New-York tribune., 1922-10-17
Gross i'm Lead
As Rhode Island
II llrrls ON Bosses
Republican Cub cr Material
Candidate Who Got Noraai-
nation by Srcres Ballot
Has Strong Backing
Money To Be Big Factor
s,lusIs Funds Noun, Up:
Senatorial Fight Serene,
With Bceckanan Favored
By Carter Field

By Carter Field
PROVIDENCE, Oct 16.--Ferhaps the
most curious paradox in American
politics is presented in Rhode Island.
Usually the most rigidly hossed state
in the union, this year both state con-
yentions ran amuck Tha carefully
prepared slate, from Governor down,
prepared by the Republican boss, for
mer Senator Henry F. Lippitt, was
thrown in the wastebasket by 6he Re-
publican convention last week, while
the slate picked by Senator Peter
Goclet Gerry, the angel OF the Demo
cratic organization, was wholly dis1e-
garded after stampeding speech by
John r. Fitzgerald.
Despite which fact, every one ex-
poets a money spending orgy on both
sides, but particularly on the Demo-
cratic side, which will make Senator
Newberry's fight against Henry Ford
in 1918, which has been SO shocking
. TO the Democrats and Progressives,
look like q cheese-paring affair.
Both upsets we're very much unex-
pected. The fight in the Republican
convention had looked so one-sided be-
fore the convention met that Harold
J. Gross, now the Republican nominee
for Governor, came very near with
drawing. Even when q ballot was de-
manded in the convention every one
believed that Representative Ambrose
Kennedy, who has represented the Sd
District in the House since 1913, would
be nominated. He was the choice of
Senator Lippitt, and every one acknowl-
edged that it was shrewd political
choice,
Kennedy, although an Irish Catholic,
is stanch Republican, and by his
personal strength has been able to
carry the Sd District, the closest in the
state, even in Democratic years such
as 1912. He speaks French fuently,
which has made him very strong with
the large French Canadian population
of the state.
Secret Ballot Kennedy's Doom
But when the ballots were counted
to the amazement of both sides, it was
discovered that Gross, who is n son-in-
law Of Senator LIE Baron B. Colt, had
been nominated by a large majority,
The ticket nominated by this revolt is
generally admitted to be much weaker
from the standpoint of shrewd ap-
peal to the national, religious and
other prejudices of the Rhode Island
voters than the one proposed by Sen
ntor Lippitt. 1t is conceded to be a
strong aggregation of candidates, how
ever, and the best Judgment obtain
able at this time is that it will be
elected ek&
A curious feature of the revolt
which apparently was directed chiefly
at Senator Lippitt, is that it is the
first time since 1876 that there has
been fight on the floor Of Republi-
can convention in this state. In that
year Senator Lippitt's father, Henry
Lippitt, was candidate for Governor.
This is the first time since that year
that fight has gone far enough to
necessitate ballot.
The Rhode Island Republicans, when
they do have a real decision to make
In their conventions resort to the
secret ballot At least dozen men
told the writer that if the ballot had
been open, SO that the delegates could
have seen how it was going, Kennedy
would have been nominated. The
theory is that so many individual dele
gates thought they would voice an in
dividual protest that Gross rode
through to victory, no one being more
surprised than those who had voted
for him.
Now the Republican leaders are
busy trying to get Kennedy on the
Congress ssional ticket, but he has been
refusing so far. The Republican nomi-
nee in his old district, the Sd, Isaac
Gill, who was nominated despite his
seventy-two years, indicated perfect
Willingness to step down if Kennedy
would take the nomination, but Ken
nedy says he wants to stay in the
state and make some money instead of
going back to Washington.
The revolt did not touch the SEN
atorial nominations in either party,
Ex-Governor R. Livingston Beeckman
was named by the Republicans and
Senator Peter Goelet Gerry was re-
nominated by the Democrats.
Slush Funds Approved Here
Both men are rich, from the ordi-
nary politicians standpoint, but Gerry
could spend more than Beeckman is
worth in the campaign and not dis
cover it until his lawyers began Ak
| ing up his income tax returns. It is
astonishing, it should be remarked
here, how calmly the average Rhode
| Islander, whether business man or pol
itician, talks about the ability of
money to swing an election. They
rather boast about the fact that money
can do more up here than in any other
state in the Union. They dismiss
their neighbors, Connecticut and
Massachusetts,, with what almost
| amounts to a sneer, rs though they
were cheap"
Out in Wisconsin or Iowa, or even
in Indiana or Ohio, such expenditures
as every one here naturally expects
would at once result Ia that becoming
! the paramount issue in the campaign,
The expenditure in Michigan Of a frac-
tion Of what every one says will be
spent here caused sensation, which
has not even yet downed, though it
occurred four years ago. And no one
here even hints that the bulk of The
| money to be spent here will be used
for newspaper advertising, as was the
case in Michigan.
The only question in doubt, if one