Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-03-17
Enttnrial Digrat
An Iadepenlsnt Analysis sf Leading Cu.
rent Events q Rejected IN The Pub.
lie Press Of the Country


Leonard Wood got . flying start In the race
for the Republican presidential nomination.
and although there have been several other
strong entries It is generally conceded that
thua far he il stil in tho lead. A. the Memphis
INevs-scimitar und) says. ut appears to be
Wood against the field" However. the race has
hardly begun, and there is yet time for General
Wood to be oyerhauled.
The very fact that Wood gained such lead
at the start has tended to mako the other can
didates combine to beat him. "Lowden, Hard
ing and johnson are the strongest candidates
against him." declares the Syracuse Post
STANDARD (Rep), mono Of them now having his
present strength, together having greater than
he"
wood has made a bold maneuver In Illinois
While other candidates have scrupulously kept
of the preserves of the "favorite sons. the
Wood managers have daringly entered their
candidate in the primaries against Governor
Lovden. This action exhibits degree OF
nerve which is obviously appealing TO the
amazement of professional politicians through
ont the country" comments the Lynchburg
News (Dem.). and lit would seem that the
general is disposed to hasten the contest to
a conclusion and to fight it against the Held
even to invite all corners to join against him. :"
The News continues:
Should the unexpected happen and the 1lli-
nois primary indicate preference for him over
Lowden, the fact would doubtless mean that
he had won his battle for the presidential nom
nation On the other hand should he fail to
score against Lowden in Lowden's own state,
the result would not necessarily mean his elm
nation A. Lowden victory would be fairly IN
terpretable as a matter Of state PRIDE
This opinion regards the move as good tao
tics. But the Des Moines Register lind. Rep.),
thinks otherwise. ut will solidify the field
against him." says the Register. land if he
does not have first choice strength enough he
will not be nominated. He will be like Cen
eral Grant with his sts1warts in 1850, wits
not enough to nominate him but with enough
to thoroughly arouse the opposition" The
Peoria Transcript (Ind) is inclined to sup
port this judgment, saying "the Wood manage
ment has bungled badly in this state while
the Buffalo Courier Dem) speaks OF the
amazingly clumsy work Of the Wood COM
mittee" which it thinks lis calculated to dam
age the Wood boom not only in Illinois but
in other states" The Courier refers to a tele-
gram sent by the Wood managers to the Re-
publican senator's and congressman from ILL
nois, asking their support for Wood lin order
that our committee may be friendly to you"
tives," says the Courier, "joined in hot reply.
they declared that the Wood committee must
be aware of the fact that every Republican
member of the Illinois delegation was a party
to formal resolutions adopted last December
"pledging enthusiastic and constant support
to Governor LOwden."
In Ohio, too the Wood managers are active,
although Senator Harding is the favorits son.
They have brought in James R. Garfield as
- .1-n> =
lnd) "n order to keep Harding out of as
many second choice votes as possible The
Harding people retort by putting up johnson
and the aged General J. Warren Kiefer as sec
ond Choices"
But the Illinois primaries are month of,
and meanwhile Wood gathers up delegates
elsewhere. He won handily in the New Hamp-
| shire primaries few days ago. New Hamp-
shire is the native state of Leonard Wood, -
notes the New York Tribune (Rep.), but he
came of Massachusetts stock, so it is scarcely
| local pride that has led to this handsome en-
dorsement of General Wood in the New Hamp-
| shire primaries" The Tribune thinks Wood
"has the great advantage of being a national
rather than local man. He is big enough to
| be seen across the country" The New York
Times Ind DEM notes also that ION the
same day the general wins the first delegates
to be elected from Tennessee" and thus while
the political prophets continue to find evidences
Of the waning of the Wood BOOM the general
goes serenely on capturing delegates" In line
with this policy, Frank Hitchcock has been ap-
pointed campaign manager for Wood, and
Hitchcock goes out for the delegates, and
with the delegates committed, il there be
enough of them and if they stay put" says the
Sun and New York Herald Und-), "the candi.
date is nominated before the national conven-
ton meets