Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1920-06-18
HARDING AND COOLIDGE
WIN IN HARD BATTLE.
Contest at Chicago viii Be
Chronicled as One Of Most
Memorable in Republican
Party's History.
BY WRIGHT A. PATTERSON.
For President-Warren G. HARDING
of Ohio.
For Vice President--calvin Coolidge
OF Massachusetts.

VI SHlO.
For Vice President--calvin Coolidge
OF Massachusetts.
Convention Hall, Chicago. - The
nomination for President was made on
the tenth ballot. The vote on that
ballot for the men who had been the
leading candidates was. Harding,
Sta; Wood, 1879; Lowden, u;
johnson, S04-5.
After 1t is, all over, that is the news
IL TOOK I'VE strenuous days to produce.
That is all tha great mass of the pub
lie will rememAe But for those who
had a part In the contest 1t will be an
experience to BE remembered for a
lifetime, and the( convention Of 1920
VIII go down In the history of the Re
publican organization as one of the
hardest waged battles of the party's
existence. 1t wal battle of which
the audience saw(but little that was
speclaculnr--a sho1 that did not meas
ure up to the expeC lations of the thou
SANDS who mad eEed and fought for
and purchased tNkets and who had
jammed thems ives into the great
building sessio/eafter session, sweIter-
Ing and, ,ros"@ffig and always anticipat-
ing something worth while
Public Missed Real Fioht.
The public did rot see the real fight.
as they were not admitted to the coun-
Gil rooms where the differences of con-
testing candidates We're ironed out or
where the varying opinions Of differ
ent factions were being reconciled so
that a platform that could fit all ele-
ments might be produced. The I'M
usual condition Of the tines had pro-
duced n wide range of ideas. Men DIFF
fered radically on important points
upon which the party must 20 to the
public as a unit if it is to I've chance
of being successful in November, and
1t was not an easy task to find the com
mon ground upon which all were will |
ing to stand. Every day of the five
brought its threat of bolt on the part
of some faction, and these threats I
brought adjustment after adjustment /
after sessions lasting from but few /
minutes TO an hour or so in order that [
new conferences might be held and |
new efforts might be made to satisfy
opposing elements.
Greatest Stumbling Block.
II was the League of Nations plank
that proved the greatest stumbling
block The Irreconcilables of the SEN
ate, led BY Senator Johnson, would not |
listen TO anything that savored Of an |
Endorsement of the League of Nations,
with or without reservation. Another |
element, led by Nicholas Murray But
Ter Of New York, insisted upon lndorse-
ment of the League with the Lodge
reservations. and OF Wednesday morn
ing 1t seemed that nothing could pre-
vent n split on this plank.
1t was at this time that the political
genius, Elihu Root, was called upon.
The cables carried the troubles of the
contestants to Europe, where Root Is
assisting in the organization of an in
ternatonal court, and the cables
brought back a solution that satisfied
Senator Johnson and his followers and
which the others were willing to ac-
cept In the interests of party harmony.
There was difficulty again over the la
Dor plank, and again compromise was
resorted 10 to prevent a split. Much
the same thing was true of the plank
on Mexico and a plank on Ireland. In
the end the Irish were overlooked en-
tirely, as Eothng the leaders were will
ing to do was satisfactory to that ele-
ment. which was demanding a strong
resolution acknowledging the freedom
of the Irish Republic"
For hours the Resolutions Commit
tee. headed by Senator Watson of In
q ought back and forth. APP
the session Of Tuesday, 1t
d to u i O'Clock