The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-05-08
KNOX-JOHNSON
ARE REAL POWERS
Deal Between Them Would
Determine Republican
Nomination
HOOVER-HARDING
ARE ELIMINATED
Neither Wood, johnson nor Lowden
Can Win on First Ballot Senator
Knox Considered Most Promising
Dark Horse.

KNOX CONSIDERED Most rroAISAB
Dark Horse.
WASHINGTON, May S.-Califorria's
smashing majority for Senator Hiram
Johnson (Cal.) in his contest with Her
bert Hoover and Maj General Wood s
plurality in Indiana, where Senator
Johnson, Gov. Lowden Qll.) and Sena-
tor Harding (Ohio) ran second, third
and fourth respectively in Tuesdays pri-
mary elections, have thrown new light
upon the Republican presidential race.
Political leaders are summing up the
situation about as follows:
Senator Harding and Mr.. Hoover
have been virtually eliminated as pos
sibilities Having failed to get solid
delegation from his home state, Sen
ator Harding has made the poorest show
ING of all the other candidates in the
adjacent state of Indiana, after having
nowhere else figured seriously in the
primary results Mr.. Hoover has lost
his home state in greater defeat than
even his opponents dared to hope.
General Wood, Senator johnson and
Governor Lowden are now apparently
assured of holding the place of leaders
of the field when the convention opens
in Chicago, but none of them will have
a majority of the delegates on the first
ballot Only by combinations among
themselves, or with uninstructed del
egations, can any one of the three hope
to win.
The chance for the nomination of a
"dark horse" has been greatly in
creased for the simple reason that none
of the early leaders has been killed off
by the various primary results or is left
strong enough to preciPitate a real
deadlock.
Senator Knox of Pennsylvania re-
mains after the Indiana and California
primaries the most likely clark horse,
chiefly because of the friendship of SEN
ator johnson for him and the fact that
his views on the Wilson foreign policies
coincide with those of many other Re
rublicans, Old Guard men as we'll as
liberals
Senator Knox at the moment looms as
the man who literally has had power
thrust into his hands. 1t was observed
today that, whether he likes it or not
the prominence suddenly given to him
as a presidential possibility has placed
in his possession an authority that he
could not possibly have foreseen.
If he wants to make the run fol
President he Immediately will get Penn
sylvania 3 delegation and an important
place in the race, with prospects of {
great support coming to him from New
York, Massachusetts,, Connecticut anC
other quarters If he decides that HI
does not want to make the race, ther
his counsels as to the nominee will bt
of the greatest Importance. 1t wa
commonly remarked today that if h
and Senator johnson should be willin!
to eliminate themselves and get togethe
they could nominate almost anybod,
they agreed upon.
But of such u combination there j
no sign. 1t was declared that within
the next day or two frank discussion
of the situation will be held betwee
Senators Knox and Johnson, possibl
with some of their close friends partici
pating, and that this will go far to de
termne the direction of the pre- conven
tion fight henceforward The Johnso
people profess to be certain that Knox
influence will insure an absolutely squar
deal for johnson in the convention
whether Knox is candidate or not.