Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-06-17
FOUR FUTILE BALLOTS
General Wood in the Lead All Day F'ri<
day Hut Lacked Majority


Chicago. June 11.-Four ballots in the
Republican National convention today
failed to unite the necessary majority ONT
nominee.
1t was the first time since 1888 that moro 1
than three ballots found the party with I
out a choice and the seventh time since 1
the nomination of Lincoln that more THANH
one ballot had been required. !
The big threee-Wood. Lowden and
Johnson-were al their high water maIksiI
when the convention, after the fourth !
ballot, adjourned until ten O'Clock to-}
morrow morning.
The contest then stood: Wood S4h:
Lowden 20. Johnson 1401z. Hoover o..
Harding SLY. Sproul 1914. Coolidge q.
Rutler %, Knox 2, Poindexter Is. Suther-1
land 8, Borah Dupont .. LaFollette 2.
Watson T.
At the adjournment hour it still re->
manned a three cornered fight between 1
Wood, Lowden and johnson, for the re-
naming twelve contestants held only 4o 4
scattering votes among them and most
of them had been losing steadily since
the first ballot, some one of the big three
making accessions at their expense.
With these scattering votes HiramI
Johnson still was holding the BALANCED
| of power. his 140 1-2 votes alone even
| If cast for either Wood or Lowden-
would not be sufficient to nominated
either and there was not the slightestt
| indication of Johnson delegates de-,
sorting their nominee.
The four ballots saw various shiftsI
and changes, with a general declininsj
| of the favorite son AMI complimentary
| vote. The vote for DR.. Nichloas Murray
Butler of New York steadily dwindled(
| until on the closing ballot II stood att
90. Lowden forces took most Of the(
accessions from New York.
Twenty-four votes from Wisconsin,
cast for LaFollette on three success y
sive ballots amid Kisses and catcallsI
fell to 90 at the closing. 1t was theI
first convention In years at which La
Toilette himself had not appeared al
a candidate. Herbert. Hoovers max
imum strength of the day was five.
votes; Philander Knox's maximum was
| two: Governor Sprouts was 70 Lat
made up Of accessions to his II on
| Pennsylvania rs which stood steadily
| through all the fight.
| 1t was difficult to understand the sud-
| den adjournment after four ballots had
been taken. At the end of the third ballot
the Johnson forces moved an adjourn =
| ment and insisted upon a roll call after
the motion had been defeated by a vive.
voce vote. The roll call showed the dele
| gates voting overwhelmingly to con-
tnue the balloting. Toward the close OF
| the fourth ballot il was seen that Wood
and Lowden both had made small sains'
and that the Johnson vote would show
Its first loss.
| Senator Borah rushed to the platform,
and urged that an adjournment be taken.
Some of the Lowden people had been
appealed to by delegates who sincerely
wished to avoid the hardship of an aln
night session and they consented not to-
oppose an adjournment motion. There is
nothing to indicate that the Johnson anu
Lowden forces were working together by
design but adjournment was obtained,
through their joint efforts. The Woodl
forces were bitterly disappointed as they
believed they could continue to gain until
their total would climb over the four
hundred mark IL an adjournment COULD
be avoided. They hoped that then would
come a landslide or band wagon moves
ment from the tired delegates.
The Wood forces are saying to-nigh0
that there were more negative votes
than affirmative but they admitted
that the latter made more noise ana
that Mr.. Lodge probably was justified
in ruling that adjournment had oeers
ordered They are also saying to-nighe
that they showed bad strategy In nos
insisting on roll call.
In a gruelling hour session con =
Quoted in intense summer heat and
without interruption for recess or re :
freshment the convention buckled
down to the job Of attempting to PUT
itself on schedule and heard, in suc-t
cession, nominating and secondin4
speeches for eleven candidates and
then turned to the balloting, vottQ
being cast for the eleven and numer- 4
Gus others.