New-York tribune., 1920-01-30
Rx Carter Field


SIOUX FALLS, S. D., Jan. ga
clear and convincing demonstration of
whether the returned soldiers are op-
posed to any military man for Presi-
dent, and also Of the personal popular
ity and running qualities Of General
Leonard Wood, will be given here in
the primary on March 23. This is
really the barometer state, since the
only primaries which come ahead of it
are in New Hampshire, details of which
are yet to be determined but which is
reported filled with native son cnthu-
siam for Wood, and in North Dakota,
which will not demonstrate much of
anything in the national political sit
uation.
A canvass Of the situation here indi-
Gates that General Wood is going to
carry the primary, with Lowden good
second and Hiram Johnson third. Men
who have canvassed the situation care
fully say the returned soldiers will not
vote either for against Wood en-
masse, but will divide pretty much as
they would have divided if they had
not served in the army. If this is true,
Wood Will win the primary overwhel I'M
ingly. He was first in the field, OBJ
tanned the Endorsement of the state
Republican convention and is benefit
ting from hard work by the regular
supported strongly by the morning
newspaper of Sioux Falls, "The Press"
which happens to be owned by Repub-
lcan National Committeeman Willis
C. Cook.
Lowden Entered Fight Late
General Wood is also being strnogly
supported by Governor Norbeck, who is
a candidate for Senator and whose nom
inaton and election arr practically con-
ceded by all factions and both parties.
Lowden got into the fight late, but
has rallied Il surprising amount Of
support, including that of few of the
A. V. Ringsrud, of Elk Point, who is
tremendously popular with the Scandi-
navan element, very strong in this
state, and who suffers the distinction
of being the only Republican candi-
date for Governor ever defeated in
South Dakota-he ran in 1896, free
silver year
Charles H. Burke, candidate for SEN
ator in 1914, ana defeated for election
by Senator Edward Johnson, Democrat,
as the result of the detection of the
progressive Republicans who had bat
tied for the denomination of Senator
Coe l. Crawford is also working for
Lowden. These two men illustrate the
extremes brought together in South
Dakota in the Lowden organization,
and give a better idea, perhaps than
any mere statement, of the fact that a
very real fight is being made here for
the Illinois Governor. Burke is tre-
mendously strong in what is called up
here the "Rosebud country" which lies
in the Second Congressional District.
Lowden Men Hope for Four Delegates
South Dakota is divided sharply into
two parts-that west of the river,
which includes the gold mines, and is
the Third Congressional District, and
that east Of the river, mostly the farm
ing section of the state, which includes
the first and second districts. In the
fight for delegates in the Third dis
trict it is pretty we'll conceded that
Wood will have things his own way.
The Lowden people seem to be put
ting more Of their efforts into the
farming sections and in Sioux Falls
Though, Of course, they do not admit
this, it would seem to the observer that
their plan Is confession that Wood
will carry the state, getting the four
delegates at large and the two dele
gates from the First District, and that
y
| from the First and Second districts
!. This, If 1T worked out, would give Wood
SIX delegates and Lowden four. Such
l a result would result, Of course. in the
/ ten delegates being bound to Wood on
! the frst ballot, but with four delegates
!; who would stampede to Lowden at the
first signs Of weakness in the Wood
! lineup.
! What the Lowden people say. OF
course. is that the returned soldiers
Will not vote for a military man. anc
that therefore Wood is out of the
running.
That the fight for Lowden here has
1 made real headway with the voters is
shown by the fact that one of The
! workers for Hiram johnson, who i,(
! helped in getting the Johnson petition
: TO go on the primary ballot, and who il
= so DONG canvasscd the voters to q CON
Z SIDERABLE extent, told me the ma,
! Johnson would have to beat in Soutl
8 Dakota was not Wood, but Lowden. In
q Sldentaily' ne said, many Of the othe
4 Johnson workers who circulated nett
. tions were of the same oninion
& Means Much to Wood
81 so that the primary in South Dakot;
II is not the walk-away for Wood whicl
z ~ IS generally assumed to be in tn,
z Nast' particularly in Washington.
8 ,'O'o'S oy clthcr w OOd or LOWdcn viii
q DC tremendously significant, as mark
Z ing the outcome of real camnairr
3 with good brains, good organizatio,
Z ana good publicity on both sides.
= From what | have observed in sur
9 rounding states a victory by Lowdcn i
a 'nls primary would be pretty ncarl
2 disastrous to General Woods campaign
2 cespite the small number of delepate
3 at stake. A victory by Lowden VIII h
6 taken as q demonstration that the sol
y ders are against Wood, and Republi
! cans IN Minnesota, Iowa North Dakot;
4 Wisconsin and Michigan, judging fror
q conversntions have had with repre
4 sentative members Of the party. vii
. turn against the general. This is pa,
8 Ncularly true in that every Rcpubli
2 can, no matter how enthusiastically h
4 is FOR one candidate or another, is fs
q more anxious to have Republica
q president than for any individual can
= didate to be nominated
4 his is true because Republicans !
a the surrounding states, with the es
n ccpnon, OF course, of tho Lowdcn pcc
a PIE themselves have more or less writ
4 ten South Dakota down in the Woo
q column. A Lowdcn victory, thcrcfor,
a would canse them to do considerabl