The Washington times., 1920-06-08
VOTE ROUNDUP.
ATFEVERHEAT.
Johnson's Organization Foes
Seek Support Of Every Man
Who Controls Delegate.
By SAMUEL @. BLYTHE.


CHICAGO, June s.-The roundup
continues fe$erishiy. Every man who
controls snyN number OF delegates.
from himself to an entire delegation
Is being trailed. tabled and Tailed.
outside the crowds linger about the
streets. mill around the hotel iobbfss.
and mourn the innocuous bars. Inside.
the strategists make lists. check on
names. see local leaders. hold out the
promises of preferment. and ngure-
ngure-ngure.
Tive equations are involved-one
human. and the other mathematical.
1t requires ts3 votes to nominate by q
bare excess OF one. The men who Will
eventually combine on q man as
nominee must have those AS votes In
their control. not necessarily to go at
once to their candidate. but necessar-
lily TO 20 at the proper time. Thus,
the mathematical problem is to, nail
down. and make secure against any
mishap of delivery. more than +s3
delegates-thirty or forty more, IN
case OF accident. treason or cupidity'
Three Are At Odds.
Tho human problem Is this: Could
a circumstance or a condition arise
wherein Hiram johnson and Leonard
Wood would throw their forces TO-
gether? Tho men opposed to Wood
and johnson are certain that there
could not be such q combination; are
certain that the enmity between Wood
and johnson forbids that. for Jchn-
son IL held to have instigated that In
vestigation in Washington that show
ed great expenditures made for Wood.
Also, Lowden cannot combine with
either Wood or Johnson. 1t Is held,
and for the same reason.
Thus. these three must go their
ways alone or make their combipa-
tions with outsiders.
Here IL where the real work now
going on counts. The unceasing ef-
fort of the men opposed to Wood and
Johnson, and nominally for Lowden
as the best available medium for con-
certed action at the start, Is to get
in hand enough of tho delegates. who
will follow their orders to make
Wood johnson combination ineffec-
tive, even in the remote contingency
that such a combination could be
made, or In the remoter one that even
IL It were made the principals could
deliver all those who had been voting
for them.
Need 500 TRUSTEES On Floor.
No chances can be taken. 1t Is not
the intention Of the men who are
making this roundup to nominate
either Wood or Johnson. and they are
making sure that neither Wood nor
Johnson can nominate themselves.
They need more than 500 TRUSTEES
- AnAt n
cause they figure the high water
mark OF Wood will be somewhat in
excess Of 300 votes. and the best
strength Johnson can show Is not
more than $50 votes. or AGO together.
Now, II a combination could be made
on that basis, there would be danger
of a majority following promptly. but
there is where the human equation
comes in. Such a combination is held
to be impossible. However. impossi-
bilities have happened in national
conventions. Hence. to be on the safe
side. the leaders intend to sew up
some 500 delegates. which will hold
Wood and Johnson safely.
That is the paramount enterprise
now. or course, IL all OF the Wood
men, and all of the Johnson men
stand firm, and go into combina-
tion, they will have force OF say
46O or 40 delegates, with only
handful more needed to nominate.
But all the Wood and all the John
son delegates will not stand firm.
A good many OF them will vote for
Wood and Johnson SO long as these
principals stay in. but many OF them
will not allow themselves to be traf-
licked by Wood and Johnson. They
will do their deciding.
Expert Tranickers On Hand.
Expert traffickers are on every
hand. expert organization traffickers,
taught the business by the old guard.
They say that in forty-eight hours.
before the balloting begins on Thurs
day, they will have their band of
willing workers all secured to the
organization dock. hawsered and an
chored, and ready for whatever may
come.
That being the case, and 1T may be
the case, Wood will be allowed to
show what he can do, and so will
Johnson, while Lowdcn will get
enough of the willing workers to
keep him an interesting figure, and
the various sons and dark and dark
ened horses will appear in their
various strength.
Presently the organisation hopes to
begin to nip of delegates from Wood
and johnson and add them to others
for a time, They may give Harding
and Coolidge a few complimentary
lifts. They will surely add some
thing to Sprouts string. These are
the favored four of the organization
men who are now collecting, hand
picking and selecting their TRUSTEES
Lowden. Harding. Coolidge and
sproul, and the greatest of these is
Sproul.