Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-12
HOOVER MEN FACE
MANY OBSTACLES
|. OF PRACTICAL SORT
Boomers Puzzled How to
Mobilize Their Candidates
Strength at Convention.
BY n. o. MESSENGER.

The Hoover boomers are realizing that
ICY face formidable obstacles Of an in
ttns,Lr practical nature in putting their
man over" at Chicago In getting
down to brass tacks" they foresee diff
Guilty in finding q place to drive them IN
convention
san Calming the existence of vol
urae Of public sentiment favorable to
heir candidate, they apprehend diff
guilty IN registering it at Chicago Their
/; .lcprehen2icns are well founded. in the
publican politicians who have been in
! Washington i'll the past forty eight
hours
! HoOver's Managers Plan.
| The point is this: The Hoover national
ma nagers announced from headquarters
lin New York last week that they would
not s,.k at this late day to influence
! the general state primaries for Mr.
/ Hoover. brt would take their case to
ithe convention assembled and make
! their pie, to the delegates. That plea
/ in the main would be based on Mr..
Hoover's asserted popularity with the
masses. as evidenced by expressions of
| both democratic and republican pri-
;maries.
! Very well. say the republican leaders.
what will the Hoover boomers find when
Itney come to the convention? They will
| find. it is answered. the convention
,composed OF so many delegates pledged
; or favorable. disposed for Gen. Wood,
20 many for Hiram Johnson. 50 many
for Coy. Lowden, SO many for Senator
| Harding and for other candidates.
I InEicdged Delegates a Difficulty.
| In addition. they will find the re-
! naming mass of the delegate body un-
instructed. although doubtless many
OF them predispcsed toward one of the
candidates mentioned. But the vital
! consideration is said to be that this
uninstTucted mass win be under the
] influence and control of party leaders
! and managers who are absolutely
dead set at this time against the NOM
ination of Mr.. Hoover
How. then, it is asked, will the
Hoover boomers expect to make
headway for their man with this set
of hard- headed delegates. some of
whom are ardent part.sans OF other
Candidates and the rest following
leaders violently opposed to Mr.
Hoover The Hoover claim for pref
erence is alleged to be diaphanous. a
generalization. something in the air
1 1t may shine like a halo over the
.Aeads Of the delegates. but 1t will
hover over the heads Of men who are
seated. corporally solid. with their
/ feet around the rungs of their chairs
! ..nd their fingers crossed against
| Hoover.
! Politicians Oppose Hoover.
There is no mistaking the intense
bitt arness of hostility to Mr.. Hoover
/ by practical politicians in both par
| ties. Ke is f1outed and rejected by
them, all and singular To hear them
talk, il would seem that Mr.. Hoover
hasn't a friend at headquarters in
either ptalitical camp.
/ Hiram johnson is the first Of the
candidates to begin an active fight
on Mr.. HCNver. He started in New
Jersey and mentioned him by name
in remarks disparaging his eligibility
as a, claimana for republican support
Is recognized as having priority
rights in oppoA'ng Hoover, since the
supporters of tue latter have started
a campaign to LAprive Senator John
son. if possible, of his own home
states delegation.
Attacks Made ON Hoover.
| In California the johnson men are
fighting back at Hosver and sending
| their propaganda eaHt. The mails
have brought to Wash ington marked
copies of the Sacrament to Bee. carry
Ing purported fac sAmile of MI
Hoover's affidavit of rtA -istration in
the primaries. dated: OctoA'e Is. 1919
in which he gave His poA. office ad-
dress as Stanford University, In
california, and declined to ,state" his
party affiliation
| In the next column are extracts
! from Who's Who" giving Mr.. Hoo
ver's home addresses inl Londo&. Eng
land. from 1910 to 1917. The OPP
| ponents of Mr.. Hoover lay stress upon
his temporary expatriation. bat 1t
| does not worry the Hoover bach ers
, who point to his services to humAl IN
| ity in Belgium during the war AS
! sufficient answer
/ The Hoover people think that tina
opposition OF the political managers
! will prove an asset to him; that it.
| will further advertise him, will
| arouse the Independents of the eoun-
| try to his aid and serve to swell the
! popular demand for his nomination
| But how to make the popular de-
| mand count at the convention, In view
| of the considerations set forth, is a
| question Of very live and solid pro-
portions at this time. The difficulty
is not a theory. but a very potent
as we'll as patent fact.