The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-12-12
CAPITAL ALIVE
WITH POLITICAL
GOSSIP OF 1920

Washington, Dec. 6.-With mos
of the national leaders Of the Re
publican party already assemble.
here and others arriving on ever,
train, Washington was alive today
with gossip over candidates and is
sues for the campaign of 1920.
The gathering was incidental tt
the meeting of the national commit
tee which convenes tomorrow, to Sc.
lect the place and time of the ma.
tional convention next summer. The
fight for the convention was between
Chicago and st. Louis, but it attract.
ed only passing attention compared
, to the activities of the friends Of
presidential possibilities and the con.
ferences over questions of party
policy. . :,
The sponsors for the men prom.
inently mentioned for the presiden.
tial nomination were busy, the man.
ayers for General Leonard Wood and
Governor Frank O. Lowden, of Hi.
nois, being among the first to get
working organizations under way.
Ohio sent delegation to further the
interests of Senator Warren G. Hard.
ing OF the state and the supporters
LOT Senator Miles Poindexter, OF
Washington, and Hiram w. Johnson,
of California, also were at work
among the delegates who had gath
cred for the meeting.
! What was regarded in many quar-
ters as the formal launching of a
boom for Senator James E. Watson,
lof Indiana, also was the subject of
much talk among the committeeman
and their guests. For the time being
the movement was in charge of
Indiana's Republican members of the
house, who waited on Senator Wat
son last night and urged him to be
come a candidate. They declared a
more thorough organization soon
would be perfected, claiming to have
received pledges of support from a
number of other states.
Senator Watson has announced he
was not a candidate for the presi-
dency, but would be in the race to
succeed himself as senator. His
friends assert, however, that the In
diana state convention will instruct
its delegates for him and that an ac-
tive campaign in his behalf will be
made in many other states.
Talk among members of the ma
tional committee here today about a
convention date pointed to Tuesday,
June 8, many of the leaders express
ing preference for the first full
work in that month and declaring
the custom Of calling the convention
to order on Wednesday should be
abandoned because of the resulting
congestion of business that always
has developed toward the close of
convention week.
A large delegation, from Chicago
arrived during the day and immedi-
|ately became active for the selection
of that city for the convention and
the nomination of Governor Frank
o. Lowden for president.
At its meeting tomorrow the COM
mittee is expected to formally ap-
prove the plan of Will H. Hays, the
national chairman, to make the limit
of individual campaign contributions
$1,000. This plan has been in opera
ton for some months and the COM
mittee officials said today in several
instances amounts in excess of the
prescribed limit had been returned.
The slogan of giving, Chairman Hays
said, would be "a dollar up, with a
view of putting as large a percent
age of the party PERSONAL as posi-
bic on the contribution books.