Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-02-02
.FAV0R|TE SONS DROP OUT
SCHEME OF G. o. P. LEADERS
AGAINST WOOD is FAILURE
Plan to Prevent Stampede to General
Upset When Proposed Candl-
dates Show Spirit,
ny J. FREDEnICK EssARY,

lie popularity of General Leonard
n WSHi might Is bs possibly s,ampede the
icrs Of the party, assembled In Wash
inston at the meeting or the Repuh-
lean National COMMITTEES. hit upon the
plan OF putting forward O sufficient
number Of "favorite sons" to make a
Wood or any stampede impossible. !
This program was not designed pri-
ttnguished soldier, 1t was. designed
to throw the actual nomination Of tho
candidate into tho convention instead
pie. If Lowden. or Harding. or John
son had been running far ahead OF
the crowd at the time. tho favorite-
invoked against such candidate.
Those Republican leaders who werc
In washington at that meeting SIM
for the nomination TO become too for.
Inidable. and tho way to prevent this
was for the field to work against the
game of pitch. And the Word Vent
ringing down the line for each State
With an eminent possibility to get
tho balloting should be under way.
FaSorftc Sons Crop Out,
The response was more or less gem
erai. state after state came forward
Senator Harding; Illinois, Governor
h i;: California. Senator Johnson;
Nv!rsina. Senator ,sutherland: indiana,
Governor Coolidge; Pennsylvania. Gov Gov
s sn n sRT5ou; XS% Yerk' Sisholas MIR
shlng. and SO on down the Inc, fer-
If these favor!te sons should all
march to Chicago with their respective
be no choice on tho first ballot, and
prooabiy none on many ballotA there
ntter. The convention would be Sc
- fn~
long period OF time for the real leaders
OF the party to canvass all candidates..
al assets and all liabilities. then
But recen, developments are tending
to defeat this carefully considered
program, Tho. favorite- son scheme is
General Wood has not been headed or.
for one thing. He Is still running
strong. although friends OF his OPP
Moments insist that he Is The victim
Then there is alarm over the aueres-
siveness or Hiram johnson, who has
invaded the East. and whose forccful-
Favorite sons Unwilling.
Inc more serious circumstRncc. how
ever is the unwillinSncss of some OF
parade. They are rcfusing TO be
prnnccd forth as complimentary can
likelihood that they will be more than
stalking horses for party mnnnrers
holding M the votes OF their own dele.
Eat Ions for bargain PURPOSES
Governor Goodrich, OF Indiana. has
Just announced that he Will no longer
pose en as a fav3rite son; that he is not
u a, Tan r.iiaa Of thnt tyne and that he
pledges given TO support him Mt Chi.
caso. some time earlier Senator Wat
son or the same state. withdrew from
the presidential race.
Governor Sproul OF Pennsylvania
has taken n very similar stand. lie
does not care to be a Single State can
Washington he will not ask that his
delegation he instructed for him.
In MasSachusetts Governor Coolidge
enjoy the role OF favorlte son; that
he is not an active candidntc anyway
and and that he is not disposed to ask
sides. the Massachusetts Republican
leaders arc not a unit behind Cover
nor Coolidge. Some OF them are for
Wood. at least one is for Lowden. and
fight for their Governor.
Wood CnmpniEners Energetic.
Or. Butler probably realizing that
caEo with his entire State behind him.
has let il he known that he does not
seek the enlargement Of New York
I hs "a n unit aside from the fact that
General Wood. II might be added.
Is not. and has never been. a party to
the favoritc-son scheme. His cam
paigners, finding the field more or less
against their man, are out to win, local
taVor!tes or no local favorites. They
are TO campaign against General Per
Ssh'nE In Nebraska; against Senator
Hard ng in Ohio. and against Governor
coolidge in Massachusetts and other
New ENGLAND states.
The net result OF this situation Ia n
collapse Of the original program, With
New York. Pennsylvania. Massachu-
large delegations released. thereby
providing uood lighting ground for
The more, energetic candidates. /, is
not at all unlikely that some one Of
nc group may develop uncomfortable
strength before the convention meets.
1t has been repeatedly suggested
here during the past few days that
Q change OF plan may he necessary.
This change would doubtless provide
Tor uninstructed delegations wherever
II might be possible to keen down
sentiment In behalf of some OF her than
2 faroritc SON The effect of This would
DO 10 Keep the convention wide Omen
thereby allowing the first line leaders
an opportunity TO deal the cards i'm
about the Same fashion as If all tho
favoritc sons had remained actively
IN tho running. with their rcspective
delegations safely se~ed up
FOCH REFUSES ANY PART
IN CNICcHMc rDCphTIOn