Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-06-12
HARDING TAKES
RANK IN FIELD
OF DARK HORSES
Move to Substitute OhiOan for
Wood and LOwden Expected
From Conferences.
gSRAH MAKES THREATS
By J. BART CAMPBELL.

CHICAGO, June 12.-If either
Wood or Lowden is the choice Of the
convention the circumstances under
which he is nominated will be in
vestigated by the senate committee
given blanket power to probe cam
paign expenditures and contribu-
tions, Senator Borah declared today.
And whatever deal was Matched
at a series of conferences held at the
Blackstone hotel by other republican
leaders until an early hour this
morning in an attempt to break the
convention deadlock would also be
thoroughly gone into by the same
committee, Borah intimated.
Borah's announcement was made after
he conferred with Senator Kenyon. chair
man Of the committee. at the Congress
hotel while the Blackstone conferences
were still under way.
The committee would resume its in
vestigation at Chicago on July Z, when
the alleged use OF Lowden money in the
pre-convention Missouri campaign test-
fed to at Washington recently would be
probed further. it was stated.
Both the republican and democratic
conventions would be kept in view by the
committee. it was understood, until all
campaign expenditures and contributions
had been checked up"
A drive" to substitute Harding for
either Wood or Lowden when the con-
ventiou reconvened at 10 o'clock this
morning was discussed at the Blackstone
conferences. il was learned.
It was also reported a majority Of the
Pennsylvania delegation was still urging
Sproul as a compromise candidate, al
though willing to swing behind Harding
II required TO withdraw the moral sup
port it agreed to continue to give Sproul
at a caucus held at the Blackstone last
sA~Sht.
4 MOVE TOWARD KNOX
ALSO BEING TALKED OF.
A move toward Knox by the seventy
six Pennsylvania delegates also was
talked Of. although from twenty-five to
thirty Of them were said 10 be ready to
fan in for Wood when freed from their
pledges TO stick by Sproul.
Borah declared he had no personal OBJ
lection to Sproul-
Il is also known johnson and Knox
are quite friendly.
Borah insisted Johnson not only be
nominated, but predicted again he would
be elected the next president
Borah reiterated that under no circum-
stances would he consent 10 the nomina-
ton Of Wood or Lowden.
Borah's attitude, and the knowledge
that Senator Kenyon was planning to get
his committee into action again soon after
the San Francisco convention ends, we're
said to have contributed to the willing
ness displayed at the Blackstone confer
ences to drop both Wood and Lowden.
Senator Smoot played an important
part in these conferences.
Col William Cooper Proctor, million
eire soap manufacturer, who admitted
having contributed more than half a mil
lion dollars to the Wood campaign fund,
FIN close touch with them.
Gov. LOwden, through his campaign
managers, was also said TO have been
kept Informed as to what transpired.
Among the senator's, besides Smoot
who drifted in and out Of the confer
ences were Watson, Indiana; Brandegee,
Rhode Island; Wadsworth. New York !;
Frelinghuysen, New Jersey; Calder.
New York; Curtis. Kansas, ard Harding
himself
It was freely predicted by delegates
friendly to Harding assembled in the
Blackstone lobbies to await the outcome
Of the conferences that the Ohio senator
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