New-York tribune., 1920-04-01
Politicians Saw
Hoover Drive
Faces Failure
Do Not Believe Personal
Popularity Will Bring
Enough Delegates to Win
Republican Nomination
Has Chance in Late Poll
Convention Would Be Com
pelled TO Recognize Big
Victory at the Primaries
Rv arter Field

While eonceding Herbert c. Hoover
has tremendous personal popularity
throughout the country, practical poll
.;ciars do rot believe he Will be able
to use that popularity IL getting any
hing like enough delegates 10 win the
Republican nomination.
They point out that so many dele
gates have been elected or selected
and such a large proportion OF them
are Of the political type known as
hard boiled" uhich means simply they
are very practical. very much hand
picked and normally boss-controlled,
that any drive bv such q candidate as
Hoover IS foredoomed TO failure.
Hoover's rea chance, OF course. lies
r lis pilng Up the votes in few of
me late primaries and thereby demon
stratiug so much strength that the
convention would scarcely dare fly in
the face OF what had been demonstrated
20 be public opinion. This means that
Hoover must not merely carry few
primaries He must carry them over
whelmlngly.
On that point he Republican leaders
who discussed the question following
as in practically y every state the regu-
lar party organization Will be distinctly
anti Hoover, despite the independent
strength for him, he is not apt to make
any spectacular showings.
There : no doubt whatever that the
sentiment for Hoover, while seldom
extending into the ranks OF the party
organization workers on either side,
is very strong and Is very widespread
Back Hoover in Middle West
In recent trip covering the entire
Middle West as far as the Dakotas and
Kansas and in trip just completed
through the New England States I
found sentiment for Hoover in every
city and town visited Very seldom
in any general conversation. as in a
smoking car, would there be a group
which did not include one or two men
who would declare they would vote
for Hoover on either ticket
The weakness O. the sentiment for
Hoover. when II comes 70 translatine
popularity into delegates, has been in
the fact that many of the people who are
fer Hoover are OF the type that almos
never vote N the primaries, and who,
sometimes, are 100 busy to bother with
voting IN the general elections
Inc primaries Wnicn Hoover NAV
still enter and where he will have a
chance 70 show whether or not he can
deliver al the ballot boxes the vocal
SUPPORT which he has undoubtedly en-
ioyed are, therefore, the subject OF
very keen scrutiny by those Interested
in the situation.
OF the New England States three are
beyond any hope, from Hoover stand
point. Maine has selected her delegates,
eminently practical politicians, who
will go TO Chicago with Hoover very
lar from their thoughts These twelve
delegates will vote for Wood as long
as the general has chance. and when
they switch. il Wood should lose
strength after few ballots, they will
Lot 60 10 Hoover, if the opinion of the
men who picked them is worth any
thing
New Hampshire for Wood
New Hampshire has instructed her
eighr delegates for Leonard Wood, and
'hey are men who, if they ever switched,
would much rather go 20 several other
candidates than Hoover. Connecticut
mas selected her fourteen delegates,
VINO are divided between Wood and
Lo*den, and again all are of the prac-
'lcai hard boiled character. so that