Prepares
Challenge to Coolidge.
BY WILLIAM HARD.

Senator johnson of California,
made Roadway today in the
preparation of the speech which
he will deliver in Chicago on
Tuesday of next week and which
is regarded here in political cir
cles as destined to be an acute
challenge to President Coolidge
to agree with johnson on specific
issues of to express q specific
disagreement with him in the
message which President Coolidge
will send to Congress a week
later.
To Cover Chief Issues.
johnson. it is understood. will in
his Chicago speech go over the out
standing issues of the moment, do
nestle as well as foreign, and will
take positions toward them. Presi-
dent Coolidge then. a week later,
as the johnson supporters look at
it, will have to- duplicate johnson
by taking the same positions or
else will take different ones, thus
establishing a set Of issues between
the two chief Republican candi-
dates for the next Presidency.
The Johnson plan seems, def
niteIy, to be to take the initiative
against Coolidge and to try to
establish the Californian Senator as
Coolidge's challenger rather than
as Coolidge's critic. 1t is learned
that many Johnson supporters re-
quested the Senator to delay the
announcement of his candidacy
until after President Coolidge's
message to Congress had been de-
livered and studied. Johnson, it
is learned, rejected that advice be-
cause, as he argued, 1t would put
him in the light of waiting for
President Coolidge to say something
which could be negatively criticized.
Johnson preferred, it is learned, to
try to state his own positions first
and thus to anticipate Coolidge on
the points on which they may be
In agreement and thus also to
.oblige Coolidge to do the answering
on points on which they may be
in conflict.
johnson to Take Initiative.
Following this plan, Johnson, II
Ia supposed, will make his Chicago
speech sort of survey of the
state of the Union and will cover
virtually all the problems which
the President would likewise rea:
sonably be expected to cover In his
December message on the state OF
the Union to the joint assembly OF
the House and Senate.
| Johnson, according to his sup
porters, by speaking first will clear
I = - oh IF q
To base his candi dacy on any more
fault finding with Coolidge will also
Grasp the initiative in the argu
ments between the two men and
will then strive to keep that
initiative all the way through to
the time of the nominating conven
ton.
| II is certainly felt in Washing
ron that Johnson's campaign plans
this time are much more profes
sionally thought out than they
were in 1920. Then the Californian
| senator had virtually no Organiza
| ZION and his campaign was more
like a guerrilla cavalry raid thar
| like regular complete political war
fare. This time 1t seems that there
10 going to be a professional political
ommander-in-chief, acting under
Johnson, for the management Of the
Johnson forces; and it seems thai
there is going to be lot Of ordinary
| nolitical infantry recruited from 10
cal sources in the States which the
california Senator will canvass; ant
II seems further that there will be ar
annie commissariat with adequate
provisions for the fighters.
Professional politicians here
whether pro-Johnson or anti-John
son, think that in Johnson's cam
paign this year there will be lesl
of the singing of Onward, Chris
tion Soldiers" than in 1920, bu
that perhaps there will be NOR
fighting actually done and more
enemy strongholds actually cap
The Senator himself, in confer
ences with his friends here, seems
to have discarded his former well
known gloom. Reports brough
hack here by politicians from Cali
fornia indicate clearly that the Sen
ator's reasons for gloom regarding
| California have now largely disap
reared. The customary rumors o
falling strength for Johnson IL
i california have now been succeeded
bv the customary discovery tina
his strength there is returning.
(ConyriRht, 1928 Washington Press