One Course

Senator Hiram Johnson, returned from his first trip to Europe, spoke to a large welcoming crowd at dinner in Manhattan. There were two noteworthy facts about his utterances :

1) He did not throw his hat into the ring for the Presidential nomination in 1924. Political quidnunes surmised that his reasons were a firm belief that Harding now has the Republican nomination secure, and a fear of a third party after his Progressive experience in 1912.

2) He is as irreconcilable as ever. The chief burden of his speech was that entry into the World Court would be unwise and entry into the League of Nations unwise. Said he : " There's just one course to pursue, just one way to play our proud part, just one method to render real service . . . standing upon our own shores, remain the master of our destiny, the captain of our soul."

Yet if Senator Johnson did not cast his hat into the ring it is generally recognized that he holds his hat in his hand -- to toss it down or put it back on his head as opportunity may offer.