Evening star., 1923-12-29

arouses approval in such quarters 10
a thing the common man can AFFORD
to acclaim.
Johnson's national headquarters
will be opened In Chicago a few
days after the Cleveland opening gun
Is fred. Johnson probably will come
here with Frank H. Hitchcock, his
sion of the situation and the formal
launching of the campaign.
The Coolidge managers, In snatch
ing the republican convention from
Chfcago's grasp. for the alleged
reason that this johnson territory
to carry the war into Coolidge coun-
try'-at ClevelanJ-by having John
son open his campaign there. The
senator's friends admit that the
Pre.ident's fortunes are now at the
highest. while Johnson's are at their
lowest. They think the situation
was inevitable following the first
blush impression created by Cool
idge's message. But they believe the
reaction in the Presidents favor has
been too pronounced and too prompt
to be lasting. They think 1t will re-
larly when Hiram begins showing
things up" In the Hiramesque way.
Confidence i'm Johnson strong.
The confidence of Johnson's friends
is not unimpressive. 1t may be more
apparent than real. yet 1t Is voiced
In accents Of conviction. You are
,old, for instance, that Johnson will
enter the convention with nearly as
many votes as Coolidge, and that 1t
win be nip and tuck between them
from the start. Ask on what this
optimism rests, and you are informed
that 1t is based upon, systematic can
vass that has been made in every con-
gressional district of the land. You
are assured that, in consequence, the
Coolidge camp and the country are on
the verge of "a tremendous surprise"
You are besought not to be misled by
the enthusiasm of big business and
the capitalist press" for the Presi.
dent, but to wait until the masses"
the men and women who vote, are
heard from. 1t is in their hearts
that Johnson strength is said to be
smoldering, ready to blaze into q tri-
umphant fire when the time comes.
The fold who are against foreign en-
tanglements," who want Justice for
the service men," and who think the
rich, instead of having taxes reduced,
ought to continue Ito be soaked
these are the COUNTLESS elements cata-
logued as pro-Johnson and anti-Cool-
the senator's hackers insist. from the
middle west-from Ohio and Indiana,
from Michigan and Illinois. from Wis
consin and Minnesota, from Kansas
and Nebraska. Out there, it Is assert
ed. is where the Johnson country be-
gins.
The johnson party evidently looks
for a deadlock between Coolidge and
Congress and expects to profit there
from. 1t believes the country will
h4l1 he nefh for
congressional ineffectiveness, just as
IL was ready to blame Harding for the
recalcitrancy OF the sixty-seventh
Congress. II there Is any opportunity
to assail the President for failure Of
his leadership at Washington. John
SON Is likely to take full advantage
of It.; to accuse him of rpolitical
cowardice." to say he was too CON
servative" to secure action in the
name Of progressivism. On one other
exceedingly vocal He will hint
darkiy at the underlying reason for
Henry Ford's support of Calvin Cool
idge. There probably will be refer
ences TO Muscle Shoals. Senator
Johnson is too skillful q politician
peers as q dissemfnator Of tnnuendoes.
10000 Wrote Name I'm 1890.
Undoubtedly there is a strong sub
stratum Of Johnson sentiment in Chi
cago and in Illinois. Forty thousand
voters wrote Hiram's name onto their
primary ballots in 1920; they are pre-
sumably still for him, even though
the league of nations Issue over which
he shook his leoniHe locks three years
ago has lost lot of its drawing pow
or. The other night at one<of Chi
cago's motion picture palaces photo
graphs of President Coolidge and OF
Johnson were thrown on the screen.
Coolidge's picture evoked only a mild
demonstration. The galleries brought
the house down with applause when
Hiram's determined countenance was
projected. The episode is not with
out Significance. The people who buy
the higher priced seats at the Chicago
movies seem to be for Coolidge. Sons
and daughters of the proletariat
would appear to like Johnson better.
Chicago is anxiously waiting to
see how both Coolidge and Johnson
will approach the intensely bitter re-
publican factional feud In Illinois.
The Thompson Small -Lundin machine,
though discredited, Is still a repub-
lican power in city and state. If cast
against either the President or the
senator, the target of its wrath is
altogether likely to fall outside of
the Illinois breastworks. Senator
Mckinley Is out for Coolidge, Senator
Mccormick Is not publicly committed.