South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-12-14
WATSON FRIENDS
TO Be DELEGATES
Declining Presidency Enables
Supporters to Attend
Convention.
Special to The News Times.


INDIANAPOLIS. Dec. e. -
Friends Of James f. Watson in IN
diana see nothing in his recent
statements 10 the Indiana delegation
in Washington that in any way con-
ficts with the political orders they
received last spring relative to the
Indiana delegation 10 the republican
national convention.
Jim Watson is not a candidate for
the republican nomination for presi-
dent ia the sense that several
others are candidates. He viii never
announce a determination TO seek
the nomination But In the mean
while his friends viii continue 20
make effort 10 elect delegates who
are friendly 10 Mr. Watson and
would turn their support to him i'm
event II became possible 10 nominate
him at Chicago.
And while Mr.. Watson's friends
IN Indiana are attending TO that
part of the program. his friends
elsewhere are arranging to make it
appear possible TO nominate him aft
er the republican convention has
AaaN "a rev preliminary U2ll0LS.
May Come From East.
The Watson for President"
movement will not come into the
p convention hall from Indiana. I'll
may come from Pennsylvania.
Maine. Kentucky, West Virginia,
Tennessee. Kansas, Oklahoma or
Missouri BUT when il is heard there
VIII be an immediate response
from each one Of these states Some
of the smoothest politicians that
ever corralled presidential delegates
are busily attending to just that,
today.
BY declining TO allow his name
10 be used as a candidate for presi- /
dent sin Indiana. Sen. Watson has
placed himself in an excellent stra- /
tegic position. He declines because /
he realizes that HIS entrance into !
the race would create factions In /
Indiana. In other words, ne appar- |
emily pushes aside a great honor I'm I
the interests Of party harmony" [
Watson. then is a man who loves /
his party more than personal ad-
vantage.
How Supporters Reason.
And If Watson is not a candidate /
for president. what matters that his !
friends insist on being national dele /
gates? ~ 81,
They are bulwarks of the party I
They are actively interested in the /
party ticket because is not Jim /
Watson a candidate for senator? |
They expect to bear the burden of I
the campaign and of course they
ought Co have the honor of being 4
sent to the Chicago convention. .
This. and the argument that it is I
TO Indiana's advantage to have men
in the delegation OF long political /
experience whose counsel would be /
worth something when it comes to
determining who should be nom
mated. is the argument which viii
Zoe relied upon by the Watson man
s-Scrs to capture the Indiana dele
CATION.
Might Present Goodrich.
James p. Goodrich may announce
himself as "a candidate for the re-
publican nomination. The Watson
crowd will not oppose his ambitions.
They may even declare their will
ingness to present his name to the .
convention. for they know that ne
viii never get enough votes in that
convention 20 make an impression
on It and they would as soon have /
the first few ballots show Indiana
voting for Goodrich as for anyone
else. In fact, there might be such a
situation arise in the convention that
II would be very well for them to
vote for someone who has no chance
rather than risk swelling some can
Goodrich cannot go out In the
state or Indiana and fight the Wat
son Of their party records to become
national delegates There viii be no
issue on which he can base his fight.
These men viii be entitled, by rea-
son Of their party records OF become
delegates If they please There will
he no basis for an argument that
they are not acceptable to Good
rich because they are Watson men.
FOR Watson has declared that he is
not a candidate for president and /
Goodrich does not dare assert that
ne IS without doing just what Wat
son refused to do, that is stir up a
'factional fight"
HAS Goodrich UP-Stump.
In other words. Watson has so
arranSed his forces that Goodrich
can do nothing else than accept
Watson men as his delegates TO the
national convention and enter that
convention with a full knowledce
that the men on whom he must
depend for support viii desert him
at the first reasonable opportun-
ity
There are republicans i'm Indiana 4
who assert that Goodrich win not
enter a fight with such a backing
but they are in the minority The
most OF the political prognosucators
believe that Goodrich viii accept the
hait set for him bv Watson and an
nounce his candidacy for president
in time 10 get a few delegates away
from Watson ard pledge the others
70 support him for a reasonable +.
number OF ballots
In which event it appears likely