South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-03-14
G 0. P. BOOMSTERS
SMELLING FORESTS
IN CENTRAL STATES
Indiana Is battle-ground and
Dark Horse Grab State
Delegation.
BY Mark Sullivan.
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Copyright 1920
CHICAGO. March 13.-The race
among the republican candidates for
the presidency has reached tense
ness in the middle west far beyond
anything realized IN the east. All the
candidates and all their managers
take the view that the primaries
about 20 be held during the coming
weeks are OF Importance not only
because Of the number OF actual
delegates at sake but also because
Of the psychological effect They
. believe that this Is the time when,
II AZ any time before the convention
% j. possible TO get the advantage
~ demonstration of leadership.
They believe that any candidate
VINO gets markedly preponderaut
popular vote. especially i'm Mime
sofa. south Dakota and Michigan,
VIII thereby secure what they call
the band wagon position: and this
year the band wagon position is even
more important than usual because
of the large number Of politicians
and leaders throughout the country
who have no particular fidelity 20
any one candidate. and whose main
interest lies in being with the win
ner.
For this reason the candidates ara
deEoting the utmost Of their strength
20 getting the largest possible vote
in the primaries about 10 occur in
the middle west during the next few
weeks. Sen. Johnson has completed
q speaking tour in North Dakota.
South Dakota. and Minnesota, and
will spend the following weeks in
Michigan. Gen. Wood is speaking in
Indiana, on Friday, in Missouri on
Saturday and vii spend the follow
ing week in South Dakota. Sen.
POindexter will enter South Dakota
ON Monday and remain there for
ten days. Sen. Harding is now in
Colorado. and after finishing there
viii go into Indiana GOV. Lowden
finished speaking in South Dakota
some time ago and is now in Illinois
Control Homo state.
Illinois Is LOWdcns home state,
and at the present moment II is safe
20 say that every delegate from that
state who will be named by the
LOwden organization will De salts
factory TO it. sen. Harding will be
less fortunate with his home state.
II is believed that from four TO ten
, out Of Ohio's foTty-eight delegates
Will be instructed for Cen Wood
Indiana viii be one of the real
battle grounds Of the country. The
result of the primaries in that state
may readily give "a clue 10 the final
CEulL. ne luQ4dll1 law DIONlutS
that the primary shall be void UNI
less some one Of the candidates gets
over so per cent Of the total vote.
Iuasmuch as four candidates.
Wood, I.Owden Johnson and Hard
ing-are all contesting the state IL
would seem improbable that any one
OF them will get as much as so per
cent OF the total vote. In that
event, the destination Of Tndiana's
J..
ton will be determined by the net 7
result Of the wire-pulling and other
strategy OF the various politicians
concerned. both within and without
the state.
Looks like Dark Horse.
1t Is not beyond possibility that
tire Indiana delegation may finally
land behind a dark horse, and If the
convention should turn out 10 be a
case Of dark horses at all. then any
dark horse who is backed by Indi-
ana Will have. by virtue OF that fact.
more strength than is implied by
the number Of Indiana delegates.
The tradition about Indiana, as a
state where people take politics
more seriously. where politicians are
shrewGer. and n state which has IN
usual weight in the determination
OF national results Is abundantly
Indiana is more than usually d state
70 be watched.
Michigan - a fighting ground for
three candidates. Lowden. Wood and
Johnson. Johnson has unusual
strength in Michigan.
In wisconsin the dght Will be
what all Wisconsin fights have been
for a generation. more or less. that
is to say. prO-L.a Toilette and anti
~ d. hsrTf. IL
70 control about half the republican
party in the state. That half which
Ia Toilette does not control has
united in requesting all the candi-
dates for the presidency 10 remain
outside the state. so as not 20 dis
turb the unity OF the anti-II Fol
Iette forces Where the Wisconsin
delegates may land in the national
convention no man can foretell.
Informal Test I'm Michigan.
Minnesota viii have an informal
test of strength next Monday There
viii be a primary there which does
not rest upon the statutory sanction
OF the state but has merely been
called by the republican state com
mittee and viii be open only during
the evening Informal though il Will
be. both the Wood national head
quarters and the LOwden national
headquarters seem inclined 10 aC-
cept IL as providing "A fair test of
strength. and the result of il may
reasonably be interpreted by the
public as giving a clue 10 the rela-
tive strength Of the two men. John
son Is also expected 70 make a good
showing in some parts OF the state
Nearly all Of next week in Mime
sofa will be filed with politics. After
the primary on the 18th. there Will
be county conventions ON the 18th
district conventions on the 18th and
n state convention on the Goth
North Dakota will hold primary
-avf Tuesday Sen Johnson will in .