South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-06-15
SAT-, DEFEAT
OF WOOD WAS
A NECESSITY
DIR. Nicholas Murray Butler
Gives Inside Dope on
Convention.
By Associated Press:

BY Associated Press:
NEW YORK, June 14.-Charges
that a motley group of stock gam
blers. oil and mining promoters. am
munition makers and other like
persons seized upon SO good a man
as Gen. Wood and with reckless
avidity out 10 buy for him the pre-
sidential nomination" were made in
a statement given out here Monday
night by Nicholas Murray Butler, an
unsuccessful candidate for the re-
publican nomination.
''It was the cause Of genuine sor-
row to me as TO many others Of Gen.
Woods personal friends" he said,
ito see him in this position. There
was nothing TO do IN order to save
the republican party but TO defeat
the band of men that were behind
him with their bank accounts and
their great financial influence. This
meant that we had 10 defeat Gen.
Wood himself"
stop Auction Sale.
The chief task of the cOnven-
ton" the statement said, was to
prevent the sale of presidential no
limitations at auction 20 the highest
bidder. Had this not been done the
party faced not only certain defeat
but crushing dishonOr. The 68 New
York delegates who voted for me on
the first ballot were the chief factor
in stopping the Hindenburg drive
TO Overwhelm the convention by the
power Of unlimited money"
The story of New YOrk's 6S votes
for Butler, shows the statement
said, how Gen. Wood was defeated.
1t points out that the first ballot
gave Gen. Wood a substantial lead
and that the first task. therefore,
was to bring the vote of his nearest
rival. Gov. Lowden, at least up TO
Woods vote"
Owing 10 local and state complica-
tions, the statement explained, there
were very few sources from which
new strength for Lowden could be
drawn so early in the ballOting
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,. Michi-
gan and Ohio could rot help. il add
ed, because the release of delegates
I'm those states probably would give
Wood more votes than Lowden.
Swing Vote TO LOwden.
'It was clearly necessary, there
fore" the statement continues. "for
New York TO become the Belgium
OF the war and / cheerfully gave
my approval for the plan TO turn
New York's vote 10 LOwden in in
creasing volume on the second, third
fourth fifth. sixth and seventh bal
lots. sent word 10 the New York
delegation by James r. Sheffield
that with me party success and par
ty honor came first. ] also said
that no personal interest of mind
should be considered until party
success and party honor had been
protected.
1T was this New York vote for
Lowden taken from the 6S votes
that had been cast for me that gave
Lowden his lead on the fifth ballot
and that enabled him substantially
TO equal the Wood vote on the ballot
Immediately following. When after
the seventh ballot it was clear that
Lowden could not be nominated. we
helped the drift toward Harding and
on the ninth ballot became the de-
Cisive psychological factor by giving
Harding Sc votes.
The few New York votes that
continued 10 support me in the end
were cast in pursuance TO earnest
requests from delegates in Connect
cut. New Jersey, Michigan, Mime
sofa, Illinois, Iowa. Missouri. North
Dakota, California. Washington,
Texas and Kentucky. in order that
If the effort TO nominate Sen. Hard
ing should fail. my name might still
remain upon the list Of candidates
before the convention -