New-York tribune., 1920-06-07
that they would swing to Senator
Knox.
Snrou1 Movement Grows


Right on the heels of this came the
word from Pennsylvania that the dele
CATION had very unexpectedly caucused
and decided to support Sproul. This
had been taken 10 mean here merely
that the Pennsylvania organization,
whether it is controlled by Penrose,
Hampton Moore or Sproul, or bysa COM
bination not yet clear to the public,
wanted to play safe in the emergency.
1t is believed that whoever is in con-
troll in Pennsylvania, and despite his
illness, Senator Penrose is being lis
tened to by every one he wants to
reach, did not want to throw the weight
of the keystone State delegation to a
candidate before it was definitely de-
termined that he should be nominated
that is, not to any candidate who
might have chance Of nomination on
an early ballot.
The Sproul movement is a real move
ment, but, of course, even his strongest
supporters do not think his nomination
would come until after great deal of
balloting, during which the present
leaders could gradually be killed off.
AS a further indication that Pen
rose and his advisers in control of the
Pennsylvania delegation have become
alarmed about the blow dealt Lowden,
carefully canvassing the situation, seek
ing to discover the effect.
Confidence in Lewden Lost
1t may be definitely said that he
has found that the delegates are pretty
much unmoved. save those who arrived
to-day from New York. The wound
number of delegates on whom he could
count on the first ballot, but in a
doubt in the minds of his second choice
supporters and also of the party lead
ers as to whether he can be elected
after he has been nominated.
And while in their conversations
with newspaper men most of the So
called leaders assert that Lowden still
has good chance, and that it will be
realized that what has happened does
not involve his integrity, the very
strong Impression stands out that he
will not be nominated and will not
chiefly because of the Missouri dis
closures.
On the plan of killing off johnson
first there is expected to develop a
great deal of bitterness, especially in
view CT Johnson's announced intention
of telling the country what he thinks
about any instructed delegate desert
ing him before he has given up the
ship and released his supporters.
This bitterness, it is thought, will
work out TO the advantage of Wood
since it will tend to drive the conven-
tion into two parties, one pro-Johnson
and the other anti-Johnson, and this is
the very frame of mind the Wood peo.
pie have been trying to get the. dele
gates into from the first. Hence their
constant cry that it is "Wood or john
son."
Wood Strength Growing
The decision of the leaders, there
fore, to kill off Johnson first before
they begin an onslaught on Wood is
playing into the hands of the Wood
management. The big chance for Wood
will come right after the slaughter of
johnson is more or less completed and
before the offensive against Wood has
passed its preliminary stage, so far as
convention floor tactics are concerned.
keep your eyes on Charles E.
Hughes as dark horse Senator Will
lam Z. Borah, of idaho, one of Hiram
Johnson's most earnest advocates, told
the seven other members of the Idaho
delegation on their arrival here to-day.
'No one is more likely to be con-
sidered favorably in such a mix-up," he
said, "than man who came so close to
being elected President four years
ago.
Samuel ,Gompers is coming to Chi
cago to fight Senator James E. Watson
as chairman of the Resolutions Com
whether Gompers will back Ogden
Mills, who was chairman of the Ad-
visory Committee on Platform and
Policies, but it is admitted that he is
dsterminedly opposed to Mr. Watson.
It is said that Mr., Gompers fears that
Watson, as chairman of the Resolutions
Committee. would he in favor Of the
Allen in dustrial court
The New York. delegates to-day in
iected "a lot of ginger into the Wood
forces. They will vote mostly for DR..
Nicholas Murray Butler on the frst
ballot, but a much larger number seems
sure for Wood after one OR two roll
calls than any one here had expected.
Wood and Sproul Confer
While there is some Lowden strength
in.the delegation, it is completely over
shadowed by the Wood strength, and
the Wood strength has been growing
as a result of the recent Lowden set
back
One of the most talked about hap
penings of the day was a conference
between General Wood and E. H. Val
kenberg, editor of "The Philadelphia
North American" and Governor Sproul.
Mr.. Van Valkenberg, who has been
supporting Wood vigorously, took the
Pennsylvania Governor to see the Gen
eral, and the Wood people were purr-
ing afterward saying that it meant
the capture of not less than fifty-five
of the seventysix Pennsylvania dele
gates when the break comes. This,
combined with the cheering effect of
the Wood strength in the New York
delegation, gave the Wood people for
the first time in several days some
thing cheerful to talk about
Lodge May Retain Gavel
The fight over the permanent chair
manship of the convention is regarded
to-day as having been pretty we'll
smoothed out by the decision to per-
nit Senator Lodge to continue through,
just as Senator Harding did four
years ago, and be permanent as well
as temporary chairman.
The boosters for ex-senator Albert J
Beveridge. and for Senator Medll Nc
Corrnick are just as active, but there
is so much unwillingness to precipi-
tate an open row and a dragging out
of the old spirit of division of the
party into progressive and reactionary
groups that the majority seem in
clined to avoid any fight by continuing
Lodge.
Southern DeIoonfo