Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-12-06
HARDING IS CHOICE
OF OLD-L|NE c. 0. P.
Regulars Plan to Retain Party
Control Through Ohio
Senator
ANXIOUS TO DEFEAT WOOD
BY CLINTON w. GILBERT
star Correspondent ri thu IS,rning Public
Ledger

washington, Dec. b.-Senh.H Hr nara
ing, of Ohio, is the real choice of the
old-hne Republican leaders. the men
who prevented the nomination of Roose
velt in 1916 and caused instead the
nomination of Hughes.
They will not concentrate their efforts
npon him as they did upon Hughes
until after the national convention
meets. All their efforts until the as
sembling of the convention will be di-
rected TO preventing the nomination Of
General Wood on one OF the earlier
ballots. General Wood is recognized
as the leading candidate. lie will enter
the convention with distinctly more del
egates than any other candidate.
Senator Harding will possibly have
the support only of his own state and
perhaps of the neighboring state of
Kentucky on the first ballot. In the
early balloting an attempt will be made
to concentrate the scattered anti Wood
vote upon Senator Harding and make
him the nominee.
The plan to prevent Wood nomina
tion consists chiefly of holding the big
states against him. 1t is o fight be
tween the men who have usually con
trolled the Republican national con
yentions and the Roosevelt Republican
leaders, many of whom broke from the
party in 1912 and went over with
Roosevelt to the Progressive party. The
personality of General Wood Is not
so much an issue nor Is his availability
as candidate: The real thing that
interests the politicians is who is going
to control the Republican party. Is
1t going to be the men who have CON
trolled it in the past, who nominated
Taft in 1912 and Hughes in 1915. or the
prodigal sons who left home in 1912
and went over to the Progrcssives?
Great Wealth Behind Wood
These prodigals are General Woods
greatest source of strength and also
his greatest weakness. They have at
their disposal great wealth They
have tremendous energy. They have
the one vital organization there is to-
day. They have more money than Col
onel Roosevelt ever had behind him.
for when the supporters of tne more
the sources of money which were avail
able TO Mr.. Hughes and Mr.. Taft they
find them favorable to General Wood
But nevertheless the prodigals are
not liked. The old line Republicans do
not wish to see George w. Perkins be-
come the power in the Republican party
that he was in the Progressive party.
In certain sections they love not Dan
Hanna, of Ohio, any more than they
do George W. Perkins. Frank II.
Hitchcock, who is busy in the South
In behalf of General Wood, although
a regular Republican with no stain
Upon his record, is not loved by. many
OF the regulars any more than Is Mr.
Perkins or Mr.. Hanna. These are the
most conspicuous examples, but. all
along the line the same issue exists.
Everywhere the Wood movement is the
old Roosevelt movement plus something
more. plus the support of some of the
regulars here and there, plus the per-
sonal strength of the general in New
England and in the Kansas Nebraska
Missouri section where the general
trained his divisions for service in
France. Everywhere there is Wood
movement. There is the same ques-
ton. Who is going to control the Re-
publican party. the old local leaders
or the men who supported Roosevelt
In 1922
A Politicians Convention
The politicians think that this is 60
ing to be politicians convention ; that
General Wood. in spite of his being
the political heir of Roosevelt. will not
develop enough popular strength to
sweep away obstacles and capture the
convention. They regard the Wood
movement as primarily a politicians
movement the movement Of men like
Perkins, Hanna, Hitchcock and King,
Of Connecticut. most of whom were
active in behalf of Colonel Roosevelt.
and who are now making what they
can of such popular strength as Gen
eral Wood possesses to master the con
vention. They think it will spend its
force before she balloting goes far
in the convention and that then they.
command bring forth their candidate.
and name him. Their candidate, if
their present calculations avail, will
be Senator Harding.
The politicians, all except the re-
turned prodigals. prefer Senator Hard
ing to General Wood. not merely be-
cause the general will owe too much
to politicians who are not in favor
with the orthodox; but because Senator
didate. Senator Harding is himself
a politician. He is regular. He
belongs to the Organization. believes
In the organization. and would work
with il. General Wood is less Ger
tain. Even in the army where disci-
pline is more Il religion than it is in
politics, General Wood has been hard
10 control. BY temperament he is in
surgent.
Politicians Sure of Harding
The politicians feel sure of Senator
Harding they do not feel sure of Gen
ersl Wood. They do not want his type
Of President if they can revert to an
earlier type belonging to times that
were kindlier to the politicians than
the present Last winter there showed
yearning for what was called "Mc-
Kinley type of President" Mckinley
being the last of the Presidents to get
an happily with Congress and with the
noliticians. 1t was felt this year the
Replblican chances were so good that
4 non sensational sort Of candidate could
be- named and elected.
senator Harding is the ideal INC
Kiuiey type" candidate. He comes from
WcKinley. With him in the White
House something like the old relations
between Congress and the executive
would be resumed. And as many nj
the influential Republican party leaders
are members of the Senate. the desire
for candidate who would not, il
elected. try to run Congress from the
White House is strong.
The plans of the Harding supporters
confemplate holding the big states and
thus controlling majority of the con
vention. Dislike of George w. Per
l.ine among the Republican party
lreders in New York is counted upoI
fh nreyent New York from giving many
delegates to General Wood,
Penrose to Hold Pennsylvania