Evening star., 1925-08-17
CALIFORNIA TORN
BY POLITICAL ROW
Senator Shortridge Faces
Fierce Contest From
PheIan or MCAdoO.
By FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE
Staff Correspondent of The Star.

STAFF Correspondent of The Star.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calf, August
T-Having no wrecked prosperity TO
rehabilitate, like the rest of the West,
California is indulging in the luxury
of some old-fashioned politics. The
1926 senatorial contest promises to be
one of the hottest on record, with an
array of conflicting interests that al
ready cast their militant shadow be-
fore. The fight viii rage around the
seat in the United States Senate now
held by Samuel NJ. Shortridge, Re
publican.
In the first place, Mr.. Shortridge is
by no means absolutely assured Of
denomination, though his friends hold
him to be invincible. In the second
place, despite the 100000 plurality by
which Coolidge swept the State in
1924, neither Senator Shortridge nor
any other Republican who is nomi-
mated can today be set down certain
winner The fly in the q. O. p. sena-
torial ointment in California is James
d. Phelan, Democrat, who himself
was overcome for reelection by Sena-
tor Shortridge in the Harding land
slide of 1920, and mainly because
thereof Mr.. Phelan is all but a pub
licly avowed candidate for his old
seat. Everybody, Republican as well
as Democrat, comedies he is a for
midable one.
johnson Fights Colleague.
Far more interesting at the mo-
ment than either ShOrtridge'S Situa-
tion or Phelan's plans is the under
ground maneuvering of Senator Hiram
w. Johnson. California'S former IA
Vorite has acquired q new hate. He
admits TO his friends that he has to
have a new hate every so often to
keep going. In recent years his pet
aversion has been Herbert Hoover.
Today it is his colleague in the United
States Senate, Samuel w. ShortridSe.
Politicians find Johnson looking for a
Republican to pit against Shortridge
in the 1926 primaries. Various names
are mentioned among those upon
whom the JohnSonian favor may
smile, but none is yet formally anolnt-
ed Johnson is expected to back some
man from southern California.
The preponderance of voting
strength in the State has now def
nitely passed to the region south of
the Tehachapi. 1t is, in fact, centered
in Los Angeles County. During the
past five years California's population
has increased by about 100000. OF
that number 10000 are assigned to
southern California, and of the latter
total at least 600, 900 have augmented
the Los Angeles section. The only
Republican thus far openly to an
nounce himself a candidate for the
Shortridge seat is Representative
Walter +. Lineberger of Long Beach.
But evidently he doesn't carry guns
enough, in Senator Johnson's opin-
ion, TO batter down the Shortridge
defenses.
johnson Held Jealous.
Johnson's antipathy to Shortridge
springs mainly from jealousy of his
colleague in the realm of Federal
patronage. Johnson Sulked notorious
ly in the Coolidge-DaweS campaign.
He declined invitations from the
Coolidge managers even to confer on
ways and means to save California
from what once looked like the La
Toilette menace. No Republican
leader is aware of a single Johnson
finger ever having been raised to
elect the Coolidge ticket. In conse-
quence, Hiram has been shivering in
the cold at Washington, though his
political conduct for many months be-
fore election had already relegated
him to the outer regions.
At any rate, it happens that major
patronage recommendations made by
Senator Shortridge have been acted
upon, virtually without exception,
while recommendations made by Sen
ator Johnson have as regularly been
turned down. Six United States dis
trict judges now sitting in California
are all Shortridge nominations. The
Senator's record for regularity, of
course, is 100 per cent, dating from
the days when he refused to follow
Roosevelt and Johnson into the Bull
Moose camp in 1912. Hiram is un-
happy and uncomfortable when he
feels he's being neglected, and he
blames both Coolidge and Shortridge
sor the arctic deal handed his at the
White House. Gratitude, Shortridge
people say. ought to make Senator
Johnson friendly. One of Short
ridges first acts in Washington in
1921 was to persuade President Hard
ing to name Johnson's father, Grove
l.. Johnson, a land office receiver i'll
CALIFORNIA; post which that S0-year-