The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-07-29
Lawrence In Another
''InSide" Story Of the
Harding Nomination
By DAVID LAWRENCE
(copy.ight BY The InseuiSereez)

MARION. rh:o. July = Many are tNe
N>-s,orS of the way n which Senator
d~nr, a, ,',4"aEo was accomplished
Politicians haNc rttNiG 'heir own part
IN tNe ana" "'& proud 9"ASt, Lol"Hrt
',vOrEr Harvey has been credited win
gathered and written many q version OF
the tu,s aS h, inter- 'cwcd returning
Gelcga.ss and Republican, l"tdSEs ~ dt-
trent parts "t tn" C"Eut:? 49,
EuJ here at Ia; where .esiEe$ tne
nan hImSei. and his most animate
friends the tv'." S'"ry must 70. ana II
th-. details which ole E.;s here are not
yoUciuslve. certainly ~" most import
am thiNg Is iHit senator itardlnS mas
no ,lupresS:nrs waIcA he does have aud
rrr mo impressions which have hltAcr-
= boon printed or been current.
For Senator Harding told me ho was
honestly convinced that he DID not owe
his nomination % any one man or
l;roup OF mon. he said that he recog-
nlzed that three or four OF his friends
ware perhaps more influential than
others and nc feels deeply grateful 10
all. hut hr is absolutely fixed IN his
conNictiou that certain people. including
his much discussed colleagues did not
d.rta's the result.
Rays was Boosted
The Republican candidate tor the
rrastdrury = marty man md nc iSC Z
the sind who would dsmpen the enthus-
!asm or avdor %: any party worker by
denying oc -etutIn5 Impressions OF
the Ia st man IN the PARTY 70 assume ne
d:d Z ali himself Bu, what Senator
Harding modeSt,y retraIns from saying
there are others IN N.S heedIuaTteES )
here who do not hesitate 10 Sa". And
ther insist that several men c"rSpicu-
ouslv mentioned and a good many
others in the senatorial group were
seriously advancing the candidacy OF
WIN Hays ,hH Ee7ueltcan national
chairman. n tho hours between the
morning ard attrrnoCn session oc the
satGrdv on which Mr. Harding was
nominated.
There was rot ore conference but a
series or conferences during the small!
hours OF Saturday morning. Senator
Harding himself went T. see Senator
Johnson a, oRa o'clock IN the morning
10 enlist the latter'S aid IN mpr"3?eNt
10 preserve party harmony and keep the
johnson strength intact. As he let; the
conferences hC met others in the Same
hotel. and fell lato friendly and uneX-
Pccted meetings. IN \ previous article
the writer crr"ne"usly mentioned the
Morgan and Company as present at ono
OF thAse conferences. Mr.. Lamont was
IN the hotel. but the writer Is assured
he had absolutely nothing 70 do with
the choice Of Mr. Harding and such
general interest as he manifested IN the
doings OF tho conventlcn was not un-
like thar OF scores OF other observers
who came 20 Chica go 10 see the show.
Lowdsn Men Were Hopofh
Even at the very hours Of the morn
ing when u was supposed u have been
agreed to make drive for Harding, the
senator himself Sives the LowdAn men
credit FOR still cnnS!rS 10 the eelet that
they Nigh, possibly put Lowdcr over
the majority marx when the haI'ot;n;s ''r;
friends poInt out quite coEvincinSly
that IN the morning session he got only
a relatively small number OF votes IN
the hallotias Saturday morning. when
OBJECTIONS TO Wood in the Ohio delega
t!on might have been fatal 20 his
chances " heip had rot come az the
sam" moment from :he New York dele
CATION. so that Harding gains were con-
sIstently maintained.
But the interesting fact on which
Senator Har,ling's friends speak frank
~ is that the recess on Saturday was
ret asked for by his own managers. but
was really SorSht by the Wood and
no objection TO X. but in the interval
there developed 4 dangerous opposition
70 Farding'S candidacy which for the
moment seemed N threaten its success.
Talk WIS heard about certain editorials
which appeared in Senator Hardings
newspaper attacking Theodore Roose-
Welt IN t2l2 But the drift toward
Harding was too strong 10 be counter
acted Tn" delegates had been i'm
pressed w,ch tre fact that the three
lenders were deadlocked and that a new
man must be chosen. They had watched
Harding perform as permanent chair
man IN the 1915 convention and liked
MS fairness Many OF them had heard
him OF the stump N the Hughes cam
ralEn. as M spoke in nearly every
nothern state from coast 10 coast. and
mos, Of than were m.'ressed with the
chance og Carrying Ohio "a argued by
Frank Willis IN his speech for Harding
earlier In TIVE convention
The important thing Is that Senator
Harding looks upon his nomination as
the reward OF faithful service 10 the
Repu bllcau party a. 4 whole and to his
middle OF the road course in the Seaat te
r9thcr than % the UanouverS or
schemes OF any boss or group OF bosses.
And since ne thinks SO. the inference Is
plain that Senator Harding doesn't feel
under any obligations Of the political
sort that sNsSarrass new presidents az
:ho outset or their administrations.
- -----------------