The St. Joseph observer. [volume] (St. Joseph, Mo.) 1906-1932, 1920-06-19

NEW YORK, June 15.-Chargel
that motley group of stock gamb.
lers, oil and mining prom oters, mu.
milton makers and like persons seiz.
ed upon 50 good a man as General
Wood, and with reckless audacity
started out to buy for him the
presidential nomination." were made
in a statement given out last night
by Nicholas Murray Butler. unsuc-
cessful candidate for the Republican
nomination.
1T was the cause of genuine snr-
row to me as to many of @ General
Woods personal friends" he SKID,
TO see him put in this unhappy 20.
sition. There was nothing to do TO
save the Republican party but to
defeat the band of men behind him
with their bank accounts and their
great financial influence. This
meant that we had to defeat Gen.
eral Wood himself"
The forces that were defeated in
their insolent attempt to buy the
nomination" be added, represent
all that is worse in American busi-
ness and American political life. 1t
is really too bad that they hit upon
General Wood as their choice. They
should have found someone to sup
port for whoT the country has less
respect and less regard"
Tsicd 60 Bay Nomination
The chief task Of the convention
the statement said, was 20 prevec:
the sale Of presidential nomination,
at auction To the highest bidder. Had
this not been done the party faced
not only certain defeat. bur crushing
dishonor. The sixty eight New York
delegates who voted for me on the
first ballot were the chicf factor in
stopping the Hillcnburg drive 10
overwheIm the convention by the
power Of unlimited money and by
strong methods in preferential
primaries"
The story of New York's sixty.
eight vo,es for Butler shows. the
statement said, how General Wood
was defeated. it points out that the
first ballot gave General Wood
substantial lead and that "the first
task. therefore. WAS to bring the vote
OF his nearest rival. Governor Low
den, at Least ~ 10 Woods vote"
Owing TO local and state complica-
tions, the statement explains. there
were few sources from which new
for Lowder could be drawn
so early in the balloung. Pennsyl-
v4nia, Massac achuaetts. Michigan and
Ohio could not help, il added. be-
cause the release of delegates in
those states probably would give
Wood more votes than Lowden.
1t was clearly necessary" the
statement continues. for New York
to become the Belgium of the war,
and l cheerfully gave my approval
to Lowden in increasing volume on
the second. third. fourth. fifth, sixth
and seventh ballots. / seat word to
the New York delegation that with
me party success and party honor
came first / also said that no per
sonal interest of mine should be
until party success and
party honor had been protected.
Hsped Drin to Harding
1T was this New York vote for
Lowden taken from the sixty-eight
votes that had been cast for me that
gave Lowden his lead in the fifth
ballot aud that enabled him sub
stantially TO equal the Wood vote on
the ballot Immediately following
when after the seventh ballot it was
clear that Lowden could not be nom
mated, we helped the drift toward
Harding and on the ninth ballot be-
came the decisive psychological fac
tor by giving Harding sixty-six votes.
The New York votes that support
I'd me to the end were cast in pur-
suance Of earnest requests from dele
gates in illinois, Iowa. Missouri
Texas. Kentucky ana other states
that II the effort to nominate sena-
tor Harding should fail, my name
might still remain before the conyen-
ton.
'"The New Yorkers who care for
the Republican party and for the
success Of its principles and who are
Jealous of the honor should rejoice