Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-04


There are two claimants senator
Hiram johnson. Of California, and Gen
eral Leonard Wood.
At the right moment. il is reported,
General Wood will make public n letter
written by Colonel Roosevelt n few
hours before his death urging the nom
nation by the Republicans of General
Wood, This would be a sort of last will
and testament.
General Wood would have documen-
tary title to at least a share OF the cs
tate, as much of the political following
of the colonel as can be devised in that
manner
III, johnson Not in "Will'
And Hiram Johnson would become
claimant of another sort, not mentioned
In the will. but having certain rights
by blood to a part, if not to all, of the
property.
Until the letter is pubishcd--the last
will and testament tiled--each is in pos
session of share of the property and
intends to hold onto it. endeavoring
meanwhile to oust the other. from his
part.
An amusing meeting of the two resid
uary legatees occurred the other day.
according to the Kansas City Star. Kan
sas City and the surrounding country
Kansas. Oklahoma and Missouri are
part of the Roosevelt estate.
1t is old Bull Moose territory. But
1t is especially General Wood territory
He trained the sons Of all this region
for service in France and. incidentally,
made one of the finest divisions out of
them that ever crossed the seas.
Hiram Dislikes Woodrow
! Hiram Johnson was speaking at Kan
Z sas City for the defeat of the German
treaty. for amendments to the treaty,
for reservations to the treaty. for any
old damage to the treaty that could be
done and for all injury to Woodrow
Wilson that could be accomplished. The
crowd in that region dislikes Wilson.
and johnson was having the time of his
life.
But johnson has no more exclusive
title to dislike of Wilson than he has
to the residuary estate of Theodore
Roosevelt
General Wood dislikes Wilson along
with the best of them, in spite of thp
/ taHy the President gave him on the
occasion of the refusing to send him TO
France in command of the Kansas
! oklahoma and Missouri boys he had so
well trained. In fact. if priority of
right counts in such matters, he has a
better title to the political asset of dis
liking Woodrow Wilson than has Hiram
! Johnson.
However. in Kansas City johnson had
his audience warmed up. Heir of
Roosevelt and foe of Wilson. he was
entitled to a reception. lie had one.
Steals Senator's Thunder
Then the unprecedented happened
for right down the middle aisle of the
johnson meeting marched General
. Wood, interrupting the proceedings to
take little ovation of his own The
story is that he had come for that
purpose.
The meaning? Why, the meaning is
that this estate case is going into the
courts. 1t will be fought right in
to the supreme court 1t will he
come as famous a case of fight over
an estate as, let us say. the Anneke
Jams case in New York, in which
millions are spent every few years to
prove title to a large part of New York
city.
Chief attorney for General Wood is
Frank Fl. Hitchcock. Mr.. Hitchcock
specializes in establishing claims in the
South. Four years ago he was chief
az in ha
Charles f. Hughes. Men say that Mr..
Hitchcock never waits to be engaged
as attorney but picks his claimant him
self. He picked Mr.. Hughes in 1915.
He has picked, so they say, General
Wood this time.
Hitchcock BOoms General
At any rate. there he is in the South.
setting up the Wood claim. to a part
sof the, estate, dubiou,ly Roosevetian,
but one that promises, in course of
time, to become thoroughly Hitchcock
ian. One advantage to an attorney in
picking his own client is the freedom
that 1t leaves him at the last mo-
ment,
Should the last will and testament
prove illusory, or should the court throw
IT out, Mr.. Hitchcock section might
be found going with the rest of the
Roosevelt estate. But Mr.. Hitchcock
picks his clients with unusual skill
and success. He weigs the consider
ations deeply and wisely.
Three years ago Mr.. Hitchcock es-
chewed hatred and all its works. He
choose man whom none could dislike
and who hated none. He chose we'll
looking not beyond the Chicago conven
ton.
Picks Out "Hater'
This time Mr.. Hitchcock looks the
field over. He. decides that hatred is
4 the greatest asset a man can have. He
goes to France, casts an eye upon
General Pershing-casually noting the
near presence of Martin Egan-"No
\ Inter !" he exclaims, and returning
Z to these shores, picks out one of the
best haters of them all as his client
and goes South in his interest.
Mr.. Hitchcock loves silence and dark
places His motto is: "A few south -
ern delegates are worth-more than all
I the noise in the world" His choice of
client imposes a certain silence. IT
(, may be difficult to be strenuous and
& silent at the same time. but all the
great things of life require sacrifices.
And so General Wood is silent, bor-
< rowing a leaf from the book Of famous
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