Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 73, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 March 1920 — LEONARD WOOD LEADS IN S. DAK. [ARTICLE]

LEONARD WOOD LEADS IN S. DAK.

GOV. LOWDEN CLOSE SECOND IN FIRST RETURNS, JOHNSON NOT FAR BEHIND Sioux Falls, S. Dak., March 23. —Returns from 110 of 1,740 preeincta, including Aberdeen and Sioux Falls, complete, give: Wood, •7,065; Lowden, 6,284; Johnson, 5,676. Poindexter’s vote compiled from about fifty precincts wm leas than 500. Sioux Falls, S. D., March 23.— Early returns from the Republican presidential primary in South Dakota today shoiw a close race between Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood, Senator Johnson of California and Governor Lowden of Illinois. Returns from 100 precincts out of the 1,740 in the state, including Sioux Falls, Mitchell, Watertown, Aberdeen, Canton and Pierre, nearlycomplete, showed: Wood 5,946 Lowden 5,532 Johnson — 5,253 Senator Poindexter of Washingon received only scattering votes. Vood ran strongly in the’ local prejcincts, hut his lead _ was. cut down out in the state. Voting booths closed at 5 o’clock

p. m. and managers for various canidates predicted early tonight that fairly heavy vote was cast thruout the state. Fair weather prevailed generally. A number of candidates for national and state offices were nominated automatically. The state primary law provides for such a process when candidates have no party opposition. The ticket of the naaonal' non-Partisan League—which las a party status in South Dakoi—was not <on the ballet. When le time limit for independent canidates to file had expired, the secetary of state had not received any additional filings from candidates for league support and the ticket endorsed at the proposal convention, Dec. 2, was considered

nominated. Tom Ayres of Zeona is the league nominee for United States senator and M. P. Bates of Letcher is the party’s candidate for Governor. The proposed convention indorsed Gov. ernor L. J. Frazier of North Dakota as candidate for President, Frazier did not formally accept the inorsement. , . , The ’ Democrats had few contests. The ticket for state office endorsed at the Pierre convention was not contested. There were no congressional contests. In the third district, Representative Harry L. Gandy of Rapid City, was nominated to succeed himself. Interest in the Democratic primary was centered upon the fight for national committeeman among James Mee of Centerville, John A. Bowler of Sioux Falls, Ralph E. Johnson, Sioux Falls, and J. E. Bird, Watertown, and for United States senator between U. S. G. Cheery, Sioux Falls and Tom Taubman, pf Plankinton. . • , James W. Gerard of New York and James O. Monroe of Maywood, 111., sought Democratic indorsement for President. - There were many contests on the Republican ballot. The only candidate who had a clear field was Representative Royal C. Johnson of Aberdeen, in the Second District, who sought re-election.