The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-05-22
LESS THAN 400
INSTRUCTED OUT
Of 913 CHOSEN
Wood, Leading Candidate, Has
Only 143 Pledged
MANY CONTESTS PENDING
Some Changes May Be Made by
Credentials Committee at
Meeting May 81.

Chicago, May 22.-Uninstructed
delegations and the delegates who
will cast their first ballot for favor
| ite sons will be in the majority at
the republican national convention,
opening here June 8.
The primary system, although in
effect in many states, has failed to de
velop any outstanding candidate for
the party's presidential nomination,
for of 919 delegates already chosen
less than 400 have been instructed and
their vote is divided among several
candidates.
Under tn republican convention
rules, which require majority to
nominate, the successful candidate
must obtain at least 493 woes.
Fortythre states and five districts
and territories have elected the 913
delegates already chosen. The remain
ling Il cf the 9S4 who will sit in the
convention are TO be chosen by Ore
gon, Texas, Vermont, Washington,
and West Virginia.
Mai Gen. Leonard Wood is leading
the field with 145 delegates instructed
II for him. The credentials committee
which NETS here May 81 to decide
contests and prepare the temporary
roll of the convention may make some
changes in the list of instructed dele
gates, however, as there are 104 con-
tests pending, Thirty-fve contests in
yolve Wood delegates.
Senator Hiram w. Johnson of Cal.
ifornia has an even 100 instructed
delegates and Gov. Frank o, Lowden
of Illinois, rs. Senator Warren G.
Harding of Ohio has 80 votes pledged
for his home state and Judge Pritch-
ard of North Care lima II. Senator
Miles Poindexter is expected to ge.
the IA votes cast by Washington.
Washington, May 20.--Contests for
i22 OF the 9S4 votes in the republican
convention at Chicago had been filed
with Secretary Miller of the national
committee when the preliminary i'll
ing period expired.
More contests were expected before
both the national committee and the
conventions credentials committee,
which possibility Of decisive result on
the nomination. Great piles of briefs
already filed here indicated a monu-
mental task for the national commit
tee when it begins hearings on the
costests at Chicago on May 81, one
week prior o the convention opening.
About one-eighth of the convention
votes are placed in dispute by the con
tests already filed.
All but four OF the 122 contests filed
are from southern democratic states.
The exceptions are disputes over two
delegates from the Minnesota tenth
district and two from the District of
Columbia.
Despite the contests for votes, AZ
surplus delegates have been chosen
from nine states, with fractional
votes. The national committee will be
called on to decide whether its rules
against fractional voting delegations
shall stand and the surplus delegates
denied seats
The district contests are between
Maj, Gen. Wood and Gov Lowden.
Senator Johnson and other candidates
are not interested in these disputes
but may raise questions regarding pri-
mary contests in North Dakota, New
Jersey, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota,
Nebraska, South Dakota and other
states.
Most of the southern states contests
are fractional, being between the So
called lilly white andz black and
tan" factions. A few of the contest
ants are pledged to Gen. Wood, few
to Gov. Lowden, but most are unin-
structed, with fairly well known
lleanings.