New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-05
Vote
May Indicate
Next President
Victory for Wood in To-
days Primaries Expected
TO Assure His Nomina.
ton; Johnson Is Popular
To Test Hoover Strength
Democrats Interested i'm
Showing Made by Ed
wards Against Bryan
BY Carter Field

Prom Tho Tribunc's Woshington Bureau
WASHINGTON, W April 4-Michigan's
primary vote tomorrow may decide
who is to be the next President of the
United States. In the opinion of poll
ticians of both parties the result will
have more significance than the ballot
ing IN any other single primary state
This is especially true of the Republi.
can primary, in which every important
contender for the nomination is entered
except Senator Warren G. Harding, of
Ohio.
The Importance Of the primary far
transcends the value of the thirty dele
gates who will be instructed to each
of the conventions. Ever since Christ
mas the political leaders have been say
ing quietly that two primaries would
determine the issue, the one in South
Dakota and that in Michigan. South
Dakota has only ten delegates, but the
Importance Of the fight there, as in
Michigan, lay more in demonstration
to the country of the relative strength
of the candidates in the essential of
vote getting than in the number Of
delegates nailed down.
cisive. General Wood won the state
by what would normally have been con-
sldered fair majority, but the poll
ticians, realizing that he had the entire
state organization lined up working for
him, discounted a little what other
wise might have been considered a re-
markable showing of strength. Also
the tremendous vote given Hiram John
son. although he ran third awokc more
respect for the Californian's strength.
Military Bugaboo Beaten
South Dakota effectively laid one Of
the bugaboos of the Wood campaign,
however 1t demonstrated that ad-
vocacy Of universal military training
and being a military man" did not
make Wood impossible as d candidate
in the Middle West
But Michigan will not only furnish
a test among Wood, Johnson and
Lowden without the handicap Of any
solid machine support for any ono of
them, it will furnish also tho first
test at the ballot boxes for the
strength of tho Hoover candidacy
Hoover is running in both the Repub-
lican and Democratic primaries, so he
ought to poll all the votes Of those
friendly to him.
4io>b vi JIG f'pllCltittnS, Wiille IldV-
ing no effective means Of checking up
on the strength which could be de
livered at the polls for Hoover, have
been expecting Wood TO win the Mich
igan primary. A victory by Wood, in
the opinion Of many political experts
including somc who are not at all
friendly to the generals candidacy
would almost clinch his nomination
In the first place, it would be al
most death blow to Johnson's cand-
dacy. unless the California Senator
should run close behind Wood. This is
on the theory that Johnson is more
popular in Michigan than in any other
state outside Of California. Every one
admits this strength. Johnson became
more or less a popular idol in Michigan
by his constantly repeated demands
that the American soldiers in Russia
be brought home 1t so happened that
the American soldiers in Russia were
mostly from Michigan.
Michigan Friendly to Johnson
Michigan has always been a progress
sive state. Roosevelt had tremendous
popularity there, carrying the state by