Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-08-04
HARDING CHOSEN
TO END DEADLOCK
Compromise Candidate, He
Swept Country With Great
est Majority Given.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Although coming to the White
House with the greatest majority ever
given a presidential candidate-ap-
proximately .000,0O0-Warren G.
Harding entered the field as a com
promise candidate. 1t was upon him
that republican party leaders were
able to unite after the deadlock be-
tween Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood. Gov
Frank o. Lowden of Illinois and SEN
ator Hiram johnson of California
had threatened to carry the 1920 Chi
cago convention over long days of
fruitless balloting.
But Mr.. Harding was not a dark
horse in the strictest sense of that
term. He had been a candidate for
the nomination from the first. enter
ing his name in the presidential pref
erence primaries in his native and
other states. He captured most of
the Ohio delegation, but was unsuc-
cessful elsewhere. Declaring that the
preference primary had given him a
vote which was a call to service he
was early on the ground at Chicago,
surrounding himself with managers
widely experienced in national poll
ties and convention work.
Held Initial Strength.
on the first convention ballot he
received b432 votes, drawing support
from the south and west TO supple
ment MS strength from his own state.
ne he!q TINS level fairly well on the
otner three ballots that day, June II.
ana the next day saw his nomination
on the tenth ballot after a Landslide
OF the great bulk of their support
win the expected deadlock devel-
oplng right at the start of the frst
DAY or the balloting, the party lead
eTs, many of them colleagues of Hr.
harding in the Senate, recessed the
convention and entered into a series
or conferences which lasted through
out the night Early the next morn
ing IL became known that Harding
was regarded the man most likely
70 break the dead lock should none
or the leaders be able to muster the
necessary majority for nomination.
Landslide Starts.
The first ballot of the dav disclosed
tnat there had been a considerable
overnight accession to the Harding
column and his strength continued to
grow with each successive vote. Gen.
Wood lost heavily when the Harding
drift got going, and Senator John
son also went steadily down hill.
rearing landslide was Impending,
! the johnson managers obtained a re-
cess and in the dramatic succession
OF conferences that followed, the fate
OF the candidates virtually was sealed.
On the next ballot-the ninth-Gov.
Lowden released his instructed del
esates TO Harding and the Ohio SEN
ator's total vote was sweIled TO 374L2
| the largest any candidate had re-
ceived up to that hour. The next
| ballot saw stampede of the dele
| gates TO the Harding camp, his off,
clal nominating vote being 692.
| Elected on Birthday.
Hurrying from Chicago to Wash
ington. Mr.. Harding speedily put his
! AFFAIR in order so as TO give all his
time and energies to his campaign
He returned to his home at Marion
on July and accepted the nomina-
ton on July %. Then, like his
friend and mentor. William Nc
Kinley, he conducted a front porch
campaign at his home. addressing
scores of delegations that came from
far and near 10 visit him.
He made occasional speaking trips.
going as far west as Iowa and as
far east as Baltimore. Also he made
a trip into the south. speaking in
| Tennessee. which alone of all the
southern states. gave him a majority
| in the election which came on his
ffty-fifth birthday.