Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1920-04-03

| West. He has no organization back
ing, and yet he pollcd in South Da-
kota only 2200 fewer votes than Gov.
LoWden, and only 5000 fewer than
Wood. 1t is evident that many of the
former Progressiycs in South Dakota
regard the Progressive candidate for
vicepresident in 1912. rather than
General Wood, as RooseYelts real
legatee."
johnson is making an aggressive
campaign" remarks the Roanoke
Times Dem and win or lose he is
going to attract lot OF attention
before the nomination is decided"
And while Wood got the delegates.
lin a very important sense he lost
and lost heavily" in the opinion of
the les Moines Register (Ind. RepD.
for South Dakota had been conceded
to Wood, and any comment that does
not take that into account misses the
main point" while the Sioux Falls
Argus-Leader tReDD reports
General Wood appears to have
polled about 50 per cent OF the vote
cast, while the G. per cent which
went to Governor I.OWden and Sena.
tor Johnson must be set down as an
emphatic protest against military
candidate and a program OF compul-
sorry military training. 1t cannot be
claimed for General Wood that he is
q vote getter He has been in South
Dakota twice since his campaign
started, Spending nearly two weeks
n l, ~
port OF the state administration of
the state chairman, of the nationa!
committeeman, and unlimited funds
which meant paid workers in great
numbers and generous publicity"
General Wood needed better
getaway than this" observes the
Springfield Republican UndD and the
New York Evening Post (IndD thinks
the result indicates a decided slump
of the. Wood boom. 1t says:
Last November General Wood
swept the County Proposal Copven-
tons in South Dakota, with 10000
votes TO 5000 for Governor LoWden.
At The state Proposal Convention i'll
December this lead was cut some
what. but he still had twice as many
supporters as his rival. To-day he
energies from the Presidential Pre-
ference primary far short of major
ity over LoWd2n and Johnson.
South DaAota's ten delegates will be
his at Chicago, but the moral effect
OF the close race will be with his OPP
ponents. They will seize upon the
outcome as a demouStration OF their
contention that Woods lead is due to
nothing more than an early start"
TO the Cincinnati Times Star
(Rep1 the result indicates that sen
timent among the voters of the North
west is in state of fun" aud this
authority believes hiatt under such
conditions the preferential primary
shows at its worst. When public
opinion is indefinite and uncertain,
the results of primary depend on
organization and political work rath-
er than upon the popularity of indi-
Vidual candidates or the strength of
the ideas they stand for" The Times
Star thinks that while Wood is now
plainly the leading candidate still
there has not yet appeared in his
favor that spontaneity and enthusi.
asm of public support which would
assure his nomination and make his
election fairly certain
An interesting comment is that of
the Florida Times-Union (Dem),
that the South Dakota primary re-
turns furnish strong argument
against the holding of such pcimar-
les, for in the convention candi-
date must have a majority to win,
and this being true it seems incon-
sistent to have the delegates instruct
ed by mere plurality