The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat., 1920-04-15

! NEW YORK, April l5.--SupporteTS
! of Senator Hiram Johnson and Major
| General Leonard Wood claim that the
| Illinois primary, in which Herbert
Hoover was not entered, practically
eliminated the latter as candidate
for the republican presidential nomi-
nation. Here is the way they figure
| it out: ,.. ~.
johnson and Hoover had relatively
the same status in the Illinois pri-
mary, in that neither made CAM
paiSn in the state nor was named on
the ballot.
| Johnson received more than $4,000
"written-in" ballots while Hoover
polled only about five hundred.
This, they hold, indicates that
Johnson is gaining strength at the
expense of Hoover. with whom he
will contest the primaries in Cali
ifornia, Oregon and Montana. =
The, Johnson group here further
asserts that when Hoover declared
his allegiance to the republican party,
he not only lost all the domestic sup
port he had, hut most of the large
! Independent liberal bloc. This latter
! element, according to the Johnson
organization, has transferred it's sup
port to the two leading liberals Of
the republican and democratic camps
who-the Johnsonites say-are john
son and William G.. McAdoo. .
Woods eastern campaign leaders,
of course, will not admit the latter
contend that Hoover's showing in
Illinois compared with that Of the
California senator, is a serious blow
{o 1,n hn
managers emphasize, however, is
their candidates victory in districts
which will send fourteen delegates
to the national convention and this
in Governor Frank o. Lowden's home
state.
Officials of the Hoover national re-
publican club would make no COM
ment on these claims, maintaining
their policy of refusing to discuss
rival candidates. But they pointed
out that Hoover is concentrating his
strength on the primaries in Cali
fornia, Oregon and Montana and that
they had not counted on single vote
in Illinois.
Pershing's Entry.
[By l.. G.. Martin, United Press Staff |
Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Apr. 15.-General !!
Pershing'S entry into the presidential |
race was an absorbing topic with poll |
ticians Of all parties here today.
Pershing's virtual announcement, al |
the dinner of the Nebraska society |
here last night that he would accept |
thet nomination for president if that |
service were demanded of him, Great
ed considerable discussion.
After one of the speakers had men |
toned Parshing in connection with !
the presidency, the general in rcplyin, !
said:
Il feel that no patriotic American |
could decline TO serve in that high |
position if called upon to do SO by the !
people"
The questions heard in the capital
today were:
What party does Pershing belong |
to or is he running as bipartisan, non !
partisan or independent candidate
What effect will Pershing's entry
have on General Woods chances and |
what effect will Woods candidacy |
have on Pershings chances Of landing |
a nomination?
The answer to the first question |
was generally assumed here to be that !
Pershing is a republican and that he
meant the republican nOulHdllou lcI |
president. There were some who +
thought, however, that the general and
his supporters might have in mind the !
possibility that he could get either
nomination as being national figure !
above party.
The answer to the second question
was not so easy, politicians said. They
credited Pershing, however, with hav
ing timed his entry so that in his .
opinion it would hit Woods chances
hardest. +
No matter what party or faction
they belonged to, the politicians who
today discussed the Pershing candf'
dacy did so with respect. They salt
the man who successfully led the A.
q. f. in the war undoubtedly would
have a strong popular appeal; they de- 4
clared that in spite of stories that
Pershing was not popular with the sol
diers he could get a big share Of the /:
soldier vote and that there are ele-
ments in his candidacy which may
make him the dark horse in the
ace.