Evening star., 1924-01-23

While Senator Hiram Johnson elab-
crates his differences of opinion with
the administration In his speeches
throughout the country the question
of whether he eventually viii find
himself lined up in third party,
should the Coolidge forces dominate
the Cleveland convention, as now
seems likely, is being debated by
editors SO far as the majority OF the
republican and independent newspa-
pers are concerned they sharply crtti-
cize the Californian, insisting the ad-
mfnistration program is safe and sane
and generally satisfactory to repub-
licans. One of the chief spokesmen
for this school of thought, the Seattle
Times (repubiican), insists "it is sig
nificant that on the day that Mr..
Johnson set off his blast at Cleveland
his principal newspaper backer'
New York and Cleveland syndicate
came out in support of his candloacg
and with other propaganda eslghea
to injure the republican party. tiifa.h
johnson denouncing the republican
na r-ty and asking for republican votes
is not an inspiring spectacle lie ap-
parently sees no Inconsistency IN H.
or chooses to ignore II. W nat an uii-
thinka BILE pronosttion-a Johnson III
the White House"
In the above connection the Peoria
Transcript tindependent) argues 1here
can be no Armaeeddon in 1874. Ac-
tion and reaction are equdl ana ia
opposite directions. \ reaction may.
and doubtless will. set in against
President Coolidge, but it Will not be
ed by Hotspurs or tire-eaters. Ihe
American people are subject 10 pollt-
icaI lapses which seem to DEFY analE-
sic but they will not tolerate pol1t!cai
! upheavals in l924. II IS opViousiS tneii
uresent intention to give their alegt-
ance to those party leaders who un-
derstand both big and littls business
and who are prepared to hew to the
line letting the chips fall where they
may.
The Johnson assault on the repub-
ucan convention call impresses the
Duluth News Tribune (republican) as
hardly worth discussion. To make
il a campaign issue is nothing short
OF ridiculous. The rest of the john
son platform is on a par with it. and
If that is all that Senator Johnson
advances in lieu of reasons why he
should be the republican nominee, his
candidacy should not be formidable"
Even in his views on the Mexican sit
uation the senator shows how far
apart he is with the administration s
views, the St. Paul Pioneer Press
independently points out, intimating
that in this instance at least he has
gone far afield for an issue.
'arhere is a~note of desperation, al
~, in n
speeches. as the New York Evening
Post independently interprets them
and 1.-The one thing that sticks out Is
that the Californian still is In Seafch
of an issue. With faint hopes ne
tries denunciation of the sale or
!. the republican national comnllttee. Z.
; In sort of hysteria he attacks the
Mellon tax plan and, to be CONSISTENT
with that attack, favors the soidier
. bonNs. He is hoping against nope
that he somehow may drag the league
Of nations back as an issue, ana ne
aims some of his heaviest ana most
jagged sentences at the Wor!u court
Meanwhile, with every passing udS,
! June IL comes nearer without much
| indication of any uprising inside the
| republican party in favor OF the great
! isolationists of 1920 and the bfoad-
swordsman who stood at Armageddon
/ In 1921" In many respects the wa
IefDuTy hepuDl Dlicah 't'iNN - .rl...s
sees "dodgfngs' in the Johnson
speeches and insists negative eio-
quence does not create popular ne
roes.- The one sentence in Mr.. john
sons addresses @ which carry the ring
of sincerity is: AS an American l
am exercising an Americans prerog-
ative-because it is my pleasure TO
| do SOL"
The Norfolk Ledger Dispatch (dem-
| ocratic), finds 1.-The guns of Senator
Johnson turned upon the party to
which he nominally belongs. SO
| strongly did he dissent from the pol
icies of the President, the titular
head of the regular republican party,
| and SO bitterly denounce the republt-
| can national committee, that 1t Is not
| conceivable that he can have any
hope of receiving the nomination at
| the hands of the regulars. 1t is too
early yet M make any accurate esti-