The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-06-14
OLD GUARD
WON FIGHT
At CHICAGO
Some Clever Maneuvering
Brought About Nomi- !,
nation Of Harding.
BIZ DAVID LAWRENCE,
Especial to The Argus.)

Chicago, June 1.-THE old guard
won. The progressive and the
Roosevelt elements In the Republi-
can national convention were beat
en-. Warren G. Harding, conserva-
tive. old-fashioned Republican, who
looks like Mckinley. acts like Nc
kinley and thinks like Mckinley,
was nominated for the presidency
by . convention that was worn out
by the prolonged balloting in .
sweltering temperature. The dele
gates seemed 30 glad to have 1t all
over that rs soon as the deadlock
between General Wood and Cover
nor L0wden was broken, they didn't
much care who they nominated SO
long as 1t gave them the chance to
60 home.
II opinion among the sew
eral hundred correspondents here
counts for much, the expressions
Of doubt concerning Harding's op-
portunity to win are indicative Of
. belief that the Republicans by no
means nominated their strongest
man. Hughes, Hoover, Sproul and
johnson were regarded as sure
winners-but Harding is looked
upon as far from . certainty. Pos
sibly this will change when the
Democrats have nominated their
man, but the editors, correspond
ents, and indeed many OF the man.
Agerz Who Xarked 70 hard for
Leonafd WOOD and Hiram johnson
were ominously doubtful about the
outcome.
Better with Acquaintance.
Yet Senator Harding is a man
who improves upon acquaintance.
and nobody will know until the
campaign Is we'll under way wheth-
or or not the American people after
all are inclined toward q man Of
the Harding type. He is conscien-
tious and honest. He has . splen-
did reputation for rugged Ameri-
canism. Warrington correspondents
recalled his famous speech on the
night war was declared against
Germany. Senator Lodge and 9TH
ers took up the Wilson cry that it
was q war for democracy and hu-
manity, but Senator Harding po-
litely took exception. He said he
was voting for war not because of
that but simply because American
rights on the high seas were in
vaded. That seemed to him the
only justification for war. Senator
Harding favors the entrance Of the
United States into q League Of Ma
tions and the ratification Of the
Versailles treaty with proper res
ervations. Never did he Join the
Borah-Johnson group Of irreconcil-
ables. He will interpret the plat
form - meaning immediate rati-
ficatton Of the peace treaty. To
that extent the Borah-J Johnson
group have been outwitted and
overthrown. Their only chance for
mischief lies In bolting the party
or refusing to stump for Harding.
It probably will not be Immediate
~ apparent what they will do and
maybe Mr.. Harding will deem It
politically wise to say q little
about the treaty as possible until
after election so as to keep har-
mony in the party. aHe need not
interpret the platform plank. He
need only stand on It and say it
represents agreement among Re-
publicans.
Used RsnarkAhls Strategy.
The strategy by which Harding
was nominated was = remarkable
piece Of work. The press section
was aware OF the clever way by
which the delegations were manip-
ulated and many IN expression Of
disappointment and disapproval
came from Republican editors. It
will be . long time before the Re-
publicans will erase what has hap
pened 1t Chicago. for the resent
ment Of those who were tricked by
]