The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-05-20
WOOD TOPS
OPPONENTS
UP TO DATE
VIII Show Most Strength
on First Ballot at Chi
cago, Is Report.

Chicago, May 2O.-With the Re-
publican national convention only
Is days away and S99 of the 943 del
egates already elected, the situa-
ton facing the Republican candi-
dates is that no candidate will en-
ter the convention with enough
votes pledged to him to give him
any decided advantage over his op-
ponent.
Forty-seven of the So states and
territories have chosen their dele
cations and are sending to Chicago
537 uninstructed delegates, A more
than a majority of all those who
will sit in the convention.
Wood Leads Field.
Major General Leonard Wood, on
the tace of the returns to date, will
show the most strength on the first
ballot, for of those delegates who
have been instructed or who have
expressed preference. 145 are
pledged to him. In addition, he
carried the preferential primary in
Vermont, but that states eight del
egates have not yet been chosen by
the state convention.
Woods nearest competitor in the
delegations already pledged is Sem
ator Hiram W. Johnson of Califor-
mia, who commands an even 100
votes. Governor Frank o. Lowden
of Illinois, with IS votes pledged to
him, Is third; while Senator War
rem g. Harding of Ohio has SO
votes from his home state.
Contests In Il States.
There are, however, contests
pending in u states and the Dis
trict of Columbia, involving 104
delegates. Thirty-five Of the con-
tests are on Wood delegates, on
Lowden men and 63 among unin-
structed delegations. The creden-
tials committee will meet here May
81 to thresh out these contests.
Campaign managers at Chicago,
for the various candidates. agree
that there will be no nomination on
the first ballot. The compliment
tary vote for the large list of ia
vorite sons" may. in fact, they say,
be so large that it will destroy the
usual significance of the first bal
lot as an indicator of the strength
Of the various candidates.
May Split Votes.
Among those candidates who are
expected to divide the uninstructed
vote on the first ballot, in many
cases commanding all or part Of
the delegates from their home
states, are Governor Sproul, Penn
sylvania; Governor Coolidge, Mas
sachusetts: Senator Sutherland,
West Virginia; Senator Poindexter.
Washington, Senator LaFollette,
Wisconsin; DR.. Murray Nicholas
Butler, New York; Herbert c.
Hoover, California, and Judge
Pritchard, North Carolina.
Senator Poindexter has IA unin-
structed votes from Washington,
Judge Pritchard, II from North
Carolina; Governor Coolidge, 35
from Massachusetts, and the other
candidates have. or expect to have,
varying numbers.
Fix Definite Claims.
Campaign managers here Of the
three candidates who are leading
in delegates actually instructed
have made definite claims as to the
vote they expect to receive in the
convention.
Major General Woods headquar-
ters has issued statement claim
| ing he will have from 297 to S02
votes on the first ballot; that he
will gain from IL to 20 on the sec
ond, and that he will be nominal
ed on the third or fourth.
johnson Men Optimistic.
The Johnson managers here say
reports from their workers through
out the country show they will
have 335 votes on the first ballot
and that the senator will be nOmin-
ated on the third or fourth ballot.
Governor Lowden's managers
give no estimate of how many
votes they expect to have on the
first ballot. but in published
statement have assured the COVER
nor he will win the nomination
with 522 votes. They predict the
break in his favor will come after