Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-06-05
WOOD LEADERS MAD
AS LOWDEN GETS
CONTESTED SEATS
Moses and Other Heads of Gen
erals Boom Warns Committee
Against Defeat.
SpROUL is GROOMED
TO BEAT "HI" JOHNSON
Louis SeiboId in New York World.

fi@ipn III iitb tfttISlft ttitttets NiAAti 'e'o
hostile to the General. Senator Moses,
one of the Wood managers, openly charg-
ed Chairman Hays with prejudice against
General Wood, and asserted that the
National Committee had dug out the
'steam roller" of 1912 to give his candl-
date the worst of the contest. lie SAID ::
Evidently a mistake has been made
The steam roller which was used so etfec-
tively at the convention of 1917 and with
such disastrous results to the party in the
election following has not been scrapped,
after ALL 1t has merely been In the ma
chine shop for repairs and Tor some new
attachments The most important OF
the latter appears to be a patent reversing
apparatus, which enables the National
Committee at will TO disregard its prior
formal action in recognition of certain
national committeeman and State chair
men against whose organization there
have been trumped upa series OF fraudulent
contests.
NATIONAL COMMITTEE PROCEDURE.
"The chain of procedure which the
National Committee formed at its st.
Louis meeting In 1917 and Its Washington
meeting in 1919 contained three links.
''The first connected the National
Chairman with the recognized National
Committeeman in the States, to whom
were sent the official call for the conven-
ton which assemblies next week. The
National Committeeman transmitted this
call to the recognized State Chalrmen,
thus constituting the second link in the
chain. The third link connected the
State Chairman with hls organization
In the counties.
Through the operation Of this mechan-
ism. delegates friendly TO General Wood
have been elected with entire regularity
in every southern State save two. The
function of the National Committee
at this iuncture is not to determine the
qualifications of members of the National
Convention: il is merely to establish that
regularity which entities q delegate to
be placed upon the temporary roll, leav-
ing the ultimate question of his right 10
q seat to be determined by the convention
through its committee on credentials.
Yet the National Committee, with Chair
man Havs conveniently absent from the
chair. is assuming to decide the matter
in aGvance-but 10 decide il upon the
narrow lines of the committees 5 personal
preference.
COMMITTEE FAvoRs LOwDES.
Gen. Woods friends have always
understood that the National Committee,
as at present constituted favored the
nomination of Gov LOwden We have
never questioned their right to hold such a
preference. But we do question seriously
and vigorously their right 10 color their
decisions. which should be merely minis
terial if not judicial, by such preference
and the conditions under which 50 many OF
the present National Committeeman hold
their places only increases the strength
with which we now asSall the course winch
they are pursuing.
As a result of the primaries and con-
ventions held throughout the union. sub
stantialv one-third of the members OF the
present National Committee have failed
to rest in the confidence Of their constItlI-
ents and they will 90 out Of office the day
the, convention adlourns let these re-
pudiated committeeman, IN defiance of
the popular Judgment already rendered,
are seeking to impose their peevIsh pur-
pose upon the convention, the party and
the country.
THREE LEADING MEN.
Certain facts are outstanding in the
contemplation Of pre-convention events.
Chief among these is the demonstrated
fact that three men have shown themselves
to possess widespread and well founded
popular support among Republicans.
These men, in the order Of their demon
strated strength, are Gen. Wood, Sen
ator johnson and Mr.. Hoover Except
In his own State Gov Lowden has never
succeeded in running better than q poor
third in any primary. This is not said
In any derogation Of any Of Gov. Low
den's many good qualities, 1t Is plain
statement Of political facts which the
country is not impeTvious even though
the National Committee is.
There seems to be no secrecy about
the National Committee s plans said an
influential Wood man tonight
They think by their high-handed
methods to remove from the Wood column
q sufficient number of votes to the Lowden
column to equalize the apparent strength
of these two rivals on the first ballot. One
hesitates TO revive the harsh language Of
1912 but there is only one word which can
ftly characterize such q measure; and |
refer inQuisitIvely persons to the vocab-
ulary Of eight years ago to learn what that
word is.
"Twice before in Republican history
have similar tactics been employed. In
1892, at Minneapolis, no attention was
paid to the merits of any contest and dele
gates were seated solely on the basis Of the
common preference which they had with
the National Committeeman who award
ed them their seats.
THE 1912 TACTICS.
Twenty years later similar tactics
were pursued in Chicago; and the student /
of political history may find something
worthy of reflection if he will scan the
election returns In those two years SO
fatal to Republican hopes. 1t is true that
the committee sits in the open with the
paid agents Of George w. Perkins and
others freely circulating through the COM
ing counsels into the ears Of unsophistlcat-
cd committeeman.
With this exception the parallel Is
perfect. strongly hope 1t will not be car
ried to the election as it Was eight and
twenty-eight years ago.
81 am saying this, Of course, chiefly
because of my ardent interest IN Gen.
Woods candidacy But it all applies equally
to Senator Johnson and to Mr.. Hoover,
who with Gen. Wood have demonstrat-
ed the possession of popular political sup
port
BIG LEADER NEEDED.
The most distinct impression formed |
by the hourly increasing number Of party
ehieftains, delegates and camp followers, |
is that the once Grand Old Republican |
Party is more in need of a boss than a
candidate for President. A suitable can
didate possessing the requisite qualities /
will be much less difficult to find than d |
competent sleuth to lead the chase.
Surface indications do not Justify a |
prediction that boss will emerge from !
the present confused conditions, or that /
L. n. ] u n