The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-06-12
MORE CONVENTION
GOSSIP RELATED
Old Guard Trying to Pre-
vent johnson from Turn
ing to Wood
Il
HOPE LOWDEN
WILL GET LEAD
If Not, an Attempt Will Be Made
to Name Knox or Sproul - Senator
Harding Discussed for Vice Presi-
dency-Down on Hitchcock.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Copyright By the Reformer.) J.
COLISEUM, CHICAGO, June u. i
Even if the public could be told all :
that was said, all that was promised,
all that was planned in the conferences
which lasted well into the morning, the +
said public would only know the STRAIT
egy-not the result. For as the Repub
lican national convention enters into its
final stage-the actual naming of can
didates for president and vice president
the pledges and assurances exchanged
behind closed doors by. the busy man
ayers of individual aspirants for the +
nomination mean only a concerted eff
fort to name a conservative acceptable
to the regular Republican organiza
ton The order of events based upon
some knowledge of what the board of |
strategy is mapping out on the inside
lof this convention is this:
- Let Wood show his maximum
strength on the first few ballots, and
let Johnson hold his delegates intact.
/ 2 - Let Lowden come up and pass
Wood in the totals. Make final drive
INSIDE the New York, Pennsylvania ard
M
3 - If Lowden doesn I get the
break" and merely holds his lines in
ltact with no evident chance of taking
delegates from Leonard Wood, ballot
or two for johnson 5 benefit win he
tried.
: = If all three leaders fail to get a
majority, the board of strategy will Of
| fer Knox or Sproul or Harding with
the certainty that Harding will be at
], least given the vice presidency, if
johnson declines it.
( - If the convention refuses Knox
or Sproul or Harding then Senator Pen
5 rose and the old guard who are sitting
on the board of managers viii be COM
J. [peHed to go to other compromise can
7 didates like Hughes, Hoover, Lenroot,
but none of the insiders believe the sit
{. Euation viii get that far.
al Now there is shrewd gentleman by
the nance Of Hiram johnson who knows
1 what is happening on the inside and
r who knows what the effort of the Old
Guard is going to be. lie is being as
: sured that he will have his chance Just
r as soon as Wood is eliminated and
| Lowden 5 strength is tested and the
= hint is given him that he had better
! hold his delegates until each one of
!. his rivals has finally gotten out of the
race But the California senator has
o played the poker of politics in his own
e state and also in the United States sen
= ate. and he is not so easily held in line
Indeed, Mr. johnson is keeping the
a Lowden forces on edge by continually
y limiting or gesturing in the direction OF
Il Leonard Wood. If johnson threw his
delegates to Wood, the eminent major
general would win this nomination in
Il walk SO long, however, as John
son thinks there is a remote chance fol
y him to win, he will not withdraw il
. anybodv's favor So it is necessary
n for the managers who oppose Wood tC
keep dangling before Johnson the pros
pect of winning the nomination him
: self 1t Is interesting to record in th
: connection that Senator johnson hat
bo had within the last 24 hours confer
ences with Tobias Hert, manager o
!, the Lowden boom, and with John I
- King who represents Senator Penrose
- Both King and Hert are vehement,
! opposed to the Wood candidacy an,
- to Frank Hitchcock. Mr. Hitchcock
by the way, is represented as havin
told Massachusetts delegates that i
= he wins this fight for Wood. Will Hay
= will be displaced as national Chairman
!, and the former postmaster general vii
,er run the campaign.
So the messages are carried back an
forth and the bluffs and fcints ar
~ made in the great nominating game
- Johnson is really out of ii and is pow
80 erful only in that he can name tn
- presidential candidate by releasing hi
delegates and withdrawing in favor 0
another contender. The belief persist
il, that when he is once convinced tina
. he can't win, he will 90 on the tcke
ew with Philander c. Knox, former ser
rotary of state, former attorney gel
m era4 former friend of Roosevelt an
Taft and unquestionablv the man VIII
nc would find favor not merely with I'll
all-important Pennsylvania delegatio
:, which is one of the three holding I'll
- balance of power but with the Ne
. York and Massachusetts delegates. NJ
las Knox, who was first brought out h
er' Penrose would inherit the tLowde
Id, strength in New York and Massachl
aEsetts and together with Pennsylvani
this would be enough to win. 1t ma
lil- be necessary to make the ticket Knc
for and Coolidge to catch the fancy {
Massachusetts and if that isn't DO
II | sible there are some LOwden DELEGATE
md in populous Ohio who might be brougl
+ into camp by making the ticket Knt
oo and Harding. All these moves are u
ne der consideration as the conventic
makes an effort to finish its busine
!, by Saturday night. A deadlock in Il
"a balloting would upset all calculation
IN IN and keep the convention here to Il
W middle of next week.