Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-05

for President who gets caught giving
money to delegates. After three or
four consolation votes you get out. We
shall need your delegates for the man
we are going to nominate" And the
Lowdcn forces would have bowed TO
the will of the leaders.
But there are no leaders. There il
no one strong enough TO say this to the
Iowden managers with an assurance
that IL will be accepted. Informal con-
ferences 60 on with respect to the Low
den delegates. based on the assumption
that the Illinois governor now clearly
cannot be nominated. These efforts of
the politicians who are trying to elm
mate Wood and johnson will increase
when men like Senators Watson and
New. the strongest surviving represen-
tatives of the organization, arrive here
and co operate with the rather queer
long distance telephone leadership of
Penrose, which acts through John T.
King.
There are three parties 10 the con
test. the Wood forces, the johnson
forces and the organization forces. All
arC probably thinking up ways of get
ting the Lowden delegates when Low
den cracks or when he accepts defeat
and seeks combination. The Lowdeu
delegates, II the bulk of them can be be-
lieved. would solve the problem before
the convention. II they should combine
with Wood. Wood would be nominated
If they should go to johnson they would
stort movement which would prob
ably lead to the nomination OF John
SOP. II they should co operate with the
organization in an effort to nominate a
dark horse tine band wagon would start
! for that dark horse.
No Sign Of Leadership
The natural alliance of the Lowden
! managers is with the old organization.
! I.owden himself hadw virtually be.
come the organization candidate. be =
| fore the Missouri revelations. But the
organization must show capacity before
| it can take advantage of the opportunity
created by the present weakness of the
| Lowden candidacy. 1t must be able to
| 1t must be able to hold together for him
a big block of uniustructCd and favoritc
son votes.
Up to the present there is no sigu
| of capacity for leadership. Nothing 1.
| in evidence but the shadow of Penros,
| kept moving upon the screen by MIR.
John +. King, emerging from the tele
phone booth and letting It be kuowr
! he has just called up Philadelphia. The
! COlIlOlN tu'Ll>tINtS
! ly with this knowledge. At least Phil
adelphia Is called up. In II day OF gen
eral weakness at least the tradition o.
Penrose is strong
| The tendency OF all units is to hok
together until something definite is ir
sight. People are listening attentively
for the uprOar in the convention tha
is not an imitation. that has the spon
taneous sound which indicates the ar
rival Of a decision. or for the whispe
that filters out from behind closed door
and that indicates the making OF tn
choice. Meanwhile they try to hold to
gethcr. It's a fine lf" IL you can onl,
stick il ont. "'
"Sproul Has Chance"
A Pennsylvania leader explained tn
Endorsement OF Sproul. We want I
hold the vote together. We want I
get something for Pennsylvania. Civ
me seventy six votes and III 20 int
the convention and get something. BE
sides. Sproul has chance"
1t is the prevailing mood. Everybod
has chance. And solid block 9
votes can got something. This is Tn
one stabiizing factor in the situation
II is the usual attitude in conver
tion. But it il n stronger attituc
this time. The big prize Is any one
who can get it. And every one WI
has n block of delegates can do MS oW
trading. There are no masters OF u
great art of trading who are golr
TO mOuopoliZe the opportunity.