Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-06-13
THE BALLOTING AT CHICAGO.
w. M. BOLE, Editor
o. S. WARDEN, Manager


first ballot showed General Wood in the lead as
was expected with Governor Lowden training
fairly close on his heels and Senator Johnson
third. Each ballot showed a gain for these three
leaders until the fourth when Johnson fell back
a few votes The Johnson strength reached It's
high water mark on the third ballot when ne got
14S votes An adjournment eagerly demanded
by the Johnson men and secured through the
aid of the Lowden forces ended the ballotlng FRI
day at the fourth ballot The johnson men hoped
to use the recess to strengthen their lines ana Il
success seemed impossible to make agreements
bv means of which Wood and Lowden, who had
beaten them in the go-off in getting delegates,
might also be eliminated. The attitude OF the
Johnson leaders was bitter toward these TWO
men, They were ready to say if we can't win
ourselves it will at least be satisfaction TO oe-
feat our more successful opponents.
At this writing no one can say how success1ui
the Johnson men have been in their overnight
neqotiations, so far as beating Wood and Low
den is concerned 1t is apparent from the first
four ballots on Saturday that they failed IN get
ting any extra strength for themselves, TOR
Johnson has steadily lost votes on those ballots
and his vote now stands at a figure slightly more
Apparently most of the Johnson men who have
left him have gone to Senator Harding OF Onio'
and there is considerable talk to the effect that
he is the chosen dark horse who is to win the
race though so far there is nothing in the ballot
ing to justify such prediction. Since ballotlng
started Saturday morning one change took place
in the relative position of Wood and LoWden.
The governor of Illinois passed General Wood
and now heads the list, though still good ways
from the number needed to nominate.
One surprising feature revealed by the ballots
is the amazing lack of support for Herbert Hoov-
er His maximum strength up to date was only
about five votes. Yet the Literary Digest straw
vote showed that he has great popularity among
the rank and file of the Republican voters in
every state in the Union. There seems also to
be very little talk Of him among the delegates at
Chicago as dark horse. Moreover we do not
well see how he could accept nomination from
the Republican convention at Chicago now, and
maintain his reputation as an honest and SIM
cere man. because the platform adopted there IS
in marked violation of the principles which he
has frequently declared he stood for. 1t may be
realization of this fact that has prevented
more delegates from voting for him. Mr.. Hoov-
sonal ambition to be president of the United
States and if he accepted the Republican nom-
nation if would only be because he believed that
no patriotic American citizen had right to re-
fuse such a demand coming to him unsought. If
he is sincere in these sentiments of course he
could afford to take any stand he wished in rela-
ton to the nomination of the Republican or Dem
ocratic conventions, but if he had any desire at
all to be nominated he unquestionably commit
ted a gross tactical bunder when he was in
duced by his Republican friends to issue for
NAL statement to the effect that he would not
under any circumstances accept a Democratic
nomination. Previous to this he had announced
that he was Independent in his party views and
would not decide which of the great political par
ties he would act with until they had made their
platforms and named their candidates. He add
ed that he voted for Woodrow Wilson in 1916,
for Roosevelt in 1872 and for Taft in 1908. But
when he announced that he would accept only a
Republican party nomination he delivered him.
self bound hand and foot to his political enc
mics. The only force in the world that would in
fluence the machine Republicans in convention
assembled at Chicago to nominate Herbert Hoov-
er for president of the United States was the
fear that if they did not do so the Democratic
convention might do so, and that he would carry
the Republican independent vote with him into
the Democratic camp and so lose them the Of
fices which are their one paramount concern.
Relieved of this fear Mr.. Hoover had little
chance Of getting any support from them. Like
Sampson, he had gone to sleep and some cunning
Delilah had shorn him of his strength and deliv-