New-York tribune., 1912-12-16
WILSON WILL REWARD
PRE-COMENT|ONF FRIENDS
President-EIeCt Expected to
Turn to Them First for
Advice and Counsel.
LONG LIST OF FAITHFUL
McCombs in Front Rank by
Reason of His Steadfastness
When Things Looked
Darkest.

When President-elect Wilson recovers
his shore legs, gets his house set to rights
and does the thousand and one other
things necessary to his peace of mind
after his months vacation in Bermuda
he will be able perhaps, by the latter
part Of this week, TO get back into the
political whrl and begin to turn over IN
his mind the qualifications and claims Oh
the various men who have been suggested
to him for the most important places thd'
will be at his disposal after his Inaugural
tion.
1t is only natural TO suppose that MT
Wilson, first of all, will consider the sug-
gestions Of his friends-not the friends
who have come to him since his nomina-
ton al Baltimore 50 much as the little
band OF tried and true supporters VINO
got on the Wilson band wagon long be-
fore the Democratic National Convention
and worked hard to make him the Presi-
DENTAL candidate Of his party
Old Friends to Have First Say.
Not that Governor Wilson will ignore
his new found friends-that is, friends
who have come to hun since his nomina-
son we'll know better than that But the
.drst to whom he will turn, and, in fact,
the ones whose advice and counsel VIII
have the most weight, will be that group
of men scattered throughout the country
who were Wilson men right from the
drop of the hat. And 1t is not at all
improbable that in picking his Cabinet
Mr. Wilson will select the major part OF
its membership at least from these old
6rien6s
The list of these men. TO whose work
without question MI Wilson owes his
nomination at Baltimore. is an interesting
one. because It serves to uncover some
men who, while laboring most effectiveiy
for the New Jersey Governor, have not as
vet come into the spotlight of publicity.
This, of course, applies to only some OF
Governor Wilson's pre-convention sup
porters. as the majority Of them are well
known.
William F. McCombs, chairman OF the
Democratic National Committee, natural
ly is at the head Of the original wilson
boomers, for It was this young lawyer
practically alone and unaided, who rent
ed offices In q downtown building, IN
stalled q number of stenographers ana
set the Wilson boom In motion. AND IL
was this same young man who, after ne
did get things started spent many
sleepless night pondering the question as
to how and where he was going to get
the money TO pay the next months bills.
lust as an example Of how Mr. Nc
Combs and the financial end of the Will
son boom were connected, it can be
stated that when Champ Clark carried
the Democratic primaries in Illinois, Nc
Combs was responsible for $4,000 which
had been borrowed to finance the work OF
the Wilson headquarters in that state
When Clark carried the Massachusetts
primaries McCombs was personally re-
sponsible for $4,000. At least half dozen
times during the pre-convention campaign
the Wilson boom was broke" and 1t was
up TO McCombs TO dig up more money to
keep it alive.
1t is true he had associated with him
in the early days of the Wilson boom
number Of men of wealth, who IN addl-
ton to giving a considerable part OF their
time to the work, also contributed hber-
ally TO the family bankroll'' and got a
good many of their friends 10 do ike
wise.
Men Who Gave Financial Aid.
There were men Ike Cleveland II.
Dodge. a classmate OF Governor Will
SON; william G.. McAdoo, the tunnei
builder Henry Morgenthau, the wealthy
real estate operator; Colonel E. NJ.
House, Of Texas, and. Frederic c. PEN
field. all Of whom gave literally OF their
time and money TO the Wilson cause. AS
sisting McCombs and these men were
Walker w. Wick, who had charge Of the
publicity work in general, and Tom
Pence. who dispensed that commodity In
Washington.
II was these men, who, n tn the assist
ance of National Committeeman Robert
s. Hudspeth and Edward e. Grosscup, or
New Jersey; A. Mitchell Palmer. of Penn
svlyania: Willard p Salisbury, national
committeeman from Delaware; Cato Sells.
Of Texas; United States Senator Thomas
p Gore. Of Oklahoma, and Joseph E.
Davies, Of Wisconsin, made up what
might be called the steering committee OF
+he Wilson boom. with assistants in every
state in the Union.
In Illinois for instance, Irving Sherman
and Lawrence Stringer were the original
Wilson hustlers. OF their work the VIII
son men always speak in glowing terms.
In Iowa there was Jerry" Sullivan, al
ready spoken OF for a Cabinet place. ana
in Kansas. Henderson S. Martin. In
Texas. in addition 10 Colonel House and
Mr.. Sells, there were Representatives
Robert s. Henry and Albert s. Burleson.
the latter having been a member of Gov
ernor Wilson's campaign committee after
his nomination.
Frederick B. Lynch, national committee
man from Minnesota. was, and still is
the white-haired Wilson man in his state,
while e. A Purdy, also of Minnesota, has
a rating with the President-elects friends
lust about as high. A. c. Weiss is an
other Minnesota Democrat whose work
an behalf of Governor Wilson'S nomina-
ZION has brought high praise
Over on the Coast j. j. Scott, OF Cali
Sornsa. was the influential Wilson hustler
,n his state, while Paul S. seeley did good
work for the Wilson cause in Oregon, the
same being true of Charles G. Heifner In
the state of, Washington. In Montana
Frank A. Day was the Wilson field mar
shal. while in North Dakota Governor
John A. Burke looked after the Wilson
.rSo~os.s T. Johnson kept the Wilson