Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-03-13
WOOD MUST WIN
IN PRIMARY OR
LOSElN INDIANA
Watson Crowd Expects to Con-
troll State Convention and
Get Delegates.
MORAY OUTRUNs RIVALS

The struggle between the two we'll
organized machines in the republican
party for the national delegates to the
Chicago convention has reached proper
| lions that make 1t necessary for the po-
litical bosses to strain their lungs in
shouting for their candidates and leave
very little to be done by the rank and
file Of the voters.
Either the crowd that is supporting
Leonard Wood for the presidency will
win in Indiana at the primaries or the
Indiana delegation will be controlled by
the supporters of James Fl. Watson and
will be carried to the convention in the
vest pocket of the old "standpat" bosses
in the republican ranks.
Woods candidacy represents the de-
sires of that part Of the Indiana bosses
who are unwilling to allow the Watson
crowd Of bosses to control the state dele
cation. It has never been a personal
boom for Leonard Wood. 1t has been,
and now is, the vehicle on which the
bosses who were left out in the wet when
the campaign plans were made last
spring hope to assert themselves. It now
has the whole-souled support and is
managed by the political opponents of
Senator Watson, including the Indianap-
oils News.
The one hope Of the anti-Watson
crowd in the state Is that Wood will re.
ceive a majority OF the votes cast at the
May primary. The hope is almost an i'm
possibility, but it is being led with all
the vigor that can be injected in 1t, and
1t is being accelerated by tremendous
amount Of money, expended in the way OF
organization and advertising.
Watsons supporters expect to defeat
Wood through the injection into the
- - - &
impossible for Wood to obtain a ma
Jority vote. Gov. Lowden OF Illinois,
Senator Harding OF Ohio and Hiram
Johnson OF California are the tools by
which Wood is expected to be defeated.
These three men will receive the support
of the Watson crowd and as many votes
as they will naturally attract to them
selves in the state. The total of the
three will be sufficient to prevent Wood
from obtaining a majority of the votes
cast In the primary. As a result, the In
diana delegation VIII not be pledged to
anyone when 1t goes to Chicago.
CONVENTION TO SETTLE
INDIANA PREFERENCE.
The selection OF the Chicago delegation
will r. left to the republican state con-
venton and the position of the delegation
in the national convention will be the re-
N4St "a StAN ppAAtANdA h4lehlh OF the
delegates them selves.
Watson's supporters will control the
state convention and consequently the
state delegation to the Chicago conyen-
ton. It viii be composed OF men who
VIII take the orders OF the Watson
bosses They may stand first for sena-
tor Harding. They may divide between
Senator Harding and Gov. Lowden. but
when the time comes to, nominate they
can be depended on 70 vote for the man
whom the Watson supporters wish to be
nominated.
In all probabilities that man VIII be
Senator James Z. Watson
This plan to support Indians senator
for the nomination for president was
conceived early last spring and has been
carefully carried out since. There has
been only one hitch in It. That hitch
was the fear that VIII Hays, national
chairman, would take advantage Of the
Juggling to line up a considerable num-
Der OF the delegates for himself. As
evidence accumulated that Hays was
doing just that, the chairman's popular
ity began to wane. Eventually there
were open attacks on him. When these
attacks were resented II was made to
appear that they were originated by the
Wood supporters. Then Wood managers
expressed their satisfaction with Hays
They are now In n position where they
can not be heard to object II et finally
developes that tho convention, originally