Borah was determined to see that the Republican presidential candidate in 1920 was not pro-League . He supported his fellow Irreconcilable , California Senator Hiram Johnson , who had been Roosevelt 's running mate in 1912 . Borah alleged bribery on the part of the leading candidate for the Republican nomination , General Leonard Wood , and was snubbed when he demanded to know the League views of Wood 's main rival , Illinois Governor Frank Lowden . When the 1920 Republican National Convention met in Chicago in June , delegates faced a deadlock both as to who should head the ticket , and as to the contents of the League plank of the party platform . The League fight was decided , with Borah 's endorsement , by using language proposed by former Secretary of State Elihu Root supporting '' a '' league , rather than '' the '' League . The presidential stalemate was harder to resolve . A hater both of political intrigue and of tobacco , Borah played no part in the smoke-filled room discussions as the Republicans attempted to break the deadlock . He was initially unenthusiastic about the eventual nominee , Ohio Senator Warren G. Harding , his colleague on the Foreign Relations Committee , as he was disappointed at the failure of Johnson 's candidacy and disliked Harding 's vague stance on the League . Nevertheless , Borah strongly endorsed Harding and his running mate , Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge , who were victorious . Borah later stated he would have left the Senate had Harding lost
1920 Republican National Convention
1920 Republican National Convention
William Borah